Q: AppleMobileDeviceService.exe is hogging up to %50 of CPU

Another user with the same problem on Windows 7 64bit. Realised something was hogging the CPU. At the moment I am right clicking on task manager, showing all users then stopping the apple synch service. CAnnot see a quick way to stop it permanently, though I assume I can probably disable it in the admin panel somewhere.

Real screw up by Apple it seems.

I have read the thread on how to fix . . . .but I am in the middle of an upgrade to my iphone.  It has been backing up for several hours.  The last time I unhooked it during an issue like this, it scrambled my phone, and I had to completely restore and lost everything.  SO, will this eventually finish if I just leave it alone?   It has 100% of my CPU taken up, but one would assume that eventually it would chew through it.  Or is there a safe way to get my iphone away from my PC?

@immortaleye

If necessary, you can go in to 'Admin Tools / Services' to stop services like AMDS from starting automatically.

(Whether or not you can see this option might depend on whether or not you have Windows Personal / Pro /Ultimate . . . )

@everyone including immortaleye but excluding mandykayee

This was fixed for me by uninstalling all Apple software from my PC, and then reinstalling iTunes (which installs most other stuff by default anyway).

This even fixed my problem of an infinitely long iPad Backup.

So, I didn't do anything to my iPad - just uninstalled my PC software, and fresh installed it again.

Just FYI, uninstalling iTunes does not delete your library of music, etc.

After re-installing iTunes, all my library music files, videos, audiobooks, and iPad Apps were still visible without having to add them to iTunes again manually.

@mandykayee

Whether the above procedure will work for you when in the middle of a device firmware upgrade or not is anyone's guess? Good luck.

Second posting

My original having been deleted by the thought police, who deemed my views on Apple, although containing no profanity, were so offensive they overrode any constructive contribution the above replies may have added.

I was having the same problems - but luckily I'd tried to take a manual backup before upgrading the iPhone software.  The 6 step uninstall and then reinstall of iTunes solved the problem for me.  But what a waste of time to have to go through all this. 

@jmfc

Since Apple read your original post we can but hope that they have taken on board the legitimate concerns about their software, which although generally well designed is not perfect, as this thread clearly shows.

I am seriously so frustrated with this whole thing!  My ipad2 won't update it's library because it said the file was corrupt, so I deleted it via preferences->devices and now it won't update AT ALL.  I did the whole delete every apple thing on earth in perfect order, then re-installed 10.3.  That worked for accessing the iTunes store, but what I didn't realize was that while this cpu hogging software was on my computer my husband used iTunes to update his ipod before going to Siggraph(a technology conference, so ironic).  When I went back a version(still getting the error message) it apparently made it so that my husband couldn't even load his iTunes because his library.itl file was created with a newer version.  So I've had to go back to the cpu hogging, no iTunes store version.  I can't fix this ipad2 library problem, not even by trying to restore my ipad as it gives me the same error!

In a way, this is good.  I have lots of gift cards, and I can't use them!  They don't want me to purchase from them, so I won't.  Just because we are Windows users doesn't mean they can ignore us.  And if they want to delete this post, so be it, because the word is spreading on facebook anyway.  Fix the dang thing and maybe you'll make some sales again, because windows users are getting very angry!

do i have to delete 10.4? how can i install the old version without losing all my settings?

sorry, I was still sleeping

Follow-up

A new iTunes update undid the re-install fix. I had to re-re-install iTunes to fix it again!!!

Come on Apple! Are you going to make me do a fresh install for every single update????!!!

I have just turned it all off via the administrator panel for now until Apple sort themselves out. If they could find the time to come on this forum and delete posts they did not like then the could at least have taken the time and courtesy to acknowledge the problem and indicate when a fix may be forthcoming.

Yes, it did the same again for me after the recent QuickTime update - had to go through the whole complete uninstall and reinstall process again.  How can it be that Apple can continue to make software that somehow trips itself up, and then due to the interconnectedness of all things Apple (but nothing else) which is their whole ethos, we have to go through this whole rigmarole to fix it.

Perhaps they could spend a little more money on writing less bloated software instead of spending it on court cases that apparently use doctored photos.

lol

Yup, I think Apple are trying to create a new idiom :

"Too many lawyers, not enough coders"

ITunes wants to update to 10.4.1 - does anyone know if this fixed the problems???

I just installed 10.4.1 (iTunes and Quicktime only) and it significantly reduced the CPU usage.  Previously with 10.4 there was a CPU spike every few seconds, up to 80%.  With 10.4.1 there is still a spike but it only goes up to 20% or so.

I'm running 32-bit Vista Business.   I do not have Safari or MobileMe installed.

Hope this helps.

@deecee99: If you've corrected it once, it will re-instate the problem.

I'm afraid the best solution for now is to stop the Apple Mobile Device service when your phone is disconnected, and re-start the service before connecting it.

Perhaps the next update will provide a solution.  I have to imagine that for every one of the posts in this thread, there are hundreds of others who are experiencing it.  Every day I get new emails in this thread, and I keep hoping for a real solution to appear, but it looks like it's up to Apple and so far the only action they've taken is to delete posts in here that are too critical of the company.