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Jailbroken iPad (4.2.1) not rebooting after battery drain

R

radumarinescu

macrumors newbie
Original poster
I have the following problem and I am really desperate.

First, here is the context:
- I have an iPad jailbreaked with iOS 4.2.1 (of course, tethered) which I forgot to charge for a couple of days and the batter got completely drained
- I started recharging it, using an original 10W wall charger for iPad
- the iPad starts charging (I see the "red battery" with the flash sign on the screen) and after a while the silver apple logo appears on the screen, but the iPad never boots...and if I leave the iPad untouched (and plugged in the charger) it goes back to the "red battery" screen... and the cycle starts over.

I tried to put the iPad in DFU mode in order to boot tethered (using redsn0w 0.9.6b4) but unfortunately I can't manage to enter DFU mode...although I follow the timing provided by the redsn0w tool 🙁 ... Here is how I do this (may be it's wrong):
i. when the apple log is on the screen, I remove the cable and press Home+Power until the screen shuts off.... I assume that this is the "TURN OFF" state.
ii. I plug-in the cable in the iPad ... at which moment (without pushing any buttons) the iPad starts and the Apple logo appears...
iii. then i try to follow the timing sequence from redsn0w (Power - 3sec, then Power+Home - 9 sec, then Home - 15 sec), but I never reach the DFU mode... instead, every time the iPad ends in a state with the screen black (like it would be completely shut down)

One more thing: I would not mind even restoring the iPad! ... and I even managed to reach the "Connect to iTunes" window. However, the iPad never get recognized by iTunes... I tried it on three different Mac computers, and in Windows on a VM... but it never got recognized by iTunes.... by reading the Apple instructions, they emphasize that the device must have at least 20% of battery when entering Recovery mode, which is certainly unachievable for me 🙁 due to the fact that the iPad never charged beyond the point (threshold) at which it switches from the "red battery" screen and tries to boot)

So, my questions are:

1. Did this ever happened to you? Or have you heard/read about such a situation before?
2. Is there a way to make my iPad charge (and not stop charging after the "red battery" level is reached)?
3. Do you know *any* way in which I could restore it... or enter DFU mode?


I have jailbreaked in the last 2 year everything from iPod touch to iPhone to iPad, with various versions of tethered and untethered jailbreaks, so I have some experience in doing this... but this problem is beyond my capacity, and I am really desperate, because I am totally clueless.

Any help is welcome!

Thanks a lot,
radu
 
Mine got stuck at the apple logo last night, & I just plugged it in to my laptop with the apple logo there, then ran redsnow with the just boot tethered right now option, and it kicked it right out. I would just try it again, and carefully follow the prompts to enter dfu. It worked for me, even though the iPad was still turned on. You might need to leave it plugged in for a few so it holds the charge, but it should boot. Are you using a Mac or windows? I'm using a MacBook pro, but I know many windows users have had issues with redsnow not running right unless in xp compatibility mode. Check that as well.
 
Just happened to me earlier this week, I thought something was wrong with my charging port. Needless to say, my iPad is going to the Apple store today at 5:10.
 
radumarinescu said:
...............
i. when the apple logo is on the screen, I remove the cable and press Home+Power until the screen shuts off.... I assume that this is the "TURN OFF" state..............

radu
Click to expand...

Try NOT remove the cable, and then press Home+Power.

I think redsn0w's instruction is: plug in the iPAD first, and then turn it off. If you turn it off first, and then plug it in, it will come back live, with the Apple logo on the screen.

I am a noob with JB, but that is something I discovered in my recent JB attempt.

HTH.
 
radumarinescu said:
So, my questions are:

1. Did this ever happened to you? Or have you heard/read about such a situation before?
2. Is there a way to make my iPad charge (and not stop charging after the "red battery" level is reached)?
3. Do you know *any* way in which I could restore it... or enter DFU mode?
Click to expand...
I know that you said you tried, but the iPad should be able to enter DFU even if from the Apple logo. You need to leave the iPad Charge for a few hours (at least 5), plug it to the computer (where it will continue charging), start redSnow >> Force a reboot (Home+power down), once it reboot, keep holding home + Power (at this point Redsn0w should see it), after the time is up release the Power, keep Holding Home and it should work.

The trick is getting unto DFU from the Apple Logo, the reboot and the start of the DFU process are really one and the same step.

Keep trying 99 out 100 chances are that it is a timing issue. You need to let the battery charge as well so let it do it for several hours before trying.
 
Last edited:
I had this issue with my iPad. I was able to correct on a windows computer. My iPad was completly drained. I let it charge to the point where the apple logo popped up. Once that was up i ran redsnow while the apple logo was up. Just did the reboot thethered option. It doesnt need to be turned off when following the redsnow directions. So....leave it plugged into your computer, when the apple logo pops up, run redsnow and it should kick it out and bring your ipad back to life. Let me know if you have any issues with this.
 
Hi all,

although I didn't yet manage to solve my problem I want to say a HUGE "Thank You!" to each one of you for supporting me in this problem.... and also thanks for the encouragement ;-) now, I am more confident that I will eventually make it work again.

Now, here is what happened in the meantime:

- in the beginning I didn't know exactly *how* to let it charge for a long period of time... I was struggling in the loop between the "red battery" and the "apple logo" screen
- the first encouraging news is that a couple of hours ago I managed to let it charge in a (hopefully) "power off" state (it's a state in which the screen is persistently black...i.e. without automatically rebooting)... the good news is that now, even when I un-plugged if, the "red battery" screen doesn't show up anymore!

- being impatient (I'm sure you understand) ;-) I tried to enter DFU mode (or Recovery mode) without letting it charge for 5 hours (as you suggested, maturola)... it just charge for cca. 45 min. ... unfortunately, I didn't manage to reach the DFU mode 🙁 .... and when entering the Recovery mode (the "Connect to iTunes" screen appeared) iTunes still didn't seem to "sense" it.

Currently, I am exercising patience ;-) and the iPad will charge for at least 5 hours.

In the meantime I am bothering you with some more questions:

1. If my iPad is persistently off, and plugged in the 10 W wall charger, is it indeed charging? Or is it only an illusion of mine? 🙂 If you think that it's not charging, how should I set it in a state where it would charge (and avoid the "red battery"[charge] - "apple logo"[drain] cycle)?

2. Is it normal, that after 45 min. of charge, when entering the "Recovery" mode iTunes still doesn't recognize the iPad?

3. How exactly (stepwise) did you proceed in redsn0w to reach DFU mode... using the following starting point (which i both know how to reach):
(i) iPad in "power off" state
AND
(ii)redsn0w (with "Just boot tethered right now" option selected ) on the screen *before* the DFU timers appear (this is the screen with the text ending with "Click next ONLY when your device is BOTH off and plugged in")


Again thanks again for the great help! I will keep you informed on the progress I make

all the best,
radu
 
radumarinescu said:
:

1. If my iPad is persistently off, and plugged in the 10 W wall charger, is it indeed charging? Or is it only an illusion of mine? 🙂 If you think that it's not charging, how should I set it in a state where it would charge (and avoid the "red battery"[charge] - "apple logo"[drain] cycle)?

2. Is it normal, that after 45 min. of charge, when entering the "Recovery" mode iTunes still doesn't recognize the iPad?

3. How exactly (stepwise) did you proceed in redsn0w to reach DFU mode... using the following starting point (which i both know how to reach):
(i) iPad in "power off" state
AND
(ii)redsn0w (with "Just boot tethered right now" option selected ) on the screen *before* the DFU timers appear (this is the screen with the text ending with "Click next ONLY when your device is BOTH off and plugged in")
Click to expand...

1. YEs it is charging
2. Not really normal, but there are millions of things that could be happenng here, not really adnormal either.

3. From "off" stage, plug it to the computer (make sure you got the lastest itunes), and fallow Redsn0w instructions to the letter.
 
when the red battery is showing, plug your ipad into the computer. leave it like that charging until the apple logo shows up. Once that is on start running redsnow. Click on the reboot tethered option. When the apple is still showing, hold the power and home buttons as it shows on redsnow. Relase the power buttong when redsnow tells you. Procced with redsnow jailbreak and you will be fine.
 
maturola said:
3. From "off" stage, plug it to the computer (make sure you got the lastest itunes), and fallow Redsn0w instructions to the letter.
Click to expand...

ok. but what puzzles me is this: assuming the I plugged in the iPad to the computer, while redsn0w is at the screen **before** the one with the timers, I have the following problem:
- if I click "Next" in redsn0w, the first counter (3 sec.) is "Hold down the Power (corner) button", but unfortunately this is not working for me... so I have to "power on" the iPad keeping Power+Home buttons pressed (for cca. 10 sec.) before the "Apple logo" appears... so, from the start (step 1 of 3) I'm out of sync with the timers on the next screen.

so:
- should I press "Next" in redsn0w only **after** the Apple logo appears (i.e. the iPad is powered on by pressing the Power+Home button.
- assuming that the answer to the previous question is "yes", should I hold pressing Power+Home and wait for 3 + 10 sec? Or should I only keep pressing Power for 3 sec. and then go back to Power + Home for 10 sec, followed by releasing the Power button (and only holding Home until redsn0w detects the DFU mode)?

thanks again, maturola!
radu
 
leave the apple logo up when starting redsnow. Follow the instructions as if it were powered off when you started.
 
radumarinescu said:
ok. but what puzzles me is this: assuming the I plugged in the iPad to the computer, while redsn0w is at the screen **before** the one with the timers, I have the following problem:
- if I click "Next" in redsn0w, the first counter (3 sec.) is "Hold down the Power (corner) button", but unfortunately this is not working for me... so I have to "power on" the iPad keeping Power+Home buttons pressed (for cca. 10 sec.) before the "Apple logo" appears... so, from the start (step 1 of 3) I'm out of sync with the timers on the next screen.

so:
- should I press "Next" in redsn0w only **after** the Apple logo appears (i.e. the iPad is powered on by pressing the Power+Home button.
- assuming that the answer to the previous question is "yes", should I hold pressing Power+Home and wait for 3 + 10 sec? Or should I only keep pressing Power for 3 sec. and then go back to Power + Home for 10 sec, followed by releasing the Power button (and only holding Home until redsn0w detects the DFU mode)?

thanks again, maturola!
radu
Click to expand...


I think you are over thinking it, just do it, I do this about 20 times or more a day so maybe that is why is so easy for me, however I don;t even look at the redsn0w instructions anymore, I actually never notice if the iPad or iPhone is Off or on. just Hold Home + Power until go off while the device is connected to the computer, keep holding it after it come up, release the power after a few seconds, keep holding home and Done!..

Try it after the ipad have been recharged, if you still can get it I tried to make (or look for) a video that show it step by step, but I am telling you it is not really that hard, a few tries and you'll get it.
 
maturola, The Tos,

I thank you both for the advices and the encouragements! 🙂

I have to wait now for the iPad to charge, and then I will let you know how it worked.... I promise to try it at least 30 times before bothering you further ;-)

radu

ps. the thing that worries me most is that I didn't see any evidence since the problem occurred of a communication between the iPad and the computer... I just hope that it is indeed because of the low level of the battery.
 
radumarinescu said:
maturola, The Tos,

I thank you both for the advices and the encouragements! 🙂

I have to wait now for the iPad to charge, and then I will let you know how it worked.... I promise to try it at least 30 times before bothering you further ;-)

radu

ps. the thing that worries me most is that I didn't see any evidence since the problem occurred of a communication between the iPad and the computer... I just hope that it is indeed because of the low level of the battery.
Click to expand...

Its no a bother at all, you can come back and ask as much as you need to.

there is always a chance that something went wrong, in that case you need to take it to Apple, but base on your descriptions, it is just a low battery issue and you need to let it recharge first.

make sure to Reboot your MBP to start on a clean computer, try a different USB port in case one went rouge and make sure iTunes is up to date. (also that you are running the right version of Redsn0w for what you want do to).
 
You dont necessarly have to wait for it to charge. Just get it to the point where its "trying" to boot and the apple logo is showing. There wont be any communication between the ipad and computer at the point your currently stuck at. Let me know how it goes. but really, you dont have to wait to charge it.
 
The Tos said:
You dont necessarly have to wait for it to charge. Just get it to the point where its "trying" to boot and the apple logo is showing. There wont be any communication between the ipad and computer at the point your currently stuck at. Let me know how it goes. but really, you dont have to wait to charge it.
Click to expand...

he needs to let it charge enough (I think the magic number is 40%), Apple hardware won't let you enter DFU mode after the battery had die, just to avoid the battery dying again while in a software update. (real number may be lower, but there is a "magic" number)
 
more trouble... I had to move the wall charger from one room to another, and when I plugged the iPad again, the Apple logo appeared (iPad powers on) ... and every time I power it off (by pressing Home + Power) while being plugged it powers on automatically after a couple of seconds. 🙁 I also tried to unplug it from the wall plug and power it off... but it stays powered off only until it i plug the charger in the wall socket.

not being able to power it off anymore, I tried to see how it behaves in redsn0w...and here I found more trouble:

- I followed maturola's procedure: "Hold Home + Power until go off while the device is connected to the computer, keep holding it after it come up, release the power after a few seconds, keep holding home and Done!" .... and varied the number of second corresponding to the word "few" 🙂 with 2 sec. 3 sec. 10 sec. ... and invariably I land at the "Connect to iTunes" screen ... 🙁 which I guess would mean that I'm in Recovery mode... which also wouldn't be bad it iTunes would recognize the iPad... but it doesn't 🙁

- I also tried the procedure that The Tos suggested: "leave the apple logo up when starting redsnow. Follow the instructions as if it were powered off when you started." ... when I do this (i.e. from the "apple screen", I first push Power - 3 sec. then Power+Home - 10 sec. then only Home - 15 sec.) the iPad remains with a black screen (after the 3 + 10 +15 sec), like it would be in DFU mode... except that reds0w doesn't see it as such 🙁

the only "good" thing is that by following the procedure of "The Tos" the iPad remains in the "black screen" state (no clue what state exactly) and I hope that it charges... at least now it's plugged in my wall charger and it doesn't automatically power on...

i don't know if this helps to identify the state in which it is, but I can tell you that in order to bring the Apple logo back on screen I have to hold Power +Home for **more** than 10 sec. (my guess is around 15 sec.)

any ideas what I should do?

thanks,
radu

ps. as for the other hints: I rebooted my MBP, iTunes is v. 10.1.1, and I checke this on both USB ports ... and also checked both ports with my wife's iPad.
 
I'm telling you.. same thing happened to me.. I gotta take it to the Apple store. I've read a couple different places that some iPad charging ports aren't the best and Apple is replacing them. Prior to mine draining I had left it on the charge for 2 nights in a row and it never charged.

Yours probably was the same way you just did't notice. I think it's a hardware issue.
 
I would try the following:

1 - Charge your iPad for a few hours (I think there is some credence to the "magic number" described above, so make sure it's good and charged).
2 - Get it to the screen with the white apple logo if you can.
3 - Reboot your Mac.
4 - Connect iPad to computer (still with apple logo on screen).
5 - Open redsn0w and proceed until you get to the part where it warns you to make sure the iPad is off.
6 - Hold the Home and Power buttons on your iPad at the same time until the screen goes black. When it goes black, release both buttons and prepared to hit next in redsn0w immediately afterwards.
7 - Hit next in redsn0w and then almost immediately hold the power button before the iPad hits the next reboot infinite loop.
8 - Proceed to boot tether as instructed by redsn0w.
 
Last edited:
thanks all for your latest advices!

unfortunately I believe more and more that sideline3 is right, in the sense that I suspect a hardware problem....although I don't it's a charging problem, because actually the only good thing that happened yesterday is that the iPad *did* charge ... I can't say how charged it is, because I have no indicator for that, but at least I never saw the "red battery" screen for more than half-a-day now, in spite of my extensive usage of it (uncountable boot attempts)

Let me tell you what happened in the meantime:

1. I let the iPad charge for a total of cca. 9-10 hours.

2. as mentioned in my previous post, I tried maturola's DFU-entering procedure, but I always land in the "Connect to iTunes" screen... however, without any recognition from iTunes

3. also as mentioned before, I tried the procedure suggested by The Tos, and I *always* land in a state with a black screen, but redsn0w doesn't recognize it at DFU

4. I also tried pruppert's procedure (really letter-by-letter...thanks pruppert! that was excellently explained) for at least 10 times, on 2 Macs and a Windows XP machine... I always land in the same state as with the procedure of The Tos.

Now about this strange "black screen" state (which I would swear that it's a DFU mode, except that it seems not to be) I can also tell you that to get it out of that state, I have to hold Power+Home for exactly 13-14 sec (before the Apple logo appears). I am mentioning that again, for the case some of you might know what that state is.

thanks again for all your effort...if you have any other ideas I'm willing to test everything.

have a great day,
radu
 
It sounds like it may be in infinite DFU mode. Have you tried a program called Tiny Umbrella? Download that for your Mac, then try to run it. It probably won't do what it normally does (which is save SHSH blobs if you want to downgrade), but it might be able to kick the iPad out of DFU mode so that you could start fresh.
 
This is a very common tether issue. The infinite reboot is because a jailbreak aspect is loading during the boot sequence, but cannot complete since the iPad/iPhone is tethered. Hence, you'll see the apple reboot logo over and over again.

To get out of this infinite mess
- Plug the ipad into the usb port
- Close itunes (I just do this so I do not get itunes infront of my windows)
- Open redsn0w and run through the steps
- At the page where it says to power off the ipad (this is the hard part)
- hold the power and home button till the iPad flashes off
- hit next on redsn0w
- Follow the directions while pretending that iPad was off, but in reality it flashed back on

The timing is really tricky and annoying. The first time I tried and got "an unexpected error". Then I tried redsn0w again and it automatically tried to apply the patch and got the error again. I think I got it on my 5th attempt.


To put it in recovery mode:
- Just hold the home and power buttons for 30 - 60 secs till you see the "Connect to iTunes". It may reboot a few times before the logo appears...

This is not DFU mode, since DFU mode is a black screen.

Hope this works for some people having this issue.
 
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