How to Fix the iPhone “Apple Mobile Device has not been started” Error
You plug in your iPhone to transfer some sick beats, a few videos, maybe a picture or two of someone that loves you and Windows brings down the pain with a retarded error message. Don’t get all pissed off. Get all fixed…off?
Daddy can fix this!
Apple Mobile Device has not been started error
So here’s the deal, instead of Windows just starting the service on the event that an iPhone/iPod is plugged in via USB to your PC they want to make you loathe the machine and manually enable it yourself. I can’t remember the last PC I didn’t have to enable this stupid service on. This isn’t a tutorial about Windows services so don’t ask. It was painful enough to bring myself to write this article
Open up the Control panel
Start > Control panel
Open up the control panel
After you opened the control panel you want to open the Administrative Tools
(WTF Note: If you don’t see Administrative Tools in the list of icons under your Control panel click “Switch to Classic view” on the top left)
Open up administrative tools
After you open Administrative Tools double click the Services icon to bring up the services manager
Open up services
V’oila, the services manager appears — now, find the service in the list entitled “Apple Mobile Device”
Open up the apple mobile device service
Double click that and you will see this screen:
Change from "Disabled" to "Automatic"
It should automatically open up as “disabled” if it isn’t disabled, then I don’t know wtf you’re doing here. Anyways, as you can see we want to change it from “Disabled” to “Automatic” or “Manual” — I’m going with automatic. After you do that, click “Apply” on the bottom right and you should see some voodoo like this happening:
Start the Apple Mobile Device service
After that, you’re essentially done and you have “fixed” the problem.
Finally, your Apple Mobile Device HAS been started.
You can close all the Windows.
Finished!
Be sure to unplug and re-plug in your iPhone/iPod!
Did this help you? Feeling generous? Buy me a beer! (After all, if it wasn’t for me, you wouldn’t be able to transfer music to your iPhone or iPod.)
Quick capsule summary
- Start menu > Control Panel
- Drink.
- Administrative Tools > Services
- Find “Apple Mobile Device” and Double-click
- Change “Startup type” from Disabled to “Automatic”
- Click apply on the bottom right
- Drink heavily.
- Start the service
- drnk hvly…
There. Now your shits not weak.
MMmmMm foot,
Bryan
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57 Responses to “How to Fix the iPhone “Apple Mobile Device has not been started” Error”
Leave a Reply
Triell on December 31st, 2010
OMG!Thank you!! I love you soo much!!
I was destroying myself! thank you!!
User666 on January 2nd, 2011
Try putting your itouch/iphone DFU mode and plug it in. It worked for me so it’s worth a try.
You might have to backup before you do that or you’ll lose all the content on your device.
Download a free program called CopyTrans Control Center…within that program are a list of other programs…one being Cloner and that will clone everything on your device allowing you to backup and store the contents before going into DFU mode and restoring.
If you don’t know what DFU mode is google it!
But yeah, put it in DFU mode and plug it in…itunes should read it and try to update and restore.
I hope this helps somebody!
vietlink on January 29th, 2011
i run on windows 7 and i started the service and the service starts then it stops automattically what do i do then
Erin on January 30th, 2011
Thank you so much!!
Whenever iTunes messes up for me (which is often) it takes all of my self-control to hold back from smashing my computer with a brick.
Your instructions worked perfectly and were so simple to follow! Thank you, thank you, thank you, I cannot even express my love for you right now!
SneakerKing on February 16th, 2011
You’re phucking awesome!! Thanks!! I’m going to copy and paste this link/page to the other sites w/the crappy solutions.