Upgrading iPad 2 to iOS 8 Successfully

Question

I thought that I'd report on the method that I used to successfully upgrade my iPad 2 to iOS 8.  Although the following procedure did take me longer that just kicking off the standard over the air iOS update, I always think it worth extra effort when upgrading something that I rely on every day (such as my iPad, iPhone, Macs, PCs, etc.).   I think that the following procedure is very reasonable and worked well for me.  However, your results may differ so follow this procedure at your own risk.  Note that I also have a colleague that just did a simple over-the-air iOS 8 upgrade of his iPad 2 and it also worked great.  Therefore, you certainly don;t need to go to the lengths that I do below, but I think it's worth it to get a very clean install with as little "baggage" from prior installs as possible.
I have now used my iPad 2 for two days and nights since upgrading to iOS 8 using the following method.  And, I am happy to say that my iPad 2 is working better than ever (iOS 7 prior), with no crashes of any kind, good performance, good battery life, and good WiFi and Safari performance.  Here are the steps that I personally took to install iOS 8.  I hope they help some of you that are having problems with your iPad 2s and iOS 8 and are looking for a solution.
I'm certainly no iOS expert so I hope to see some suggested improvements to this method from the many knowledgable posters on this forum.  Here goes:
Cleanup and Prepare
Clean up your iPad including removing apps you do not use, clean up your photos and videos in your camera roll, and clean up the music and other content you sync to the iOS device.
Make sure that you KNOW your AppleIDs and passwords.  Make sure you understand which Apple IDs that you are using for iCloud, iMessages, and the Apple Store.
Make sure that you KNOW what your settings are for all of your other cloud/mail/calendar/contacts accounts (Google, Microsoft, DropBox,  etc...).
If you are still using POP email in 2014 then understand that you are going to either lose your email or need to download it all again once your upgrade is done!
If you use Google Authenticator app or a password manager then make sure that you understand the process of restoring these apps and their settings from a separate backup if something goes wrong during your iOS restore process
Make sure that iTunes is set to encrypt your iOS backups.  Doing so allows iTunes to store and restore passwords that you have stored on the iOS device.
Prepare your iOS Device
iOS Settings > iCloud > Storage & Backup > Back Up Now (this will be a secondary backup just in case)
iOS Settings > iCloud > Find My iPad > OFF
iOS Settings > Mail, Contacts, Calendars > Accounts > and Delete Gmail, Exchange, and other "cloud" accounts that you can add back later
iOS Settings > Wi-Fi > and "Forget" each remembered network
From iTunes on a Mac/PC
Make sure you have the latest iTunes version
Connect device by cable to iTunes on Mac (turn on the sidebar if not displayed)
iTunes > Sidebar > Right-click device > "Transfer Purchases"
iTunes > Sidebar > Apps > "Update All Apps"
iTunes > Sidebar > Right-click device > "Sync"
iTunes > Sidebar > Right-click device > "Back Up"
Identify iPad version from back of iPad and look up common name from Apple Site: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT5452
Downloaded appropriate IPSW file directly from Apple: http://osxdaily.com/2014/09/17/ios-8-ipsw-download/
Install appropriate IPSW file to iPad by holding "Option" key when initiating a "Restore iPad" from iTunes, select downloaded .ipsw file, confirm intention to restore iPad to iOS 8: http://osxdaily.com/2010/11/23/how-to-use-ipsw-files/
WAIT ... until the firmware install is completed
WAIT ... until the iPad reboots itself and then ends on the "Hello" page
Finally, swipe the "Slide to Setup", choose your language, region, and WiFi network, enable location services
Then choose "Restore from iTunes Backup", then wait for iTunes to bring up the "Welcome to Your New iPad" screen
Choose "Restore from this Backup" (check the date and time), click "continue"
WAIT ... for restore to complete, for the device to reboot, and then for the iTunes "Sync" to complete
Swipe, then click "continue", then type in the password for the iCloud account listed
Agree to Terms and Conditions
Agree to turn on Find My iPad
Do NOT upgrade to iCloud drive yet (until Mac OS Yosemite is available and on your Macs)
iOS Settings > Mail, Contacts, Calendars > Accounts > add back your cloud/mail/calendar/contacts accounts (Google, Microsoft, etc...)
Enjoy your very clean iOS device
LASTLY ... Go to iOS Settings and go through nearly every setting to get familiar with the features of your iOS device.  If you find a setting that you don't understand then Google it.  If you don't need a feature, then disable it for better security and better battery life.

Answer 1

Tim Snoots wrote:
I thought that I'd report on the method that I used to successfully upgrade my iPad 2 to iOS 8. 
It's always excellent to hear a successful update account, for an iPad 2 with iOS 8 ... since many people who have been posting think this is impossible. From accounts like yours and the many others I've heard, it's entirely possible, if one does it the right way!
When someone is having trouble, though, after having already done the upgrade, I would recommend doing the following ...
Follow this procedure for a Troubleshooting Methodology ... basically reset to factory default condition -BUT- be sure to do the following methodically and also to follow the part with Apple Support!
First you want to make sure you have several backups of your data and done with a couple of "different" sources. Be sure to understand what data is backed up and what is NOT on iCloud Backup and iTunes Backup. Use a variety of methods for backup ... you might check into Dropbox, in addition to your Apple options.
Then turn off your desktop anti-virus software when using iTunes for this reset to factory default. After you do that reset, then leave your iPad in its factory default state and see how it operates then. If you encounter any problems in that factory default state, then take it to Apple Support, and let them know that you have just reset it to that state with iTunes and have not put any of your data back on and it is operating in this fashion (whatever the problem is) in that pristine state. Make sure you keep that trouble ticket number, because if it has to be escalated through Apple Support, you're going to find all communications tied in with that number. If the lower level help isn't able to help you, then escalate it to a higher level to examine the problem. Keep at it with that trouble ticket number until Apple Support arrives at a solution to that problem. Be methodical and keep at it.
On the other hand, if everything is okay with the factory default condition, then restore your backup. Some people have discovered that the problem resides in the apps or something in the restored backup. If that's the case, then it's going to be trying and difficult to find out which developer's app is causing you the problem. And ... it's true ... that a developer not following Apple's instructions and guidelines for his app can CAUSE YOU TROUBLE. This kind of thing does happen from developers, especially when a new system upgrade comes out, because some developers ignore what Apple tells them about changes coming, and what they do BREAKS SOMETHING.
This is a troubleshooting methodology that you are going through. See it through to the end.
Choosing an iOS Backup Method (Should I Use iTunes or iCloud to back up ...)
https://support.apple.com/kb/HT5262
Back up and Restore your iOS Device with iCloud or iTunes
http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1766
iTunes: About iOS Backups
http://support.apple.com/kb/ht4946
Create and Delete iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch Backups in iTunes
http://support.apple.com/kb/ht4946
iOS: Troubleshooting Encrypted Backups
http://support.apple.com/kb/TS5162
Use iTunes to Restore your iOS Device to Factory Settings
http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1414