[W10] iTunes Backups Vanished, Can't Create New Ones

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[W10] iTunes Backups Vanished, Can't Create New Ones

iTunes 12.13.1.3 on Windows 10. Both are fully updated according to their respective 'check for updates' functionality.

I still backup my iPhone and iPad (both also on latest iOS) manually through iTunes. I sat down this morning and both devices' backups are apparently gone. The Edit> Preferences dialog has no device backups listed, and the device summary page for both devices says 'Your i<device> has never been backed up to this computer' under Latest Backup.

If I initiate a full sync, it shows 'Backing Up' in the top-center 'jukebox screen' for a split-second, then moves on to the rest of the sync. The 'Latest backup' info age does not change from above and no errors are displayed. If I initiate a manual backup using the button in iTunes, it performs similarly, showing 'Backing up i<device> in the jukebox, then returning to the Apple logo after the same split-second, with no errors, nor any change in the latest backup data.

Also -curiously-, it thinks my encrypted backup password is wrong and won't let me disable them or change the password. a) it's not. (It's been the same for ~15 years and is documented just-in-case,) and b. if my backups don't exist, how can they be encrypted???

Here are the items I have tried (in no particular order) with no success:

Restarting PC
Repairing iTunes (via Control Panel > Apps)
Uninstalling and Reinstalling iTunes (the download-and-install version, not the Store version)
Renaming 'Backup' directory
Renaming 'Lockdown' directory
'Reset All Settings' on my iPad, with no effect. Backups still mysteriously encrypted, and will not complete a new backup.

Any ideas? Obviously creating a new backup set is no problem, but I can't even do that.

Posted on Dec 22, 2023 12:23 PM

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Answer 1

turingtest2

Level 10

277,711 points

Dec 22, 2023 02:07 PM in response to JB9412

How much free space do you have? iOS device backups can be rather large, and the OS partitions on some computers can be modest. If a backup is corrupt it may no longer be recognized by iTunes. See Locate backups of your iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch - Apple Support. Note the Microsoft Store and traditional installer versions of iTunes store backup data in different places, switching from one to the other can cause existing backups to vanish. You may need to physically remove existing backup sets and empty the recycle bin.

See Disable iOS backup encryption - Apple Community. You might need to follow steps there to turn off the encrypted backup setting/key which is stored on the device such that you can make a fresh unencrypted backup.

tt2

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Answer 2

turingtest2

Level 10

277,711 points

Dec 23, 2023 07:15 AM in response to JB9412

It might be worth stripping out the current build and putting back the last one that worked for you. Links are at the very bottom of Troubleshooting issues with iTunes for Windows updates - Apple Community.

tt2

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Answer 3

turingtest2

Level 10

277,711 points

Dec 22, 2023 02:58 PM in response to JB9412

Are you using any third party security software? If so you might want to exclude any real-time scanning component from the Apple folders in the user profile. It still sounds like you're going to need to actively remove that encryption setting and key on the device.

tt2

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Answer 4

JB9412 Author

Level 1

4 points

Dec 22, 2023 02:20 PM in response to turingtest2

turingtest2 wrote:

How much free space do you have?

Plenty of free space (~240GB, and no appreciable changes in free space before or since this problem began)

If a backup is corrupt it may no longer be recognized by iTunes. See Locate backups of your iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch - Apple Support. Note the Microsoft Store and traditional installer versions of iTunes store backup data in different places, switching from one to the other can cause existing backups to vanish. You may need to physically remove existing backup sets and empty the recycle bin.

I've been on a 'traditional installer' install the entire time. I'll try deleting the backups entirely (had renamed the folder previously.)

See Disable iOS backup encryption - Apple Community. You might need to follow steps there to turn off the encrypted backup setting/key which is stored on the device such that you can make a fresh unencrypted backup.

Did that earlier with no change. Still no backups, but the setting for encrypted is still checked and won't take my known good password to remove or change.

Thanks!

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Answer 5

JB9412 Author

Level 1

4 points

Dec 24, 2023 06:25 AM in response to turingtest2

Links are at the very bottom of Troubleshooting issues with iTunes for Windows updates - Apple Community.

FYI... The link on that page to previous installers appears to be broken.

It might be worth stripping out the current build and putting back the last one that worked for you.

I found a copy of 12.13.0.9 on a reportedly-reputable site and installed that. (I did find via search an even older version on apple.com, 12.12.something (I think. May have been 12.11.x.x.) but wanted the latest-but-not-current copy I could find.)

Short version, I'm up and running, and I appreciate all the help.

Longer version, it didn't work immediately, and took some combination of rebooting everything and finger crossing for it to work. I'm not certain it was an issue with the latest build. I had successful backups with the latest build. (Indeed, other than a silent update from Microsoft, (or something on the backend at Apple (if that's even a thing)) I don't know what changed from backup success to failure. Nothing I knowingly changed.) Nonetheless, I'm now backing up and, again, thanks for the help!

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Answer 6

turingtest2

Level 10

277,711 points

Dec 24, 2023 07:32 AM in response to JB9412

JB9412 wrote:

.

FYI... The link on that page to previous installers appears to be broken.

I know. The Apple Support Communities gods edited the page back when they removed a bunch of functionality. The links work if opened in a new tab, or are included in a post, but the don't work to scroll up or down the page. I cannot fix it, or edit the tip without making things worse. I could rehost on my personal website I suppose, but that would be a drag.

Glad to hear you're now up and running and that reverting the build has been a viable approach. This post suggests another possible workaround, but it looks like something you need to do during each backup: When I click the Back Up Now button to ba… - Apple Community.

tt2

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Answer 7

JB9412 Author

Level 1

4 points

Dec 22, 2023 08:18 PM in response to turingtest2

Are you using any third party security software? If so you might want to exclude any real-time scanning component from the Apple folders in the user profile.

No, just the built-in Microsoft tools. And they and iTunes have been coexisting fine for a few years on this machine. (Obviously, there could have been an MS update that has munged the works.)

It still sounds like you're going to need to actively remove that encryption setting and key on the device.

I tried the 'Reset All Settings' again on my iPad, and now the Encrypt checkbox is no longer checked. Minor victory.

(I'm doing this on my iPad, which is somewhat disposable from an Apps & Settings standpoint, hoping any fix(es) and/or learnings will minimize any disruption with my iPhone.)

However, now I have a new/different roadblock(s)...

Non-encrypted backups still fail immediately and silently. When I attempt to check the encryption box and enter my password, I get an error message "The password you entered to protect your iPad backup could not be set. Please try again." Google tells me to unplug and replug the USB cable. That didn't work. It also mentions syncing over WiFi, which can't be the issue because I don't have WiFi connected (since I just blew out the settings.)

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[W10] iTunes Backups Vanished, Can't Create New Ones

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