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iPod (Nano) not appearing in Explorer or iTunes after upgrade (Vista Home Premium 32 bit to 7 Home Premium 32 bit)

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SeánsanAstráil asked on
I took Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor's advice and uninstalled iTunes before upgrading and then reinstalled it after.  Now my iPod no longer appears in Explorer or iTunes although iTunes has once shown it after it was unplugged , offering that it was corrupt and needed a software reset.

The iPod does appear in Disk Management and if I manually assign a drive letter the file structure looks intact and I can manually play mp3 files.

Device Manager shows (under Portable Devices) "WPD FileSystem Volume Driver " with an exclamation icon and Device status "This device cannot start. (Code 10)".

In Devices and Printers I have "Apple iPod USB Device " (with exclamation icon) under Devices and "Apple Mobile Device USB Driver " under Unspecified.

Apple iPod USB Device - Device Functions:
  • WPD FileSystem Volume Driver
      on UMBus Enumerator
      This device cannot start. (Code 10).
  • Apple iPod USB Device
      on USB Mass Storage Device
      This device is working properly.
  • USB Mass Storage Device
      This device is working properly.

My computer is about a month old and exceeds the specs for running iTunes.  I have tried uninstalling all Apple software and reinstalling from scratch.  I have tried this after removing the WPD entry and experimented with getting the iPod detected before installation and after.  None of these fix the problem.

I have just installed the latest update (9.0.2.25) to iTunes, but this hasn't helped either.

One other thing I've noticed which may be relevant is that if you upgrade iTunes after a failed connection of the iPod the installation stalls at the point where it is "Stopping services...".  Checking Services shows that the iPod Service is stopping, but it never does and a reboot is required to get it to a state where it can be stopped.
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SeánsanAstráil replied on

Well, it just seemed logical that since it was Windows that had changed and not the iPod or iTunes and the error was about a Microsoft driver, I should ask about it here.

I'd already followed all the instructions I could find from Apple about uninstalling and reinstalling, but just for luck I did it all again.

I tried plugging in the iPod with no Apple software present and got the same WPD error.  Hmm...odd, shouldn't Windows see it as a USB drive?

I tried plugging in my old iRiver T10 and saw the same WPD error, but Windows mapped it to a drive letter and showed its contents.

Reinstalled iTunes but it still didn't work.

Then I wondered what would happen if I manually assigned a drive letter in Disk Management...suddenly everything works!

So what was happening?  My guess is that Windows was trying to use a drive letter that was already used by another drive.  Either that or just not assigning one at all.  I can't see any reason why it would do this.  I've carefully checked the assigned drive letters and they're all the same as they were in Vista.
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CL
Cliive replied on
Basically all the issues is related to apple and you need to contact then and check. These are all driver and software issue.
Uninstall itunes and then re-install following the instructions from Apple.
Update the drivers of the device with an exclamation in device manager.
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SeánsanAstráil replied on

Hmm...so...
  • it was all working fine a few days ago in Vista
  • Windows 7 is supposed to be more backwards compatible than Vista
...therefore it's Apple's fault.  Interesting analysis.

Seriously, you can talk about reinstalling WPD FileSystem Volume Driver (the Microsoft software that is not working) all you want, but Windows 7 will only tell you that it is up to date so it doesn't need replacing.

If you read my message you'll find that I've already reinstalled as much as I can at this stage. If you have some specific information from Apple you'll like to refer me to about installing iTunes on Windows 7, then please go ahead.

I thought this forum might be more about answers than passing the buck.
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Marilyn O
Marilyn O replied on

Hello SeansanAstrail,

Thank you for posting in the Microsoft Answers Forum.

Clive was not trying to pass the buck but sometimes the answer may lie with Apple. The vendor of a device is responsible for manufacturing all of the drivers and software to make it work with an operating system. Just because a device or software worked in Windows Vista does not mean it will work in Windows 7, although most do work with an updated driver created for the particular operating system.

You might want to review the following Apple article titled: iPod not recognized in 'My Computer' and in iTunes for Windows

  • Last Modified: September 03, 2009
  • Article: TS1369

http://support.apple.com/kb/TS1369

 
Another article: Removing and reinstalling iTunes, QuickTime, and other software components for Windows Vista or Windows 7

  • Last Modified: October 22, 2009

Article: HT1923

Please post again and let us know if this helped to resolve your iPod issue on Windows 7. Others may benefit from this knowledge.
If you still have questions, we will be glad to assist further.

Sincerely,

Marilyn
Microsoft Answers Support Engineer
Visit our Microsoft Answers Feedback Forum and let us know what you think
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SeánsanAstráil replied on

Well, it just seemed logical that since it was Windows that had changed and not the iPod or iTunes and the error was about a Microsoft driver, I should ask about it here.

I'd already followed all the instructions I could find from Apple about uninstalling and reinstalling, but just for luck I did it all again.

I tried plugging in the iPod with no Apple software present and got the same WPD error.  Hmm...odd, shouldn't Windows see it as a USB drive?

I tried plugging in my old iRiver T10 and saw the same WPD error, but Windows mapped it to a drive letter and showed its contents.

Reinstalled iTunes but it still didn't work.

Then I wondered what would happen if I manually assigned a drive letter in Disk Management...suddenly everything works!

So what was happening?  My guess is that Windows was trying to use a drive letter that was already used by another drive.  Either that or just not assigning one at all.  I can't see any reason why it would do this.  I've carefully checked the assigned drive letters and they're all the same as they were in Vista.
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Marilyn O
Marilyn O replied on

Hello SeansanAstrail,

Thank you for posting again with the resolution to your issue with Windows not able to see your iPod Nano.
I am very glad your issue is resolved.

Many thanks for replying.
Marilyn
Microsoft Answers Support Engineer
Visit our Microsoft Answers Feedback Forum and let us know what you think
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chicoricopico replied on

I was having the same problems and tried many of the same solutions to no avail.  If you've Googled this problem, you'll find hundreds if not thousands of posts on this same issue.  The problem IS A MICROSOFT PROBLEM PEOPLE!!  It has to do with Vista and Windows 7 and the way it recognizes USB drives.  I've had the same problem with various USB jump drives.  I never bothered to figure out a solution until my ipod was affected.

SeánsanAstráil, thanks for this solution!  It worked for both my USB drive and my ipod.

Marilyn-This seems to be a COMMON problem with Vista and Windows 7 and has been from what I can tell from various boards since 2007.  Can you put a bug in someone's ear at Microsoft to release a fix or a patch for this rather than the end users having to spend hours trying to figure out the problem?  Thanks!
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Geekworshiper replied on

So glead you were able to find a fix...can you explain to this lowly one, how to assign a letter to to the USB port?  Mom of 3 unable to get her IPod nano to be read and have FLOUNDERED my way to this page which seems to hold the answer if only I understood how to do it.  Anyone out there willing to take the time to write out a Solution for Dummies step-by-step answer? I bow to your knowledge and thank you profusely ahead of time!
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Geekworshiper replied on

I'm desperate, so I'm posting this twice...So glead you were able to find a fix...can you explain to this lowly one, how to assign a letter to to the USB port?  Mom of 3 unable to get her IPod nano to be read and have FLOUNDERED my way to this page which seems to hold the answer if only I understood how to do it.  Anyone out there willing to take the time to write out a Solution for Dummies step-by-step answer? I bow to your knowledge and thank you profusely ahead of time!
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smartipants replied on

This may not be the solution to your problem, but this is how I fixed mine that presented the exact same way.

 

I had this problem randomly happen one day (or so I thought) but it was caused by me adding a new drive to my computer that ended up being the same drive letter as the iPod.

I was stupid enough to delete the drive letter from my iPod and had a heck of a time reassigning one, so this would've been the best way to fix it if I hadn't messed it up more:

Windows 7 Instructions:
1 - Right Click on "My Computer" and select "Manage"
2 - Select "Disk Management"
3 - Wait for it to load! Sometimes you need to hold down the Menu and Center button at the same time to reboot the iPod so that it shows up in the Disk Management Screen
4 - Once it shows up, you should be able to right click on it and add a new drive letter, or, if you know which new drive you installed that messed it up, change that one. DON'T DELETE THE ONLY DRIVE LETTER THAT IS THERE! Only when you have added a second drive letter is it okay to delete the first one.

If you do happen to delete it and now your iPod doesn't show up anywhere except in "Devices and Printers":
5 - You need to reboot the iPod until it shows up (make sure your computer is completely up to date and you are running ALL services by typing: msconfig into the search field in the start menu and selecting 'normal boot mode' and then reboot)
6 - Get back into the disk management screen. Reboot the iPod until it appears and click on the 'available' part in Disk Management, once you click it, the computer will hang
7 - Reboot the iPod, as soon as it goes offline, a drive letter selection window should pop up. Select a drive letter and wait for the iPod to finish rebooting before pressing okay.
8 - Press okay, and the computer should hang again, but, if you reboot the iPod one last time, it should appear with a drive letter!

It is key to have your computer up to date and all the services running, I've been trying to fix this for a month and it definitely needed the updates and the services in order to work.

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asklepios_914 replied on

I had the same problem with my Ipod classic. The reason was that no letter was assigned (I don't know why). So I  followed the first steps of smartipants (windows 7):

1 - Right click on "My Computer" and select "Manage"
2 - Select "Disk Management"
3 - Locate "your ipod" disk and right click on it.
4 - Assign an available letter by clicking on "change letter".

That's all, problem solved.
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