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Why does iTunes install 4 services on Windows?


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No Apple hater here, I own a PC, MBP and iPhone... But seriously, I'm about to sell my MBP and upgrade my desktop and decided to install iTunes (as I will keep buying from iTunes store and using my iPhone), but seriously... Why does Apple install; iTunesHelper.exe, iPodService.exe, AppleMobileDeviceService.exe and mDNSResponder.exe.

Do we really need all this ****? I hate having useless services, or services that are not needed more than when I use my iPhone on my PC. Can I disable iTunesHelper.exe, iPodService.exe and mDNSReponder.exe (Bonjour)?

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i hate it too so annoying the amount of crap it installs and runs

i no longer have an iPod touch so i disabled all the services like iPodService and AppleMobileDeviceService.exe

removed Apple Updater and Bonjour

had to rename the exe for the helper files to stop them startup up with itunes

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Yes, none of them are needed. You can find streamlined installers for iTunes around the net that bypass all the crapware that come with it

nice didnt know that will look it up

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No Apple hater here, I own a PC, MBP and iPhone... But seriously, I'm about to sell my MBP and upgrade my desktop and decided to install iTunes (as I will keep buying from iTunes store and using my iPhone), but seriously... Why does Apple install; iTunesHelper.exe, iPodService.exe, AppleMobileDeviceService.exe and mDNSResponder.exe.

Do we really need all this ****? I hate having useless services, or services that are not needed more than when I use my iPhone on my PC. Can I disable iTunesHelper.exe, iPodService.exe and mDNSReponder.exe (Bonjour)?

All those helper apps and services have their equivalents on OS X, so it's the application itself, not the OS. I have a Mac Pro that I just added Lion GM to (dual-boot with Snow Leopard 10.6.8), and I added the current version of iTunes (10.4) to it (to mirror my SL setup); however, before installing Xcode, I have to go to Activity Monitor (Applications->Utilities->Activity Monitor) and kill the iTunesHelper service - otherwise, the Xcode installer fails. UNfortunately, iTunes requires that they all be running before launching it. (That is, in fact, why I prefer VLC as a media player to either QuickTime or iTunes, even on OS X.)

It's that same sort of piggishness that has me loathing multiprotocol chat clients - again, regardless of operating system.

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No Apple hater here, I own a PC, MBP and iPhone... But seriously, I'm about to sell my MBP and upgrade my desktop and decided to install iTunes (as I will keep buying from iTunes store and using my iPhone), but seriously... Why does Apple install; iTunesHelper.exe, iPodService.exe, AppleMobileDeviceService.exe and mDNSResponder.exe.

Do we really need all this ****? I hate having useless services, or services that are not needed more than when I use my iPhone on my PC. Can I disable iTunesHelper.exe, iPodService.exe and mDNSReponder.exe (Bonjour)?

Because Apple doesn't know how yo make a proper Windows program

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But seriously, is it REALLY that needed? I mean, why do so many other apps not include more than the app itself running? I mean, what's the point of all these extras? Can't it all just be run in the same instance with iTunes when YOU open it? Rather than have them running all day and night with no use at all?

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No Apple hater here, I own a PC, MBP and iPhone... But seriously, I'm about to sell my MBP and upgrade my desktop and decided to install iTunes (as I will keep buying from iTunes store and using my iPhone), but seriously... Why does Apple install; iTunesHelper.exe, iPodService.exe, AppleMobileDeviceService.exe and mDNSResponder.exe.

Do we really need all this ****? I hate having useless services, or services that are not needed more than when I use my iPhone on my PC. Can I disable iTunesHelper.exe, iPodService.exe and mDNSReponder.exe (Bonjour)?

There is nothing wrong with having services, the question is whether Apple is smart enough to design their services to be triggered rather than running all the time.

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Open iTunes with 7zip (or other) then run only the part of the application you want. If you are going to use it with an iPod, iPad, or iPhone then you will need the whole application. If just running it to set up your library and play music then just run the iTunes application with the install package. Hope this helps some of you.

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Glad I got a WP7, it's so good to be rid of this bloated piece of crap that is iTunes. Once you click the 'install' there is no going back, you can never get rid of it, and it will haunt you until your next reinstall of Windows. Always remember that :)

If I can suggest the 'lite' version, which is still bloated, but without some of the crap :)

http://www.ajuaonline.com/2011/07/21/itunes-10-4-0-80-switchless/

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Because Apple doesn't know how yo make a proper Windows program

Look at my post above yours - the same helper apps and services are in iTunes for OS X as well (even the x64 10.4). That means it's the application - not the OS.

ITunes is not just a mere music player - it's a jill-of-all-trades (or tries to be) for every platform it has a client on (right now, it's Windows and OS X).

It's why I loathe iTunes even on OS X (and I have both Snow Leopard and Lion installed) - quite honestly, I'd rather use VLC (and I do for everything except Divx-encoded file playback).

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Just remember, by default, WMP has a load of services running related to it..

And having more services isn't a bad thing.. I'd rather 4 separate services that I can keep/kill/install on their own for testing/etc than a One service that does everything making it a pain.

The Bonjour ( mDNSResponder.exe ) service is on it's own because Bonjour is a separate program/protocol on it's own, and can/is installed on it's own for other uses..

iTunesHelper is just there to help iTunes load, keeping some files cached and the like.. Adobe does the same thing.. If you use it a lot, it's great, if you almost never do, then ya, it's wasted memory.

The iPodService helps with connecting the, *gasp*, iPod, iPhone, and iPad..

And the AppleMobileDeviceService does a few things, one of which being to allow for tethering between an iPhone/iPad and your computer via USB, and the like.

These services uses no CPU when not being actively engaged ( aka pluging in an iPod.. ), and at least on my system, use 5MB of memory.. Or 0.1 % of my RAM on my Laptop.. 0.06% on my Desktop.

I'm not saying you can't kill them if you want, feel free.. But with that said, the installer is designed for the masses, and no one is gonna notice the loss of RAM.. It's not gonna slow down any computer that shipped in the last decade..

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Bonjour ( mDNSResponder.exe ) <- REMOVE IMMEDIATELY!! (Most of my guide here should apply - http://www.x64bit.net/site/board/index.php?showtopic=4214)

iTunesHelper < - iTunes runs fine without it (Disable).

The iPodService <- Set to 'Manual' in services and it will start as needed ;)

AppleMobileDeviceService <- Try and set to 'Manual' in services and it will start as needed, if it don't play nice, back on 'Auto' :cool:

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Bonjour ( mDNSResponder.exe ) <- REMOVE IMMEDIATELY!! (Most of my guide here should apply - http://www.x64bit.net/site/board/index.php?showtopic=4214)

iTunesHelper < - iTunes runs fine without it (Disable).

The iPodService <- Set to 'Manual' in services and it will start as needed ;)

AppleMobileDeviceService <- Try and set to 'Manual' in services and it will start as needed, if it don't play nice, back on 'Auto' :cool:

Don't remove Bonjour if you want to stream music using iTunes.

Bonjour is Apple's implementation of the Zero Configuration Networking Standard. Bonjour for Windows includes a System Service that helps applications discover shared services on the local network, printer discovery wizard, and IE plug-in for discovering local Web servers.

iTunes uses Bonjour to find shared music libraries, to find AirPort Express devices for streaming music to, and to find Apple TVs.

Why is Bonjour a System Service that runs all the time?

The Bonjour System Service runs in the background, and builds a cache of Bonjour-advertised services it sees on the network. This gives two benefits.

Network efficiency

By passively observing the queries and answers generated by other devices on the network, the Bonjour System Service can avoid having to generate its own, thereby conserving network bandwidth.

Speed

When a program such as iTunes asks the Bonjour System Service to discover services or devices on the network, the Bonjour System Service can return the list of results it already knows, giving near-instantaneous results.

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Is that including Quicktime and it's friends? Plus, if you ever get to see iTunes run on a Mac or Macbook, then compare that to how it runs on a PC, you'll uninstall the PC version and forget about ever running it on that platform again.

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Plus, if you ever get to see iTunes run on a Mac or Macbook, then compare that to how it runs on a PC, you'll uninstall the PC version and forget about ever running it on that platform again.

Unless like me, you've got a new-ish PC (anything with Intel Sandy Bridge), in which case, it runs pretty much the same as the Mac version with no complaints from me. :)

Glad I got a WP7, it's so good to be rid of this bloated piece of crap that is iTunes. Once you click the 'install' there is no going back, you can never get rid of it, and it will haunt you until your next reinstall of Windows. Always remember that :)

There is a guide on Apple's site to completely remove every part of iTunes on Windows.

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There is a guide on Apple's site to completely remove every part of iTunes on Windows.

And if you have used iTunes on any OS, you will know that 'every part' is NOT removed, and that your OS is never the same as before you installed it ;)

Yup, you can trawl the registry for hours (and it will take literally that) but you never get rid of this thing, ever!, apart from a HD wipe and clean install :)

It's the PC's disease, a Cancer of software, once got, never the same. Believe me, been there, done it :cool:

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Why do you expect more from Apple when Microsoft can't for the last 26 years, make a proper OS ?

Go away, stupid troll =)

Windows SMB = Poison to ones PC, simple :)

Wrong =)

But the point is that, unlike Apple, Microsoft doesn't install 100500 net daemons on Mac OS.

Too bad that Bonjour is intentionally hidden, non-uninstallable and obsolete. Because there're some vulnerabilities in it that can be exploited.

BTW, I wonder why is Apple is so dumb that it couldn't give the servise a proper name and description instead of cryptic "##Id_String2.6844F930_1628_4223_B5CC_5BB94B879762##". Clearly a stupid programmer error that wasn't caught by "quality control" for many years.

Removing-Bonjour-2-748773.Png

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'Cause it's bloatware. There are plenty alternatives to iTunes floating all around the web. But anyway on actual pc systems with 2 tb hdd , 8 gb ram etc... personally I think that doesn't matter anymore how many services are working non stop, it was a problem few years ago, under XP with Symantec software installed , iTunes working all the time etc... and all this having 2 gb ram or less.

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Why do you expect more from Apple when Microsoft can't for the last 26 years, make a proper OS ?

Yay, more trolling from Alex, go back to MacRumors.

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Yay, more trolling from Alex, go back to MacRumors.

Because you guys never troll the Apple forum here, right? Or every single Apple related thread in existence.

Oh wait you do and you get out of it scott free because the mods are on your side. Funny. Oh wait, it's not.

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What's stupid is my printer software installed this Bonjour crap!!!!!! another reason printers are evil!!!!

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