Anyone else having a problem after updating with 11.1.4, losing DVD, then unable to burn?

After all these years of faithfully updating my iTunes when prompted, I've discovered that 11.1.4 is causing no end of problems on my PC.

It has been a nightmare, and though I've trawled around and tried several suggested fixes, I'm still left cursing and swearing at Apple.

First of all, I got the classic "msvcr80dll is missing" message. OK, so I managed to fix that, messing around with my registry in a way that I shouldhn't have to. Even uninstalling iTunes was an issue, as Apple Mobile Support Device refused to uninstall unless I fooled the machine into thinking I was installing it for the first time.

Then I re-installed 11.1.4, to find that suddenly my DVD burner had disappeared off the face of the earth. Great. More trawling around the internet, to discover the world of Upper and Lower Filters. I follow the Apple advice http://support.apple.com/kb/TS2308 and delete them. My DVD burner returns from its journey into nowhere.

Then I open iTunes to receive a message telling me the Registry settings used by the iTunes drivers for DVDs etc are missing. Well, funny that, as I'd just followed Apple's advice (I think) about deleting those wretched filters.

But the final straw comes when I try to burn a podcast, to receive a message saying "Disc Recording" not being possible.

Once again I went to the Apple website, to find further a further thread, which I follow to the letter, as amended by another user (adding a Return after the final instruction). http://support.apple.com/kb/TS3299

Result: no change!!!!

Worst of all, I've sent messages to so-called Apple Support, and received nothing helpful in reply.

So now I think I'm going to try to go back to my backups and find out the previous version of iTunes, which worked blissfully well, and try to re-install that. If I can't do that, I think it's the end of the road.

Dear Apple - why fix something that wasn't broke? Why mess with my PC? Why ruin a perfectly good relationship with a customer who's got an iPad and an iPhone but who now thinks Apple is just like every other software company.

Yours in total frustration,

Frustrated of Stirling, South Australia.