HT4859 Recover iCloud backup

Question

I have lost my photos from my iPad. My backup on iCloud is old so should have some of those photos in it. How do I restore the backup to this existing device?

Answer 1

Troubleshooting an iCloud backup issue can take some time.  Since you're pressed for time right now here's what I recommend you do:
Perform a manual backup to your computer using iTunes instead of iCloud.  To do this, connect your phone to iTunes, right-click on the name of your phone on the left side and select Back Up.  When complete, go to iTunes>Preferences>Devices and confirm that the backup is listed.
Sync you phone with iTunes to transfer all your purchases to your iTunes library.
Back up your contacts separately using the free app My Contacts Backup (paid version if >500 contacts).  This will back up your contacts as an attachment to an email that you send to yourself.  If necessary, you can later open the email and tap the attachment to re-import your contacts to your computer.
Import your photos to your computer for safekeeping as outlined here: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4083.
When you get your replacement phone, during the initial setup, when given the option, select Restore from iTunes Backup.  (This will restore much faster than an iCloud backup anyway.)  When complete, sync it with iTunes to transfer your apps, music and other iTunes media to your phone.  If your contacts don't restore from backup (which they often don't), open the email you made earlier and tap the attachment to import your contacts.  Set up your existing iCloud account on your new phone during setup then turn you data syncing for contacts, calendars, etc. to On; if prompted when you do this, choose Merge.
This should get your new phone fully restored with your data and iCloud account.  Then you can try backing it up to iCloud again and see if it succeeds this time.  If not, try deleting your most recent iCloud backup and try again.  If it still fails, post a new question and we'll take things from there.