Q: Apple Mobile Device failed to start

For general advice see Troubleshooting issues with iTunes for Windows updates.

The steps in the second box are a guide to removing everything related to iTunes and then rebuilding it which is often a good starting point unless the symptoms indicate a more specific approach. Review the other boxes and the list of support documents further down the page in case one of them applies.

Your library should be unaffected by these steps but there is backup and recovery advice elsewhere in the user tip.

If you are running 64-bit Windows and the above steps haven't helped try installing the version of iTunes that can be downloaded from this support document. iTunes 12.1 for Windows (64-bit — for older video cards)

If you still have no luck try reinstalling iTunes 12.0, links in the user tip.

tt2

Thank you, so very very very very much, turingtest2. Your solution (the installer for older video cards) worked perfectly for me.

I have been banging my head against my computer for days now, unintalling, reinstalling, hoping that every little change I made would be the solution.

If I could buy you lunch, I would. Instead you get +1000 brownie points and my sincerest gratitude.

tt2

I've been having so much trouble getting iTunes to work after I tried updating it a few days ago, involving several different error messages while re-installing. After trying every suggestion under the sun to no avail, this finally fixed my problem! Thank you so much for that installation link for older video cards.

You're welcome.

tt2

Hi,

I got the same problems with the latest iTunes update on my 64-bit Windows 7 machine. Tried everyone's suggestions: manually uninstalling the whole suite, running the installer with admin rights, trying to start the services manually, changing the read rights on the programs folder... none of it worked. Kept having ' "Windows could not start the Apple Mobile Device service on Local Computer.  Error 1053:  The service did not respond to the start or control request in a timely fashion."

Finally solved the problem by going to the old iTunes downloads Apple - Support - Downloads and downloaded the iTunes 12.1 for Windows 64-bit with older video cards. The package ran fine, and strangely i notice that this package didn't install 'Apple Application Support 64-bit', only the 32-bit application. Don't know if it has something to do with it, but whatever Apple didn't include in this installer (since it is smaller than the other one), it did the trick.

Bless you turingtest2.  After a full week of trying everything under the sun, iTunes for older video cards worked like a charm.

tt2

Amazing.  I have spent three hours over two nights on line with Apple support, and countless hours on my own trying to resolve this issue, and they couldn't come up with a fix.  The communication between their engineers and the help staff was non-existent.  You would think that Apple would know that this is a big problem and do what they can to address it, considering the amount of traffic concerning this issue.  yet, when I mentioned this forum, I was told that the techs do not pay any mind to it.  I mentioned the file concerning older video cards, but the engineers told my tech support guy, just keep trying the same old "unresponsive fix".  Thank you for the file and the solution.

You're welcome.

tt2

Thank U tt2, it also worked for me after trying several suggestions.....

Great.

tt2

wow @turingtest2 thank you very much for the tip for older video cards. I was on the verge of panicking as my itunes was totally immobilised (Y)

You're welcome.

tt2

Did you tried to uninstall it completely. Just try to uninstall it with any third party application like revo uninstaller pro or iobituninstaller and remove it completely from your computer.

Once you removed it completely, Restart your computer then follow the below steps :

1. In run, type regedit

2. Once your got Registry window, press F3 and type apple and hit enter ( make sure that you took the backup of registry before doing this )

3. Delete the file which you got in search.

4. Follow this procedure until it says no more files or similar message like this

5. After that restart the computer once again

6. Then download the latest setup file of iTunes from apple website

7. Install it with option Run as administrator by right click on it (except Windows 'coz in windows XP, it will automatically run as administrator)

8. Hope it will Work. Good Luck.!!!

Note : Make sure that you following all these steps in administrator account

To activate administrator account, you need to run the cmd as administrator by right click on it

type        net user administrator /active:yes         and hit enter

Log off the current account and login with administrator account..

Good Luck Friends.!!!!