iTunes 12.1.3.6: vista 64-bit driver not showing up in explorer

Question

Level 1

8 points

iTunes 12.1.3.6: vista 64-bit driver not showing up in explorer

The latest version of iTunes installs just fine, and interacts just fine with the iPhone--all functions normal.

But the driver does not present itself as a "portable device" in windows device manager, which means the file system can't see it, which means auto-play features don't work, which means there's no way to download photos from the phone's "camera roll".

Ugh.

Anybody else seeing this?

I've already done the uninstall-everything and most other folk remedies from support groups, but nothing works.

Of course, if I totally uninstall all things apple and plug the phone into my machine, windows auto-installs a 9-year-old driver that allows all the photo downloading stuff but iTunes can't use it and the driver upgrade to the latest stuff disables the photo download functions again

Help!

iPhone 4S, iOS 9.1, Windows Vista 64-bit SP1

Posted on Nov 29, 2015 4:01 PM

Reply

Answer 1

turingtest2

Level 10

272,881 points

Nov 30, 2015 6:04 AM in response to davodavo

You could try backing up the folder listed at step 6 below, then try your uninstall everything and connect trick, restore the folder, then use these steps to install the current driver, followed by installing iTunes.

Open Control Panel > Device Manager
Plug in your device
Locate Universal Serial Bus Controllers > Apple Mobile Device USB Driver
Right-click and select Update Driver Software...
Click Browse my computer for driver software
Browse to C:\Program Files\Common Files\Apple\Mobile Device Support\Drivers or
C:\Program Files (x86)\Common Files\Apple\Mobile Device Support\Drivers
Click Let me pick from a list of device drivers on my computer
Click Apple Mobile Device USB Driver
Click Next, then Close and exit Device Manager

You may also get more joy with the "for older video cards" version of 12.1.3.6 as linked below.

iTunes 12.1.3.6 for Windows (32-bit) - iTunesSetup.exe (2015-09-16)
iTunes 12.1.3.6 for Windows (64-bit) - iTunes6464Setup.exe (2015-09-16)
iTunes 12.1.3.6 for Windows (64-bit - for older video cards)- iTunes64Setup.exe (2015-09-16)

See Troubleshooting issues with iTunes for Windows updates for further information.

tt2

Reply

Answer 2

Nov 30, 2015 6:33 AM in response to davodavo

davodavo wrote:

Anybody else seeing this?

The iPad user in Windows vista does not work with iOS 9. seems to have the same complaint, but unfortunately hasn't posted back regarding the efficacy of turingtest2's USB Driver updating steps. (Hopefully you will let us know.) I assume you have already tried the "for older video cards" version of 12.1.3.6, which is actually not "the latest version of iTunes" but unfortunately is the last version that can be installed on Vista. Do you still have the Windows 7 PC you mentioned in a 2013 post?

Reply

Answer 3

davodavo Author

Level 1

8 points

Nov 30, 2015 8:39 AM in response to Marvin Martianul

Two updates.

I decided to uninstall all things Apple again, and then JUST install the Apple Mobile Device support package (that's one of the installers in the iTunes archive you can download). I believe this is the moral equivalent of TurintTest's procedure. My activity installed "Apple Mobile USB driver" into the Portable Device area of the device manager. Note that it's not called "Apple iPhone"--even though it should be. Also note that that driver did not present the right kind of device to the file system, so photo uploads didn't work.

Then I re-installed all things apple, and that Apple Mobile USB driver survives in the Portable Device area and iTunes works the way it should with the iPhone. Photo uploads still don't work.

However, I have the ultimate work-around: an old beat up WinXP machine. I plug in the iPhone there, it installs the ancient windows driver that allows me to download photos to its file system. I then pull the files across my network to the computer where iTunes lives. Stupid, but it works.

Reply

Answer 4

Nov 30, 2015 12:23 PM in response to davodavo

BTW the 32-bit version of 12.1.3.6 should work with XP SP3, which is not to say that no issues have been reported, e.g. Re: iTunes hangs when connecting iPad ios 9.0. I suppose Vista users with only one PC could upload iPhone photos someplace such as Dropbox, then download to their PC; but the USB cable would certainly be a more direct approach. Whatever happened to "it just works"?

Reply