Sometimes you get an error message – Error 0x80070141: Device cannot be reached when trying to transfer photos and videos from an iOS device to your computer. This error not only prevents you from copying photos or video files from iOS devices, but also from USB storage devices to your computer. This is a known problem, and the good news is that it can be fixed. Let’s see how.
Select Connect as multimedia device.
Two computer USB connections are available for transferring files between your phone and computer: a multimedia device (MTP) and a camera (PTP). However, it is reported that an error 0x80070141 may appear when you select Camera (PTP).
Why does this happen?
PTP is used to download photos from digital cameras, while MTP is an extension and supports more file types as well as source devices. So if you are prompted not to connect to your device when using PTP, feel free to connect your device as a multimedia device.
Running the ChkDsk command with CMD
- Step 1. Right-click “Start” and select “Run” to open the Run command.
- Step 2. Type cmd in the Run command and simultaneously press Ctrl + Shift + Enter on your keyboard to open the command prompt with administrator privileges.
- Step 3. In the Command Prompt (administrator) window, type the following command and press Enter:
- chkdsk / f E:
- Note. Here, the letter E stands for USB or external drive in our case. For you it can be any other reader. So replace the letter (drive) with your enclosure letter and press Enter.
- Once the process is complete, restart your computer and the error should be resolved.
Use a different USB cable
Sometimes an incompatible USB port leads to error 0x80070141 and does not allow you to transfer photos or videos. In this case, you just need to try to replace the USB cable.
For example, if you are using an old device, it might not be compatible with the USB 3.0 cable. And you need to replace the USB 3.0 cable with a USB 2.0 cable, which is compatible with most devices.
Install the latest version of iTunes on your Windows 10 computer.
The latest version of iTunes is required so that your iPhone can be identified and successfully accessed by your computer. If you see the “Device Unavailable” error message on your computer, try updating iTunes to the latest version and reconnecting your iPhone to your Windows 10 computer.
Trust this computer.
Don’t ignore the notification that appears on your iPhone asking if the computer can access the photos in your iPhone video after connecting your iPhone to your PC. When the message appears, click Allow. This is the first step to activate photo transfer. Also try this simple solution if you encounter the message “Device Unavailable.
Reinstall your device
With this solution, you’ll have to reinstall your device and see if that solves the problem. To do this, follow these steps:
- First, make sure your phone is connected to your computer.
- Then right-click the Start button and select “Device Manager” from the menu list.
- Develop Readers
- Select the USB drive / phone
- Right click it and select Uninstall.
- Disconnect the USB / phone and restart your computer.
- Now plug it back in and let the driver install
Also click the “Scan for Hardware Changes” icon to scan and detect your phone. After that, restart your computer and try to reconnect your cell phone.