Main Area and Open Discussion > General Software Discussion

iTunes 7 is a PITA ...

<< < (2/3) > >>

Darwin:
I'm in the same boat as Carol - lots of iTunes store tracks on my PC that I've yet to convert (ie burn to CD and re-rip) to mp3 format. I keep iTunes installed for that reason...

Carol Haynes:
FWIW according to Apple's website you should not disable iPodService even if you don't have an iPod !!

I did find a reference on the iTunes forum on Apple Support website that suggested you can not only disable it but remove it. They suggested:

Control Panel > Services
Stop the iPodService
Open a DOS window
execute the command

SC DELETE iPodService

I haven't tried it but I'd guess Apple got wise to this which is why the new version has a self repairing installer that starts automatically if the original setup has been changed. Might be worth a try though!

JavaJones:
WMP 11 is supposed to be nice, and includes store functionality so you may be able to leave iTunes behind. Store items are probably in MS's proprietary WMA format though anyway. *sigh* I believe there are conversion/DRM-removal apps out there that can make your iTunes tracks listenable on Winamp and other players. The format itself is just a variant of AAC (higher quality per bitrate than MP3) and not really difficult to play. So I'd suggest trying to remove the DRM or directly convert the tracks and then keep them around.

- Oshyan

Darwin:
Hi Oshyan and Carol,

I've used the DRM removal apps for iTunes but they are not able to deal with the version 6.2 and above, sadly. WMP 11 is really nice - I'm running the latest beta, and like it a lot. Ultimately, I don't "live" in a media player, so am not that motivated to look for ways around iTunes drawbacks. I simply have a number of tracks (including whole albums) that I've purchased because I couldn't get them on-line through any other legal means...

Thanks for the comments about the ipodservice, Carol. Looks like I might be in for a surprise the next time I reboot! Oh well...  :'(

JavaJones:
Whether or not you "live" in a media player is unfortunately not all that matters, at least as far as Apple and iTunes are concerned. The services that run constantly are a real pain. Just the fact that you have to go to these lengths to get rid of them should be a big fat red flag. I strongly believe that any system that has iTunes running on it (PC anyway - somehow Apple software always seems to run a lot better on Mac's.. Hmm.. :D) will be slower as a result, even while iTunes is not running. I can only back this up with anecdotal evidence mind you, but given the number of services that run from it by default it shouldn't be surprising.

- Oshyan

Navigation

[0] Message Index

[#] Next page

[*] Previous page