Unable to restore Ipod Touch 4G

Fix Error 3194
The fix is the same regardless of what operating system you are using:

Quit iTunes
Locate your hosts file, in Mac OS X this is /etc/hosts and in Windows this is c:\windows\system32\drivers\etc\hosts
Open the hosts file with Administrator privileges
Add the following lines to the very bottom of the hosts file:
74.208.105.171 gs.apple.com
Connect your iPod to the computer
Launch iTunes
Put the iPhone/iPad/iPod into DFU mode by turning the phone off and then holding down the sleep and power button for 10 seconds, then release the power button but hold onto the home button until iTunes tells you that the device is now in recover mode
Use the iTunes Restore feature as usual with the iOS device

Once your iOS update is finished, remove the “74.208.105.171 gs.apple.com” line from your hosts file again so that iTunes can properly update as usual.

Thanks for getting back so fast! I tried what you suggested with the DFU and adding that line to the file. Problem is that as soon as the ipod is plugged in, the message that the ipod is in recovery mode immediately comes up. I tried continuing as suggested, and still got the 3194 error.

Well 1st of all put your idevice into DFU mode By holding the Home and Power button for 10 seconds and hold the power button for the 3. Then if you connect to iTunes it will detected and iPod in Restore mode and you have to restore it. i will go through apple or download the firmware you want and hold Shift if on PC and Ctrl if on Mac and click the Restore button find your Firmware and Voila you have a downgraded or a new iPod touch at your hands

qatif

Had this issue for past several days.
Error 11, 1600, 1604, 3194.
Each error refers to a particular issue that pops up during the restore process. By restore I mean using the "manual" restore with itunes where when itunes detects the device in recovery mode (not DFU necessarily) it prompts you to do a restore. Itunes will check on something before letting you click the restore using the special keystroke of holding down the shift key (windows) or the equivalent for mac (cmd?) then click itunes restore. Instead of itunes hijacking the restore process, using what it wants to restore with, using the manual restore key click process allows you to select a file, an ipsw file yourself from your harddrive (which you earnestly downloaded the correct version (search ipsw download this site for links) You may have to use firefox vs internet explorer if the link you click on for the ipsw begins downloading a zip vs ipsw file - its a quirk. Make sure, before walking away, you are DLing a ipsw file, not zip.

OKay, so your ready with either your original ipsw version, or the one you want to upgrade to. Since your in a stuck phase, I would install your original first just to get things cleaned up.

I had ios v5.1.1 on my device, jail broken with cydia. I wanted to up to v6.1.2, but device got corrupted along the way, and over past few days I was stuck desperately trying to get something other than error codes.

I kept trying everything to interrupt the restore loop where you can go from DFU to recovery mode only. Back and forth.
I used evasion, absynth, tiny umbrella, blackra1n, greenp0ison, and redsn0w v9.15b3.

From what I gathered, in order to intercept the error codes you use tiny umbrella during the itunes restore sequence.
However, my device (ipod tough 4g) was not even registering to tiny umbrella, which didn't read it so it could "mount" it. Needed if I was to complete an itunes restore b/c it would "resolve" the error messages or "answer" them before itunes would halt the process. So, no tinyumbrella for me.

My only hope was redsn0w v9.15b3 (redsn0w). It was able to interact with my device once I got it into DFU mode.
But even still it wasn't easy to complete any of the options (see the options by opening it up).

i did manage to restore the ipod at one time, but I got greedy, and tried to immediately go back into v5.1.1 to v6.1.2 restore, and once again found myself kicked out of my iPod, stuck.

I even went to the apple store, where all they did was plut it into their floor restore cpu which returned a 1604 error. That was when he said I needed to buy a new iPod at $199.00.

Basically, I understood that my device was having a operating disk problem (similar to regular computer problems) where either the boot record was corrupted, and the device just got lost during its startup sequence. Problem is, I new there was a way to refresh the ios, it was just getting around the normal startup sequence, accessing the disk, installing a fresh boot program, anything, just to get it to complete a startup sequence at this point.

That is where redsn0w was able to help. Once achieving DFU mode, redsn0w took over. It would gain access to the device, then assemble boot up files it needed, and made attempts to install them to the device. However, using the "recover from failed restore" would initiate, but then fail on my device (the files would appear to be loading on the ipod screen, but then failures, failures, failed, would appear (like write failures error message very fast) then the screen would just scroll and "crash" to full white. Redsn0w, thinking it did its job, which it did, merely says "rest of process takes place on device" message, or something like that.

I kept repeating this restore process, hoping that one sequence would "catch" but it didn't. I even tried unplugging the device in the middle of the process, to "snap" it out of its failed circle of sequences.

I also tried redsn0w's jailbreak sequence. Which I liked because I was at least getting the pineapple graphic, which showed me at least it was "interacting" with the device which was really just stock in recovery mode.

I tried configuring a custom ipsw for then using that custom ipsw to itune restore with, but, b/c tiny umbrella didn't "find" my device, and with a successfully built ipsw by redsn0w, itunes ran into its traditional error messages 11, 1600, 1601, 1604, 3194 is what I recall.

By now I've completed about 20 or so DFU sequences, which appear to start, but somehow loose their way using redsn0w. All good, wasn't redsn0ws fault, its just my device was corrupted in a way which maybe needed like a "wipe" first of certain boot sequences, and then the application of "fixed" ipsw files for the ipsw I wanted to install.

I remember when I first jailbroke the device it was totally outside of iTunes software, I believe absinthe was the first one I used when I got it a couple of years ago. In my mind, anything that interfaced with itunes was going to fail. I needed a completely independent "patch" to assemble a working ipsw which was then installed directly to the device, kind of like when you do an image restore to a hard drive.

I had not done a jailbreak in so long, I was still sketchy on the process.

So I explored each of redsn0w's options in their menus. I then used option Select ipsw (manually specify an ipsw) option on one of my attempts. And to my surprise, the sequence was much like I wanted it to be. Redsn0w allowed me to select an ipsw (which I download all variations by now my oriignal 5.1.1, desired 6.1.2, and new 6.1.3).

By now I wanted to play it safe, and just get my original ipsw installed v5.1.1 and go with that for now. So after selecting it, redsn0w processed the ipsw, and then engaged the device to "install" it to the device, all without itunes.

To my surprise, this sequence managed to take hold of the device, and completed its install. Once I saw the horizontal bar indicating the device was writing the new ipsw file, I new things were great.

Things to mention before I did the manual ipsw option.
By now, I had become familiar with the crucial factor of having "blobs" around for either your original, current, and future ipsw ios version desired. But those are hard to come by. I used what ever one of the programs mentioned above, and allowed them to "go online" to search for any and all blobs (.shsh files) I may need. I made sure to copy them all to an area I could get to in case needed.

Redsn0w even went "online" to download needed files, maybe the .shsh files I had uploaded at some point, to help it with the select ipsw method.

Right now the ipod is just sitting there, waiting me to swipe it for the first time to configure it for first time use. I didn't even want to touch it after getting it to point blank fresh mode.

So, perhaps I may not have answered your direct question, or I did. I would recommend at least using redsn0w to manually select your original ipsw version, and let it do its thing if your stuck in recovery mode, and getting error after error using itunes.

My new question which I'm looking into now is how to "backup" my iso image - if there is such a thing, so I can have a solid "restore" feature to help me in the future.

I'm also looking at whether I need to initialize the iPod before trying to get to v6.1.2 as I originally set out to do.

At this point, and perhaps this is a question for the forum, I want to just go strait into "restoring" to v6.1.2, or upgrading to that specific ipsw. Why? Well, that is a good question, I do have an reason to reach for v6x iso, because a couple of my apps no longer are installable in iso v5.

But, the ipod has been primarily used as a mp3 player, and if I wanted to I could just leave it at that. Most of the apps I really use at this point would be over the counter. But I do believe, my desire to "backup" the device, will need to use a cydia app, so I'll have to at least jailbreak it for that.

For now, I"m just cherishing the moment of having my screen show the fresh ipod, and not the itunes recovery mode image.

Hope this helps.

MikesMultiMedia

I may have some video of my troubles posted somewhere on youtube for reference.

But, hopefully, this long answer, helps you keep trying options to restore what I ultimately deemed a software fix, vs. an actual ipod hardware problem - which the apple store rep point blank - said I had - requiring a "new" ipod at $199.00.

Since this was just a rambling message, I didn't check it over, re-read it for any grammar or spelling errors. You get the point hopefully.

Good luck!

hi had the same problem look at my video in YouTube www.youtube.com/watch?v=ab4xo1PZhB8 tell me if it worked thanks



:)