How to Fix "iTunes cannot read the contents of the iPhone" or iPad or iPod

Update: Used this again Today and it works in the current iOS 6 and iPhone 5

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When running iTunes and you receive the popup message: 

"iTunes cannot read the contents of the iPhone. Go to the summary tab in iPhone preferences and click restore to restore this iPhone to factory settings”. 

DO NOT RESTORE. DO NOT RESTORE. DO NOT RESTORE.

It could be one of two (or both) files are corrupt on your iPhone (or other iDevice), they are iTunesDB and iTunesCDB.

There is an easy and fast fix for this, even if your iDevice is NOT jailbroken.

You want to disconnect your iDevice from your computer and close iTunes to ensure you DO NOT RESTORE.

Download iFunBox, a Free Tool for accessing the iDevice filesystem. It has both a OS/X version and Windows version for download.

After you download the version of iFunBox for your OS, you will need to install it and run it. 

After installing and running iFunBox, connect your iDevice to your computer.


You will see a message in the Upper Right of iFunBox  "connecting to iDevice", after iFunbox has connected to your iDevice, click on the tab "iFunbox Classic". 

On the left panel, expand "Raw File System" (click on the +), then expand "iTunes_Control", then click on "iTunes".

In the right panel you will see a number of files, right-click on the file "iTunesCDB" and select rename, place an X after the B in the filename, this will allow you keep the file in case you need it again (you should never need it, but better to be careful than sorry.)

After you have renamed the file, click on your iDevice name on the upper right of iFunBox and select "Device Safe Removal", this will ensure the filename change will be written back to your iDevice. 

After you see your iDevice is closed ("No device connected" will be displayed in the upper right), you should now close iFunBox.

Now run Apple iTunes, it will see your iDevice and you will be able to Sync again.