Help with ios 4.2 iPad direct download

Question

Can not upgrade to ios 4.2 (or greater) thru my PC iTunes. Step by step help for direct download to my iPad? I need it updated to support several apps and the sites I've recently seen! When I click on "iPad" link for download, nothing happens?  Thanks so much!

Answer 1

You need iTunes 10.5 on your computer in order to update to the current iOS 5 version - and you need to download the update via your computer and then update via your computer's iTunes, you can't download and update directly on the iPad (though future updates should be possible that way after you've got iOS 5 installed).
If you are on iTunes 10.5, then with your iPad connected to it and selected on its left-hand side, what happens when you click on Check For Updates button on the Summary tab on the right-hand side of iTunes ?
This post has the direct download links for iOS 5 - if you want a lower version then they are on this page. When you've downloaded the update then on Windows press and hold the shift key when clicking the Check For Updates button which should let you navigate to the downloaded file. Make sure that you copy your purchases off the iPad first (File > Transfer Purchases when connected to your computer's iTunes), backup the device (right-click the 'device' and select 'back up'), and copy off any important documents, file, notes etc (e.g. by email, the file sharing section at the bottom of the Apps tab in iTunes, wifi, whatever the apps that you use support) - the update process should backup and restore the content but it's best to be safe
This page has some info on updating to iOS 5 : http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4972