Can Someone Explain iTunes To Me?

[Jason Dunn]

<p>Everyone tells me how wonderful and easy it is to use iTunes (OK, mostly Janak Parekh), but it must have been designed for people smarter than I am - I installed iTunes on a different computer and wanted to sync my iPod Touch with it. I had iTunes installed on my software testing computer, which has since been wiped out, so I need a permanent home for iTunes. Here's the problem I'm running into:</p><p><img src="http://images.thoughtsmedia.com//dht/auto/1244580302.usr1.png" style="border: 1px solid #d2d2bb;" /></p><p>I've set it up to manually sync everything, because it seems if I don't do that, iTunes will wipe everything out on the iPod Touch. In iTunes, when I go FILE &gt; TRANSFER PURCHASES, I get the above error message. You might be thinking "OK, your computer hasn't been authorized" - but it has. The screenshot below shows that. <MORE /></p><p><img src="http://images.thoughtsmedia.com//dht/auto/1244580355.usr1.png" style="border: 1px solid #d2d2bb;" /></p><p>So what's the deal? If I tell iTunes to auto-sync apps, it tells me it's going to wipe out all my apps on the device - but if I tell it to transfer the purchases from the iPod to the desktop computer, it tells me the computer isn't authorized. I only have one iTunes account - I've verified that the email address on my desktop computer matches the email address on my iPod Touch. Is there a way for me to re-download the apps I've paid for once they get nuked from my iPod Touch? Any ideas on why I'm seeig that error message about my computer not being authorized?</p><p>Side question: how do I de-authorize those other two authorizations that I don't have/aren't using?</p>

[Vincent Ferrari]

1. You can't individually remove authorizations, but you can deauthorize all. Open iTunes, go to the store, and in the upper right corner click your e-mail address. On the account info screen, you can deauthorize the other ones IF you've maxed out the five, otherwise the option isn't available. You can do this once a year.

2. You're running into a problem that's a symptom of the weird way iTunes handles content. The Touch you're sync'ing is (for lack of a better term) paired to anbother computer. Therein lies your problem. You can sync 30 ipods to the same computer, but you can't sync the iTunes content through an iPod. You have to copy your iTunes library over on another media and then sync to the computer. That should (I think) solve your problem.

Transfer purchases is for when you buy stuff on the iTunes store on the Touch and you want it on your desktop.

Mind you, I'm only stabbing at this one but I think that's what it is based on your description.

[doogald]

It sounds to me as if the authorization is bad, so I would de-authorize the computer and then reauthorize. If it is not this, then this may actually be worth an iTunes support call/email. You should be able to transfer your purchases to another computer from the iPod itself so long as the computer is authorized (note that this is purchased items only - you cannot use the iTunes interface to transfer non-purchased content, which makes sense from a piracy sense - you wouldn't want to steal an 120 GB iPod and be able to copy all of the ripped content to your iTunes account.)

You can de-authorize the computer from the "Store" menu, and you can do that for each of the computers where you have installed iTunes. Of course, you may be like me, and wipe a computer before you remembered to de-authoroze, so Apple lets you de-authorize all of your computers from the account menu on the iTunes Store itself (go to the iTunes Store itself, make sure that you are logged in to your account, and choose the "account" link on the right, under "quick Links".) I believe that you can only do that when you have all 5 authorizations filled, and I know that you can only run that procedure once in a calendar year. Since you have less than 5 authorizations, you probably will not see the "de-authorize all computers" option.

[Jason Dunn]

You can sync 30 ipods to the same computer, but you can't sync the iTunes content through an iPod.

Yeah, I know Apple things everyone is a content pirate and you can't use the iPod Touch to move content from one computer to another, but I thought that because apps were tied to my account, this would work because it's supposed to be that way.

You have to copy your iTunes library over on another media and then sync to the computer. That should (I think) solve your problem.

How do I copy my iTunes library "over on another media"? I don't really have anything on it that I care about beyond the apps - everything else is media content that I have stored elsewhere, outside of iTunes. This was mostly about getting my apps off the Touch and onto my desktop PC.

Transfer purchases is for when you buy stuff on the iTunes store on the Touch and you want it on your desktop.

Right, that's what I wanted to do I thought - take the apps I've paid for on the Touch and transfer them over to the desktop PC. Isn't that something that iTunes does? Backs up your apps?

[Jason Dunn]

OK, so I set up auto-sync for movies, TV shows, and apps - and got the warning about it wiping out all the apps on my device. It finished syncing, and nothing changed. I disconnected and re-connected the Touch and I'm getting the same error message about apps not syncing because of a lack of authorization...and I'm staring at the pop-up window that says "This computer is already authorized".

:mad:

[Jason Dunn]

It sounds to me as if the authorization is bad, so I would de-authorize the computer and then reauthorize.

I just tried that - no dice, I still get the same error about the apps not transferring over because the computer isn't authorized.

...you cannot use the iTunes interface to transfer non-purchased content, which makes sense from a piracy sense - you wouldn't want to steal an 120 GB iPod and be able to copy all of the ripped content to your iTunes account.)

Kind of lame that Apple treats all their customers as if they were pirates - the Zune can transfer content from the Zune to a PC.

I really don't want to have to hard reset this thing - it took me forever to get it configured to sync with my Exchange server. :(

Are there any settings on the Touch itself that I should be looking at?

[Jason Dunn]

Does anyone happen to know why, when I go into Preferences and change the location of my iTunes library, iTunes re-creates an iTunes folder in my Music folder? I changed it to /Public/iTunes and that's where my content is (thus far, one purchased movie). Is there some magic that you have to do to have iTunes live in a different folder, outside the Music folder? This is on a Vista computer.

[Lee Yuan Sheng]

I'm on shaky ground here, so I might be wrong, but can't you re-download the apps?

[doogald]

It's in the "Advanced" menu of Preferences. You can change the location of media storage, and then you want to choose "keep itunes folder organized" to copy all of your stuff to that location. Once it is all copied (it will not move files) you can delete the extra copies stored in other locations. See here. (http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?path=iTunesWin/8.2/en/15312.html)

That location, by the way, is what you would copy to another computer. Start iTunes on the new computer to set up the library, close it, and then copy everything under "iTunes" in your storage location to the location that was set up on the new computer. It should have library xml files, artwork folder, and an iTunes Music folder. This will move all of your iTunes stuff to the new computer.

I don't have a Touch of iPhone so I don't know if apps are authorized differently from media.

This (http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1329) is a good description of moving/copying iTunes libraries to other computers; though it describes using an iPod to do so (using its storage), you can just do so with an external drive, network share, etc.

[ptyork]

I had this EXACT same problem with iTunes when I upgraded from Win7 beta to Win7 RC. Not a different computer, just a different OS install. Same error messages and assurances that my computer was authorized. Half of my apps were lost as were all of my DRM'd iTunes music. It fixed itself with an upgrade to iTunes. Make sure you have downloaded and installed the latest release. Sorry, no exact cause or any real answers as to how to fix it if this is not the problem. If not, try perhaps just a reinstall.

The iTunes directory is for everything BUT music. Apps, games, artwork, and the metadata describing the contents of your library (including your playlists) all reside there. AFAIK there is no way to move this from the default music folder. I created a music folder below my default music folder to store my ACTUAL music. So, my default music folder ("Library") has Audio Books, iTunes, Music, Playlists, and Sample Music subfolders. Probably just me being anal, but I like it this way. Easier to backup and sync stuff since everything is together but separate.

[Rob Alexander]

If we all just stopped buying DRM'd music, then soon none of us would have this problem.

[Jason Dunn]

If we all just stopped buying DRM'd music, then soon none of us would have this problem.

I have no DRM'd music...but I do have apps, which have their own form of copyright protection. I can't blame developers for wanting that.

[Jason Dunn]

I'm on shaky ground here, so I might be wrong, but can't you re-download the apps?

Maybe...but that's not the issue here, the issue now is the error message I'm getting every single time I sync. Bugger. I might just have to hard reset it and hope I get everything back. Stupid program. :mad:

[whydidnt]

First, I have to agree that iTunes is one of the most maddening programs I have ever used. It just doesn't seem to work the same way most other programs do, and it's desire to be in control, rather than allowing the user to manage things only makes it worse. (Glad to get that off my chest).

Do you still have the applications installed in iTunes on a different computer? If so, you should be able to import them onto the new computer if they are on the same network. Go to File-> Import Folder -> then navigate to the "mobile applications" folder on the other machine and import it. That should get all of your applications onto the new PC. Then when it tells you all the apps on the device have to be deleted to sync, you should agree and let iTunes reinstall. You'll probably lose any saved games, high scores, bookmarks, etc. when you do this though.

I have successfully copied from one computer another using this method, but have not attempted the app sync, since I don't currently have your situation.

[The Yaz]

Jason,

This may not be possible but can you restore the backup from the computer you had iTunes on? If you can, then you could go into that copy and move the local iTunes directory to a network location and sync it to the new copy of iTunes on the new computer.

I believe the problem with the apps is that there is a log file in the directory that tracks apps added. Without it, you do not have authorization.

The other option is to open file explorer while your Touch is connected and copy the data directory to the computer in a temp file. Then use import and see if it can accept an "indirect sync".

My wife will tell you that's why she always saves the email confirmations of our iTunes purchases- If something gets screwed up, you have proof to send Apple to get permission to redownload your purchase.

Good luck!

Steve

[Jason Dunn]

Do you still have the applications installed in iTunes on a different computer? If so, you should be able to import them onto the new computer if they are on the same network.

No, that computer has been re-imaged - iTunes is gone. However, I had synched with that computer in months - since the first week I bought the iPod Touch actually. So it wouldn't have any of the apps anyway...

[Jason Dunn]

So despite trying everything I could think of, and all the suggestions here, I was still getting the error message about apps not being authorized every time I did a sync. So I did what I didn't want to do: hard reset the iPod Touch. I did the "restore" function and wiped everything out on it.

Now when I sync, I no longer get the error about the apps. I've downloaded a couple of free apps, and they sync without a problem over to iTunes.

So the real question is, what the heck happened to the apps that I bought? There seems to be no facility within iTunes for me to "reclaim" my purchased apps. What the hell?? iTunes has a purchasing record of those apps, so what am I missing here - is there really no way to re-download the apps I bought? I've thrown away that money? (thankfully it wasn't much, but it's he principal)

I tried a little experiment: I bought an app that I already bought once (iDracula). I thought it would be smart enough to say "Oh look, you've already bought this app once". Nope, iTunes happily charged me 99 cents for the app that I already own.

*This* is the system that's supposed to be so wonderful? :mad:

[doogald]

See http://support.apple.com/kb/TS1702

Call Apple, explain what happened, you'll get a credit for the apps that you may need to repurchase. That happened to me when they messed up delivering music to me in the past, and I did it all reporting the issue from my account on the iTunes Store online. Calling probably will make it happen faster.

[Jason Dunn]

OK, so here's what happened: it's part user error (mine) and part a flawed system on Apple's part. I accidentally started purchasing apps under one iTunes account, then switched to a new iTunes account. I can't figure out how I did that - I suspect that I started with an old iTunes account I'd registered for Ashley's iPod Shuffle (now dead), then when I installed iTunes on my new computer I created a new iTunes account.

So all those authentication errors I was getting were really trying to tell me that the apps were purchased under a different iTunes account. If it had just SAID that, I'd have figured this out in two seconds. It wasn't until I was going through my iTunes email receipts to send to tech support that I realized my early purchases were made on a different account.

Armed with that knowledge, I contacted tech suppot and explained the situation, asking if there was a way to move purchases from one iTunes account to another. They replied back that there wasn't, and that I should move the purchased apps from the computer they were bought on. Keep in mind all my apps were bought directly on the device itself - I was under the impression that iTunes was smart enough to . Apple tech support eventually allowed me to re-download the missing applications, and once I logged into the old iTunes account and re-downloaded my missing apps and authenticated the new computer with the old account, it all worked.

Obviously if I had only used the one account from the beginning, most of this could have been avoided, so that part of it is my fault. I wish the error messages had been more clear about what the actually problem was - and I also find it baffling that when you buy an application, you can only download it once. I mean, we're not talking about DRM-free MP3s here...this is software that's registered to my account, and I only get one download? Pretty ridiculous if you ask me.

I will say that I was impressed with Apple's tech support - they responded within 24 hours, and once the conversation started, the back and forth all happened within the same day, and by the end of the day my problem was solved. That's good tech support!