iTunes 7.6.1: Playlists, music missing; general playback problems; downgrading to iTunes 7.5; more

More serious issues and a reminder about downgrading.

CNET staff

Sept. 2, 2009 2:26 a.m. PT

3 min read

[Monday, March 3rd]

Playlists, music missing Several users have reported an issue where iTunes music libraries become inaccessible after the 7.6.1 update. In some cases, users are greeted with the error message:

"The iTunes Library file is locked, on a locked disk, or you do not have write permission for for this file."

In other cases, playlists refuse to properly open with no error messages.

This problem may be caused by storing iTunes media libraries outside their designated location (~/Music). Try moving libraries back to this location and check for alleviation of the issue.

You can also try recreating your iTunes library, though this will cause you to lose playlists.

Failing that, try downgrading to iTunes 7.5 as instructed below and check for access to your old playlists. Unfortunately, the playlists may be rendered unusable because they have been updated for use with 7.6.1.

General playback problems If you are experiencing general problems with audio not playing, low volume or other related issues, try removing potentially problematic third-party playback components. Look in the following directories:

~/Library/QuickTime
/Library/QuickTime

and remove any third-party items, then restart and check for persistence of the issue(s).

Downgrading to iTunes 7.5 As previously reported, 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:

Delete the following files:

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.

Once you've downgraded, you will need to recreate your iTunes library, and you will lose any playlists.

Apple TV not recognized One readerw writes:

"I have an Apple TV that does not show up in iTunes 7.6.1. I do notice however that I was running the 1.1 version of AppleTV software. Updating to Apple TV 2.0 results in it now showing in the Device column, but no ability to control syncing, and no syncing or streaming activity."

Recreating your iTunes library may work to resolve this issue.

Low volume/sound distortion Users are reporting low volume output or distorted audio, especially from tracks imported under iTunes 7.6.1, after teh update.

John Peller writes: