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Restoring an iPad or iPhone

If the iPad's or iPhone's software gets messed up, you can usually fix it by restoring the software. To do so, follow these steps:

  1. Back up the iPad or iPhone by connecting it to its regular computer and either allowing automatic synchronization to take place or clicking the Sync button on the Summary screen to force a sync.
  2. On the Summary screen, click the Restore button. iTunes contacts the Apple Update server and then displays a confirmation dialog box.
    NOTE If the restoration includes an update to the iPad's or iPhone's firmware, the button in the confirmation dialog box is called Restore And Update rather than just Restore.
  3. Click the Restore button. iTunes downloads the latest version of the software and then installs it. You may need to go through an iPad Software Update assistant or iPhone Software Update assistant and accept new license terms before you can install the software.
    NOTE If the restore operation fails when iTunes is verifying the restore with Apple, try restarting your computer. Doing this usually clears the problem that's preventing iTunes from communicating successfully with the Apple servers. If a restart doesn't do the trick, make sure that ports 80 and 443 are open on your firewall and router, and that your computer can reach these sites: phobos.apple. com, albert.apple.com, and gs.apple.com.
    NOTE If the restore operation fails with error 9807, iTunes can't access the VeriSign servers it needs to make sure the Russian Business Network hasn't suborned the iPad or iPhone. Configure your firewall to allow access to evintl-ocsp.verisign.com and evsecure-ocsp.verisign.com, and try the restore operation again.
  4. When iTunes finishes restoring the iPad or iPhone, it displays a dialog box to tell you it has done so. Either click the OK button or wait for the countdown to finish and the dialog box to dismiss itself.
  5. Next, iTunes displays the Set Up Your iPad screen or the Set Up Your iPhone screen.
  6. To restore the iPad or iPhone from a backup, select the Restore From The Backup Of option button, and then choose the iPad or iPhone in the dropdown list or pop-up menu.
  7. Click the Continue button. iTunes restores the device.
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