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David Wolf1 Author

Level 1

19 points

SOLUTION to pathetic Ping junk in Windows iTunes 10.0.1

How to fix the ping junk for Mac has been floating around for a bit, but so far, no one has posted how to fix it on Windows... Until now!

So, here's how:

Enter the following commands in a Command Prompt window or the 'Run' dialog box.

"C:\Program Files\iTunes\iTunes.exe" /setPrefInt hide-ping-dropbown 1
"C:\Program Files\iTunes\iTunes.exe" /setPrefInt show-store-link-arrows 1
"C:\Program Files\iTunes\iTunes.exe" /setPrefInt disablePingSidebar 1

If you're on a 64-bit version of windows, use this instead:

"C:\Program Files (x86)\iTunes\iTunes.exe" /setPrefInt hide-ping-dropbown 1
"C:\Program Files (x86)\iTunes\iTunes.exe" /setPrefInt show-store-link-arrows 1
"C:\Program Files (x86)\iTunes\iTunes.exe" /setPrefInt disablePingSidebar 1

Hope this helps a few people!

Message was edited by: David Wolf1

Windows 7

Posted on Sep 25, 2010 4:48 PM

46 replies

Oct 21, 2010 12:31 AM in response to David Wolf1

Hi.
Sorry, I cant' believe that Apple is asking me to input those DOS-like commands...

Anyway, I tried them and I still have all those Ping bubbles popping around.

Again: anyone knows where to get previous iTunes SW?

Katrina S.

Level 7

24,131 points

Oct 21, 2010 9:18 PM in response to SwissProgHead

Apple isn't asking you to do it. This is a user-to-user board and some other iTunes user figured it out for us! They work if you follow the directions exactly for the version of OS. But anyway...

There's plenty of other threads here on AD about downgrading an itunes version. Google has a better search, though.
Just google "downgrade itunes 10"

Oct 22, 2010 7:49 AM in response to David Wolf1

I really don't get why software manufactures don't give you the option to completely turn stuff on or off. The code is there, obvious by this method to remove the annoying ping. What I don't get is why Apple doesn't just give us the option to turn this stuff off.

jeprater

Level 1

0 points

Oct 29, 2010 11:37 AM in response to BeantownJeep

Thanks for this fix. I really hated that little ping thing. This at least makes using iTunes bearable.

Nov 5, 2010 5:05 AM in response to David Wolf1

Hi Guys.
Sorry but the fix does not work for me.

Windows 7, 64bit, Italian.

Click on the start button,...and then? What is the command promt?
Please help me step by step. I am a user and not a programmer.

PH

f.burton

Level 1

5 points

Nov 5, 2010 8:07 AM in response to BeantownJeep

"What I don't get is why Apple doesn't just give us the option to turn this stuff off."

Maybe because Apple knows what we ought to like?

Jan 5, 2011 3:49 PM in response to f.burton

I found that by turning it off in the parental controls it was gone.

Jan 10, 2011 7:22 AM in response to Spartan 300

Somehow pathetic PING wasn't in the parental controls. Here and I joined this forum in hopes of finding the Answer.

wyy1989

Level 1

0 points

Mar 18, 2011 10:07 PM in response to David Wolf1

i think it might be useful to change the shortcut of showing song in iTunes store to showing the song in our own iTunes library instead... and based on the scripts that you guys have provided, i think
"C:\Program Files\iTunes\iTunes.exe" /setPrefInt invertStoreLinks 1
may achieve that for Windows... (cause previously i could only see scripts to do that for Mac)

Apr 20, 2011 9:36 AM in response to David Wolf1

"C:\Program Files\iTunes\iTunes.exe" /setPrefInt hide-ping-dropbown 1

"C:\Program Files\iTunes\iTunes.exe" /setPrefInt show-store-link-arrows 1

"C:\Program Files\iTunes\iTunes.exe" /setPrefInt disablePingSidebar 1

If you're on a 64-bit version of windows, use this instead:

"C:\Program Files (x86)\iTunes\iTunes.exe" /setPrefInt hide-ping-dropbown 1

"C:\Program Files (x86)\iTunes\iTunes.exe" /setPrefInt show-store-link-arrows 1

"C:\Program Files (x86)\iTunes\iTunes.exe" /setPrefInt disablePingSidebar 1

Before 10.2.2.12 This worked great for me although i used 0 to hide the stupid arrows.

Now disabling ping in preferences will remove annoying ping links. However, the arrows have shown back up and i can't get rid of those stupid things. has anyone got rid of the arrows in 10.2.2.12????

Apple can we have the checkbox to turn off arrows back? Please????

Nov 27, 2011 3:57 PM in response to wyy1989

This worked. Add back arrows and point them to the library. Exactly what I needed. Not sure why its not in the original post!

1st: "C:\Program Files\iTunes\iTunes.exe" /setPrefInt show-store-link-arrows 1"

2nd: "C:\Program Files\iTunes\iTunes.exe" /setPrefInt invertStoreLinks 1"

64-bit

"C:\Program Files (x86)\iTunes\iTunes.exe" /setPrefInt show-store-link-arrows 1"

"C:\Program Files (x86)\iTunes\iTunes.exe" /setPrefInt invertStoreLinks 1"

Katrina S.

Level 7

24,131 points

Mar 23, 2013 6:59 AM in response to Beerman81

I'm bumping this because I had a devil of a time finding it again.

I installed some new security software and it tried to wipe out my iTunes library. No issues getting the library back, but all my preferences & the arrows to the store were gone. I use the arrows a LOT for tagging my tracks that I get from other online sources (emusic & guvera, mostly). I kept getting threads that suggested changing the itunes pref.xml file and it wasn't working.

so - this fix still works with 10.5.3.3.

Not going to upgrade to 11 anytime soon since I love cover flow.

Now, if I could just find the solution to adding the store arrows back for podcasts......

b noir

Level 9

72,324 points

Mar 23, 2013 12:41 PM in response to Katrina S.

Hi Katrina!

I installed some new security software and it tried to wipe out my iTunes library.

It wasn't AVG, by any chance? (tt2's been tracking an uptick in library blankings lately that seems to be associated with with AVG.)

Katrina S.

Level 7

24,131 points

Mar 25, 2013 3:54 AM in response to b noir

Hi,b! It was Kaspersky. It reverted to the default itunes libary location.That came up comepletely blank so it was immediately obvious something was very wrong.

A shift-start was all I needed, to get the library back. Then fiddle with preferences again & this command-line tweak.

b noir

Level 9

72,324 points

Mar 25, 2013 2:28 PM in response to Katrina S.

🙂 Thanks Katrina!

In case you do do an update to an 11 at some stage, here's a link to instructions on getting past a Kaspersky-related install error. (Not especially common as far as I can tell, but just in case ...)

Re: Error writing to file c:\Config.Msi\a84617.rbf. Verify that you have access to that directory.

SOLUTION to pathetic Ping junk in Windows iTunes 10.0.1