My sync stops on step 2

I cannot get into the Administrator command prompt. I fill in the password but I get the prompt with my user name

Then you may want to just uninstall iTunes and all of its components as by following this guide exactly: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1925, then reinstall iTunes. You must follow this guide exactly or it will not be successful. Note: uninstalling iTunes will only remove the application; it will not touch your iTunes library or data.

If you have Windows and deleting your most recent backup didn't help try this:

1. Quit iTunes.
2. Start an elevated command prompt (Start Menu>All Programs>Accessories>right-click "Command Prompt">choose "Run as Administrator")
3. Once in the command prompt, type "netsh winsock reset" (without the quotes) and press ENTER.
4. Reboot your computer.
5. Restart iTunes.
6. Connect your phone and try again.

Rachelle_A wrote:

While doing this, I tried syncing my iPhone on my laptop. Didnt sync there either. Could there be a problem with the phone?

I'm not sure what you are running on your laptop, but syncing the iPhone 4S requires the following:

1. Mac: OS X v10.5.8 or later; or
2. PC: Windows 7; Windows Vista; or Windows XP Home or Professional with Service Pack 3 or later; and
3. iTunes 10.5 or later

If your laptop doesn't meet these requirements it won't sync your phone. It could be a problem with your phone (or your cable) if your laptop does meet these requirements and it doesn't recognize or try to sync your phone there either. However, the fact that your computer doesn't have the backup folder location suggests to me that either your phone has never backed up to your computer or there is a problem with your iTunes installation.

No - that didn't work. It appears to go very quickly through stages 1 and 2 and then stops. There is no backup folder in C:\Documents and Settings\Rachelle\Application Data\Apple Computer\MobileSync\Backup

My laptop runs Windows 7 and I have my daughter's iPhone backed up there. I will try a different cable. My desktop runs Windows XP. The sync has been running all night and is still stuck on Step 2 of 3 - Syncing contacts...

I followed all the instructions for uninstalling iTunes and all its components.

Reinstalled. Nothing has changed. No backup file, no syncing.

It does sync with the phone in the sense that if I make changes to the apps on the phone or in iTunes, the changes will appear. But I don't see a backup folder in C:\Documents and Settings\Rachelle\Application Data\Apple Computer\MobileSync\Backup

Rachelle_A wrote:

I have just tried to back up my husband's iPhone too. In his backup folder the "date modified" did not change. Does that mean that nothing was backed up there either?

The date of the backup shown in iTunes>Preferences>Devices should show the date of the backup. If it shows the date you backed up it was successful. (The files inside of the backup folder, with long alphanumeric filenames, will have different timestamps as only changed data is updated.)

Rachelle_A wrote:

The sync has been running all night and is still stuck on Step 2 of 3 - Syncing contacts...

Normally step 2 is backing up. I didn't realize it was stuck on syncing contacts. Without connecting your phone try going to iTunes>Preferences>Devices and uncheck "Prevent...from syncing automatically". Now connect your phone to iTunes, then right-click on the name of your phone on the left side of iTunes and select Back Up (this will perform a manual backup without syncing). Does the backup complete? Is it now listed in iTunes>Preferences>Devices?

Okay - I feel kind of dumb but after everything I did (uninstall, reinstall, command prompt etc. etc.) I suddenly noticed that little radio button that says "Back up to this computer," which wasn''t marked. I clicked it and lo and behold - all the phones now sync as they should.

I wish I had noticed that at an earlier point.

With "Back up to this computer" not selected iTunes will not create a backup as part of the sync process. This setting is for when you are backing up to iCloud instead. If he is backing up to iCloud (by turning this on in Settings>iCloud>Storage & Backup) then you would not see a backup in iTunes unless this is done manually. (Even if you are backing up to iCloud you can always perform a manual backup by right-clicking on the name of your phone on the left side of iTunes and selecing Back Up.)

You might check his phone to see if he is backing up to iCloud. You can also perform a manual backup in iTunes to see if it completes successfully, and that the backup is then shown on the backup list in iTunes>Preferences>Devices.

Let's try something else. Reset the lockdown folder as explained in Step 6 in this article: http://support.apple.com/kb/TS2529.

Try deleting you most recent backup by going to iTunes preferences, on the Devices tab click on the backup and click Delete Backup. Then sync again.

I did this and it doesn't help. From the backup file I see that the phone stopped syncing almost a month ago.

If you get a DOS prompt with your username try step 3 anyway and see if it accepts it without an error. If it does, proceed with the remaining steps.

Doesn't accept it. Says "netsh is not recognized."