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Why does iTunes install 4 services on Windows?


Question

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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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:

I read your post but you don't give any reason why it should be removed immediately

If you have Bonjour devices on your network its incredibly handy for music streaming etc. Granted however it is not needed if you don't do things like that so disable it but you are almost making it out to be some kinds of super evil

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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.

This is Neowin, may I remind you? Get a clue. This is the one place in the world where the opinion is not actually drooling over useless and lied-about iCrap. If you're looking for classic illogical MS-hate, head over to macrumors.com or cnn.com. I'm sure you'll make many friends there. ;)

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

Apple is just returning the favor to Microsoft for all the years of "high quality" software they brought to the Mac. ;) Microsoft Messenger, Windows Media Player for Mac, Internet Explorer 5 for Mac, Microsoft Office for Mac, one jewel after another. /s

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

Granted they quit when Outlook quits, but let's not pretend Microsoft's software is that much cleaner on Mac OS X... Not to mention all the other helper apps like Microsoft Office Reminders, My Day etc.

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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

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought the iPodService, iTunesHelper and AppleMobileDeviceService were all required for iTunes to correctly sync with Apple devices? Bonjour is generally not needed, however some apple apps like the Remote app use it I believe. As the OP already said he has an iPhone, it wouldn't make sense to disable the first 3 unless he wants to not be able to sync his device.

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

Of course... it's what he does best.

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Correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought the iPodService, iTunesHelper and AppleMobileDeviceService were all required for iTunes to correctly sync with Apple devices? Bonjour is generally not needed, however some apple apps like the Remote app use it I believe. As the OP already said he has an iPhone, it wouldn't make sense to disable the first 3 unless he wants to not be able to sync his device.

iTunesHelper exists on Mac OS X as well, it detects whether a compatible device is connected and automatically launches iTunes if you checked the "Open iTunes when this device is connected". Without it the preference won't work. At least, not on Mac OS X. Personally I removed it from my account's login items because I don't want iTunes to launch automatically, but I do want it to sync automatically when I start iTunes myself.

post-128385-0-89686500-1311807698.png

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This is Neowin, may I remind you? Get a clue.

So MS fanboyism it's accepted?

How sad, any kind of fanboyism it's pathetic.

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This is Neowin, may I remind you? Get a clue. This is the one place in the world where the opinion is not actually drooling over useless and lied-about iCrap. If you're looking for classic illogical MS-hate, head over to macrumors.com or cnn.com. I'm sure you'll make many friends there. ;)

Yes, this site is called Neowin, but don't you ever stop and wonder, "Man, for a site that hints at the Windows branding in their name, they sure do run a lot of Apple related articles."

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It does install a bunch of services, but if you own an iPod or iPhone you will need those services running. Just about every software package these days installs a service. Windows Media Player has a service too.

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

Bonjour is a really nice service if you have multiple computers that run iTunes or if you have a Mac, PC, and/or an iPhone/iPodT. Windows netbios naming and SMB is a total undocumented train wreck in comparison.

Every software installer should prompt you on installing services along with an explanation on what the service does. Even better, Microsoft should add dialog boxes to click through whenever a service is going to be installed in the same manner that Windows prompts when administrative permissions are needed.

At the end of the day, I seriously doubt that anyone feels any performance increase by disabling/removing the services installed by iTunes.

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.

I had the same problem... XCode will just hang with a dialog saying I need to close iTunes, even though iTunes isn't running. Dug around the Activity Monitor and I thought, "surely it couldn't be the iTunesHelper...?" /sigh. Didn't anyone ever do a full checkout test of the install process prior to making it available in the App Store? shame.

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So MS fanboyism it's accepted?

How sad, any kind of fanboyism it's pathetic.

It's a forum that gears towards a bias against one company or organization. Just like how there's MacRumors for Apple, and LinuxForums for Linux, this is Neowin. Understand?

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very simple: Apple likes forcing useless junk on everyone and choice is removed, thus they can control you even more. One more reason to dump apple junk.

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It's a forum that gears towards a bias against one company or organization. Just like how there's MacRumors for Apple, and LinuxForums for Linux, this is Neowin. Understand?

Hahaha, you're the one that does not understand. The bias it's only by users, there are no rules about beign biased. You think you know these forums better than I do? I've been here ten years longer than you and I'm a former mod.

Windows beign featured more does not have anything to do with fanboyism. Hope you can grasp that.

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