iTunes 4.9 Special Report: Reverting (Downgrading) to iTunes 4.7.1

A number of readers are experiencing insoluble problems with iTunes 4.9 -- inability to copy songs to iPod, problems playing some tracks, etc. -- that necessitate a downgrade to iTunes 4.7.1 (version 4.8 has apparently been pulled from Apple's servers)

This is a relatively straightforward procedure that has three primary steps:

1. Quit iTunes if it is open, and drag the iTunes 4.9 application, which should be located in the /Applications folder on a standard Mac OS X installation, to the trash.
2. Go to the folder /Library/Receipts (in the System Library folder located at the root level of your Mac OS X startup volume, not the user-specific Library folder) and drag the following files to the trash: iTunes.pkg and iTunes4.pkg.
3. Download iTunes 4.7.1 [10.5 MB] from Apple's Web site and follow the install process.

You may want to repair disk permissions using Apple's Disk Utility (located in Applications/Utilities) after performing this process.

• Release Notes/Download Link
• Before Installing: Make sure QuickTime, iApps are updated
• Frequent music playing stalls/freezes
• iPod Synchronization problems; resetting to solve
• Loss of Music Library index (not actual files)
• MP3s/AACs being treated as QuickTime files; ID3 tag problems -- solutions
• Old version of iTunes help displayed, solution
• Podcast problems: "This computer not authorized..."; more
• Reverting (Downgrading) to iTunes 4.7.1
• Visualizer problems due to inability to switch screen resolution

Resources