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It attempts to back up before it installs the update... last time I did a back up it took ten hours... is it vital I back it up.
 
Something is broken then. Backups shouldn't take more than a few minutes.

Say no to the backup. Not sure if you are on a Mac or Windows machine. Either way, backups are like doing an oil change then putting back in the used oil. Starting with a fresh setup is always better but can take a few more mins to set up. I had someone say that it took a week or so for him to set up his device. He had to be totally unsure of himself or maybe stretching the truth by about a week. Either way, just cancel the backup and continue on with the upgrade.
 
If you don't backup, all the files on your iPad will be lost. If they are not in your iTunes already, you will need to re-download them from sources all over again.
 
If you don't backup, all the files on your iPad will be lost. If they are not in your iTunes already, you will need to re-download them from sources all over again.

Are you talking about contacts and calendars or other types of data? Restoring from a possibly corrupted backup restores a corrupted backup. Fact. If the guy only needs wifi settings or stuff that can be entered by hand then why bother with a backup. Either way, go with what floats your boat. I don't bother with backups and this works for me.
 
If backup is taking a long time, it may be because you have a corrupt backup. Delete the old backup (iTunes preferences > Devices tab > select your device and click "delete backup"), and try again. An initial backup can take a long time, like 30-40 minutes, but subsequent backups shouldn't be more than a few minutes each time, if you backup regularly. As for whether a backup is necessary, it depends on what you have on your iPad. If you use a lot of productivity/finance/business apps that store data on your iPad, you'd probably want to get that backed up. If you are just talking about game saves, well, you can have fun trying to clear those 100+ levels all over again. :D
 
OK I deleted the old back up,


The new back up has now been running 12 hours and is about 80% done.

It must be the ComicZeal app as I have over 700 titles on there.

This back up was not my choice, I am attempting to update to 3.2.1 and the back up came up in the middle of the screen with no option to cancel.
 
14 hours 54 mins.....

Back up and 3.2.1 update complete.

I hope this was just a one off and next time I try it is quicker......


I may only ever back up when I am forced to by a new update.
 
You are NEVER forced to backup. It is a choice you make.

In summary I clicked on update

It extracted the update and began an automatic back up, one that I could not stop.

There was no X to click on, it was in the middle of the screen not in the usual update or sync area at the top itunes.

I could not even shut down itunes without doing a force quit.
 
It must be the ComicZeal app as I have over 700 titles on there.

If you cancel the backup, your 700 titles of comics would have been wiped. Unless you already have them in your computer, you would need to redownload them all.

It a good idea to do regular backups. Just Leave it plug in when you go to sleep. Frequent incremental backup should only take seconds to minutes.
 
If you cancel the backup, your 700 titles of comics would have been wiped. Unless you already have them in your computer, you would need to redownload them all.

I have all my comics backed up on my Mac HD and on a separate EXT HD.

It would be hell to have to sync them all again and put them into files within ComicZeal.

They are all still on my iPad though so all is well :)
 
i think it's definitely ComicZeal's files that are the issue.
i loaded about 5gb of comics on to my ipad to start with and it took all night to backup. since then, i went through and reduced the number of comics actively on the ipad (afterall, it's going to take me a few weeks to even read 2gbs worth) and now the backups only take a few minutes. i think they might be incremental backups after the first major one??
 
On the iPad screen you'll see a message like: "Sync in progress. Slide to cancel."

This will stop any sync but it will not stop a back up prior to an OS update.

Syncing is not the issue once it has backed up the sync itself only takes 30 seconds.
 
holy smokes. 12 hour back up? thats 12 hours that you won't get to use your ipad
 
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