Photostream is not syncing on my Windows 7 PC

DAC84 - Brilliant. Ben struggling with this for weeks! You star!

Wow what a huge topic this, thanks for all the suggestions. Sadly my photostream is still not working how it used to.

I'm not sure whether my problems started when I recently changed my Apple ID or with the update to 3.1. To be honest I hardly use the PC these days, but its nice to know that if I do switch it on, my photo's are downloaded automatically. Not any more!!!

I have tried:-

1. Sigining out of iCloud, and then signing in with secondary apple ID, i.e. the one ending in me.com or icloud.com
2. Uninstalling icloud control panel app 3.1 and reinstalling
3. Uninstalling icloud control panel app 3.1 and going back to a previous version (Thanks to the guy who posted where all the previous installers are!!! ) I tried 2.1.2.8.
4. Disabling photo stream, applying. Logging out, then logging back in, and re-enabling photostream.

Still no success.

But one thing I have noticed is the applephotostreamdownloader.exe is never started automatically - its just not there in Task Manager. This is even with iCloud CP v2.1.2. If I start applephotostreamdownloader manually, doing Run As Administrator...the photos immediately start to download.

However, my actual photo stream contains about 277 photos. When the PC does the download, it stopped 150 photos. When I took a test pic with my iphone, it was synced to the photo stream on my iphone and ipad, but never got downloaded to the PC photostream.

In attempt to try and see if all of the photo stream would work, I tried the steps of JazJon, DAC84 etc. But this time photostream on the PC is just 40 photos!!

It's a real mess, and very disappointing from Apple that they are not helping anyone on these forums.

Something must be clearly wrong with the iCloud control panel software for a crucial exe like applephotostreamdownloader not to be started automatically on Windows.

This is so frustrating.

My problem ended up being a misunderstanding of this feature (poor UI / Documentation? We miss Steve Jobs).

Turns out even though your photos are automatically backed up to iCloud when you enable it on your iOS device, there is no way to get to them anywhere other than your iOS devices, unless you add the photos to a photo stream.

Even if you you log in to iCloud.com, the backed up photos are not accessible.

The iCloud client on your PC will only download photos which you have added to a photostream, which doesn't happen automatically.

Someone suggested using skydrive to circumvent this issue. Funny that the solution is coming from Microsoft of all places.

Doesn't sound like enough thought was given to the user experience.

Another weird ux issue.

I deleted a bunch of videos from my ios device after hooking it up to my PC with a USB cable.

The exepected behavior would be it would also remove them from iCloud, and thus free up some space on my icloud storage. What actually happened was it started redownloading the videos from iCloud and they started reappearing on the iPhone. ***?

The only remaining way to free space on your iCloud drive is to delete the videos on your phone (I guess after transfering copies out via USB cable or other means).

Please tell me I am not the only one who thinks this is completely confusing.

@tguless

I agree it is confusing. Its also a shame Apple don't allow access to the photostream via iCloud.com.

With regards to my problem.

I have rolled back to version 2.1.1.3 of the iCloud Control Panel, and I installed it in a different way to previously.

This time:-

1. Run a CMD windows As Administrator
2. CD to the <path> where the iCloud64.msi is located (may be different if you are on a 32 bit system)
3. In the CMD window type: msiexec /i iClould64.msi
4. Follow the install process, login with your apple id and configure the photo stream.

This time, with Task Manager open, I noticed that the ApplePhotoStreams.exe is running as normal. But the ApplePhotoStreamDownloader.exe starts on its own, and starts to download photos.

When you take a photo with your iphone/ipad, quickly switch to your photo stream on the iphone, and keep an eye on Task Manager on your PC. As soon as the photo hits your photostream on the iphone/ipad, you'll notice the ApplePhotoStreamDownloader exe appear in Task Manager and then close. You should then see the latest photo you have taken in your photo stream on the PC.

I still dont have the full complement of photos in the PC photo stream, there are only 157 when really there should be 277. But its a start.

I may try the approach above with version 3.1. BUT...there doesnt seem to be a 3.1 directory under C:\Users\All Users\Apple\Installer Cache

Message was edited by: AL71B. Extra bit about installer cache

Hi

Well I tried iCloud control panel 3.0 using the method above, and the photo stream did not download. Not tried 3.1.

I'm now trying to go back to 2.1.1.3, but at the moment even that is not working.

Alan

Hi Everyone,

I have to add my complaint too. I have tried everything listed on this thread on two different PCs one with Windows 8.1 and another with Win 7. iCloud only downloads some pictures and stop at any random one and never download again.

It is also important to mention that both computers were downloading pictures without any issue until Apple released ver. 3.1 then issues started, even when the win 7 pc was still running 3.0

The win 7 pc is my desktop at the office that is connected thru a gateway in the US and the win8.1 is a laptop that I only use at home with a mexican ISP, and I also have tried with a connection from home with my office VPN... all same results.

I have lost all hope, and waiting on Apple to fix this weird issue.

I managed to get 3.1 installed at the weekend. I ran the installer as Administrator, and once signed in with my Apple ID, just selected to sync Photo Stream, not shared streams.

The Photo Stream has sync'd but only 150-160 pics, as opposed to 260 that should be there. But new pics and deletions from Photo Stream on my iphone, seem to be propogating to the PC.

I'm just gonna leave it now! No more tinkering! 🙂

Come on Apple, investigate and issue a fix. Something is wrong somewhere.

Just an update.

iCloud on my PC as just suddenly sprung into life. It is very strange. I had configured it to sync Photo Stream only, but now even shared streams are there! ???

The only thing that I have done on my PC is run Windows update, there were a few updates to install, and I also installed an update to .NET 4.5.1.

But what has made it iCloud work I do not know.

Only problem that remains is that the PC photo stream is only 160-ish photo, when it should be 283.

AL

Easy fix,

Uninstall icloud 3.0 \3.1

Search for "icloud 2.1.2" and install that.

Worked like a treat. Job done.

I'd just like to point out that this thread, about a fundamental problem with a major Apple iPlatform feature, is now 25 pages long and 827 days old, without a fix from Apple.

I downgraded from 3.1 to 2.0, and got one or two new photos, but not a complete nor consistent stream.

In addition, I spoke with Apple support. I got a 2nd level support guy, and he was completely stumped. It was the first time he'd heard of such a problem, and had no resolution.

I have found out that if you have photos on your device before setting up version 2.1.2, they will not be backed up to your photo stream account, it is only photos taken after you have setting it up that will be sent over to the file on your computer or any other device you have set the icloud photo stream out onto.

When I look at iCloud Control Panel 2.1.2 on The Apple download site it states it is for Windows Vista. For Windows 7 it says to use 3.0. Does 2.1.2 work on Windows 7?

I'm running windows 7 pro x64 and it is running like a dream for me. I have been informed that there is an update for the version that I am running, but I have just turned it down and continued running 2.1.2 very successfully.

Removed current version & installed 2.1.2, still doesn't work, I give up. Have an app "SyncPhotos".. It does the job that iCloud doesn't. Apple software just doesn't do the job anymore.