iTunes... 'nuff said

[Darwin]

Well, 'nuff is never enough is it? I just uninstalled iTunes and good f*&^%$@ riddance! I also uninstalled QuickTime 7 Pro while I was at it. I have quite a bit of music I purhcased through the iTunes store - about half of it has been burned to CD. Today I just thought "I'm never going to get around to burning this music, I never listen to it, and I don't care" and ripped iTunes out. Peripherally, I own a current licence for QuickTime Pro but realise that I don't use the Pro features and enough is enough. I am SICK AND TIRED TO DEATH of having to disable startup items everytime iTunes/Quicktime is installed and the icing on the cake for me was the recent inclusion of yet another frigging default service installing itself and running in the background when I updated iTunes. This is the "Apple Mobile Device Support" that was snuck in after the iPhone was released. Come on. I don't own and iPod (or an iPhone) and don't need Apple deciding that this memory hogging, useless services will be installed by default. How stupid do they think their user base is? How difficult is it to code in a radio button option on installation along the lines of "do you need iPhone support?" or "do you require iPod support?" etc. Also, if iTunes is smart enough to start services I don't need anyway when I start it up, why isn't it smart enough to shut them down when I exit it? Crap, crap, crap...

Anyway, I'm out the music and I'm out the $30 I paid a couple of years ago for QuickTime Pro but you know what? I feel like I just won the lottery. Reading back over this I should probably have posted it on the shitware boards... but there it is.

[Grorgy]

I discovered that iTunes leaves install files in application data folders and will reinstall if you aren't careful, I've deleted it a few times from my system now, i now even go through the registry and take out all references to it, but it reappears at intervals last time was just a few days ago     It wasnt installed but the installation files were there lurking

[Darwin]

Grorgy - thanks for the head's up  I used Your Uninstaller to remove it, so I *hope* I was successful, but I'll scan my registry and harddrive for references and files just to be on the safe side.

[Darwin]

Update - Grorgy, go to C:\documents and settings\all users\application data\ and delete both Apple folders. I had over 200MB of installers for iTunes, QuickTime and the Apple Updater lurking there. I'm *guessing* that these are what are causing your computer keep reinstalling iTunes every now and again. I also found Apple and Apple Computer folders with iTunes, QuickTime and Apple Updater sub-folders in my user\application data and local settings\application data folders. Try scrubbing those and your iTunes cold might go away for good (I hope).

[Grorgy]

From memory i found them in the individual user directories (the documents and settings\user\) as well as the all users one.  It makes me think tho that quicktime installs the installation files for iTunes as well, will check that next time quicktime is updated. (if i remember) but it also explains the size of the download files, they always did seem excessive to me, going off what other media players are.

[Darwin]

I installed Quicktime alternative to avoid that... will post a link later (its at freecodecs.com fwiw) - running out for dinner!

[Grorgy]

ahhhh an apple free computer, well almost, the quicktime alternative does have some apple components, but hey, as close as ya can get    Just hope it all works now     

[Grorgy]

Thanks Darwin, I had forgotten about the alternatives.  I wouldnt mind using the apple apps except they are so intrusive, i hate that.

[Darwin]

Never did post the Quicktime/Realtime alternative link:

http://www.free-code...Real_Alternative.htm
http://www.free-code...Time_Alternative.htm

QuickTime Alternative works, for now. As I understand it, Apple issued a cease and desist order to the developer, so I'm not sure how long it will continue to be developed/supported/useful.