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Level 1

10 points

Can't copy large video files FROM iPhone to PC

I've searched high and low for a solution to this one. Every google hit on this search finds no resolution. Does the Apple community know how to get around this problem?

I used my 32GB iPhone 3Gs to shoot a video which turned out to be 48 minutes long, and approximately 1.2GB in file size. It plays OK on the iPhone itself.

However, when attempting to transfer or copy the large video file from the iPhone to PC, it FAILS. The photos and small-under-7gb-videos copy to PC just fine. The PC shows it's copying the file for a few minutes, however when done, the file copied to PC won't open, and shows a file size of zero. In some attempts, an error 80004005 shows.

Seriously, why use the iPhone to shoot a long video, if it can't be transferred to your PC? Any help on this matter is much appreciated.

I'm a PC, Windows XP

Posted on May 18, 2010 7:50 AM

Best reply

mackfromsd

Level 1

4 points

Posted on Jan 24, 2017 2:03 PM

I have an iphone 5, but I am using windows 10. The issue does appear to be any video much longer than 41 minutes (yikes). I consider this a serious UX fail. Anyway, in windows 10, do the same backup, but the BACKUP PATH is slightly different:

C:\Users\[username]\AppData\Roaming\Apple Computer\MobileSync\Backup

The files are encoded and without extensions, i.e.:

[BACKUP PATH]\0ce8a47b967a22788d641039303ff3f07f169778\67\67cd8850500c7d4a2649776e4272e 1d1a803f6f9

So, at the backup path location, do a search on everything (use '*') and sort by SIZE DESCENDING. Then go to the bottom of the window, and you will be looking for a file 4.5 GB or bigger. Copy (don't move) those to someplace safe, and rename them with .MOV (you should also call them something nicer than 67cd8850500c7d4a2649776e4272e1d1a803f6f9.MOV).

Anyway, then you can browse through them much quicker and find that video I was so desperate to get up on YouTube! I mean, you were so desperate to ... anywho.

Thanks!

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166 replies

Aug 4, 2010 2:20 PM in response to bkim028

The backup feature workaround worked for me. Apple needs to address this.

I have an iPhone 4 with a 9min video that I shot (1GB)...if I connect the iPhone to my Windows XP machine (like I always do) and attempt to copy the file, it tries for about 3 minutes and then without any error messages fails...it writes a 0k file to the drive. I tried rebooting XP and also the iPhone...no luck. I plugged the phone into my Mac and iPhoto recognized everything but ALSO FAILED to copy the movie.

This is a bug, Apple. Fix this. There is no point in my shooting 9+ minute videos if I can't get them off my iPhone! Yes, there is this absurd workaround that Apple doesn't even promote/advertise on their Support website...but that's too many hoops to jump through and folks who are not technical will have no idea why they can't copy their movie.

-Eric

jasonb b

Level 1

46 points

Aug 10, 2010 7:01 PM in response to ericinboston

I'm having the same issue with my iphone 4! I have two videos, one is 3 min, and the other 5 min that I made with the video camera. I can't get them off!

I even tried the backup method, and renaming the files to .mov but they won't play! I don't know what.

Anymore more help would be apprecaited!

Aug 11, 2010 6:06 AM in response to jasonb b

Hi. Please let us know exactly what steps & approaches you have taken besides the Backup "workaround". Do you have Quicktime installed on XP? What version of XP do you have (Pro vs. Home...SP1, Sp2, SP3)? Have you rebooted? Can you double click the movie file on your iPhone directly from Windows Explorer and make it play?

The more feedback you give us, the more stuff we can rule out. 🙂

-Eric

MJ2010

Level 1

0 points

Aug 16, 2010 5:37 AM in response to ericinboston

FWIW, I just fell over this. I'd say it was an XP import failing, but the solution for me was to use Google Picasa which is free, and has an import from camera option. Click that, select the video, select the destination, and click import selected, and it was on my computer. Easy.

Aug 16, 2010 6:29 AM in response to MJ2010

This is not a WinXP problem. This problem also occurs on my Mac Mini with iPhoto (which works fine on other, smaller movie files).

This is an Apple bug/problem.

Moreover, I do not understand why Apple does not have a feature in iTunes to pull off photos and/or videos from our iPhones. Afterall, we are FORCED to use iTunes for other iPhone stuff.

😟

-Eric

d1v0

Level 1

4 points

Oct 1, 2010 9:25 AM in response to MJ2010

Picasa doesn't work for me. Iphone 4, windows xp.
Don't know what else to try.

iccaprar

Level 1

4 points

Oct 31, 2010 2:35 PM in response to modocsot

Same problem here... WinXP PRO and iPhone 4 (both all possible software upgrades done).

Also, my iPhone backup is encrypted, therefore no luck in just copying the videos from backup.

I wonder... why can we shoot HD movies, when we cannot copy them?

Nov 17, 2010 4:54 PM in response to modocsot

I've had the same problem for a while, and not just with super-large videos. I use my iPhone to take short videos of my kids, and the longest I've shot was only five minutes (139 megs). I couldn't get it off my phone.

Picasa freezes up, XP's very simple phone/image downloaded doesn't work. I was able to get it to my Dropbox file, but it automatically compresses the file which I didn't want. I finally found success with a program called iPhone Explorer, once I found where the image/video files are stored.

Otherwise that one file was preventing me getting at the rest of my photos (normally I use Picasa, and it was always getting stuck on this one video). But Picasa has frequently frozen up even on downloading 1-2 minute videos. After copying the file from iPhone Explorer I delete it from the iPhone and remove the blockage.

Message was edited by: RC-DC

richvid

Level 1

116 points

Nov 18, 2010 7:43 AM in response to jasonb b

Not too sure if this will help but I've been copying photo's and video's from my iPhone onto my iMac using Google Picasa http://picasa.google.com/mac/

There is also a Windows version which I assume is without the /mac/ on the end of the URL string.

I don't actually have that much experience with using the inbuilt Apple iPhoto software so can't comment on it's abilities to transfer large videos, but I do know that Picasa works fine - And it's free!

EDIT: Am sure the previous posts about Picasa weren't there when I typed out my reply!!! sorry for that???

Message was edited by: richvid 18th Nov 2010 15:43

Nov 20, 2010 9:29 AM in response to modocsot

Not to contradict previous posters, but although I couldn't perform the copy using a Windows XP system, I was able to do the straight up copy from the DCIM folder of my iPhone using a Windows 7 system. Not sure this is definitive, but if you have access to a newer OS I'd give it a shot.

The Professor

Coern

Level 1

0 points

Nov 29, 2010 9:36 PM in response to modocsot

Same issue faced here. Unable to copy a 543 mb file that was exported from iMovie onto a Windows XP laptop. Files of about 100 - 150 mb are ok for transferring though.

Using iPhone Explorer, the copying worked.

Dec 14, 2010 10:09 PM in response to bkim028

This worked great!

Thanks!

Just remember that if you encrypt your backup that you have to decrypt the backup first before this solution will work.

Or at least I had to do that anyway.

Dec 31, 2010 2:17 PM in response to bkim028

thanks.

works like a charm with me..

Jan 5, 2011 11:05 AM in response to bkim028

Awesome tip, thanks! This worked great for me too.

jimbo021

Level 1

4 points

Jan 6, 2011 8:04 AM in response to bkim028

The workaround just worked perfectly for me. Thanks!

Can't copy large video files FROM iPhone to PC