Problems syncing with iTunes after 6.15.00 bb update

[scullboyknc]

Hi everyone,

I have an iphone 3g running on 4.1 firmware. I jailbroke with redsn0w 0.9.6rc7b and updated my baseband to 6.15 because I needed the unlock. Everything was running smoothly on the phone at this point. The problem came when I tried to connect to iTunes. Half the time when I connected, I was getting the 'itunes could not start a session' error, but every once in a while it would connect. On one of the occasions I got it to connect, I decided to update to 4.2.1 (maybe I should have done this before upping the bb?). Anyway, was able to download the ios ok, but when itunes tried to install it on the iphone, the connection kept timing out. After that, I kept getting connection errors.

I finally decided to try restoring to custom firmware to see if that would solve the connection errors. I must have done something wrong in the process, because my iphone is now stuck on the connect to itunes screen. however, when I connect the phone to iTunes now and try to restore (I've tried with custom firmware and even just doing a stock restore, even tried jailbreaking again in the hopes that would fix it), it just freezes no matter what I do. So that's where I'm at with things now, basically up sh*t creek with a turd for a paddle.

Can anyone help? Many thanks.

[Simon]

What type of errors were you getting in itunes?

[scullboyknc]

'iTunes could not start a session with the device' or something to that effect. I forget the exact wording, but basically iTunes didn't want to recognize my iphone.

[Simon]

Have you tried a different computer?

[scullboyknc]

No, I haven't, but as my music, apps, etc. are all saved on iTunes on this computer, it would kind of defeat the purpose. I'm pretty sure the problem is in the communication b/w iTunes and the iphone. Do you have any suggestions for how to fix it?

[Simon]

Make sure you have the latest iTunes. Try different USB slots and cables. If still nothing it won't hurt to see if it can restore on another computer. If it does then you know it is an issue with the computer and not the phone. You can also try rebooting the phone.

[scullboyknc]

Pretty sure I've tried all of those things, although it could be a problem with my connection cable (I've noticed the outer part of the cable has become exposed-- not sure if that's the issue). I definitely have the latest version of iTunes, and I have tried plugging it into different USBs. I will try your suggestion of connecting to another computer, but the issue seems to be more of a software than hardware one.

iTunes is opening up (usually) when I plug the phone in and recognizes that there is an iPhone, but is telling me that it cannot start a session with the phone. I had this happen awhile back and was able to solve the problem by restoring; however the problem now is that iTunes freezes up whenever I try that...

[Simon]

Have you tried restoring it from dfu?

[scullboyknc]

I have, and it freezes. I'm trying it now from another computer. Dunno if switching from trying to restore on a pc to on a mac makes any difference, but we shall see. fingers crossed...

Okay, I've tried it on another computer and it's still freezing. iTunes again recognizes 'an iphone in recovery mode' and prompts me to restore. I go to restore and does so very slowly. When the status bar in the itunes window gets to about 99% full, it just stops there (status bar on the iphone-- under the white apple --is around 65% full). And they just sit at that amount. Nothing else happens. I've tried restoring right from itunes and also going into dfu mode first to restore and nothing. I've tried restoring to custom firmware and also to stock firmware and nothing. Do you have any other ideas how to fix this or have I finally bricked the damn thing for good?

p.s. Thanks for your help so far. I'm just frustrated b/c I've been having problems with this thing on and off for quite a while now. Sorry if I've taken my frustration out on you. I do appreciate your help. A LOT.

[Simon]

You dont have wifi sync installed do you?

[scullboyknc]

I do have wifi sync installed; however I can't access it on my iphone b/c the phone is still stuck in recovery mode (the screen with iTunes logo above a picture of the white connection cord).

[Simon]

You should uninstall it on your computer then try again.

[scullboyknc]

Uninstall wifi sync? Even if I do that, how will I be able to connect to it? My understanding of how wifi sync works is that the app needs to be opened on my iphone for it to communicate with the computer. Again, though, getting the computer to recognize that there is an iphone connected is not the problem. The problem is that iTunes is telling me the iphone is in recovery mode and needs to be restored, but when I try to restore, it gets stuck in the process.

Also, does the SIM card I have in the phone now need to be active? I have the original SIM card from the official carrier in the phone, but it's no longer active (I bought the phone in Japan, but I now live in Viet Nam). Does this make a difference at all?

EDIT: Sorry, I misread your post. Am now trying your suggestion. Will let you know if it works.

UPDATE: uninstall wifi sync from the pc seems to have helped a bit, however i'm now getting error 1015 when I try to restore. i found another page a while back that says that people who've updated to 6.15.00 bb should try restoring using tiny umbrella. can you confirm if this is correct? I'm going to try that now. Thanks!

Alright! My iphone is now on the path to recovery, and it seems like uninstalling wifi sync from my pc was the step that set the gears in motion. Thanks again for your help!

UPDATE: Okay, unfortunately, I'm having the same problem again that I was before. I was able to restore the iphone and jailbreak it again, but I downloaded SAM (Subscriber Artificial Mode) to help with unlocking and battery life. I must have done something wrong in setting up SAM, because it sent my iphone back to the recovery screen. I've tried to restore again after that, but I'm getting error 1015. Any idea how to fix this?

[Simon]

You need a custom firmware with no baseband in it to get around error 1015

[scullboyknc]

Ok, am downloading custom firmware now. will let you know how it goes. thanks again!

UPDATE: ok, i tried restoring with a custom firmware. itunes tells me it's restoring for a long time, and then eventually i get error 1604. not sure if i've got a good custom firmware, or if there's some other issue. what do you advise?

[Simon]

You need to enter pwned dfu with redsnow first before you can restore to a custom firmware.