How do I remove Limewire from iTunes?

Question

How do I remove Limewire from iTunes?

Hi!
Being a polite person, I'm taking Dave Sawyer's (aka "Miss Manners") kind advice and posting a new question on this old topic.

Along with the plethora of other problems that have overtaken my iMac since the "upgrade" to OSX 10.5.7, iTunes is displaying unwanted Limewire connections. These are displayed as "shared libraries." This was apparently fallout after a Windows PC user on my (currently disabled) home network downloaded Limewire.

Understandably, since Limewire has a reputation as being used for less than legal purposes, I desire primarily to remove it and any vestige of it from my computer. Secondly, I'd like to be able to share iTunes between accounts on my iMac, as I used to be able to.

Specifically, I don't consider simply turning off "look for shared libraries" to be an answer. It seems akin to covering your eyes when you see you're going to crash your car.
I am able to stream music from these "shared libraries", and so have disabled sharing in iTunes Preferences. If anyone has an answer that will allow me to turn sharing back on with a certainty of not being "connected" to some anonymous strangers Limewire program, I'd truly appreciate it.

Regards.

iMac 7.1, Mac OS X (10.5.7)

Posted on Jul 14, 2009 11:35 AM

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Answer 1

varjak paw

Level 10

182,668 points

Jul 14, 2009 12:37 PM in response to Lapidary Specialties

There's no way to restrict what shared libraries iTunes will show. If you turn "Look for Shared Libraries" back on, iTunes will show all shared libraries it finds. If these "limewire" shared libraries are coming from outside of your home, from someone else on your neighborhood cable network for instance, you could perhaps block port 3689 (iTunes Sharing) and 5353 (Bonjour) in your router to your cable network. That would probably block those libraries from appearing while still allowing sharing within your own home. Otherwise, if you have sharing turned on, you'll see them all.

Note that you are only "connected" to those libraries if you actually choose to open them. Otherwise you're only seeing the service advertised, just as you would a shared printer but would not be connected to it unless you set it up.

BTW, this has nothing to do with Mac OS X 10.5.7 per se. This issue has been the same since iTunes first was given the Sharing feature, many versions ago.

Message was edited by: Dave Sawyer

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Answer 2

Jul 14, 2009 12:44 PM in response to Lapidary Specialties

Is the person using limewire someone you know? Are they on your home network? If not, I would review the security on your network and make sure you have it secured. This should prevent anyone from accessing it and prevent their Limewire from showing up on your iTunes.

If they are on your network, if I recall correctly (and it's been years since I played with Limewire), there was a setting in Limewire that made it show up as a shared iTunes library. See if that can be turned off.

And how nice of you to compare Dave with Miss Manners (aka Judith Martin). She's an extremely witty writer. Dave couldn't be in better company.

Best of luck.

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Answer 3

Jul 14, 2009 1:13 PM in response to varjak paw

Dave Sawyer wrote:
you could perhaps block port 3689 (iTunes Sharing) and 5353 (Bonjour) in your router to your cable network. That would probably block those libraries from appearing while still allowing sharing within your own home.

Many thanks to you both, Dave & Meg! Being a polymath rather than a code warrior (I'm somewhat dyslexic };) ), I appreciate your able assistance. And Meg, you're quite right about Miss Judith, and we need more folks with good manners.

I have seen reports that Limewire could possibly access http, and therefore data files, on Windows computers. As far as you know, could this be accomplished through the iTunes application and browser, and on a Mac?
I ask this because iTunes often links to Safari, and though not a Luddite, I'm suspicious of technology that's designed for an inherently less than honest purpose, such as Limewire. Could it exploit the above port for this purpose?
"Forewarned is forearmed," My Grandpa always said.

Again, Thanks & Regards,
Kris
Lapidary Specialties

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Answer 4

varjak paw

Level 10

182,668 points

Jul 14, 2009 1:20 PM in response to Lapidary Specialties

I have seen reports that Limewire could possibly access http, and therefore data files, on Windows computers. As far as you know, could this be accomplished through the iTunes application and browser, and on a Mac?

The Limeware application can if it's installed, but if the libraries disappear when you turn off the Look for Shared, you don't have Limewire on your system (it couldn't sneak onto your system anyway; you or someone at your house/business would have to deliberately install it), you're only seeing a shared library that's named "Limewire" (which Limewire can create in iTunes when Limewire is installed). So if that is indeed the situation, you don't have anything to worry about.

Message was edited by: Dave Sawyer

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