Windows Vista wont install Ipod drivers

as i posted in another forum:

"after much searching i found the answer on another forum:

I found these steps here: http://forums.microsoft.com/MSDN/ShowPost.aspx?PostID=1286482&SiteID=1&pageid=4

Scroll down to the quote from WickedMX.

Basically, C:\Windows\System32\Driverstore\Repository and look for a folder that starts with usbstor. You will probably have two different versions. Open the folder that is the newest version and then copy the files usbstor.inf and usbstor.PNF. Copy them to the C:\Windows\INF folder. Try installing your device(s) again and it should work like a charm!

Brian

from : http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=5272762

aL

I tried all of these steps and nothing worked for me. I couldn't find the PNF file on my hard drive but found it on my second drive from a back up of Windows XP and it didn't work. The error message I get is ...USB Mass Storage Device the system connot find the file specified....

yea , same here. I ve got the same problem too...Can someone help us plz??>.<

Download from next page usbstor.inf and usbstor.pnf, copy both files to Windows/INF and got to COntrol Panel / System / Manage Devices, find your IPOD with the yellow triangle icon and then reinstall drivers with the right mouse button. It can reinstall automatically, if not do it manually pointing to windows/inf.

I did it and now my IPOD is playing. Good lock

http://download.general-devices.com/CAREpoint/drivers/usb%20flash%20drive/

Great suggestions above, although I have been having the same problem and my .pnf and .inf files were actually already in the windows/inf folder, in fact the .pnf was actually newer there, which might have something to do with all this crap. So anyway, I think that the problem for me is that vista wasn't even checking the right place for drivers. All I had to do was point the browser to the ...\windows folder, and it took all of 20 seconds to find a suitable driver. I am using a 30G video ipod, and windows actually wants a few drivers for these. Of course, stupid vista can't remember that I just pointed it to the right folder for the first driver, so just keep doing it until it is satisfied. A note, when i tried to point it to windows\inf it actually didn't work, so I'm not sure exactly where they are located but it found them in \windows. Hope this helps some of you, vista is full of bugs like this... contemplating the switch back to XP or dual booting

were can i find these drivers on the internet i got a ipod but i have no disc and computer not finding the ipod???

Ok when I connect my laptop it doesnt say found a new hardware?

Please Help


Mickey

When I got my new computer it came with Vista. I installed itunes and initially it worked. Then my dvd drive stopped working and a guy came out to fix it and said itunes was the problem. He also said my computer wasn't set up properly when I bought it so it had conflicting issues as far as itunes was concerned. Anyway, he installed a program from a cd he had and then everything worked.. for about a week!

7 months on and I have uninistalled and installed itunes umpteen times and my ipod refuses to sync. Then itunes refuses to recognise the ipod. Then my computer throws up error (-48) whatever that is and noone seems to know what it is. Everytime and update comes along for itunes i have to reinstall itunes altogether just so my ipod gets the chance to sync once. I'm at the end of my tether with this one. Anyone know what error -48 is?

Hi there. I have an ipod classic - and I read your instructions to make windows vista recognise it - but it didn't work for me! I'm tearing my hair out. I have installed itunes the latest version but I'm really struggling to get my ipod to show up in devices. Why on earth won't it work - if you have any other ideas please tell me. It's driving me mad!! I'm tempted to take my laptop down the road to a computer shop and ask them to uninstall vista and try XP - it seems it'll work with XP. Just resent spending more money because windows don't have a clue! Don't suppose you have a Vista support number - they should be the ones to explain it.
Thanks...

point to the directory c:/windows it will find 4 or 5 different drives before it is done but works.

You have to take out all the usb devices in every port of the computer and leave only the ipod connected. Then reconnect everything again and make sure that the ipod was not touched while doing all of this. if it says malfunction or insert cd just do it again and it will work. I came upon this by accident. I did it 2 times. and then i went to sleep. I woke up today i did it again. and itunes said to sync with my ipod. SO i was happy seeing as how i stayed up until 4 30 in the morning just trying to get it to work.. but yeah if that doesnt work then im sry

Well, let me throw my 2 cents in this thread...

Maybe this info might lead to a solution that works. I too can't get my iPdo Nano or iPod Photo to work on my Vista machine. They work fine on my XP Desktop. I just got this new HP Laptop and bought a new iPhone at the same time. So I downloaded iTunes 7.5 and plugged in my iPhone and viola...worked like a charm. Then I plugged in my iPods...and NOTHING, get a little ding noise in Vista and the new hardware wizard comes up and can't find a driver for the iPods. Ofcourse I did the 5 R's with no luck. The iPods show up in Device Mgr as unknown devices....ipod with a yellow exclamation point. Tried to update the drivers like everyone else and get the 'Windows can't find a driver for the device...contact the manufacture'.

Now this laptop is new, never had a ipod connected to it. The iPhone works fine, but for some reason it's like Vista dosen't want to share the same driver with the iPods. The iPod service is running also.

Called Apple Tech support...they tell me to call Windows, it's a Vista issue. So for some reason Vista dosen't want to share the driver with the ipods and keeps it exclusively for the iPhone.

Help please...

You need to uninstall the iPod from the device mgr (While it's connected to your puter of course) and then scan for hardware changes and it will go through the install drivers sequence again. Or just right click on it before you delete it and choose the update driver option.

From what the gent above said...choose the manually find the driver and search the c:windows folder and find your usb driver there. I'm gonna give it a shot when I get home.

Sav

Message was edited by: SavNout

Well, I found a solution to the problem in my case. As I stated, the iPhone was the first thing I plugged into this new Laptop, with a fresh new copy of iTunes. The iPhone worked fine, it's the iPods that were not reconized by Vista.

Here is how I solved the problem. I removed the iPod from device mgr (Under Unknown Devices). Started up iTunes, plugged in the iPod and when Vista asked for a driver location I pointed it to the c:\Windows folder and it found the drivers. First was the USB Mass Storage Device driver, then the iPod driver, then the USBusEmumerator driver and now all is well.

It's a VISTA BUG! Once you use that USB Driver for the phone, anyother Apple product will require you to manually go into the windows folder and have Vista find it again and use it for your iPod. I wouldn't be suprised if this was done intentionally by Microsoft to try to get people to use there MP3 Players instead of Apple.

I had the same problem with Vista and used the manual process to select the drivers which are located in c:\windows\windows32 [not that well documented] anyway everything now works fine. This is the copy of an email which I sent to a friend of mine who was having the same problem.

Good idea to set a restore point before you embark on this adventure. If you are already running a version of iTunes and QuickTime they should be un-installed (dismounted). You may also need to go to System and uninstall the USB Mass Storage Device and any iPod USB, iPod HDD or Unknown Device/s. Before you start the iPod installation process running under Vista you first need to download the Vista Fix for iPod from Microsoft as well as the latest Version of iTunes from Apple After they are installed you launch iTunes. You then plug in the iPod which will start the new hardware discovered process. Whilst follow the bouncing ball you will get a find the driver option you need to select find manual drivers and highlight the c:\windows\windows32 directory and path because that is where the drivers are located (not documented well not in my documentation that is). Do not choose c:\windows\inf as documented as this does not work. If you select the process to find the drivers automatically the drivers will not be found. If you select the find solution option you will be taken to the Apple site which invites you to download the latest version of iTunes which you should have already downloaded and installed. Even if you dismount and re-install or are running the latest version this does not work. You may also get a message that iPod USB Drivers are not found.



It took a while but the only solution that worked for me is the manual driver install as previously mentioned where the drivers are located in c:\windows\windows32.

Cheers

adn