iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch: Windows displays a blue screen message or restarts when connecting your device

Products Affected

Windows 7, Windows OS, Windows Vista, Windows XP, iPad, iPhone, iPod touch, iTunes 10 for Windows, iTunes 8 for Windows, iTunes 9 for Windows, Windows XP, Windows Vista

Symptoms

A message may appear on a blue screen when connecting your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch to a Microsoft Windows computer. This can happen if your iOS device has saved photos that were taken with the built-in camera or were saved from Safari, Mail, or other apps. This issue can also occur due to a USB driver conflict with other devices connected to the computer.

Resolution

Note: This issue is different than the issue described in iTunes for Windows: System restarts, blue screen, or quits unexpectedly when accessing iTunes Store. The similarity is due to both issues being related to outdated drivers and driver conflicts.

  1. Outdated software drivers on your computer can cause strange behaviors when syncing the computer with your iPhone or iPod touch.
    While any software driver could be a factor, updating the software drivers for Logitech QuickCam/Webcam products, Lexmark scanners, and some built-in media card readers on the computer may solve this issue in a majority of cases. Refer to Updating the drivers on your Windows PC for additional assistance with updating drivers. Once you have updated the drivers, you should be able to sync the photos taken on the iPhone or saved on iPad or iPod touch.
    • If you have Logitech's QuickCam software installed on your computer, you may need to remove it or update it with the latest version (10.4.x or later) of Logitech QuickCam drivers. Refer to the Logitech Support pages for the appropriate version of the QuickCam software.
    • If you have Acer Orbicam software installed on your computer with Microsoft Windows XP, you may need to remove it or update it with the latest version (10.4.x or later) of Logitech QuickCam drivers. Acer Support pages offer updated Logitech camera drivers (10.4.x or later) for Microsoft Windows Vista. These drivers work in Microsoft Windows XP.
    • If you are using Windows Vista, make sure you install the Windows Vista Service Pack 1 (SP1) or later.
  2. Isolate the issue to see if there is a USB conflict.
    Disconnect other USB devices connected to the computer such as a printer, digital camera, scanner, and so on.
  3. Try connecting the iPhone or iPod touch to a different USB port.
    Try using other ports or connecting directly to the PC if using an external USB hub.
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