iTunes 7.4.2 (and prior): Problems launching; unwanted full sync process erases music; more

The unwelcome sync.

CNET staff

Sept. 2, 2009 1:45 a.m. PT

4 min read

Problems launching We've received some reports of problems installing iTunes 7.4.2. One reader writes:

"I don't know about anyone else, but I can't install the new iTunes update at all. All I'm getting is a "codec overrun" error saying that the digital signature doesn't check out..and I can't even mount the dmg. That happens if I try software update AND if I try downloading it from the apple website. I tried to use toast to mount it, which it did, but then the installer bombed saying it couldn't find the file. I've tried three times with no luck...even rebooting my computer."

If you are experiencing a similar issue, please let us know.

Unwanted, automatic full sync process -- erases music Some users have reported an issue where iTunes 7.4.x inexplicably uses a full sync routine for iPods immediately when the device is connected, even if only the "transfer purchased music" option is selected, resulting in erasure of music on iPods with a set of music different than what is stored on the host Mac.

One reader writes:

"I hook up the iPod to the Mac Pro and get the usual message that the iPod is synched to another iTunes and whether I wanted to transfer purchases or erase and sync. I hit the button to transfer purchases. Instead of transferring purchases, it immediately started to sync. A full 1/3 of my iPod?s content was wiped out and then iTunes attempted to copy 5 files to the iPod. Something was definitely wrong there since transferring purchases should not touch the content on the iPod.

"I disconnect the iPod and hook it back up with the MacBook Pro. It syncs up just fine, taking about 15-20 minutes to restore the lost content on the iPod. I got no warning that the iPod was synched to another iTunes, but I shouldn't. So I then reconnect the iPod with the Mac Pro thinking that I would just hit cancel and use Senuti to copy over files. This time without any warning, it just started synching again with the iPod, again wiping out 1/3 of the contents and replacing all the playlists."

"Frustrated, I set the iPod to not launch iTunes automatically and ejected it. After once more restoring the iPod's contents from the laptop, I plugged in the iPod and launched Senuti. I chose one playlist to copy over to start with. It copied over the files and then launched iTunes to copy the song! I should have remembered. Naturally, iTunes once again wiped out 1/3 of the contents of my iPod and replaced its playlists and tried to sync. Ugh."

If you are experiencing this issue, you can obviate it by launching Activity Monitor (located in /Applications/Utilities) and quitting both iTunes and iTunes Helper, then connecting your iPod and using a third-party tool like PodWorks to transfer tracks.

Problems opening iMovie We've received reports of problems launching iMovie '06 after installing iTunes 7.4.

One reader writes:

"I just installed the new iTunes 7.4 updater and now iMovie 06 will not open. I had to revert to my backup drive to get iMovie to open."

If you are experiencing a similar issue, try deleting the following files from ~/Library/Preferences:

com.apple.iMovie.plist
com.apple.iApps.plist

If you are experiencing problems launching iMovie '08, see this section of our special report.

Continued problems launching, fixes Users continue to report problems launching iTunes 7.4.x. Some typical reports:

"When I try to open iTunes the registration screen pops as usual after upgrade but within a second it disappears and a Apple report shows up."
"After updating my iTunes 7.3 to 7.4 iTunes when clicked on either in the applications folder or in the dock will bounce up and down once and then stop! Nothing loads!"
"I have an iMac running System X 10.3.9, with nothing special or previously problematic installed. I updated to iTunes 7.4 and now the rotten software crashes before I can even click OK to the license agreement."
"Updated, now iTunes quits during launch."

As a reminder, if you are experiencing problems launching iTunes 7.4 after updating and are using Application Enhancer (APE) and ShapeShifter, try the following:

Open System Preferences from the Apple menu
Click on the Application Enhancer Preference Pane located in the "Other" section.
Disable ShapeShifter and save your preferences
Restart your Mac
Re-install iTunes 7.4
If iTunes launches successfully after re-installation, you can try re-enabling ShapeShifter from the APE System Preferences pane.

Failing the above, try excluding iTunes 7.4 from APE's effects via these steps:

Open System Preferences
Click on the Application Enhancer Preference Pane located in the "Other" section.
Select Application Enhancer at the top of the haxie list.
Once selected, there will be a tab entitled "Master Exclude List" - select the "Master Exclude List" tab.
Use the plus ( ) sign at the bottom of the window to open a navigation window. Navigate to iTunes, which located in /Applications. Select iTunes to add it to the Master Exclude List.

then re-launch iTunes.

Alternatively, problematic plug-ins may be to blame. Try removing any third-party plug-ins from the folder: