How I Updated to 2.0 - Successfully

Question

Ok after reading so many threads about the 2.0 fiasco some people were having, I was very hesitant to update the firmware to 2.0.
I decided to take all variables out of the equation and just deal with the update. This is what I did YMMV:
1. Updated iTunes to v.7.7
2. Plugged in my phone and let it proceed to synch.
3. When given the option to "download and install" or "just download" v.2.0, I chose to "just download". The purpose of this was to rule out any network related issues.
4. Re-synched my iPhone by "UN-CHECKING" the following: (music, videos, podcasts, ringtones, pictures, contacts, calendars, etc.). Essentially everything was removed from the phone.
5. This left 215mb of "other" on the phone. I can only assume that this was the 1.1.4 firmware because there was nothing left on the phone.
6. I then installed the v.2.0 update. The entire process only took 10-15 minutes, because there was nothing left on the phone to backup. NOTE: (the update will go through three phases, extracting, installing, and verifying. *After the verifying stage is over iTunes will tell you to keep the phone connected as it restarts** During this stage I saw the "slide for emergency" that I hear so many people talking about. I resisted the urge to undock my phone and it restarted itself two more times. After the third time I got the message that my phone was "Activated" and it was "ok to disconnect".
7. Once the firmware was complete I noticed that it took up less room than the 1.1.4 update. Remember I told you that there was 215mb of "other" before the update....after the update there was 210mb of "other". *This tells me that v.2.0 takes up LESS space than v.1.1.4.
8. I then proceeded to re-synch all my music, videos, podcasts, pictures, contacts, etc...
Everything went off without a hitch...like I said YMMV, but I do think it is a good idea to reduce the variables as I did above.
Now some thoughts on some common problems I see here on this forum:
1. Calendars not being synched: Double check which calendar is set as the "default" because it may be displaying a calendar you have no entries on. When I checked mine, I thought the events did not synch until I realized I was looking at the wrong calendar.
2. v.2.0 takes up too much space. I found that it was the opposite (see above). v.1.1.4 took up 215mb and v.2.0 takes up 210mb
3. Lag in text messaging: I experienced Zero Lag...everything is as it should be
4. Google Earth can't find my location: I found that it pretty much pinpointed my location and is in fact more accurate.
5. Bricked iPhone: This may be a result of people undocking the phone as it is still going through the "restart" phases (see #6 above). My phone actually restarted 3 times (two of which showed the "slide for emergency" and the third and final time showed "Phone is activated" and can be "undocked".
6. Headphone volume is lower or barely audible during Podcasts: No problems with audio at all. Volume is the same for music and Podcasts
7. Battery life is reduced: Haven't had enough time to test. Remember to turn off "Push" in your settings.
8. Contacts not scrolling fast enough when tapping "letters" to skip to a corresponding section: I found it to be pretty much instantaneous (no change from 1.1.4 to 2.0)
9. Touchscreen is unresponsive in certain areas: I tested all my icons and they all work perfectly, everything is responsive.
Well this has been my experience...Hope it helps somebody who is thinking about doing the update but unsure what method to choose while doing so.

Answer 1

Good post, and glad to hear you had a solid transition. Mine went well too, though I think I beat the rush.
It's worth noting that the vast and overwhelming majority of headaches people were experiencing were related to download and activation servers (as well as credit check servers for some mobile carriers) being crushed and overwhelmed.
To give you an idea of just how crushed, here are some numbers. In the last year, something in the neighborhood of 8 million iPhones have been sold. That's just shy of 22,000 per day. So the typical traffic is around 22,000 times a day, someone is hitting the server for update/activation.
This weekend, Apple sold 1 million iPhones. In other words, 333,333 phones per day. Holy crap!
As if that wasn't enough, there are 8 million of us out there with the first generation iPhone. Not only do we need to download the new firmware, but we have to install it. The installation process requires hitting the activation server again, to validate the phone. Mind you, not everybody upgraded this weekend, but a few million did. For the sake of argument, we'll assume that's 1 million a day. So, instead of the normall traffic of 22K phones a day, those activation servers got SLAMMED with 1.33 million activations per day.
It ***** that some people had delays and hiccups and a hard time and everything, but completely understandable. With luck things will run more smoothly from here on out.
Trilo