Newer version of Apple Mobile Device Support required

Question

Newer version of Apple Mobile Device Support required

When I plug in my iPod touch into iTunes, it gives me the following error message:

*"iTunes requires a newer version of Apple Mobile Device Support. Please uninstall both Apple Mobile Device Support and iTunes, then install iTunes again."*

I ran the diagnostics thing in the Help column with all four categories unchecked, and here are my results (I took out some of the irrelevant things, like my video card details):

+iTunes 9.2.0.61+
+QuickTime 7.6.6+
+FairPlay 1.8.20+
+Apple Application Support 1.3+
+iPod Updater Library 9.2d4+
+CD Driver 2.2.0.1+
+CD Driver DLL 2.1.1.1+
+Apple Mobile Device 2.6.0.32+
+Apple Mobile Device Driver 1.45.0.0+
+Bonjour 2.0.2.0 (214.3)+

+Current user is an administrator.+
+The current local date and time is 2010-07-13 18:21:40.+
+iTunes is not running in safe mode.+
+WebKit accelerated compositing is disabled.+
+HDCP is not supported.+

+ ** External Plug-ins Information **+

+No external plug-ins installed.+

+iPodService 9.2.0.61 is currently running.+
+iTunesHelper is currently not running.+
+Apple Mobile Device service 2.50.39.0 is currently running.+

I tried uninstalling AMDS in Control Panel > Add & Remove Programs but it always gave an error message saying *"Fatal error during installation."* I tried uninstalling in CCleaner, and that wouldn't work either.

Normally, I would do a system restore, but this problem started in late June, and restore points before July were all deleted because my system two weeks ago had 0 MB space.

Please help...I don't know what to do 😟

Windows XP, Service Pack 2

Posted on Jul 13, 2010 6:03 PM

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Answer 1

Best reply

b noir

Level 9

72,324 points

Jul 14, 2010 2:50 PM in response to amazingkevin81797

Excellent information, thank you.

I tried uninstalling AMDS in Control Panel > Add & Remove Programs but it always gave an error message saying "Fatal error during installation." I tried uninstalling in CCleaner, and that wouldn't work either.

I suspect there's a damaged AppleMobileDeviceSupport.msi for the earlier version of AMDS on the system, kevin. (That can certainly cause the "Fatal error" when uninstalling AMDS.) So, if that's what is going on, if we can clear the installation database for your existing AMDS install we can probably get the new version to install.

Unfortunately, these sorts of msi-related troubles have gotten more complicated to deal with ever since Microsoft pulled the Windows Installer CleanUp utility from their Download Center on June 25.

Let's try Googling. (Best not to use Bing, I think.) Look for a working download site for *at least version 3.0* of the Windows Installer CleanUp utility. After downloading the utility installer file (msicuu2.exe), scan the file for malware, just in case. (I use the free version of Malwarebytes AntiMalware to do single-file scans for that.)

If the file is clean, to install the utility, doubleclick the msicuu2.exe file you've downloaded.

Now run the utility ("Start > All Programs > Windows Install Clean Up"). In the list of programs that appears in CleanUp, select any *Apple Mobile Device Support* entries and click "Remove".

Quit out of CleanUp, restart the PC and try uninstalling and reinstalling iTunes 9.2 again. Does the install of the new version of AMDS go through properly this time?

(If you do find a clean download site for the correct version of CleanUp, please don't tell me where it is. Without wishing to sound paranoid (although I grant it does sound paranoid), there is a non-zero chance that posting links to download locations for the utility here at Discussions leads to that download location being shut down.)

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Answer 2

Jul 17, 2010 6:05 AM in response to b noir

Thank you for the help. I've found a version of the Windows Installer CleanUp Utility. However, before I proceed in actually downloading and installing it, I have Microsoft Office 2007. Microsoft removed the Clean Up Utility since it caused problems in Office 2007, so is it still safe for me to use the Utility?

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Answer 3

b noir

Level 9

72,324 points

Jul 17, 2010 2:20 PM in response to amazingkevin81797

Microsoft removed the Clean Up Utility since it caused problems in Office 2007, so is it still safe for me to use the Utility?

It's a good question ... They haven't been being very specific on the nature of the Office 2007 problem.

I do have Office 2007 on the Lenovo, and I've used CleanUp at least once on the Lenovo. Everything still seems to be launching (in Office), but I don't use Office much.

For what it's worth, in previous versions of the page at Microsoft that used to hold the CleanUp utility:

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/290301

... They used to say don't use CleanUp to remove Office 2007 products. That suggests that there wouldn't be a problem so long as we're staying well away from the Office 2007 things (in CleanUp). But I can't be 100% certain of that.

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Answer 4

Jul 17, 2010 7:10 PM in response to b noir

I tried installing the utility by double clicking, but an error message came up saying:

+Windows Script Hosting:+
+Loading your settings failed. (Access is denied.)+

I don't understand how "access is denied" if I'm logged into Administrator 😟

I'm not sure if this is relevant in anyway, but at the end of June, my computer was having really serious problems after it began having only 0 MB of disk space. At that time, it wouldn't let me log onto my saved profile on Windows, and instead logged me onto a temporary profile saying that there was not sufficient resources available. This "temporary profile" used a plain blue background, deleted a lot of my shortcuts, removed my favorites, etc. After a while when I logged on, there was no error message anymore, and Windows just logged me on with the temporary profile, even though it's not my real profile that I personally customized. Anyway, that is why I'm trying to reinstall my iTunes + related software into the D drive. I accidentally deleted my music I purchased from iTunes in the +My Music+ folder, but that's okay; I can retrieve the music off my iPod touch. With that being said, this is where the Apple Mobile Device Support uninstall/install problems occur and the inability to connect and sync my iPod.

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Answer 5

b noir

Level 9

72,324 points

Jul 17, 2010 7:18 PM in response to amazingkevin81797

One of those again.

Windows Script Hosting:
Loading your settings failed. (Access is denied.)

I think you've got trouble here with Access Control Lists (ACLs) on at least the HKEY CURRENTUSER keys of that "temp" account of yours. That'll probably be underlying both the AMDS troubles and the difficulty with getting CleanUp installed.

So, abrupt change of tack. If the ACL trouble is limited to the HKEY CURRENTUSER keys, then a different user account may be able to get past the trouble.

So, create a new user account with full administrative rights. Log out of the old account and log into the new account. (Don't use fast user switching to move between accounts.)

Are you able to uninstall AMDS from inside the new user account? If so, can you also get an iTunes install to go through properly from inside there?

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Answer 6

Jul 17, 2010 7:45 PM in response to b noir

Before I proceed, by adding a new account, you mean going into +Control Panel > Users Accounts > Add new account+, correct? (I don't really work that well with computers.)

And also, what will happen to my administrative privileges on my current "temporary profile"? Will they be removed and transferred over to the new account, or will both accounts have administrator privileges? Also, if that fixes the problem, I can delete the new profile I made, right?

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Answer 7

b noir

Level 9

72,324 points

Jul 17, 2010 9:28 PM in response to amazingkevin81797

Before I proceed, by adding a new account, you mean going into Control Panel > Users Accounts > Add new account, correct?

Yes, that's the ticket.

And also, what will happen to my administrative privileges on my current "temporary profile"? Will they be removed and transferred over to the new account, or will both accounts have administrator privileges?

The latter ... your temp account will retain its privileges levels. (It's possible to have more than one admistrative account on the PC.)

Also, if that fixes the problem, I can delete the new profile I made, right?

I'd hang on to it just for the moment ... the old account and the temp account both show signs of stress. It would be good to have an account on hand that you can use to open up the Pc in case any other peculiar things happen with the temp account you're running out of at the moment.

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Answer 8

Jul 18, 2010 12:14 PM in response to amazingkevin81797

Uninstalling AMDS worked on the new account I created 🙂
I also went on to uninstall the other related software (as mentioned here: http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1925 )

Before I install the new version of iTunes, should I install on my temporary profile or on the new account I created?

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Answer 9

b noir

Level 9

72,324 points

Jul 18, 2010 1:19 PM in response to amazingkevin81797

Woohoo!

Before I install the new version of iTunes, should I install on my temporary profile or on the new account I created?

It's a good question. It's possible that because we did manage to uninstall AMDS properly using the control panel in this case, we may have cleared up the putative-ACL trouble in the HKEY CURRENTUSER keys for your "temp" user account, and you would be able to reinstall iTunes from inside there. On the other hand, if we haven't cleaned that issue up, it is likely that the AMDS part of the install will silently fail to go through.

So that gives us two options.

(1) If you're feeling in an experimental mood, log back into the temp user account and try the install from inside there. If the AMDS component of the install fails to go through, do another complete uninstall of iTunes-and-the-related-components-that-did-install, then log into the new user account and try the iTunes reinstall from there instead.

(2) If you're feeling in a less-experimental mood, log into the new user account we set up, and do the install from there.

(Apologies for the experimentation, but we're at a pretty early stage of troubleshooting this particular variety of AMDS install/uninstall trouble. In the last (which was also the first) one of these I did here, we got CleanUp working instead inside the new user account, removed AMDS with that, and ran into the silent AMDS install failure back in the old user account. So we eventually had to do the reinstall from inside the new account. So the circumstances were a bit different to your case where we've managed to get AMDS removed in a more "proper" fashion.)

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Answer 10

Jul 18, 2010 4:17 PM in response to b noir

Thank you! I first tried installing iTunes in the temp folder, but it gave me a message saying +"This iPod cannot be used because the required software is not installed. Run the iTunes installer to remove iTunes and then install iTunes again."+ I assumed it was AMDS that did not successfully install, and when I went to Control Panel > Add & Remove Programs, it wasn't on the list. I went on the other account and installation from there worked. I'm typing this on my iPod since iTunes is now transferring purchases from my iPod.

Also, is it possible to add a new library from iTunes without deleting or overwriting the existing one on my iPod? I'm asking this because my iTunes is not transferring most of my music library, since some songs I get from CDs, Amazon, etc. and I don't want to manually transfer the songs.

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Answer 11

b noir

Level 9

72,324 points

Jul 18, 2010 4:58 PM in response to amazingkevin81797

🙂 Woohoo again!

I first tried installing iTunes in the temp folder, but it gave me a message saying "This iPod cannot be used because the required software is not installed. Run the iTunes installer to remove iTunes and then install iTunes again." I assumed it was AMDS that did not successfully install, and when I went to Control Panel > Add & Remove Programs, it wasn't on the list. I went on the other account and installation from there worked.

That's interesting to know ... many thanks for the experimentation. Next time I come across one of these at the forums, we can cut straight to reinstalling in the new user account. (After the complete uninstall.)

Also, is it possible to add a new library from iTunes without deleting or overwriting the existing one on my iPod?

I tend to defer to Zevoneer on those questions. (He stays more up-to-date on the possible options.) The general idea is to try to rebuild your library from the contents of the iPod, and then use the rebuilt library to synch across to the iPod.

Here's a fairly recent Zevoneer post outlining a number of your possible options:

http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=11857456&#11857456

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Answer 12

Jul 18, 2010 5:17 PM in response to b noir

Hmm, would it work if I did this:

http://associatedcontent.com/article/2688015/howto_add_songs_to_ipod_withoutdeleting.html

It seems easier and faster than downloading a third-party program.

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Answer 13

b noir

Level 9

72,324 points

Jul 18, 2010 5:29 PM in response to amazingkevin81797

Manual management is okay if you don't want to remove content already on the iPod. Unfortunately it only works one way ... from Computer to iPod. So if you ever needed to restore the iPod, you'd lose all the music on there (that isn't anywhere else on your computer) for good.

So the utility approach might be best, in order just to make sure you've got the music back on the PC.

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Answer 14

Jul 18, 2010 5:35 PM in response to b noir

Oh, okay then. That makes sense. I'm going to use a utility then.

But I'm running out of space on my C: drive, and files normally download onto the C drive, so I'm trying to download all things onto the D: drive. So, would those music files from the utility automatically download to C: or can I choose their location?

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Answer 15

b noir

Level 9

72,324 points

Jul 18, 2010 5:51 PM in response to amazingkevin81797

I'm not entirely sure ... I haven't needed to use one of them yet, so I'm not familiar with the features of the different packages.

On the other hand, so long as you can get the content back into your library, you can then move your content over to the D drive by doing a library consolidation to the D drive.

I defer to Katrina when it comes to technical knowledge and understanding of the details of that sort of thing. But the following Apple document is a good basic guide to the process:

[iTunes for Windows: Moving your iTunes Media folder|http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1364]

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