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570934

Suspended
May 3, 2011
710
107
It seems to be a problem with specifically the version 3, my other v2's all updated fine.

Still got a bricked v3 so will have to go digging for a lead in the loft :(

On another note, Apple forum staff deleted a post I made asking how can someone who doesn't have a desktop fix this issue. Email this morning saying the post was removed for unconstructive subject matter? What, asking a question is unconstructive.
 

aicul

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Jun 20, 2007
809
7
no cars, only boats
Suppose its an admission that the cable/pc solution is incoherent

Guess no one at apple really knows about this, except the silly engineer that designed it

Very dissappointing
 

borostef

macrumors 6502
Feb 10, 2012
333
41
Zagreb, Croatia
This is ridiculous... My ATV is stuck too... Was it so hard to say before you start the update that we are going to need a micro USB cable...
 

bozzykid

macrumors 68020
Aug 11, 2009
2,430
492
This is ridiculous... My ATV is stuck too... Was it so hard to say before you start the update that we are going to need a micro USB cable...

It isn't suppose to require a full restore but many fail every update. Apple just does nothing about it. Luckily mine updated fine.
 

Alrescha

macrumors 68020
Jan 1, 2008
2,156
317
It isn't suppose to require a full restore but many fail every update. Apple just does nothing about it. Luckily mine updated fine.

On the contrary, Apple provided a mechanism for people with borked Apple TVs to fix it themselves instead of sending back to the factory. I think it's a feature.

(my Apple TV 3 upgraded fine)

A.
 

Miamifan1354

macrumors member
May 12, 2009
46
0
Having issues as well..

Tried to update thing morning and got the screen saying connect to iTunes. I have a micro usb cable, so no problems there. Plug the Apple TV 2 into the computer, start up iTunes, but no dice. iTunes won't find the apple TV. Tried multiple times. The light on the AppleTv blinks while connected to computer, but doesn't show up anywhere.

Brought it to the Apple Store, and they couldn't get it to do anything either. Same symptoms. Said it's out of warranty, so there's really nothing they can do. So to sum up, I tried to update, and now I have a bricked AppleTv.
 

borostef

macrumors 6502
Feb 10, 2012
333
41
Zagreb, Croatia
And BTW, don't you think that it is funny that apple insists on connecting all of the i-devices with your computer with any type of connector except micro USB, but decides to put one on the ATV? Well, sorry apple, I invested a lot in your devices, have more then six original cables to connect them to my Macs, and because I love and use your products... I haven't got a micro USB cable to use when ATV update fails! :mad:

I'm off... Going to wake my neighbours to see if I can borrow one...:(
 

aicul

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Jun 20, 2007
809
7
no cars, only boats
I'm still baffled by the absurdity if this.

Honestly it took me a few minutes to understand the sppletv was in recovery mode. Initially i thought the image on the screen was some type of new feature being promoted.

Goes to prove how ridiculus this us. Apple cannot even indicate the upgrade fail, they prefer to ask you to connect to itunes.

Shame !!!
 

xxbrankxx

macrumors member
Jun 27, 2008
65
0
Philadelphia, PA
My ATV2 also got the "connect to iTunes" picture after I tried running the update yesterday. I thought maybe it had something to do with a jailbreak that I tried months ago that wasn't fully installed. I also thought maybe it had something to do with me running an old version of iTunes 10.7 that I refuse to update because I'm not giving up my CoverFlow.

I was however able to do a factory reset with the micro USB cable (that I originally bought for the purpose of jailbreaking and installing XBMC). I disconnected the power cable & HDMI from the ATV2 then plugged just the micro USB cable to my iMac and loaded up iTunes and did a restore and it restored back to factory settings. I'm gonna have to tell my dad not to update his ATV3 until this ordeal is remedied.
 

bozzykid

macrumors 68020
Aug 11, 2009
2,430
492
On the contrary, Apple provided a mechanism for people with borked Apple TVs to fix it themselves instead of sending back to the factory. I think it's a feature.

Of course it is a nice feature. But updates should not be failing this often.
 

aicul

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Jun 20, 2007
809
7
no cars, only boats
Is the nice feature "the recovery", or is it the "way in which it was implemented".

The latter is not a nice feature, the first is ... Mandatory.
 

borostef

macrumors 6502
Feb 10, 2012
333
41
Zagreb, Croatia
I finally found a mikro USB cable and was able to restore my ATV 3... I hope that this will not happen again, but judging by some other posts this is not uncommon...
 

Che Castro

macrumors 603
May 21, 2009
5,878
676
I finally found a mikro USB cable and was able to restore my ATV 3... I hope that this will not happen again, but judging by some other posts this is not uncommon...

This is the first time for me since the Apple TV 3 came out over a year
 

Orchidkid

macrumors newbie
Feb 7, 2011
19
0
Having issues as well..

Tried to update thing morning and got the screen saying connect to iTunes. I have a micro usb cable, so no problems there. Plug the Apple TV 2 into the computer, start up iTunes, but no dice. iTunes won't find the apple TV. Tried multiple times. The light on the AppleTv blinks while connected to computer, but doesn't show up anywhere.

Brought it to the Apple Store, and they couldn't get it to do anything either. Same symptoms. Said it's out of warranty, so there's really nothing they can do. So to sum up, I tried to update, and now I have a bricked AppleTv.

I had the exact same issue. After it bricked I used a micro usb i had lying around. The apple tv (second generation) flickered but nothing on iTunes on my mac. I even tried downloading iTunes on a windows laptop but it still didn't show up under devices.

I ended up going to Best Buy and bought a 20 dollar micro usb to see if another one might work. As soon as I plugged it into the mac it showed up under devices and restored. It even updated to the new software through iTunes.

It has been working fine ever since.
 

Bigwaff

Contributor
Sep 20, 2013
1,667
1,068
After initial attempt to restore borked updated ATV2 (-1611 error), I switched to different micro-USB cable and the restore went fine. Agree that the update should not bork the device but the documentation (with package and online) clearly states the need for the micro-USB cable and iTunes to perform a restore.
 

aicul

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Jun 20, 2007
809
7
no cars, only boats
Seems apple pulled their v6 update.

Wonder if they will refund all the micro-usb cables people were forced to buy..
 
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570934

Suspended
May 3, 2011
710
107
Seems apple pulled their v6 update.

Wonder if they will refund all the micro-usb cables people were forced to buy..

Or the people they refused to repair their bricked ATV, now they have pulled the update surely it will justify them sorting these broken units in store ?
 

bozzykid

macrumors 68020
Aug 11, 2009
2,430
492
Why wouldn't you just move the appletv to your office and plug it in. Seems pretty convoluted moving a whole iMac...

Plus, it doesn't even require you to plug in the power (powered over usb). So it is a pretty easy process if you already have iTunes setup.
 

aicul

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Jun 20, 2007
809
7
no cars, only boats
Why wouldn't you just move the appletv to your office and plug it in. Seems pretty convoluted moving a whole iMac...

Plus, it doesn't even require you to plug in the power (powered over usb). So it is a pretty easy process if you already have iTunes setup.

Good points, but nothing of this kind was indicated by apple on their recovery screen. So should we add miss-information to the list if absurdities?

Frankly a few lines of text, rather than that ridiculous picture would be useful

----------

And for the record, the recovery seems to be more successful with power(just a cable).

Not to mention that I had to find a v5 ispw file since v6 we now know is so bad that apple has removed it. This required more than standard knowledge of itunes
 
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