How To Restore Locked iPad Air 4th Gen. with Home windows 10 and iTunes (2016/2020)

I put a collection of finest practices to revive the iPad Air beneath after the lengthy paragraph description.

Description:

I spent about 4 hours determining the steps beneath to get my iPad Air restored shortly after buy. I didn’t have the password set in the course of the authentic set up, so the iPad Air acquired in a locked state. I’ve a MacBook Professional that doesn’t run the newest OSX. I can’t join and restore my iPad Air. I made a decision to do the restoration with a Dell laptop computer operating Home windows 10 Dwelling version (Model: 2004, OS construct: 19041.985, Expertise: Home windows Function Expertise Pack 120.2212.2020.0)

Initially, there’s a main drawback with the iTunes installer on Home windows.

I’ve observed the newest variations of iTunes (12.10.11) do NOT set up the Cell Machine Help Driver information. The one approach to have them put in is by putting in an older model of iTunes(see beneath why). So principally if in case you have a brand new Home windows laptop with the newest iTunes 12.10.11 from Dec 7.2020 you don’t get the motive force information. It implies that if you put the iPad in restoration mode, Home windows doesn’t detect it if you join it to the pc over USB-C.

There may be little or no on-line about this problem and tips on how to remedy it correctly. Many of the assist ask to re-install iTunes, sadly, you must do not forget that NOT ALL variations of iTunes are equal (this remark is directed to the assist groups at Apple and Microsoft!).

I discovered one web site that would offer the motive force information by themselves to allow them to be dropped within the file system. I believed I’d search for the precise model of iTunes that may set up the motive force information.

I examined iTunes 12.10.11 64bit model from Dec 7, 2020, as defined, adopted by iTunes from Mar 25, 2019. Lastly, the iTunes 12.4.3 64bit from Aug 1, 2016, is the discharge that installs the motive force information. From that set up, it’s attainable to improve to the newest iTunes, so you’ll set up the newest model for August 15, 2021, which is model 12.10.11. It installs nicely over the 2016 model with out compromising the motive force information.

Now at that time, I believed I used to be good to go together with the right driver information put in on my Home windows machine. I put the iPad (Air) into restoration mode and acquired it related to the Home windows machine. I heard the standard Home windows sounds when units are related (USB), I additionally virtually straight away heard the Home windows sound for disconnection. Taking a look at iTunes it will not present the iPad in any respect. The Home windows Machine Supervisor wouldn’t checklist the iPad Air underneath Common Serial Bus controllers!

So my final transfer was to attach one other Apple system to see if the problem was associated to the iPad Air or iTunes. I related my iPhone, UNLOCKED the display and the cellphone confirmed up in iTunes. Subsequent, I put the iPad Air in restore mode and related to the pc, to my shock, iTunes acknowledged the iPad Air this time with the choice to revive it. From that time, I initiated a primary restoration which failed with an error message, adopted by a second restoration that succeeded.

Listing of classes discovered and finest practices to revive the iPad (Air):

(Home windows 10 person solely)

1. If you do not have the iTunes model from August 1st, 2016, put in in your laptop, take away iTunes and re-install the iTunes 12.4.3 from 2016. It’s going to assure you’ve gotten the right information underneath C:Program FilesCommon FilesAppleMobile Machine Help

2. Replace the iTunes to the newest model, 12.10.11 (newest for this submit on August fifteenth 2021).

3. In case your iPad Air is in a locked state, and you do not have a password, join to a different Apple system and unlock the display. What it should do is assist iTunes to acknowledge the iPad Air in a while. That is a bizarre step, however it works.

4. Provoke the restoration of the Apple iPad Air (twice if wanted) through iTunes.

None of that is trivial and, by neglecting the iTunes installer deliverable, Apple generated an amazing quantity of assist for each Microsoft and Apple on a process that must be trivial. The end result of the assist doesn’t assist in the situation that I confronted. No posts at Microsoft or Apple addressed my wants. I do imagine I’m not the one one scuffling with this problem and, just about each single person operating Home windows 10 with a latest laptop would face the identical drawback(scary!). We don’t anticipate to do a restoration on daily basis. On the minimal, we should always have the Home windows installer doing the right factor.