How to resolve iTunes Error -42408

Question

Level 1

17 points

How to resolve iTunes Error -42408

Initially I called up Apple Tech Support to ask what the iTunes error -42408 was & no one was able to tell me.

I absolutely loathe & detest the iTunes 11 versions & when the first version 11 came out I went back to version 10.8.7

While the downgrading was succesful, everytime I open iTunes this error appears

Sometime later when I tried to buy a music album from the iTunes store, I then found out that the error prevents me from making a purchasing.

Obviously the relevant iTunes Store plugin or preference or whatever it is, is somehow missing which prevents me for making a purchase.

I want know how to resolve this issue - either with an appropriate plugin or whatever is missing that is preventing a purchase.

If that is no longer available how can I get round making a purchase but not through iTunes?

Thanks

iMac, Mac OS X (10.6.8)

Posted on Jun 24, 2013 7:59 AM

Reply

Answer 1

Best reply

neil95

Level 3

610 points

Jun 24, 2013 2:25 PM in response to Mystic444

You need to update to the latest version of iTunes to fix the problem.

http://support.apple.com/kb/TS3258

Reply

Answer 2

Mystic444 Author

Level 1

17 points

Jun 25, 2013 5:14 AM in response to neil95

I guess you didn't understand the issue Neil. I downgraded from version 11 because I loathe it. So why would I want to go back to it!!!

So there is no solution then?!?

Reply

Answer 3

léonie

Level 10

194,653 points

Jun 25, 2013 5:36 AM in response to Mystic444

Have you read the document that Neil pointed to?

If your iTunes is missing resources or encountering software conflicts, error -42404 or -42408 may appear when authenticating or downloading from the iTunes Store.

The error signifies, that iTunes is missing ressources, and this will usually be repaired by reinstalling iTunes.

When you downgraded, you must have messed up the iTunes installation. How exactly did you downgrade to iTunes 10.8.7?

To get back to that version, you will need to reinstall a MacOS X version that comes with iTunes 10.8.x, to get a consistent system, or bite the bullet and learn to live with with iTunes '11 and update.

Regards

Léonie

Reply

Answer 4

Mystic444 Author

Level 1

17 points

Jun 25, 2013 7:14 AM in response to léonie

Thanks Leonie

Yes I did look at the article...I have Snow Leopard though.

And I don't know how I could have 'messed up' the installation of the older version.

I discussed my options with someone at Apple at the time & we both agreed the best thing to do was to uninstall iTunes 11, save all my music to my external HD & install 10.8.7

And yes I have installed iTunes from the original Snow Leopard DVD as well donwloading it from a website. Didn't help.

Everything worked... & still does, except for the error msg which I recently discovered means the resource or plug-in for making a purchase through the iTunes store is missing.

At the time no one at Tech Support could tell me what resource was missing but now I know what's missing surely it is available...somewhere. I really don't understand why it wasn't part of 10.8.7 when I downloaded it.

Thanks again for the suggestions

Reply

Answer 5

Sep 6, 2013 1:17 PM in response to Mystic444

did you ever get it resolved? i'm in the same situation

Reply

Answer 6

Mystic444 Author

Level 1

17 points

Sep 8, 2013 8:59 PM in response to zoeeatsflowers

No I didn't & I tend to think that Apple doesn't want us to have an older version of iTunes...the new version is much more Store orientated - for a reason I'm sure - but that we don't have a choice is quite outrageous I find. I mean how had can it be to provide the plugin to fix this error - if they wanted to really help us!!!!

Reply

Answer 7

Jul 7, 2014 1:32 PM in response to Mystic444

How I got the error to go away was to delete the whole ByHost folder located in "User/Library/Preferences"

Reply

Answer 8

housemac

Level 1

4 points

Jan 10, 2015 8:29 PM in response to Mystic444

Hi. I just had this error (-42408) occur and I logged out of my iTunes account, restarted my computer, logged back in, and updated my account information and the Sync worked. Everything is syncing and working again. No errors. So it seems, you just need to re-authenticate your iTunes account...it also said that I needed to confirm my payment method.

Also, I just got the new iPhone 6 today and it made me upgrade my iOS and iTunes, which is when I experienced this error. Hope this helps.

Reply

Answer 9

Jan 30, 2015 2:03 PM in response to housemac

it says missing or conflict so I wonder if the issue is that just dumping the itunes app isn't enough to downgrade. You have to dig out all the prefs etc from the newer version. I tried to downgrade for various reasons and I get the error and videos won't play. So I'm wondering if I missed a file. I'm going to do a thorough search and try again

Reply

Answer 10

May 25, 2015 5:18 PM in response to housemac

I just shut down (not restart) the laptop, restarted it, and everything worked fine after that, just as it had been before.

Reply