Q: iphone is disabled connect to itunes HOW????

This is what finally worked for me:

* plugged in my Iphone to machine (Mac) with iTunes running

* within itunes, right clicked on the iphone icon in the left column (i had to show sidebar to see the left column, btw)

* after right clicking, i selected to "Transfer Purchases"

* once that process began, it asked for my log in (within iTunes) and itunes/computer started to download stuff to my computer from my phone----stuff that i had bought on my phone

* i checked my phone at that point (screen was black but it came awake) -- and after a day of being disabled, i was able to log into my phone again finally...no data lost!!

good luck

Great !!!

Non of the previous solutions here worked for me but your idea, thanks a lot.

after I did "transfer purchases", it got unlocked right away ..... smart ideaaaaa

I suggest everybody to use this solution before restore your iphone and lose your data.

OMG. THANK YOU SO MUCH! U ARE THE BEST.

Will I lose my pictures if I do it ur way??

but mine has been disabled for a day and like 3 hours and im really not happy i have tried almost everthing i have reset it 4 times ansi dont no what else to do

This worked for me.  Thank you.  I find that Apple's iTunes instructions ("connect to iTunes" in this case) are incomplete to say the least.  I did a legitimate-channels unlock on an out-of-contract phone last year -- which also requires iTunes, heavily, for wipe and restore, in which the sequence of vaguely-labeled commands matters -- and it was grotesque how lame the instructions were.

No idea why phone was disabled to begin with, but if repeated wrong passwords do that, then it could have been our 11-yr-old trying to hack into it...

I have an iphone 4s (I think its an s)  It's battered I have already replaced it so I want to use the old one for my Bluetooth in my car.  However, it's been put up for a while now and I have forgotten the passcode.  So when I go into iTunes and restore the phone, after 17mins, it says please respond to iphone to continue.  How can I respond when phone is asking for passcode?? I sure hope someone could help me with this. 

i found out the hardway.

Try plugging it in to a different USB port.

as soon as i changed the ports it picked up on the phone and the restore started.

my wife freaked out like no tomorrow when her phone wouldn't work for like 2 hours.

ROFL.

My iPhone 6 is saying iPhone Disabled Connect to iTunes.

Before this i have never connected to iTunes and now i just have Contacts back up on iCloud.

My kids tried several attempts and it came into this situation. I definitely remember password.

Please help me else i will be loosing lot of my data which is very important to my work.

Thank you, brad805!! Perfect, simple, effective answer

ETA: brad805's original response:

brad805Jul 26, 2012 11:30 AM Re: iphone is disabled connect to itunes HOW????
Re: iphone is disabled connect to itunes HOW????in response to dfmcallister

Open iTunes on computer, connect iPhone to computer with USB cable. Hold both Home and Power buttons on iPhone until iTunes recognizes iPhone in Recovery Mode. This usually takes about 20 seconds of holding both buttons. Restore the iPhone Firmware.

@Atta.900

@ggb4043

This will erase the device and its passcode.

1. Disconnect all cables from your device.
2. Hold down the Sleep/Wake button, then "slide to power off" to turn off your device.
3. Press and hold the Home button and plug the device into your computer. If your device doesn't turn on automatically, turn it on. Don't release the Home button.
4. Continue holding the Home button until you see the Connect to iTunes screen.
5. If iTunes doesn't open automatically, open it. iTunes will alert you that it has detected a device in recovery mode.
6. Click OK. Then restore the device.

If your device doesn't go into recovery mode, try steps 1–4 again.

When I hold down the sleep button nothing happens, also when I connect the phone a dialog box appears "iTunes could not connect to the iPhone because it is locked with a passcode. You must enter your passcode on the iPhone before it can be used with iTunes."

I followed the steps.  I get connect to iTunes screen but iTunes in my PC does not recognize iPhone. 

thank you. i followed your step and it works for my iphone

yes