Why can't I install iTunes version 10.5 or higher? I've tried everything suggested on this forum, my friend has a mac and she can't either and it seems like the main problem is the apple Mobile device.exe wont install and applesync

Question

Hey anybody,
Neither myself (running on PC windows vista 32 bit) or my friend (on a mac) are able to install versions of iTunes around 10.5 or higher successfully. This leads me to believe the problem isn't necessarily with our computers and there may be something wrong elsewhere. I'm not a computer wiz but I have tried most of the advice on these forums e.g. Uninstalling and reinstalling, deleting temporary files, expanding files and trying individual downloads and more. I can install older versions of iTunes where they use to combine it with QuickTime with no problems however this is no good to me or my friend because only versions 10.5 and up come with support with iPhone 4S and that's what we need. I managed after several attempts to install iTunes 10.52 but without the apple mobile device so therefor the iTunes wouldn't connect to my phone or recognise it, apple sync notifier also has problems and fails to start.
Please can someone help me with this, I have tried everything on the apple troubleshooting pages so please don't link me those. Or please can iTunes and apple do something in an update that corrects this problem because I know many people are having similar issues. I only bought this phone for the music and at the moment I feel cheated because I wouldn't have these problems with any other phone because I'd just be able to drag and drop.

Answer 1

Hi there,
I had the same experience. I'm using a Dell Inspiron 1545 laptop, with Windows 7 Home Edition, 32 bit.
I tried to install iTunes 10.5 and it started installing, then, just before the end of the process, came up with the following error message:
"There is a problem with this Windows Installer Package. A program required for this install to complete could not be run. Contact your support personnel or package vendor."
Of course, no information on what the program that couldn't be run was! At first I tried the usual stuff, like scanning for viruses etc. but nothing doing. Then I started Googling. In the end, I uninstalled all Apple stuff from my computer. A lot of it I had to do manually, going in to the program files drive and deleting stuff from there, but some of it wouldn't delete as it was saying it was open in Windows Explorer. In the end, I managed to delete the iTunes folders by selecting one of my mp3 tracks saved on the computer and right clicking 'open with'. I then browsed my pc to locate the iTunes folders still outstanding and was able to right click and delete them that way.
Then emptied the recycle bin and did a restart before going online and downloading iTunes 10.5.
Thankfully it worked, but its taken me a good few hours and made me really quite tetchy! I've never had this problem before, so I hope this is going to be a one off.
One thing that doesn't seem to be working is that, despite how many times I tell it that my preference is for the iTunes Media folder to be located on my external hard drive, it keeps putting it back to the C drive! Didn't have that issue with the last version. Grrrrrr. Arrrrgggh.
Hope you manage to get yours sorted - this is affecting a lot of people by the look of things.