IPhone - wipe & restore "backup session failed"

I have an old first generation iPhone (os version 3.1.3) that I replaced last year with an iPhone 4. I want to wipe it clean and let my daughter use it just as an iPod. I've done a factory restore a few times on this, but can't get it to a usable state. After restoring, it is stuck on the "plug the usb cable into iTunes icon" screen. Every time I try to sync or backup I get the "iTunes could not back up the iPhone ... because the backup session failed" error, and I can never get the phone to the home screen.
Note I don't care about any old data or phone access, i just want it wiped clean and installed with the games my daughter likes. I've tried my wifes MBP, and my Mac Pro desktop; I've tried deleting old backups manually from ~/Library/Application Support/MobileSync/Backup and the lockdown file from /var/db/lockdown, and creating a brand new administrator account on my Mac and trying to get it to work from there. No luck.
Any ideas?
Thanks!

Note the iPhone mounts in iTunes just fine, but any attempt to backup/sync it fails, and the iPhone never dispalys the home screen

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Itunes could not restore the iphone because the backup session failed

Hello,
i did a backup for my data on itunes, then i upgraded to IOS 6.1, when i tried to restore my backup it keeps giving me this message:
"itunes could not restore the iphone because the backup session failed".
although i still have the data in the backup folder, i searched the internet for softwares that can recover my data, i found a software called "Wondershare Dr.Fone"
i was able to recover all my data via Wondershare Dr.Fone, but it didnt restore the data to my iPhone, it only recovered it to my pc, as (media files, contacts,etc...)
i was wondering if there is any way to fix this problem, or any other way to restore my backup to my iPhone device without using Itunes...
one more thing , can i upload the backup files that i have on my pc to iCloud, then recover it from my iPhone??
please help i really need all my data to be back on my iPhone, media,messages,contacts,notes, even whatsapp messages.
Thank you

Hi revolc,
Welcome to the Support Communities!
The article below may be able to help you with this issue.
Click on the link to see more details and screenshots.
iOS: Troubleshooting backup issues in iTunes
http://support.apple.com/kb/ts2529
Cheers,
- Judy

IOS 5: iTunes could not restore the iPhone "John's iPhone" because the backup session failed."

I've been battling to get my iPhone onto iOS 5 for 2 days, during which time my phone has been rendered unuseable, and is stuck on the set up menu. When I select "Restore from iTunes Backup," it tells me to connect to iTunes, so I do. I've tried to back it up 20 million times, and I think sometimes it failed, but other times the backup worked. But then, when I go to restore, I get the error message "iTunes could not restore the iPhone "John's iPhone" because the backup session failed.
So what do I do. My phone is unuseable and it doesn't seem like theres any solution.
Also, are you able to tell whether or not I've lost all of my data that is not my music/apps. Please tell me if you think I have.

Good luck. My iPod Touch did the same thing. I now have a very expensive paperweight that I'd like to stuff up someone's nose over at Apple. The "resolutions" offered by Apple don't do anything for me (they never do). There are a variety of resolutions that others have discovered but none of them have worked for me either. This is my second Touch and the second major malfunction that is probably unfixable. If I can't get this fixed and get my data restored I'll probably give this thing to my toddler to play Angry Birds and I'll go buy a device from a company that knows what their doing.
Do a search on Google (or whatever) with the error message and you should find some suggestions from others who've had this problem, some seem to have found solutions. If I find a fix that actually works I'll make a follow-up post.

HT201269 i had a 3G iphone with IOS 4.0.2, my new iphone is 4 (IOS=7.0.2), the backup from 3G to 4 does not restore. (eror=restoring backup session failed) , help me plz for restoring ?! :( TNX

Hi all ,i had a 3G iphone with IOS 4.0.2, my new iphone is 4 (IOS=7.0.2), the backup from 3G to 4 does not restore. (eror=restoring backup session failed) , help me plz for restoring ?! TNX
<Personal Information Edited by Host>

Well, first off, you are not addressing Apple here. This is a user to user PUBLIC forum. You should not post your personal information like that. Try closing iTunes, reboot the computer and connect again. Are you using the latest version of iTunes, v11.1?

Can't restore my iPhone 3GS (w/iOS5); backup session failed.

I'm practically at wits end, here.
For two days I've been trying to restore my iPhone 3GS and so far, nothing.
The problem happened after I downloaded and updated my iPhone with iOS5. When I tried to restore it from one of three back-ups that I had, I ran into
that error (-50). Managed to get passed that and tried again. When I did, I get the message saying "iTunes could not restore the iPhone ****** because the backup session failed."
It doesn't just do this for my most recent back up; it does this for ALL of my back-ups. Is there any kind of fix out sure-fix for this (barring getting a new phone)?! I think I've tried several strats that I've seen in other threads and nothing has worked.
(btw, the comp that I'm using primarily is Windows Vista)

*update* GOOD NEWS, EVERYONE! Turns out that I was able to restore my phone from a back up, after two days at it!
Unfortunately, the back up was from a year ago! At this point in time, I'm just glad to have my contacts back, though I feel that now would be be best to make sure I keep backing up my phone to make sure this doesn't happen again o.O

I keep trying to update my iphone and i get a message saying iTunes could not restore my iPhone because the backup system failed

'm trying to sync/update my iPhone on my windows computer in iTunes and I keep getting and error message saying iTunes could not restore the iPhone because the backup session failed.

Disable your firewall/security software.
This is asked and answered everyday. Using the forum search bar on the right side of this page often will find an answer very quickly.

My 3gs wont restore after ios 5 update. I have tried firmware restore and restore from backup, neither works. All I get is "iphone restore failed because backup session failed" Any ideas on how to make a successful restore with this ios 5 update?

My 3gs wont restore after ios 5 update. I have tried firmware restore and restore from backup, neither works. All I get is "iphone restore failed because backup session failed" Any ideas on how to make a successful restore with this ios 5 update?

I was having the same problem, I backed up my phone and then updated to iOS 5 and then it kept telling me it could not restore from my backup as it had failed. After reading a bunch of forums and posts and trying everything, I did manage to get it to work. I had tried the Time zone, creating a new computer user account, disabling anti-virus, etc.
It took a combination of things, one of which was disabling the anti-virus completely and copying the contents of the backup folder to my desktop and then deleting everything in the backup folder. Then I rebooted the PC, entirely disabled the anti-virus, copied the one backup I wanted to restore from the desktop to the backup folder and then trying to restore. Low and behold the phone said restoring from backup and I am back in business, so when in doubt, trying combining some of the fixes together.

Restoring from Backup-"backup session failed"

Hello, everyone.
I recently upgraded to iOS 4.1, and now I can't restore my iPod from a backup.
When I attempt to, I get the error message:
"iTunes cannot restore "The Awesome iPod of Pure Awesomeness" because the backup session failed."
Yes, that's what I named my iPod.
After searching a bit, I couldn't find any threads in this forum or results from Google about how to resolve this. Could anyone here help me?
EDIT: To clarify, restoring from backup worked in all previous iOS versions.

As for the battery problem, if your ipod touch/iphone has multitasking capabilities, try holding down the home button for four seconds, finding the Game Center icon in the list of currently running background apps,then stopping the "Game Center" process in the background by tapping the minus sign at the top left of the icon. But I'm also annoyed at this firmware update.

HT201210 error message: itunes could not back up the iphone "..." because the backup session failed. I don't know what to do to fix this problem?

I keep receiving the error message: itunes could not back up the iphone "....." because the backup session failed. Can anyone advise me on what I can try doing to fix this problem?

This Apple article talks about backup issues -> iOS: Troubleshooting backup issues in iTunes
Are you able to backup if you move the previous backup from the location below to the desktop?
Windows XP: \Documents and Settings\(username)\Application Data\Apple Computer\MobileSync\Backup\
Windows Vista and Windows 7: \Users\(username)\AppData\Roaming\Apple Computer\MobileSync\Backup\

New iPad2 - backup session failed

I cannot update the software on my new iPad and every time I connect to iTunes it says "Backup Session Failed." This is the first Apple product I am having a incredibly bad experience with. What's the deal with this thing?

Hi,
SF... you're close to an Apple store? I've lost track of how many there are in the city
You have 14 days from date of purchase for an exchange or refund.
Try restarting the iPad. Press and hold down the Sleep/Wake button until you see the red slider then swipe the slider to the right. Then press and hold the Sleep/Wake button until you see the Apple logo.
Restart your Mac.
Follow the instructions here for restoring and backing up your iPad.
http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1414
Message was edited by: Carolyn

HT4946 i got my new iPhone 5 and i connected it to my iTunes on mac and it ask me if i want to setup as new iPhone or restore backup and i restore back up but now i want to delete backup and set up as new iPhone, is the anyhow?

i got my new iPhone 5 and i connected it to my iTunes on mac and it ask me if i want to setup as new iPhone or restore backup and i restore back up but now i want to delete backup and set up as new iPhone, is the anyhow?

The iCloud backup includes most things except non-iTunes purchased but the iTunes backup does not include those either. For what iCloud includes see:
iCloud: iCloud storage and backup overview

I get errors trying to set my IPAD back to the factory setting. error: backup session failed. If I try to sync I get 3 more errors - 1) the IPAD cannot be synced, an internal error occurred. 2) required file not found. 3) folder specified instead of fi

Any help with errors setting IPAD back to factory setting? I received this error when trying to back up - backup session failed. Has any one had the following errors when trying to sync to computer?
1) the IPAD cannot be synced, an internal error occurred. 2) required file not found. 3) a folder specified instead of file.
Any help appreciated

Type "13019" into the search bar at the top of this page by "Support" and read the resulting help articles.

HT1766 What if backup session fails?

What if backup session fails?

Are you seeing an error? If so, what is it? Have you just tried to backup again?

HT1212 I restored my iphone to a backed up version from last month. However, I forgot the password from that time, and I cannot restore iphone or restore backup because "Find my phone" function is on for iCloud. What can I do now??? Help!

I restored my iphone to a backed up version from last month. However, I forgot the password from that time, and I cannot restore iphone or restore backup because "Find my phone" function is on for iCloud. What can I do now??? Help!

Can you log into icloud.com on a computer and turn it off there?

HT1766 Restore backup function says there is not enough space on my iPhone to restore backup. How do I fix this/how do I know how much space I need on my iPhone?

My family member's iPhone recently erased all of its contact information, with no action taken by my family member. She is trying to use the restore backup function to recover her contacts.
The restore backup functions says that there is not enough space on my iPhone to restore backup. How do I fix this/how do I know how much space I need to complete this backup?
We have removed the majority of pictures from her phone, and she has 4.1 GB of memory free.
Thank you!

You need at least as much space as you have used on the iPod. Could be as much as 64 GB but is probably much less.
Find a way to delete what you do not need on the computer. Start by emptying the Recycle Bin.
This may be applicable: iOS: 'Not enough free space' alert when trying to sync

IPhone - wipe & restore "backup session failed"

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