Computer unauthorized to use downloaded content - after upg to 9.0.2

Hello there,
And welcome to Apple Discussions!

Not exactly sure as to why that occurred, but it has been known to happen to several users after upgrading iTunes.

Perhaps this Apple support document can assist you with your multiple authorizations on one computer issue. Hope it helps.

[One computer using multiple iTunes Store authorizations|http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1206]

B-rock

I've been updating (not "upgrading") my iTunes ever since I started using it, as each of the incremental iTunes updates is offered. I've never had to "deauthorize" my computer first (and doubt that any iTunes user does, either), and never had a problem with iTunes adding the computer back again as an additional (phantom) authorization.

This time, however, I received a note that "Computer authorization was successful. You have authorized 2 computers out of your available 5." Unfortunately, I'm still on the same computer that was authorized as 1 before I installed this update!

I emailed Apple Support, they deauthorized my computers, and said to start playing a protected download, and then authorize it again. I even Restarted my computer (not just used Sleep), and did not need to reauthorize it. It actually still shows 0 computers authorized, but plays my music as always.

Is this caused by a bug in the 9.0.2 (25) update? I'm running OS X 10.6.1 on my Mac Pro (that I purchased in April 2009), with 6 GB 1066 MHz DDR3 on a 2.66 GHz Quad-Core Intel Xeon, with the ATI HD 4870 Radeon factory-updated graphics card (which had iTunes-crashing issues before the last OS update whenever awakened from sleep). Is this an ongoing issue?

It actually still shows 0 computers authorized, but plays my music as always.

Interesting. When you were talking through things with Apple Support, did they also check on the possibility of an SCInfo file gone-bad?

Some Mac instructions on that at the end of the following document:

http://support.apple.com/kb/TS1389

No. I got a canned reply to check and follow
http://support.apple.com/kb/TS1389
and, when I explained again, and asked if they would pass this to the developers, I was advised to use the iTunes Feedback page at
http://www.apple.com/feedback/itunesapp.html

Since I can play my music, I don't want to start monkeying around with settings that can make things worse. So I'll just wait and see what happens with later updates.

No. I got a canned reply to check and follow
http://support.apple.com/kb/TS1389

🙂 Actually, in that case they did direct you to instructions on checking to see if there was a problem with your SCInfo. It's down at the bottom of the document ... Expand the "Mac OS X" heading to see the instructions.

Worth checking on, I would have thought, because that is the file that holds information on whether or not your Computer is authorised, and how many current authorisations you have. (And that's the issue that seems to be afoot on your Mac.) But if everything currently seems to be working to you satisfaction, there's certainly no rush to do any additional troubleshooting on the matter.

Thanks, my new New Zealand support buddy! 🙂

That did the trick, and I really appreciate your pointing that out! Go New Zealand All Blacks! <insert "haka" here!>

- Lou

🙂 And I hope the Devils and the Scarlet Knights are doing well in their seasons too! (Sorry, drawing a bit of a blank on the other college sports teams in New Jersey ... so hope whoever's closest to your heart in your area is also doing well ...)

Glad to have been of some assistance, Lou.

I spoke too soon. Turned off my computer last night. When I started it up, and started iTunes, I had to log in, and now I'm back to the warning:
Computer authorization was successful.
You have authorized 2 computers out of your available 5.

Unfortunately, this is the only computer I use iTunes on, and should be the only one authorized. That's "one" not "two" authorizations! (Frustrating.)

PS: I'm a Miami Dolphins, New England Patriots, and Boston Red Sox fan. (Some Americans move around too much!)

Hmmmm ... sort of a "marking time" thought, but if you leave things the way they are for today, and switch off the Mac as usual overnight and then launch itunes again in the morning ... do you go up to 3 authorisations?

(Only really saw this sort of "personality crisis on startup" thing producing multiple authorisations very occasionally on PCs with much earlier versions of iTunes before ... but it might be useful to know if some Mac variation of that is what is afoot here.)

Sorry for the delay. (Personal issues.) I'm back to 2 authorizations on this one computer (no matter how many times I've turned it off).
Hmm - just realized that I upgraded to OS X 10.6.2 today, and it resolved a problem with my zoom. I'll check the authorizations tomorrow and see if that's fixed. (Maybe even remove those files first again.)

🙂 sounds a good plan. Got my fingers crossed.

Shut Down overnight. At boot up, opened iTunes, still showed authorization for 2 machines on my account. Deleted the SC Info folder (with the 2 files), shut down again and, after reboot when I opened iTunes and checked my account, still says "2 machines are authorized to play content purchased with this account", even though I only use this one machine (which, correctly, used to show 1 authorization before I updated to iTunes version 9.0.2 from 9.0.1). <sigh>
When I log into the iTunes Store, my correct email address is shown on the login block, but when I started to play purchased music, the system asked me to login (after I had deleted the SCInfo folder), and I noticed that my prior email address was the default shown then. Could this be part of the problem? Do I need to contact iTunes Support again?
(Tony - can you send me a private email?)

When I log into the iTunes Store, my correct email address is shown on the login block, but when I started to play purchased music, the system asked me to login (after I had deleted the SCInfo folder), and I noticed that my prior email address was the default shown then. Could this be part of the problem? Do I need to contact iTunes Support again?

Odd. That sounds almost as if you have music from two different iTunes Store accounts on the PC. On the other hand, that in itself doesn't produce a double authorisation ... rather it would be a single authorisation for each set of music.

Quickly checking on another possibility. By any chance, are you also running a Windows version of iTunes on that PC, Lou? (Via parallels, Bootcamp or Fusion?) If so, is there purchased music in the Windows version of iTunes too?