Existing users, 
iTunes 7.4.x/iPhone issues: Sync problems/fixes and more
Posted 13 September 2007 @ 10am in Troubleshooting
We continue to report on an issue where users experience problems when attempting to synchronize their iPhones with iTunes 7.4.x (including iTunes 7.4 and 7.4.1). [If you are experiencing sync problems with your iPhone under iTunes 7.4.1, please let us know at info@iphoneatlas.com.]
One reader writes:
“I get time-outs, I’ll be told the iPhone is syncing when in fact it’s not, and I’ll often have to do a force quit of iTunes when it no longer responds after inserting my iPhone into the dock. Other times it won’t get past attempting to sync my contacts. I can get it to sync eventually, but it’s a painful and time-consuming proces”
Some readers are reporting an issue where the iPhone mysteriously loses EDGE data access after synchronizing with iTunes 7.4.1. A reader writes:
“After installing iTunes update 7.4.1 (2) something deactivated Edge. Result was the iPhone not functioning.”
In these cases, simply resetting the iPhone — by holding down the sleep/wake and home buttons simultaneously until the Apple logo appears — may be effective. Alternatively, you may need to restore the device. Connect your iPhone to your computer, then in iTunes, select your iPhone and click the Restore button under the Summary tab. Restoring the phone will erase contacts, calendars, photos and other data stored only on the phone, but will restore automatically backed-up information including text messages, notes, call history, contact favorites, sound settings, widget settings, etc.
Meanwhile, we are receiving reports of a very strange issue where one sync works fine, and subsequent syncs fail.
One reader writes:
“OK, I know this sounds strange, but. I’m among the many who have had problems syncing my iPhone with the 7.4+ update. However, I’ve discovered that if I only update once a day, usually after midnight, I have no difficulties whatsoever. I know it sounds bizarre, but I can spend an hour or two a day trying to sync with one failure after another, often in this order (or some variation thereof):” iTunes is running; I connect my iPhone to the dock and iTunes freezes and requires a force-quit; Repeat maybe three or four times; Starts to sync Contacts but never goes beyond that point, another freeze of iTunes [...] Then I’ll go out and about, have dinner, a drink or two, come home, connect my iPhone to my dock to recharge it, and it syncs perfectly. No problems whatsoever.”
As a reminder, there are number of potential solutions for these issues, as outlined in our special report on troubleshooting iPhone sync issues, including:
For Mac OS X
iTunes does not recognize iPhone If iTunes does not recognize your iPhone when it is attached via USB, there are a number of potential fixes.
Delete then re-install iTunes Delete the following files:
- The iTunes application (located in /Applications)
- com.apple.iTunes.plist (from ~/Library/Preferences)
- iTunes.pkg (from /Library/Receipts)
- iTunesX.pkg (from /Library/Receipts)
then re-download the latest version of iTunes.
Check the USB port Make sure that your iPhone is connected to a normally powered USB 2.0 port. If you’re using a hub, try connecting the iPhone directly to the computer or vice versa. Also try switching ports.
More USB-related fixes See this MacFixIt tutorial for a number of fixes related to lack of USB device recognition under Mac OS X. If you have luck with one of the fixes listed there, please drop us a line.
For Windows (various editions)
The most common fix for this issue under Windows XP and Vista is to remove and re-install iTunes. The process is as follows:
- Quit iTunes if it is open
- From the Start menu select the Control panel
- In Windows XP, choose Add or Remove Programs. In Windows Vista, choose Uninstall a program.
- Select iTunes from the list of applications then click Remove (XP) or Uninstall (Vista). Also remove any other items with the word “iTunes” in their names. Also remove any iPod-related entries.
- Restart your PC.
- Delete the iTunes program itself, if it still exists after the steps you’ve already taken (by default it’s located in the “Program Files” folder)
- Again restart your PC.
- Download the latest version of iTunes for Windows and install it.
Bad USB 2.0 cables can also be to blame in some cases of failed transfer. Try switching out the cable for another, or switching USB ports. You may also want to try disconnecting other USB devices from the same bus as the iPhone, isolating it.
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Calendar-related issues Also note that you may experience problems syncing if calendar entries have blank titles or high ASCII or double-byte (Unicode) characters in the event title (such as Japanese, Chinese, Korean or other extended ASCII characters). For more information, see Knowledge Base document #306113.
Feedback? info@iphoneatlas.com.
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2 Comments
Posted by russtms
17 September 2007 @ 11am
I get a weird problem. Frequently my iPhone will not go to “Sync in progress,” and iTunes will tell me that the phone timed out. Sometimes it will tell me twice that the phone timed out. This can frequently be fixed just by ejecting the iPhone, then taking it out of its cradle, turning it on (and unlocking it by moving the slider), then putting it back in the cradle. Then it can sync. But every couple weeks this leads it to a screen that says that it is a new phone and needs to be restored. I can restore, of course, and lose everything since the last sync. It’s irritating, but not a major problem (usually). Apple has no idea why this happens and I really would like it to stop happening.
Posted by jkd154
26 September 2007 @ 1pm
hi new to this. bought an unlocked iphone which has been working great for a week however it now appears that i can’t charge it via the normal ac socket and it’s not recocnised by itunes so won’t charge via that either
can anyone please help.
Thanks
JKD