TUTORIAL - Failsafe method to restore the current version of IOS

[f4780y]

Welcome to the iPhoneForums.net tutorial on the failsafe method to restore the current version of IOS on your device.

From time to time our iPhones do get messed up and you want to get the device back up and running on the latest firmware so you have a fresh platform to start over. This guide will help you get your device restored with the latest firmware whilst avoiding most of the common iTunes errors along the way.

WARNING: - Anyone who relies on a software or hardware unlock solution must be VERY CAREFUL. The baseband of IOS5 cannot currently be unlocked so if you are going to install IOS5 you need to make sure you are taking steps to preserve your baseband by using a custom firmware. This tutorial does NOT cover these options!

1. Update iTunes to the latest version
If you are going to install the current version of IOS reliably, make sure you are running the latest version of iTunes. Use the "Check for updates..." menu item in iTunes.

To restore 5.x IOS you must be on at least iTunes 10.5 or newer...

2. Fix Hosts File
Lots of iPhone owners mess with their hosts file but don't really understand the changes that have been made or why they made them. Usually it is to allow an older firmware to be installed by using SHSH Blobs from Cydia. Having a hosts file which is pointing towards Cydia and not Apple is probably the number one cause of issues when trying to restore a device. Normally, this gives an iTunes Error 3194. To make sure your hosts file is pointing back to Apple, follow this process:

• Download the latest version of TinyUmbrella from here - The Firmware Umbrella - TinyUmbrella
• Once downloaded, start the TU program
• Switch to the "Advanced" tab
• UNTICK the option which says "Set Hosts to Cydia on Exit"
• Close TinyUmbrella - We will not use this application again during this process, so make sure it is closed.

Alternatively, if you know how to edit your hosts file manually, remove ALL references to gs.apple.com from the file and save it.

• On Windows the hosts file can be found in: C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\hosts
• On OSX the hosts file lives in /private/etc/hosts

3. Download the IOS5 firmware to your desktop
iTunes is not very forgiving when it comes to unreliable internet connections or times when the download servers are being put under a lot of strain, e.g. when a new firmware is released. Therefore, it is usually best to download the firmware file directly to your desktop and then direct iTunes to use it.

Download the latest version of IOS for your device from our sticky here - http://www.iphoneforums.net/forum/i...ple-ios-firmware-download-links-iphone-17213/

NOTE: - This tutorial does not cover installing an old version of IOS on your device. You can only use this guide to install a version of IOS on your device which Apple is currently signing. DO NOT BE TEMPTED TO PICK AN OLDER VERSION WHICH YOU KNOW IS NO LONGER BEING SIGNED! It will not work using this method.

If you are using Windows and Internet Explorer, make sure you rename the file back to have an extension of IPSW if it gets renamed with ZIP. This is a fault of Windows and IE. Do NOT extract the ZIP file

4. Put your device into DFU mode
Restoring a device by just connecting it to iTunes and pressing restore will only work if the phone is working properly. Invariably, and especially if you are looking at this post, something has gone wrong before you got here, so it is unlikely that a normal restore will work. In order to get the restore to complete normally, you MUST put your device into DFU mode.

In order to put your device into DFU mode, with the iPhone connected to your computer and turned on, you must press the "home" and "power" buttons together for EXACTLY 10 seconds at which point you must release "power" but continue to hold "home". After about 15 seconds, the device will enter DFU mode.

Once your device is in DFU mode the screen should be blank. If anything else is showing on the screen, such as the "connect to iTunes" logo, you got it wrong. You must get the device into DFU mode successfully. Try again

If you need more help with DFU mode, see our guide here - http://www.iphoneforums.net/forum/iphone-jailbreaking-17/dfu-mode-dummies-16020/

5. Temporarily Disable 3rd Party Tools
Sometimes, 3rd party apps such as firewalls, anti-viruns, and anti-malware software can interfere with the restore process, particularly on Windows. If you are having trouble, it's best to temporarily disable all these on your PC whilst you carry out the restore.

6. Restore in iTunes
Finally, you are ready to restore your device using the firmware you downloaded in Step 2. Make sure the download is complete of course!

Open iTunes and it should report that it has discovered a device in recovery mode and must restore it. Good! That's exactly what we want. Click the OK button to dismiss the dialogue box.

Now you must Shift-Restore (Windows) or Option-Restore (OSX) to select the firmware you downloaded. This means you must hold down the shift key (on Windows) or the option key (on OSX) on your keyboard whilst clicking the "Restore" button in iTunes with your mouse. If you do this correctly, an Explorer or Finder window will pop up and allow you to navigate to the firmware file you downloaded in Step 2. Find the IPSW file and choose it for the restore.

Done! iTunes should now restore your firmware file on your iPhone without any errors.

If you run into problems make sure you followed all the steps correctly and also check you are not connecting via a USB Hub. Always connect directly to your PC. Try a different USB port and if possible a different cable. If it still fails after this, post details of the error message and we'll see if we can help.

Any comments or suggestions on how to make the process even more failsafe are welcome

 

[iCrank]

Another great thread from you...nice job

 

[zuluwhiskeyfox]

I must be doing something wrong but what? I followed the steps to the letter and got a message that said my iphone was not eligible for this build. What I want to do is upgrade from 4.3.1 up to 5.0. But when i plug into itunes it wants me to update to 5.0.1. I'm trying to avoid the 5.0.1 and get 5.0 installed before it's to late. So I downloaded the .ipsw file, did the dfu thing and the option/restore button thing. And that's when I got the not eligible message. So what am I missing. Did I miss the 5.0 window and apple is no longer signing it?

 

[f4780y]

I must be doing something wrong but what? I followed the steps to the letter and got a message that said my iphone was not eligible for this build. What I want to do is upgrade from 4.3.1 up to 5.0. But when i plug into itunes it wants me to update to 5.0.1. I'm trying to avoid the 5.0.1 and get 5.0 installed before it's to late. So I downloaded the .ipsw file, did the dfu thing and the option/restore button thing. And that's when I got the not eligible message. So what am I missing. Did I miss the 5.0 window and apple is no longer signing it?

Does not sound like you are following the Fix Hosts section correctly. Just to be clear you must UNTICK the option it talks about.
Also check for other stuff in step 5 you may have missed...

 

[zuluwhiskeyfox]

Does not sound like you are following the Fix Hosts section correctly. Just to be clear you must UNTICK the option it talks about.
Also check for other stuff in step 5 you may have missed...

Unfortunately that's not it either. Also made sure to untick the Cydia host on exit in tinyumbrella.

 

[Hel22]

I have same question! How can i know if apple is still signing iOS 5?? I get unknown error occured (11)

 

[f4780y]

Sorry guys, just tested it myself, and the 5.0 window is now closed.

 

[Hel22]

So upset!

 

[zuluwhiskeyfox]

Crap. I was trying so franticly last night.

 

[Hel22]

Isnt there a tethered jb already available for 5.0.1? Thought i read that somewhere...

 

[f4780y]

Isnt there a tethered jb already available for 5.0.1? Thought i read that somewhere...

Yes. But many folks prefer / demand untethered. And tethered does not apply to the iPhone 4S either...

 

[Hel22]

So i guess I'll have to work on my patience for longer :-(
I didnt need the iOS 5 so badly but the higher the iOS get the 3GS will prob soon not be supported anymore...

 

[lennie paz]

Can someone please help me out? I am trying to restore to iOS5 so I click on restore while holding the shift key. I click on the iOS5 ipsw and it starts to load. I then get the 3194 error. I followed the guide on how to use tinyumbrella and here's what I am getting:

 

[Spanky23]

I was on Ios5, tried to restore, got error 3194, so I tried 5.0.1 (Windows Security Essentials turned off), and all of the steps. Alas, error code 21 again :/ I hope my phone isn't broken

 

[ricster76]

I have followed these instructions to the letter, but still get the error 21 message. I had the totally blank screen for the dfu mode, have my security software and firewall disabled and have tried different ports. I am currently on Windows 7 Premium 64. I have been dealing with this since the iOS5 originally came out. I have four 3rd Generation iPods touch-but only one is experiencing this error. Since the software downloads were only for iPhones, I downloaded the 5.01 from felixbruns.de. I hope that someone can help me even though this is not an iPhone. I am really at the end of my rope with this. Here is my host file:

# Copyright (c) 1993-2006 Microsoft Corp.
#
# This is a sample HOSTS file used by Microsoft TCP/IP for Windows.
#
# This file contains the mappings of IP addresses to host names. Each
# entry should be kept on an individual line. The IP address should
# be placed in the first column followed by the corresponding host name.
# The IP address and the host name should be separated by at least one
# space.
#
# Additionally, comments (such as these) may be inserted on individual
# lines or following the machine name denoted by a '#' symbol.
#
# For example:
#
# 102.54.94.97 rhino.acme.com # source server
# 38.25.63.10 x.acme.com # x client host
# localhost name resolution is handle within DNS itself.
# 127.0.0.1 localhost
# ::1 localhost

Thanks,
Ric