iTunes 7.6.1: a surprisingly problematic update
inability to playback music and other media, repeated freezes and unexpected quits, lower or non-existent volume, stuttering playback, Apple TV issues and more.
[Monday, February 25th]
Users are experiencing a variety of significant issues after the update to iTunes 7.6.1 including inability to playback music and other media, repeated freezes and unexpected quits, lower or non-existent volume, stuttering playback, Apple TV issues and more.
Downgrading to iTunes 7.5 Some users are experiencing such serious issues with iTunes 7.6.1 that they are choosing to downgrade to iTunes 7.5 (the latest available version for which we could find a mirror download). Note that this procedure should only be attempted if you've exhausted all other workarounds and the problems are too dire to bear. Here's how to do it:- The iTunes 7.6 application (located in /Applications)
- com.apple.iTunes.plist (from ~/Library/Preferences)
- iTunes.pkg (from /Library/Receipts)
- iTunesX.pkg (from /Library/Receipts)
Download and install iTunes 7.5.
Music, other media does not play Several readers are reporting an issue in which music and other media simply does not play after the update to iTunes 7.6.1. Users double-click a track to initiate playback, or select a track and hit the "Play" button and nothing happens. Note that this is separate from another issue (listed below) in which the system does not produce any audio, though tracks are ostensibly playing.
MacFixIt reader Keith Hoffman writes:
"I updated to iTunes 7.6.1, and now nothing happens when I try to play any files in iTunes. It just sits there. My music library is showing up; so I don't think that's an issue. It does the same thing when I try to play samples in the iTunes music store. I reinstalled the program and I get the same result."
Another reader adds:
"It plays .mp4 files without problems but refuses to play .mov files that until upgrading played perfectly fine."
For some users, this problem is only occurring with media purchased from the iTunes store. In this case, the fix may be to de-authorize and re-authorize your computer for digital media rights. This can be accomplished using the functions found in the "Store" menu in iTunes. First pick the "de-authorize" command, then when our computer has been successfully de-authorized, go back and select the "Authorize" command, then quit and re-launch iTunes and re-attempt transfer of media.
Other potential fixesRemove third-party plug-ins Look in the following directory:
- ~/Library/iTunes/iTunes Plug-ins
and remove any third-party plug-ins (including visualizers) you have previously added, then quit and re-launch iTunes.
Double-clicking file again In some cases, the authorization issue is easily fixed by double-clicking the file (game, video, etc.) in question (from within iTunes), which will prompt the user for authorization credentials. After authorizing, re-attempt synchronization with the iPod.
Strip DRM A convoluted and time-consuming solution to this problem is to burn the DRM-protected tracks to a CD in iTunes, then re-import them, stripping the authorization requirement altogether.
No sound whatsoever Some users are reporting an issue where the system doesn't generate any sound when attempting to play music and other media in iTunes after the 7.6.1 update, though the tracks appear to be playing.
In some cases, simply restarting in safe mode (hold down the shift key while the system is starting up) then restarting normally can resolve this issue.
Freezes and crashes when downloading from store A number of users have reported that iTunes unexpectedly quit or indefinitely freezes when attempting to download purchased music from the iTunes store. The aforementioned workarounds (particularly de-authorizing and reauthorizing your account) may work to resolve these issues.
Reduced volume MacFixIt reader David Green reports dramatically reduced volume output after the update.
"I am having trouble with the output volume. It is normally loud enough on the third division but now has to be played on maximum and the volume is very soft."
If you are experiencing a similar issue, please let us know.
Stuttering playback/spinning beachballs Some users are experiencing stuttering playback of media in iTunes or repeated systemwide stalls (typified by the spinning beachball) when attempting playback.
MacFixIt reader Bruce writes:
"I am experiencing the dreaded beach ball every time I play any video in itunes. The video skips ahead for as long as the ball was spinning."
Keven Winters adds:
"Since updating to iTunes 7.6.1 and OS 10.5.2 all songs in iTunes "stutter" during playback on my aluminum 20 inch iMac (Aug 2007), 3GBs of Ram. Also, all videos, whether they are Mpeg-4, MOV, AVI, or WMV files, also "stutter" during playback in both iTunes and Quicktime (7.4.1). I'm downgrading to 10.5.1 tonight. Strangely, I am not experiencing the same issues with my 15 inch 2.33 GHz MacBook Pro at work, running 10.5.2 as well as iTunes 7.6.1 and Quicktime 7.4.1. I have the exact same iTunes and video library on this machine as my home iMac."
Apple TV issues Users also continue to report significant Apple TV issues after the iTunes 7.6.1. update. Reports:
- "I will go to bed wake up and the Apple TV is no longer in the iTunes list."
- "Everything from "unrecognized format" errors when playing trailers, random semi-restarts by the unit which lead to missing menu items, random can't connect to iTunes store messages, Apple TV doesn't show up in Device List and when it decides to it does partial syncs and then disappears."
In some cases restarting the host Mac or the Apple TV (or both) can temporarily resolve this issue.
Pandora Jam not working One reader writes:
"I use Pandora Jam to download new music... and before 7.6.1 update, all newly downloaded Pandora Jam songs appeared in my ITunes music library as well as in my Pandora Jam playlists. Seamlessly. After 7.6.1, my ITunes music library shows only a few random downloaded songs from recent downloads, while the ITunes Pandora Jam playlists are accurate."
Feedback? Late-breakers@macfixit.com.
Previous coverage:
Resources