Q: ipad 2 update 9.3

You probably had auto update activated on your iPad and didn't realise it.

Try another hard reset of your iPad by holding down both the Home and sleep/wake buttons simultaneously until your iPad goes to black and restarts with Apple logo, then release the buttons.

If this doesn't work or  your iPad comes alive and you receive an Activation Server error,

Apple just recently has offered this possible solution.

A solution for Activation Server Lock on iOS 9.3.

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT206203

Good Luck!

Whenever anthing goes wrong with iOS upgrade/updates on older iDevice mobile hardware do users just immediately jump to the conclusion that Apple is trying  to force its users to purchase new iDevices by rendering their older iDevices useless by purposely trying to cripple their older devices by issuing software upgrades/updates that "purposely" have "malignant" code written into the new iOS to permanently "brick" or make their older iDevice useless?

Why?...

Apple has never done that with any device or computer unless there was some paradigm shift in technology that Apple has decided to adopt ( like the shift from computers with IBM/Motorola PowerPC CPU chips and architecture to computers with Intel CPUs that were immediately incompatible with older PowerPC Macs back in 2006).

Besides, any computer or mobile computing device that is five years old or older isn't exactly cutting edge any longer, and Apple starts obsoleting hardware support around this 5-6 year period.

So, eventually, Apple is going to end iOS version support for the iPad 2.

Can't wait to hear from iPad 2 users when that day arrives!