My ipod will only register with itunes after restarting my laptop, after that it just charges.

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My ipod will only register with itunes after restarting my laptop, after that it just charges.

I just got a new Lenovo laptop. When I plug my ipod in, it only registers with iTunes right after the computer has been turned on or restarted. After that the ipod just charges. I can find the ipod listed when I go to my control panel and click on my devices and printers section. There is an exclamation point next to it and it says status: Driver error. I've tried installing a new driver but it says mine is up to date. When I click on the device and go into hardware I can find another spot that says device status and a message box. In the box it says:

Windows cannot load the device driver for this hardware because a previous instance of the device driver is still in memory. (Code 38)

The driver could not be loaded because a previous version of the driver is still in memory.

After I restart laptop the ipod is reconized by iTunes when I plug it in and I can update it. When I go to the device in the control panel I get none of the messages about driver error. However, as soon I disconnect the ipod it all happens the next time I connect it unless I have restarted the laptop.

What can I do to make my iTunes register my ipod whenever I plug it in, and not just when I restart?

iPod classic 160GB (Late 2009)

Posted on Mar 22, 2015 11:19 AM

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Answer 1

braden85

Community Specialist

Mar 25, 2015 6:32 AM in response to Carcasscar

Hi Carcasscar,

It sounds like you are experiencing an issue where your iPod is not being recognized by your computer. I have an article for you that contains some troubleshooting steps that will help you address this issue:

iPhone, iPad, or iPod not recognized in iTunes for Windows - Apple Support

https://support.apple.com/en-lb/HT204095

Specifically, you may want to first take a look at the sections about restarting your Apple Mobile Device Service and verifying that the Apple Mobile Device USB Driver is installed. Take care, and thanks for visiting the Apple Support Communities.

Cheers,

Braden

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Answer 2

Nov 7, 2015 4:00 PM in response to Carcasscar

I had this exact same problem, and I also had a brand new Lenovo laptop, but I don't think the computer brand is an issue. After hunting around at other sites, I came to the conclusion that my registry had a problem. This error (code 38), apparently indicates that a driver is either corrupted or (as the error message states) did not unload correctly the last time you unplugged the iPod leaving remnants of itself behind that now interfere with reloading the driver when you plug in the device again. It appeared from what I learned that a registry cleaner could possibly solve my problem, and it did. I hunted around a bit before picking one. I ended up choosing CCleaner from Piriform, and I downloaded it directly from their web site. They had a 30-day trial for their CCleaner Pro version, which said it fixed more registry errors. I had nothing to lose so I tried it. The first scan found a number of errors, which I allowed the tool to fix. I scanned it again for good measure, and it found several more problems. The fourth time I ran it, it was down to one error related to some type of backup entry in the registry. I ran it a couple more times, and this "problem" kept reappearing so I figured it was something harmless. So to make a short story long, after cleaning the registry I could unplug my iPod as many times as I wanted to with no problems. I had been getting the same error with my iPhone and iPad too, and I can now plug them in and unplug them to my heart's content. Braden's solution above was well-meaning, but I could see immediately that we were not having trouble with our device being recognized. The problem was that it would only be recognized the first time it was plugged in after a reboot and would fail every time after that. Very annoying. I don't know what caused it, but cleaning the registry fixed it. I hope it helps you too!!

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