iTunes 4.7: Install QuickTime 6.5.2 first; Installation problems; more

Yesterday Apple released iTunes 4.7 which includes support for copying photos to an iPod photo, the ability to show duplicate songs in your library, and unspecified performance improvements.

Readers are noting some issues with the release.

Some of these issues can be avoided by first downloading and installing the QuickTime 6.5.2 updater before attempting iTunes 4.7.

Installation problems A handful of readers report a freeze during installation.

Dennis van Spanje writes "After using the iPod updater yesterday i decided to install iTunes 4.7 on my 12 inch PowerBook G4 1.33 GHz, running Mac OS X 10.3.5. Installation came to a halt near the finish. I had to quit the installation. Since then problems, PB can?t startup (only till appearing dock, then spinning beach ball). Restoring permissions and repairing disk with installation-CD no luck."

Another reader adds "I am able to launch to the Installer's 'Introduction' screen. It tell's me it needs to run a program to determine if it can be installed. I click 'Continue.' The message disappears and leaves me back at the 'Introduction' screen with 'Continue' now available to be clicked.

"I click 'Continue' and it moves to the next section 'Read Me,' but at this point, it seems stuck. I cannot scroll-down the text (Image of woman using iPod and an Airport Express). The scroll-bar is blue, but unresponsive to mouse-clicks or arrow-keys. None of the functional buttons at the bottom are active and none of the Installer menus respond.

"Quitting the installer does nothing. I have to force quit." thanks.

Playback MacFixIt reader Dean is one of the few users to report playback problems with the new release: "I am having iTunes problems since the update. the sounds quits sometimes, and it also skips to another tune once in awhile. sometimes it skips to a song down the list and will not play any tune in between the one it was playing and the one it skipped too."

"This version not compatible" MacFixIt reader John Barrs writes "Updated my G5 to iTunes 4.7 and now get 'This version of iTunes is not compatible' with my Airport Express connected to my stereo. Couldn?t get the system to Software Update Quicktime, manually downloaded and installed without helping the AirPort Express issue. Luckily my music is on the G4."

AppleScript changes MacFixIt reader Doug notes a change in iTunes' behavior with regard to AppleScript:

"As of the iTunes 4.7 release I have noticed a weird AppleScripting fluke. Normally, or, rather, before 4.7, you could target the selected tracks in an AppleScript by merely doing this:

• tell application "iTunes"
• get selection
• end tell

"This would result in a list of references to the the selected tracks. However, when you run this snippet in Script Editor, you get an empty list. On the other hand, if you target the front browser window, it works:

• tell application "iTunes"
• get selection of front browser window
• end tell

"I don't know if this is a bug or a feature. However, it makes AppleScript-sense to target a window's selection. But, if this is a fix, what happened to the application selection? What is it a reference to now?"

Fourth-generation iPods always mounted MacFixIt reader Scott Rose reports that his fourth-generation is always mounted after waking his Mac from sleep when using iTunes 4.7 -- even when the preference to not do so is checked:

"In iTunes 4.7 and Mac OS X 10.3.5, there is a problem with 4th generation iPods after waking your computer from sleep.

"After you wake your computer from sleep, if your iPod was previously plugged into the computer, the iPod will always mount on the desktop -- even if you have deselected the checkbox to enable disk use.

"So in other words, the checkbox to 'enable disk use' does not work properly when waking the computer from sleep -- the iPod will always mount no matter what."

Limitations of new duplicate finding feature As noted in Apple's documentation, the new release of iTunes includes a feature for finding duplicate songs. Our in-house testing showed this feature working quickly, though there are a few limitations.

The function simply searches for songs with the same title, ignoring the length or any other fields (track length, album of origin, etc.). As such, users with extensive libraries may need to put a little more work into locating and deleting true duplicates.

Feedback? Late-breakers@macfixit.com.

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