HP PC users experience iPhone sync problems
Complaints about iPhone syncing problems with certain manufacturers' motherboards and Windows 7 64-bit are spreading. The latest complaints target HP PCs.
This week, we received comments from a reader regarding an iPhone sync glitch with certain Hewlett-Packard-branded PCs.
Mark Lennon said his new HP DV7-3085DX PC running Windows 7 64-bit with the Intel i7 Q720 processor will not sync properly with the iPhone. He explained in an e-mail that there are "tons of messages on HP's discussion boards from other users who still have this iPhone sync problem." All these machines seem to use a new Intel i5 or i7 microprocessor while running Windows 7 64-bit.
We checked the forums at HP and found a fairly lively discussion about the problem. According to some users, HP isn't acknowledging the issue.
Apple's discussion forums also turned up three threads on this issue:
- Windows 7; 64bit
- Can't sync iPhone with New HP computer with Windows 7 64-bit
- iTunes 9 on Windows 7 x64 Has Problems with iPhone
We sent e-mails to Apple, HP, and Intel requesting comment on the syncing problem. At press time, only Intel had responded. George Alfs from Intel's PR department wrote back advising us that "end users should ensure they have latest drivers and BIOS updates from their OEM system vendors."
Alfs' solution wouldn't be unprecedented: Previous problems with a motherboard from Gigabyte Technology were resolved by installing an updated BIOS, and we've read that an update for Asus users was just as helpful.
But the problem could have different origins. A discussion on Microsoft Technet forums suggests that all HP computers in question are using Intel's PM55 Express Chipset, which commenter Sethstor claims has an incompatibility problem with Windows 7 64-bit and the computers' USB ports.
Do you have a fix? Let us know in the comments.