How to fix an iPad - Repairing a Frozen screen

Like any piece of electronics the iPad, despite all its brilliance, may sometimes freeze and become unresponsive. The good news is that rather than sending it back to a repair agent or retailer, there are some things we can try ourselves to cure the problem. If you still have some images or text showing on the screen once you have turned off the iPad, a reset will probably fix it.

Step one:

To perform a basic reset you simply need to press and hold the power button for a minimum of three seconds. Your screen will then dim slightly and a red slider will appear at the top of the screen. Simply slide the red button to the right, and this will fully switch off your iPad.

Once the iPad has turned off, wait for ten seconds and press/hold the power button again for three seconds. Your iPad will now be reset, and many minor issues will be fixed.

Step two:

If step one fails, you need to perform a 'hard' reset. To perform this procedure you will need to press and hold both the 'sleep' button AND the 'home' button for at least ten seconds. After ten seconds the Apple logo will show up on screen, indicating a successful reset has been completed.

Should you find that your iPad willl not boot up fully (i.e you can't actually get to use any of the apps) you will need to perform a 'restore'. This is like a System restore on a regular PC, so you will need to bear in mind that you will lose any apps or saved data that has been added since you last did a backup.

Step one:

To Perform a restore you will need to connect your iPad to a Laptop or PC with the USB cable that came with the iPad.

Step two:

Once connected your iTunes should recognise that your iPad is there, you will then see a 'restore' button in the iTunes window - click on it.

Step three:

Once you have clicked to acknowledge the warnings about losing unsaved data the restore process will begin. It will take several minutes to complete, but once it's done you will have a fully up to date iPad,which will hopefully work normally again.

Before we start on changing a battery, you need to be aware that opening up your iPad will invalidate the warranty.

Step one:

If your battery has died (and it can happen), or you just want to fit one with an even better life, you will need to get a replacement. The good news is that ALL iPad batteries are the same, irrespective of which model you have. There are lots for sale now, so shop around to get the best price.

Step two:

You will now need to take your iPad apart. To remove the front and back of the iPad from each other, a small screwdriver (preferably plastic) will need to be inserted between the front and back covers. Be careful not to use too much brute force as this may result in breaking the small securing clips. The easiest way is to take your time and gently wiggle the screwdriver to slowly prise the plates apart.

Step three:

Now that the iPad is apart you will be able to see the old battery. Simply remove the battery (don't clean away the sticky stuff that surrounds it), and insert the new battery. This is easy as it will only fit in one way, so you can't get it wrong. Once you have reconnected the battery wires you can put the iPad back together and switch it on. Your iPad should now be fully functional again.

Replacing the hard disk

This is really a last resort (unless you just want a bigger capacity hard drive). New hard disks have only just become available, and to be honest should it have failed already it would normally be covered under warranty. But in order to change the disk it is quite simple.

Step one:

Again you will need to take apart the front and rear case as detailed above. Once this is done you will see the hard disk. At this point it is worth either making a note of the wiring, or taking a good close up photo to help you re-establish the proper connections.

Step two:

Disconnect all of the plugs going to the disk, you should then find removing it will be easy. Simply then fit your new disk, and reconnect all of the wiring, taking care to replace the insulation too.

Step three:

Once complete you willl need to connect the iPad to your pc/laptop to do a 'restore' as detailed above. Once the restore has finished your iPad will be working as new again.