Windows 10 Update Causing Mobile Device Center to Stop Working

Any Windows 10 update released on or after April 11, 2017 may cause Windows Mobile Device Center (WMDC) to stop working. The first update that caused this issue is KB4015583 released on April 11, 2017. For a list of Windows updates released since April 11 please visit the following site: Windows Update History

While there is no permanent solution at this time, there are some work around methods for getting WMDC to connect to the mobile device. These options are reviewed below.

Option 1: Run the WMDC Helper Application

The WMDC Helper application can be downloaded from the link below.

WMDC_Helper

Once downloaded:

1. Right click the program and choose to run it as an administrator.
2. The program will run and a message will appear stating that the computer must be restarted.
3. Restart the PC.
4. When the PC has finished restarting go to the Start Menu and open WMDC.

If WMDC still does not open on the PC proceed to Option 2 below.

Option 2: Starting the Windows Mobile Device Center program manually

*This process will have to completed every time the PC is restarted*

Right click the Start menu on the PC and click “Computer Management”. Double click “Services & Applications” and then “Services”. Scroll down on the right hand side and right mouse click “Windows Mobile-2003-based device connectivity” and click Properties. In the properties open the “Log On” tab and choose the radio button for “Local system account” and check the box “Allow service to interact with desktop”. Click OK to save the changes and close the Computer Management window.

On the Windows Mobile base handheld click Start > Settings > Connections > USB to PC and make sure the box for “Enable Advanced Network Functionality” is unchecked. Click Done/OK on the Windows Mobile based device and connect it to the PC via the USB data cable. Windows Mobile Device Center never shows connected on the PC, but it will show that it is connected on the Windows Mobile based device. Open file explorer on your PC and navigate to the Windows Mobile based device in the Quick access panel on the left hand side of File Explorer. Open the Windows Mobile Based device and go to My Documents > TerraSync. The data files can then be manually transferred from the Windows Mobile Based device to the PC.

If option 2 is unsuccessful, proceed to option 3.

Option 3: Remove Windows 10 Updates Released on or after April 11 2017

If the previously listed options are unsuccessful, the only option remaining at this time is to remove the Windows update causing WMDC to stop working. Any updates released on or after April 11, 2017 will have to be removed. These updates can be removed from the PC by opening the “Control Panel” and selecting “Uninstall a program”. In the left hand column click “View installed updates”. Navigate to the update needing removed and right mouse click the update. Click “uninstall” and follow the instructions for removing the update. Restart the PC once the update has been uninstalled. Start with update KBB4015583 and work forward from there. Test WMDC after each update is removed. Keep removing later updates until WMDC opens on the PC.