[Dadditude]

Ok, here's the situation that I hope and pray someone out there can help me with so that I don't have to drive an hour or more to the nearest Apple Store to get my iPad checked out:

Shortly after midnight on Oct 1, my iPad suddenly started telling me that activation was required. I tried to activate it. No luck. I tried restoring it through iTunes. No luck. Took it to Verizon, and they swapped out the SIM card. No Luck.

What it does now is the following:
If I tell it to restore and let iTunes download the firmware, iTunes claims that the download was corrupted.
If I try to restore using firmware that I manually downloaded, I get unknown error (-1).
If I put it in Restore Mode and tell it to restore using firmware that I manually downloaded, I get unknown error (11) or unknown error (21).
If I put it in DFU mode and tell it to restore using firmware that I manually downloaded, I get unknown error (1600) or unknown error (21).

I have tried everything I can think of and everything I can find online, but nothing has worked. Please tell me that one of you wonderful people has an answer for me!

[Peligro911]

I think those errors relate to hardware so I think your gonna have to take It too apple

[downtownharold]

This EXACT thing happened to me two nights ago. Completely freaked me out when I was just sitting there using my iPad and it suddenly pops up a message that Activation is Required. It was as if I had just started it for the first time. I tried to follow the prompts...but it kept saying the server wasn't available and to try later. So I tried a few times. Nothing. I called Apple Care and had to pay for a session (irritated) since my Apple Care had run out on the device. They told me that I would need to put my iPad in Recovery Mode by turning it off completely then holding down the home button until the familiar "Plug into iTunes" image comes on the screen. It will then prompt you to restore through iTunes...it will actually say "iTunes has detected a device in Recovery Mode." You will then download a new version of iOS6 and follow the prompts like normal.

Bottom line...this is an iOS6 issue. I was credited on my credit card because this was finally recognized as such. I have been on iOS6 for many months being a part of the Apple Developer Program and have never seen this issue before. Sorry you had this experience. I hope this helps. Call Apple immediately if it doesn't. This is a software issue and has nothing to do with your iPad hardware. Good luck and let me know how it goes!

[Peligro911]

This EXACT thing happened to me two nights ago. Completely freaked me out when I was just sitting there using my iPad and it suddenly pops up a message that Activation is Required. It was as if I had just started it for the first time. I tried to follow the prompts...but it kept saying the server wasn't available and to try later. So I tried a few times. Nothing. I called Apple Care and had to pay for a session (irritated) since my Apple Care had run out on the device. They told me that I would need to put my iPad in Recovery Mode by turning it off completely then holding down the home button until the familiar "Plug into iTunes" image comes on the screen. It will then prompt you to restore through iTunes...it will actually say "iTunes has detected a device in Recovery Mode." You will then download a new version of iOS6 and follow the prompts like normal.

Bottom line...this is an iOS6 issue. I was credited on my credit card because this was finally recognized as such. I have been on iOS6 for many months being a part of the Apple Developer Program and have never seen this issue before. Sorry you had this experience. I hope this helps. Call Apple immediately if it doesn't. This is a software issue and has nothing to do with your iPad hardware. Good luck and let me know how it goes!

f

For your case maybe but look at his error codes when trying to use recovery mode or dfu ... If it a simple recovery mode restore was a fix he wouldn't have posted