iTunes has stopped working. Why?

Hi tt2,

It opened in Safe Mode with no issue. After I closed and reopened it operated fine for about 2 hours. I left the office, came back and it had crashed again. This is what's been happening. It will stay open for a while, then crash with the error message "iTunes has stopped working".

I am having the same issue with new iTunes just downloaded yesterday. It works fine in 'safe mode'. I also have seen it occasionally NOT crash, only to crash later.

I am actually fighting TWO issues, at least...

My first started with an HDD crash and I am attempting to rescue my iTunes database from an Itunes lib backup I had. I restored the backup to a differnt machine completely (since the old one can't boot now). I have all the tune files but the links in the itl db file are, of course, all hosed up. The path is a network path via NFS share to a linux box. For some reason all tune records in the XML shows as 'URL' type instead of a 'file' type. Of course now I am on a windows box so I need to use local drive paths. I can repair the XML & re-inhale that, but I lost the 'date created', etc. tried this script: http://samsoft.org.uk/iTunes/scripts.asp#FindTracks, but it gives error on each track & since it need to fire up iTunes & iTunes crashes - I have to fire it up in advace in safe mode & not sure if that is affecting it.

Anyway, on the matching issue here: even if I clear out the DB files, iTunes crashes a few seconds after start up. To fix the start-up error.I tried emptying the one iTunes add-on folder & restarting & also I tried to completely remove itunes & re-install. Same error.

My takeaway: Apple needs better QA. And WTH can't they make a simple app to help people transfer their libs without all the hacking around? Would it really be so difficult???

Try opening iTunes in safe mode, going to Edit > Preferences > Store and turning off Show iTunes in the Cloud Purchases? You may find that iTunes opens normally now.

When did you download FindTracks? I updated it at some point on Friday. Can you post back the line number and error message so I can look at fixing it?

tt2

Hey turingtest2.. I take it you are Steve then? I thank thee for attempting to help with the scripts. The scripts are downloaded today. The error is in a little popup window:

Find Tracks

-------------------------------------------------

Problem with item [tune name]

Kind = Purchased AAC audio file

--------------------------------------------------

turning off the 'show iTunes in the Cloud Purchases' seems to have jsut made it start failing on the next 'kind' (understanding you meant that to help the crashing problem):

Find Tracks

-------------------------------------------------

Problem with item [tune name]

Kind = MPEG-4 audio stream

--------------------------------------------------

FYI for now I seemed to have solved my crashing issue by following Worpress89's procedure:

• Goto Uninstall Program
• Sort by publisher
• Uninstall all Apple Inc. programs that let you except "Apple Software Update"
• Re-start computer
• Run "Apple Software Update"
• Select itunes to download and install

I found out some additional information which could be helpful to some folks...

I didnt mention this earlier because, well - so many problems & associated oddities. But, when I first moved the lib & repointed iTunes, I would open iTunes & click a tune which then gave me lots of these little popups: "Opening URL, Connecting..." Like 1 per 1-2 seconds. And It would never stop, or it would crash. If it didnt crash, I grew weary and killed the iTunes process. Well now, for some reason - it seems like this is actually doing something. That something is.. it's actually finding the files locally - several files at a time actually, then begins to play them. For each new track change - it does several of these & then starts playing. Additionally, I can see the 'date added' is being fixed as it goes and the little XM-radio icon looking thing next to each tune (presumably an indicator that its some sort of stream - or so it though) goes away.

I have no idea what started it to doing something useful. It could be because of that procedure I followed from Wordpress89.

So, it seems like if I am willing to endure these for a while, I may be back in business.

Hi,

I've uploaded another version of the script that has slightly improved error reporting code. I don't have any files that report their kind as MPEG-4 audio stream. I think I need to get the script to ignore those entries since they are not stored locally and there is no point searching your hard drive for them. Can you take a look with the new version of the script to see what is reported now, and confirm that I've understood what is going on there?

Are you letting the script process the whole library or have you selected a group of tracks to try to fix first?

Not sure whether or not it has anything to do with it, but do you have iTunes Match or iTunes Radio enabled? I don't have either feature so I can't tell if they cause problems.

tt2

Yeah forget what I said in that last post.. that was only getting the iCloud tunes. So that helps those, but the problem remains.

Ran your new version & got:

Problem processing item

Name: [tune name]

Kind: MPEG-4 audio stream

Error: 438

Desc: Object Doesn't support this property or method

I dont subscribe to iTunes match & I don't use iTune radio. Im not sure if eaither are enabled - but 'internet radio' checkbox is unchecked in the general preferences.

Also... one more tidbit. I got my original XML back out and cracked it open.. There are like 4 entries for each tune. They are like:

...

<key>Track Type</key><string>URL</string>

<key>Location</key><string>[old linux server path]</string>

...

<key>Track Type</key><string>URL</string>

<key>Location</key><string>//localhost//[local c path but with URL-type slashes]</string>

...

<key>Track Type</key><string>URL</string>

<key>Location</key><string>[local c path but with URL-type slashes]</string>

...

<key>Track Type</key><string>File</string>

<key>Location</key><string>file://localhost/[local c path but with URL-type slashes]</string>

...

The last one seems to have correct date modified & when i point the new itunes to all this - it can find the good one - but the other 3 variants are still there. So, maybe I can jsut delete the other 3 for each tune somehow? I have no idea how this could have happened - except for maybe the drive crash caused it to try to rebuild itself or something?

Thanks.

Can you Get Info on one of these files that is listed as an MPEG-4 audio stream, click no when asked to locate it, then show/tell me what you have on the summary tab. I'm interested to know what the old location looks like. Is this a file you can actually find, and if so what is the path to it now? Part of the script invoves reading the Kind property of the track to work out which file extensions the target file is likely to have. If the "stream" is really a locally/network stored file then I can add the relevant rule to the script to try to find it. Othwerwise I need to get the script to ignore that "kind" of file.

iTunes regenerates the XML file from the contents of the .ITL database, so there is unlikely to be anything to be gained by editing the XML directly.

FWIW this is part of one of entires for a regular track:

<key>Track Type</key><string>File</string>

<key>Location</key><string>file://localhost/E:/iTunes%20Test/iTunes%20Media/Musi c/Afro%20Celt%20Sound%20System/

Anatomic/01%20When%20I%20Still%20Needed%20You.mp3</string>

And this is what I have for a stream:

<key>Track Type</key><string>URL</string>

<key>Location</key><string>http://bbcmedia.ic.llnwd.net/stream/bbcmedia_lc1_radio4_p?s=1383667984&e=1383682 384&h=15c003e81af5227d05c7e42a77b87e31</string>

Had a quick hunt through a test library and I only see those two different types of entry, and then only one location entry for each file.

Hmm, OK so it seems that somehow you have managed to get some of your loac/network tracks treated as URLs. I wonder if assigning a local/UNC path works to convert the track type from URL to File? I will have to experiment.

tt2

turingtest2 wrote:

I wonder if assigning a local/UNC path works to convert the track type from URL to File? I will have to experiment.

tt2

Hmm, so if it is a stream I can change the path from an http address to a local path and back again, but the track type remains as a stream. Can't see a way to convert an entry from one type to other directly but I should be able to update the path assuming the track can be located in the media folder.

tt2

Hi tt2,

I updated iTunes today and thus far, I've had no crashing. However, I'm still having the distortion issue whenever I play any music. The song will play fine for a short while, then I will hear a digital skipping sound, the track will slow down in temp, then catch up. It happens on every song I've played today. Any ideas?

Take a look under Edit > Preferences > Playback. If you click the drop down against Play audio using do you have an alternate audio device? If so see if it works better.

tt2

For this particular jacked up library with 4 records for each tune, I gather that appartenly a "stream" can have a Location field of ANY format... Like I showed.. I have 3 different types of Location field entries for each phantom record. When I right click on any of these and do a 'get info', the

Kind: MPEG audio stream

Size: Stream

...

Where: [depends on which one I click, but like one of the 3 I showed earlier]

There is a button to 'Edit URL' for the 3 stream variants. But I couldnt get that to help. I am beginning to think once it's flagged as a stream, you're done with getting anything local to work.

Additional tidbit - I discovered the playcount and date added fields have mostly lost their data in this lib. I have an earlier lib from a backup a few months ago with all that info correct (as of that time).

So I am starting to feel like my boat is sinking here with dwindling options. I could:

1. use the current lib with 4 copies of everything and lost play count & date added metadata for everything (requires no further action)

2 get current lib with 4 copies of everything cleaned up & then take the hit on the date added play counts being hosed for everything. (would need to clean up the other 3 duplicate records per each tune somehow)

3. use the old lib from several months ago & just take the hit on the date added / play counts being lost since then. (if I can make it find the newer tunes)

4. Somehow merge the metadata from the old backup into the newer one & then just take the hit on the missing metadata on newer files.

5. startover fresh with a re-inhalation of all tunage

4 would probably be the most appealing, but seems far-fetched without some very custom logic.

Hi,

I spent some more time on this and I can't see any way to change a "URL" track into a "File". Streams have a date added and can be rated but they don't have play counts or last played data as far as I can tell. I think you'll need to go with option 3, the last library that considers your files to be files and not streams. FindTracks should be able to locate them if they are gathered somewhere in an iTunes Media folder like fashion. I've also got a deduping tool (which consolidates ratings and playlist membership) and another for exporting and importing meta data which can tweak most fields apart from date added.

tt2

You are exactly correct.. option 3 was the one I went with last night. I was able to get the delta tunes into the old lib by forcing the ones that were purchased to be redownloaded, and then I used your findTracks script. I think I could have juse used your findTracks script alone. So.. I was able to use the same script that we spent so much time trying to get to work on the other lib, which is kind of funny.

So now all I am really missing is the playcounts and the actual date added / modified fields for the tunes from the last few months (I couldn't find a lib which had that metadata anywhere). I can imagine much worse scenarios, so I can't get my panties too bunched up here.

Thanks chief. I bookmarked your page for future reference. Don't forget to restore you findTracks script to the version you really want to have up there.

If you have an iPod/iOS device that might have more recent information on ratings/play counts/playlists then I have scripts that can raid that data and apply it to your library. I'll tweak FindTracks to properly ignore all streams in future.

tt2