Vista, iTunes and iOS 9: Bad News, Good News, Bad News

First some old bad news: Apple ended support for Vista with the release of iTunes 12.2.0 on June 30, 2015. Of course many Vista users continued to run iTunes 12.1.2 or earlier versions, and some of them own Apple mobile devices.

Now the latest bad news: Apple devices running the new iOS 9 released on September 16, 2015 cannot be supported using iTunes 12.1.2 or earlier versions, so Vista users who updated their devices found themselves up a creek.

There is also good news: Just one day after iOS 9 was released, Apple heeded the outcry and rushed into release a special iTunes version 12.1.3 to add iOS 9 support for those still running "unsupported" Vista and 32-bit XP SP3: https://support.apple.com/downloads/itunes

However I have bad news: My testing shows that iTunes 12.1.3 is subject to the same BEX/appcrash issues on Vista that have plagued every version since 11.2 was released in May 2014.

DEP.JPG
 
Disabling DEP on CPU and keeping enabled DEP in Windows with exceptions Will Help?
:o
 

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    Custom Made
    CPU
    P4 Extreme Edition 3.73 GHz @ 4.00 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASRock ConRoe 1333 D667 R2.0
    Memory
    2x Kingston DDRII 800 2GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA GeForce GTX 750Ti 2048 PCI-E
    Sound Card
    Integrated
    Monitor(s) Displays
    32" LG TV
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1080
    Hard Drives
    WD Black 2 1TB + 120GB 2.5"
    2x SEAGATE 1TB SATA 3.5"
    2x MAXTOR 80GB ATA 3.5"
    2x TOSHIBA 500GB SATA 2.5"
    PSU
    Atlantis 600W
    Cooling
    Hyper T4 CoolerMaster
Welcome to Vista Forums Tk Desimon. I wasn't actually seeking help in this Vista News post. The appcrashes and buffer overflows usually occur only when the user exits iTunes, so disabling DEP seems like a cure worse than the disease, and it is not possible to add a DEP exception for iTunes because it is apparently an "OptIn" program. The DEP notifications are little more than an annoying reminder of how poorly Vista was supported by Apple (I use the past tense because there have now been five versions that cannot be installed on Vista).

I have seen reports that an iPad Air running iOS 9.1 cannot be synced using iTunes 12.1.3, and there is no reason to expect that Apple will ever release another version that can be installed on Vista. I'm afraid that those with Apple mobile devices to support will have to find a newer platform sooner than other Vista users.
 

My Computer

System One

  • Operating System
    Vista Home Premium x86 SP2
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP Pavilion Elite m9150f
    CPU
    Intel Q6600
    Memory
    3 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA GeForce 8500 GT
I have seen reports that an iPad Air running iOS 9.1 cannot be synced using iTunes 12.1.3, and there is no reason to expect that Apple will ever release another version that can be installed on Vista. I'm afraid that those with Apple mobile devices to support will have to find a newer platform sooner than other Vista users.

FYI ios 9.2 and higher requires iTunes 12.3 so yes Vista users are stuck. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IOS_history#iOS_9

The danger is that users can still update their iphone/ipad over a wireless connection past 9.1 but they won't be able to sync with itunes which means no local backups.
 
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My Computers

System One System Two

  • Operating System
    Windows 8.1 Industry Pro x64
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP Pavillion Elite HPE-250f
    CPU
    Intel i7 860 Quad core 2.8 ghz
    Memory
    8 gb
    Graphics Card(s)
    ATI Radeon HD 5770 1 gb ram
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Alienware 25 AW2521HF
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080 &1680x1050
    Hard Drives
    1 TB x2
    Other Info
    https://www.cnet.com/products/hp-pavilion-elite-hpe-250f/
  • Operating System
    Windows 2012 R2 Data center/Linux Mint
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Poweredge T140
    CPU
    i3 9100 3.6GHz, 8M cache, 4C/4T
    Memory
    8GB 2666MT/s DDR4 ECC UDIMM
    Screen Resolution
    1680x1050
    Hard Drives
    1 TB & 360 GB x2
    Other Info
    https://www.dell.com/en-us/work/shop/productdetailstxn/poweredge-t140?~ck=bt
Yes, it's a pity how many users Vista has lost on account of Apple's bloatware (and now Google's spyware-browser). Some users are still attempting to support their iOS 9 devices with iTunes 12.1.3, but they are reporting AppHangB1 crashes in addition to the "normal" crashes. When iOS 10 arrives in September, it's game over. Windows 10 users are also having plenty of problems with iTunes, and the latest OS X for Mac seems to have acquired a disparaging nickname, so I'm not sure what we should recommend to those looking for a new platform to support their Apple mobile devices.
 

My Computer

System One

  • Operating System
    Vista Home Premium x86 SP2
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP Pavilion Elite m9150f
    CPU
    Intel Q6600
    Memory
    3 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA GeForce 8500 GT
My recommendation would be to upgrade to 7 if they can find a copy. I don't mind it that much however it might be the last version of windows that I will use unless Microsoft makes some major changes to windows and their policies.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • Operating System
    Windows 8.1 Industry Pro x64
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP Pavillion Elite HPE-250f
    CPU
    Intel i7 860 Quad core 2.8 ghz
    Memory
    8 gb
    Graphics Card(s)
    ATI Radeon HD 5770 1 gb ram
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Alienware 25 AW2521HF
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080 &1680x1050
    Hard Drives
    1 TB x2
    Other Info
    https://www.cnet.com/products/hp-pavilion-elite-hpe-250f/
  • Operating System
    Windows 2012 R2 Data center/Linux Mint
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Poweredge T140
    CPU
    i3 9100 3.6GHz, 8M cache, 4C/4T
    Memory
    8GB 2666MT/s DDR4 ECC UDIMM
    Screen Resolution
    1680x1050
    Hard Drives
    1 TB & 360 GB x2
    Other Info
    https://www.dell.com/en-us/work/shop/productdetailstxn/poweredge-t140?~ck=bt
I only use iTunes on my iMac! I do not like to "cross pollinate" software. I also have an old iPod Nano, which still syncs and works.
 

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    HP 6515b
    CPU
    AMD Turion 64x2
    Motherboard
    HP
    Memory
    3gigs
    Graphics Card(s)
    ATI X1250
    Sound Card
    Built in
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Laptop 1200x800
    Screen Resolution
    1200x800
    Hard Drives
    80gig
    Mouse
    HP USB mouse
    Other Info
    A great old laptop, got refurbed from Tigerdirect. Came originally with Vista, had Windows 7 on it. I got a copy of Vista on ebay and restored it to its original spec. Vista runs great with 3gigs of ram.
Since this post has been bumped, I would like to add that the new iPhone SE absolutely cannot be supported using iTunes 12.1.3, which means it cannot be supported using Vista or XP. There have now been seven versions of iTunes that can't be installed on Vista or XP, and iTunes 12.1.3 users should beware of the iOS 10 upgrade coming in September!
 

My Computer

System One

  • Operating System
    Vista Home Premium x86 SP2
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP Pavilion Elite m9150f
    CPU
    Intel Q6600
    Memory
    3 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA GeForce 8500 GT
I only use iTunes on my iMac! I do not like to "cross pollinate" software. I also have an old iPod Nano, which still syncs and works.

Users without a mac couldn't have an iphone if this was the case.

Since this post has been bumped, I would like to add that the new iPhone SE absolutely cannot be supported using iTunes 12.1.3, which means it cannot be supported using Vista or XP. There have now been seven versions of iTunes that can't be installed on Vista or XP, and iTunes 12.1.3 users should beware of the iOS 10 upgrade coming in September!

Not surprising since the SE was released with an iOS version newer than can be used on itunes 12.1.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • Operating System
    Windows 8.1 Industry Pro x64
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP Pavillion Elite HPE-250f
    CPU
    Intel i7 860 Quad core 2.8 ghz
    Memory
    8 gb
    Graphics Card(s)
    ATI Radeon HD 5770 1 gb ram
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Alienware 25 AW2521HF
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080 &1680x1050
    Hard Drives
    1 TB x2
    Other Info
    https://www.cnet.com/products/hp-pavilion-elite-hpe-250f/
  • Operating System
    Windows 2012 R2 Data center/Linux Mint
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Poweredge T140
    CPU
    i3 9100 3.6GHz, 8M cache, 4C/4T
    Memory
    8GB 2666MT/s DDR4 ECC UDIMM
    Screen Resolution
    1680x1050
    Hard Drives
    1 TB & 360 GB x2
    Other Info
    https://www.dell.com/en-us/work/shop/productdetailstxn/poweredge-t140?~ck=bt

My Computer

System One

  • Operating System
    Vista Home Premium x86 SP2
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP Pavilion Elite m9150f
    CPU
    Intel Q6600
    Memory
    3 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA GeForce 8500 GT
However iOS 9.2+ requires 12.3.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • Operating System
    Windows 8.1 Industry Pro x64
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP Pavillion Elite HPE-250f
    CPU
    Intel i7 860 Quad core 2.8 ghz
    Memory
    8 gb
    Graphics Card(s)
    ATI Radeon HD 5770 1 gb ram
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Alienware 25 AW2521HF
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080 &1680x1050
    Hard Drives
    1 TB x2
    Other Info
    https://www.cnet.com/products/hp-pavilion-elite-hpe-250f/
  • Operating System
    Windows 2012 R2 Data center/Linux Mint
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Poweredge T140
    CPU
    i3 9100 3.6GHz, 8M cache, 4C/4T
    Memory
    8GB 2666MT/s DDR4 ECC UDIMM
    Screen Resolution
    1680x1050
    Hard Drives
    1 TB & 360 GB x2
    Other Info
    https://www.dell.com/en-us/work/shop/productdetailstxn/poweredge-t140?~ck=bt
However iOS 9.2+ requires 12.3.

More precisely, iOS 9.0+ requires iTunes 12.3.0+. Both were released on September 16, 2015. 12.3.0 was the fourth version that could not be installed on Vista or XP, however Apple in their benevolence released the out-of-sequence 12.1.3 for XP and Vista, also in September 2015. Probably most readers who are actually using iTunes on Vista are aware of this by now.
 

My Computer

System One

  • Operating System
    Vista Home Premium x86 SP2
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP Pavilion Elite m9150f
    CPU
    Intel Q6600
    Memory
    3 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA GeForce 8500 GT
According to the wikipedia link I posted earlier 12.3 isn't required until ios 9.2 however the important point is that the newest versions do not work with itunes 12.1. Unfortunately we can't assume that users know this because they can update ios over wifi, which apple seems to perfer and pushes onto users, without involving itunes at all. For those whom have done so they will find that they can no longer backup or sync on their computer if they are running Vista or XP.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • Operating System
    Windows 8.1 Industry Pro x64
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP Pavillion Elite HPE-250f
    CPU
    Intel i7 860 Quad core 2.8 ghz
    Memory
    8 gb
    Graphics Card(s)
    ATI Radeon HD 5770 1 gb ram
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Alienware 25 AW2521HF
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080 &1680x1050
    Hard Drives
    1 TB x2
    Other Info
    https://www.cnet.com/products/hp-pavilion-elite-hpe-250f/
  • Operating System
    Windows 2012 R2 Data center/Linux Mint
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Poweredge T140
    CPU
    i3 9100 3.6GHz, 8M cache, 4C/4T
    Memory
    8GB 2666MT/s DDR4 ECC UDIMM
    Screen Resolution
    1680x1050
    Hard Drives
    1 TB & 360 GB x2
    Other Info
    https://www.dell.com/en-us/work/shop/productdetailstxn/poweredge-t140?~ck=bt
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