iTunes and iPhone 4 sync issues with Windows 7 64 bit

Thanks for your detailed post, coreyedm, but your advice did not help me, as the Convert and Encrypt boxes were already unchecked. But to clarify to others what you wrote, the "the main page of your device settings" is the Summary page in iTunes seen after clicking on the iPhone device in the left column...you'll probably have to scroll down to see the checkboxes he mentions....it took me a while to figure out what you were saying.

I am casting my complaint with those above, because nearly every problem/alert stated in this thread has happened to me in the past four months of trying to sync an iPhone 4 with a new Dell XPS 14 L401X 64-bit Windows 7. And I have spent countless hours attempting the various solutions above (as well as others posted on other forums).

At one point, in the middle of installing the latest iPhone OS, iTunes shut down unexpectedly and left my phone half-updated....the only way to get my iPhone to work at all was to restore to factory settings. Since I'd not been able to sync in three months, I lost a tremendous amount of important data, in the form of voice memos and text messages.

I made a three calls to Apple and two to my cell phone provider, but nothing they recommended helped. Then one day out of the blue, the phone synced successfully to iTunes...for no discernable reason.

Since that time, successful syncs have occurred sporadically, as a result of various (and seemingly random) combinations of restarting iTunes, disconnecting/reconnecting the iPhone USB cable with iTunes running, doing the same with iTunes closed, power cycling the iPhone, rebooting the laptop, etc. I've never been able to note a pattern that always results in a successful sync.

But one thing is always constant: it never backs up successfully (although no error message occurs). This has previously worked to my benefit, as I have a relatively high chance of a successful sync when I select "Restore from Backup". After attempting the restore, the process always fails (since the backup file is bad), and when I then unplug the iPhone USB, and reconnect it, the ensuing sync often works. Go figure.

But yesterday my "work around" stopped working, and iTunes screwed me over yet again. When my phone was not recognized by iTunes and I selected "Restore from Backup," it restored from a backup made a few days earlier. This is the first time it's ever successfully restored from a backup, and that would seem to be good news. But in the process, it deleted new voice memos and text messages created since the previous backup...important ones.

So I am hopping mad and have nothing good to say about iTunes. I never know what's going to happen with data created with and stored on my iPhone.

When is Apple or Dell going to address this problem?

..............Curtis.............

Hey, Corey. I think you've zeroed in on the source of the problem. It's surprising to find a forum thread with a cluster of Dell XPS 14 users experiencing the same sync problems. Being machine-specific pretty much eliminates software as the root of the problem, so the chipset is the next suspect.

It would be different, too, if there were some sign of support from Apple or Dell, but it seems to be a matter of Buyer Beware. If I had a decent smartphone alternative in Mexico, I'd jump ship in a minute, but the last time I checked, there was nothing to compete with the iPhone here...the top-shelf Android smartphones weren't available. In the end, it becomes an exercise in patience and acceptance....otherwise it would drive me mad!

I guess there's some solace in knowing that we're not alone...we can cry on each other's shoulders! (Sniff.)

..........Curtis..........

It is definitely not a Dell problem, I have an HP Laptop. I am having the exact same problems with both my Iphone and now my new IPAD2. I think there is a problem with the ITUNES for the 64 bit installer. Windows 7 64 bit compatiability.

I have done everything that everyone else on this page has done and I still get the same errors of files missing and internal error on the IPAD2.

I cannot even get the USB ports to charge the IPAD.

Sorry guys but Window's SUCK! If it weren't for my work, I'd be back on my MAC Book Pro in a heartbeat!

Hey folks I think I found the problem with Windows 7 and the PC's!!!! At least I did for mine.

On the HP support website there was a article about sycing with Apple products. It seems that the 2009 BIOS was causing the problem. I'd had my HP PC Laptop since 2009 and never updated my BIOS. Evidently the new 2010 BIOS corrects for the USB port problem as well as the syncing issues for ITUNES.

I did all the driver updates including the BIOS and bingo! My IPAD sync'd perfectly.

I fixed this problem by restoring my iphone4 to factory default using a different pc, since I couldn't get it to connect and 'be seen' on my own Win7 64 computer. After restoring to factory default, I plugged the Apple USB cord into a different USB port on my own computer and the device drivers loaded and iTunes launched and everything worked fine. I think this got messed up originally because I was using a USB extension cable with the Apple USB cable. I bet a USB hub might cause a problem as well. Hope this helps somebody.

Hi. I too have a Dell, but it is an Inspiron running a Win 7 64-bit system. iTunes ver 10.4.1 is now on my system. As with everyone else, Apple support tried but couldn't do much other than write an email with a link to the support site. The support site, talks about only software issues, nothing to do with hardware and as you will see from my experience, I'm convinced that that the issue is with iTunes software. I did all that many of the others have done and as suggested by Apple. Removed my anti-virus. Uninstalled all Apple software and re-installed it. To check, after installation I tried backup and sync and it worked! I have consistenly used the same USB port each time, to determine the issue. Now, after I 'updated' iTunes to the latest version 10.4.1 (64-bit) and Quicktime to 7.7, is where the issue comes in. Backup doesn't take place initially, neither does sync. It freezes after a point. So, I went ahead and re-installed my licensed McAfee anti-virus. Finally after re-starting the machine, I discover the same problem as earlier. Backup cannot be saved on this computer. But now, I'm able to sync! I hope Apple is listening/reading all the frustrations voiced on this thread and quickly releases a patch that will sort out the issue with its software. I do not blame Dell, nor Intel, nor Windows for this. This problem has started only about a month back! So until then, with the same configuration, except that iTunes was the previous version it worked. Hence, the conclusion can only be the Apple software.

Same issue as described by other. Dell XPS 64 bit Window7.

Updated Bios, Updated USB Drivers, reinstalled iTunes 64..

Uninstalled and reinstalled Diver

Error Message: ITunes cannot read the contents of the iPhone. Go to summary tab in iPhone preferences and click Restore.

I do this - restore to factory defaults - then last backup - then everything is ok UNTIL I unplug the USB cable and plug it back in again.

I ran diagnostics in from instide iTunes - it says no device found.

Under my computer - I can see the device. I can even open it and view photos.

In Computer Management\Disk Management I don't see it. One article I saw suggested looking here to see if it had a drive letter. It doesn't.

1) If its a BIOS issue - why can my computer update it after restoring my phone to factory default settings and then doing a restore?? Its ok until I unplug my iPhone and plug it in again.

2)Why can I access and view my pictures fine on the devices through my Computer if the files are not readable? iTunes says my device is not readable. My Computer says the device is functioning fine.

3) Files are not corrupted on the device - if they were I would not be able to use it.

Im not sure iTunes isn't incorrectly saying there is a problem when there isn't one.

After battling this problem on my Dell XPS 14 laptop for months, I finally determined that the USB ports are the source of the problem, and the only solution is to switch to another machine to sync my iPhone 4. I now use an XP virtual machine running on the Dell to do my daily syncs/backups, and when I need to update the OS, I carry the VM to another computer (on an external hard drive) and run the sync/update there with no problems.

You just read the Executive Summary...the gory details follow.

My previous posts to this thread detail (1) what problems I've had (all of the above) and (2) how long it's been going on (since May).

This week I finally had a moment to create a Windows XP Pro virtual machine on the Dell laptop and move my iTunes directory and account to the new VM. What better way to spend New Year's Day than dealing with an iPhone sync problem, eh? ;-) But it was worth it: my iPhone now syncs correctly to the VM and it runs very fast (in the past syncs could take an hour...and I have only 7GB of data on the phone). I am elated! Happy new year to me!

However, when I tried to upgrade the iPhone OS (which was seriously out-of-date thanks to not being able to sync), it would stop part way through the process with an error 0xE800400B and the option of resetting my phone to factory settings or cancelling the update.

I followed all the recommendations on this page -- http://support.apple.com/kb/TS3221 -- but continued to have the same problem. So I moved the XP virtual machine to my ASUS computer at work (running the VM from the external HD so I didn't have to install my personal account on the work machine) and, voilá, my phone synced and upgraded the OS on the first try.

So now I can do daily syncs to the XP virtual machine on my Dell, and on the occasions when I need to upgrade the OS, I can transport the VM to another machine. It's an inconvenience, but I can live with it.

In the end, it appears that the problem is not iTunes, after all -- as much as I despise iTunes and would love to find it at fault. Nor is the problem Windows, because my iPhone was syncing to a Toshiba Windows machine before moving my iTunes account to the Dell ten months ago.

I've concluded that the problem is the Dell XPS laptop hardware -- either the USB ports or the chipset -- which is unfortunate, because there's no easy way to fix the problem if you've got an iPhone and nothing but a Dell XPS to sync it to.

Dear All,

I had posted my problem on this forum earlier. Further, I have been reading a lot of various frustrated rants and raves from affected users like us. Finally, after a lot of searching thanks to the power of the internet, there was a solution that worked!

Background

- iTunes is the latest

- iOS is the latest (in most cases, else upgrade has not being done pending issue sort)

- it doesn't matter whether the product is jail broken or not.

- you may have a 16GB or 32GB or 64GB capacity iPhone / iPad / iPod

- PC OS is Windows XP / Vista / 7

Issue

- iTunes and the device do not sync properly.

- iTunes indicates that 'backup could not be saved'.

Solution (for Windows + PC users)

- Click on the 'Start' button, bottom left

- Click on Programs and then Accessories or find the 'Command prompt' link.

- Right click on the link, run as administrator

- Once the black window opens up, type 'Netsh winsock reset'

- Press Enter key.

- Re-start the PC

- Open iTunes

- Go to the store or Sync and backup should work fine now.

Explanation

Windows OS keeps updating every week or so, for various reasons ranging from fixing security flaws to upgrading performance of softwares, etc. During one of the upgrades, the winsock program which is linked to the internet connectivity and data passage from and to your machine got changed. By resetting it, everything goes back to normal and it all just works.

Note: This is not an iTunes problem. Though it would have been great if Apple had found this solution and put it up for its customers.

Hope this helps you all. Good luck.

Well that was ********* helpful! Followed yur instructions 100% trashed my laptops sound completely had to go to the manufacturers site download, install and restart to have any sound devices working at all, took just over an hour! Still can't rip any of my CD's to my iPhone 4, managed about 6 hours in to eventually completely at random copy 3 individual tracks to phone 1 at a time then no matter what I've tried in the about 12 hours since, no joy total waste of time think I should buy a Sumsung at least they work!