Last week, Apple released iTunes 7, in conjunction with other changes in the iTunes
I installed iTunes 7 on the two computers at home, both Windows XP machines. On my computer (which I call Compy 786. I'll admit now that I'm a HomestarRunner.com fan), it wasn't as big a memory hog as some people have said, I did experience one MAJOR problem: iTunes wouldn't recognize my iPod. I searched Apple's knowledge base and found this. I tried it, and it worked…once. Subsequent attempts to get iTunes 7 to recognize my iPod failed. That's when I gave up. Good thing that the iTunes 7 installer made a backup copy of my iTunes library.itl file, even though I made my own backup copy of that and the corresponding .xml file. I downgraded back to iTunes 5.0.1 and restored my iPod to factory settings and re-synced it.
I installed iTunes 7 on another computer at home, this one being the one with a connection to the Internet (Compy 786 currently has no Internet connection). Before doing so, I added a song to my shopping cart using 5.0.1, and I was basically forced to upgrade, so I did. After upgrading, I commenced downloading. I ran into another problem. To basically describe what happened next, I'll express it in terms that appear in Mac OS X.
The application "iTunes" has unexpectedly quit.
So I reported the problem using the prescribed method, and I received an e-mail from iTunes Customer Service.
Dear Robert,
I'm sorry to hear that your purchase didn't download successfully. It looks like the content is still available in your account and awaiting download, so you should be able to restart the download by following these steps:
1. Make sure you're using the latest version of iTunes, then choose "Check for Purchases" from the Advanced menu.
2. Enter your account name and password when prompted, then click the Check button. Your purchase should begin downloading. If you receive an error message while downloading, try again after turning off any firewall or web-accelerator software that you may have installed...
I followed his instructions, even though the menu commands were different. It turns out the "Check for Purchases" item was in the Store menu, not the Advanced menu. but I found what he was talking about, and the song downloaded as it should.
I also found out another workaround, using the following commands.
net stop "iPod Service"
pause
This basically stops the iTunes service. I don't remember the exact process, but I got iTunes 7 not only to recognize my iPod, but to sync with it. Then it started to analyze the songs on my iPod for iT7's gapless playback feature. It's a nice theory, but I've yet to experience it for myself. There was an error generated in the process, and after I had ejected the iPod from the computer, and went to Settings > About, I got the following:
| ROBERT M | |
| Songs | 0 |
| Capacity | 18.5 GB |
| Available | 11.8 GB |
| Version | 3.1.1 |
| etc. | |
Yup. iTunes 7 turned my iPod into a paperweight. So, I reverted back to 5.0.1, and tried to get iPod Updater 2006-06-28 to work with it. The hard disk would spin and then it would click. And this click was an abnormal click, not the usual clicks. Anyways, after working with many Macs at both Queens College (where I have a major issue regarding the number of Macs on campus computer labs) and the Apple Store, using the Disk Utility app, I was able to get iPod Updater to recognize my iPod on Compy 786. I restored and began re-syncing.
While doing so, I discovered a way to get it to sync. It's a line from a G Love & Special Sauce song. The line is "Stick it in the fridge." The name of the song it comes from is Cold Beverage, but what I needed was a cold iPod. I put the iPod in the fridge, and lo and behold, it worked! I was able to sync and load my songs onto my iPod! Worst case scenario averted…for now.
No comments :
Post a Comment