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How to fix Network Connection Timed Out in iTunes- Error 3259 during iOS update

Posted on 24. Dec, 2010 by admin in Technology

If you have landed on this page through a google search, I can very well understand how desperate you must be to fix this issue. Yes, I am talking about the Network Connection Timed Out Error which you would have encountered while updating your iPod/iPad/iPhone OS. I will guide you through my experience and will also let you know how I finally got it working. This post of mine is for all those who have tried everything on the blogs and forums, but haven’t got it working.

I wanted to update my jailbroken iPod Touch from 3.1.3 to 4.2.1. The first problem was, I was unaware of what generation my iPod Touch was. I was confused between 2nd Gen and 3rd Gen. I realized that Apple doesn’t tell you what generation it is, so you have to figure it out yourself.  I opened my iPod in iTunes and clicked on Restore and Update. The update started downloading but after 15 MB of download, it stopped abruptly and displayed the ‘Network Connection Timed Out’ error. I tried again, but the same happened. I kept retrying again and again, but the same happened. This was frustrating. My internet connection was absolutely fine and there seemed no connection issue. But if it were that easy, it wouldn’t be Apple

I searched the internet and found that the following could resolve my problem:

Disable Firewall and Anti-Virus

This might work for a lot of you, but it didn’t work for me. Disable Firewall, stop your Antivirus. Download the update and then reactivate Firewall and Antivirus again. All the not-so-lucky ones, keep reading.

Uninstall and Re-install iTunes

Much more appropriate for Windows users. Make sure your iTunes is updated to the latest version. It usually resolves network errors. I did that too, but in vain.

Flush DNS Cache

Sometimes flushing your DNS cache is enough to resolve the network time outs, here is how to do this for Mac OS X and Windows:

Flushing DNS Cache in Mac OS X

• Launch the Terminal from /Applications/Utilities
• At the command prompt, type in “dscacheutil -flushcache” and hit return
• After the command has executed, you can exit Terminal and your DNS has been flushed

This works in Mac OS X 10.5 and Mac OS X 10.6 or later.

Restart Your Computer
Worth a try. Could be helpful in some cases.

Flushing DNS Cache in Windows XP, Vista, and 7

• Go to the Start menu and click on “Run”
• In the “Run” box, type in ‘command.com’
• When the DOS prompt appears, type in ‘ipconfig /flushdns’ and hit return
• If the command has run properly, you’ll see a message saying DNS Resolving Cache has been flushed
• You can now close the command.com prompt window

Note: if you encounter an error in Windows saying you do not have permissions or need authentication, make sure you run command.com as an Administrative user. You can do this by right-clicking on Run and selecting “Run as Administrator.”

But what if none of the above works?? Try the following.

Download the firmware IPSW file without iTunes directly from Apple servers

IPSW file is the main iOS file. It is what iTunes downloads from the servers. But since iTunes didn’t work in my case, I downloaded it directly.

Download the IPSW file for your iPod/iPAD/iPhone from the repository links below:

• iPod Touch IPSW file repository

• iPad IPSW file repository

• iPhone IPSW file repository

Download the correct update version according to the generation your device belongs to(you can also downgrade your OS with this method, by downloading the appropriate file). The file will most probably be greater than 350 MB.
Once the IPSW file is downloaded, you can update your device normally from iTunes.

Select your device in iTunes.Press Shift key and click(Shift+Click) on the Update or Restore button according to whatever you want to do. Now iTunes will ask you to browse and select the file from it’s download location. Select the downloaded file and press Open. Viola! Your update will begin.

The above method is really easier than trying ti resolve the iTunes issue. It is completely Hassle free. I hope this post helps you all.

Tags: error 3259, ipad update, iPhone os update, iPod touch, iTunes Error, netwrok connection error