iTunes not responding when iPhone is connected on PC

Hi there, I have been having this problem for months. When I plug my iPhone into my PC, iTunes stops responding almost immediately and I have to launch the Task Manager to force close. This happened on an old laptop I had, and I have just bought a new laptop and it's happening again.


The iPhone has no issue opening up to give me access to pictures, but won't allow me to do it on iTunes. I tried resetting my phone and wiping all the content. At first, I could connect my iPhone and use iTunes, but as soon as I put all of my music back on to my iPhone and tried reconnecting again, iTunes stops working.


If anyone can help this would be great as it has been driving me mad for 6 months now!

Posted on May 14, 2016 8:17 AM

Reply
7 replies

May 14, 2016 8:23 AM in response to Scaff7

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.


The further information area has direct links to the current and recent builds in case you have problems downloading, need to revert to an older version or want to try the iTunes for Windows (64-bit - for older video cards) release as a workaround for installation or performance issues, or compatibility with third party software.




Your library and device backups should be unaffected by these steps but there are links to backup and recovery advice should it be needed.




tt2

May 15, 2016 12:28 PM in response to Scaff7

Installing an older version of iTunes won't delete anything in the library automatically, but in many cases an older version of iTunes won't open a library created by a newer version. If this computer had previously held an older version then you can restore a compatible library as described inEmpty/corrupt iTunes library after upgrade/crash, otherwise you can delete the current .itl file and let iTunes create a new one automatically and then import your media. If you've already made playlists then you can export these first and then import them afterwards.


tt2

May 14, 2016 8:48 AM in response to Scaff7

If I recognized the symptoms and had a sure fire targeted solution I would have offered it. Since I don't, and you haven't specifically mentioned reinstalling iTunes I've suggested that as a starting point.


Have you performed a complete tear down & rebuild of iTunes as suggested at some point?

Which version of iTunes are you running now?

Have you tried rolling back to the most recent version of iTunes that didn't give you a problem?

If you have a 64-bit system have you tried the "for older video cards" version?

Have you tested the behaviour with a fresh library?

Have you tested the behaviour with a new user account, also using a fresh library?

Have you tried removing the existing backup set?

Have you tried Edit > Preferences > Devices > Reset Sync History?


For the last two I would first try backing the phone up to iCloud so you have a backup somewhere.


tt2

May 15, 2016 10:09 AM in response to turingtest2

I have a new laptop so the most up to date version of iTunes has been installed, so I have started from fresh again. I have even reset my iPhone and not restored any back-ups.


When my phone is restored and I have no music I can plug my iPhone in with no problems, but the moment I sync something - anything - the second time round it will not respond. I have tried just syncing blank playlists with no music and it still happens. I have 4,500 songs in my library. I have tried the old songs and they don't work. I have tried buying new songs and the same thing happens.


I'm not sure how I roll back to an older version of iTunes. Are you saying that newer versions of iTunes would be the cause of the problem?


With all due respect, should this really be happening when I have a new laptop and when I have completely started again with my iPhone to restore it? I'm not tech savvy, I'll be the first to admit that, and some of the things you have listed don't exactly come easy to everyone.


In order to give you a more accurate description, what do you need from me that I have not supplied already. Is there anything I can look at and tell you that I'm missing out?

May 15, 2016 10:28 AM in response to Scaff7

This is a user to user forum. While I quite agree that iTunes should install and work correctly on a new computer all I can offer are suggestions for resolving thing when it doesn't. In some cases removing and reinstalling iTunes resolves things. Disabling any anti-virus software and installing as an administrator may help. If the current version simply won't behave properly then the previous one might. As mentioned there is also a variant for 64-bit systems which, despite the title, may be useful even if your computer has the most up to date graphics card. It is a 64-bit installer for mostly 32-bit code similar to all 64-bit versions up to iTunes 12.1 and may prove more stable for some. I can only suggest you try tearing down the current installation and try the alternate or previous versions.


tt2

This thread has been closed by the system or the community team. You may vote for any posts you find helpful, or search the Community for additional answers.

iTunes not responding when iPhone is connected on PC

Welcome to Apple Support Community
A forum where Apple customers help each other with their products. Get started with your Apple Account.