iPad is "stuck" looping between the lockscreen and the boot logo...

[plau]

I've had my iPad 2 for over a year now without problems. It's jailbroken and I never connect it to the computer or iTunes. Suddenly, this morning it started something I had never seen before. Without doing anything with it (I was sleeping), it started "skipping" between the boot logo (the little Apple) with the wheels turning and then for about 1 second it goes to the lockscreen, but it doesn't give me time to unlock it by sliding, it just goes back to the boot logo with the wheels turning, then it goes back to the lockscreen for 1 second, etc. It's basically stuck in that loop. I've tried to let it run for at least 1 hour and it doesn't get out of it.

Does anyone have any ideas what could be wrong? I don't want to do a full reset because I have very important work on there

 

[plau]

One more thing, I think it may not be the iPad crashing but the Springboard? Because when I connect it via USB, I am able to open the photos folder and copy out thousands of photos without the iPad disconnecting. I assume if it was the Apple software crashing, it would kick me off during the transfer?

 

[iCole]

Get your work off the iPad via iTunes and then do a factory reset?