OT - iTunes 10 hijacks MCE and other remote control key codes so they won't work with other programs

[Bob F]

I know this is not an XP problem, but my searching has found no info on this
problem. Maybe someone here could point me in the right direction?

I recently updated iTunes to version 10 (from 7). Now, none of my remote
controls work properly after I start iTunes. After a reboot, everything is OK.
Run iTunes, and the skip forward and back buttons I use to control BeyondTV no
longer work. They then control iTunes song skipping rather than the functions I
want in the open BeyondTV window. If I close iTunes, then everything works OK
again.

If anyone can help point me toward an understanding of this problem, I sure can
use some help.

 

[N. Miller]

I know this is not an XP problem, but my searching has found no info on this
problem. Maybe someone here could point me in the right direction?

I recently updated iTunes to version 10 (from 7). Now, none of my remote
controls work properly after I start iTunes. After a reboot, everything is OK.
Run iTunes, and the skip forward and back buttons I use to control BeyondTV no
longer work. They then control iTunes song skipping rather than the functions I
want in the open BeyondTV window. If I close iTunes, then everything works OK
again.

If anyone can help point me toward an understanding of this problem, I sure can
use some help.

Don't know if I can help. HP Pavilion n7590n running Windows 7 Home Edition
(Upgrade: from Windows XP MCE 2005); SP1. I replaced the OEM Conexant video
capture device with a Kworld PCI ATSC HDTV card. Media Center is still
installed, and the HP Media Center remote control still works properly.
Tested with iTunes 10.5.0.142 running.

But I am running the regular Media Center software packaged with the Windows
7 Upgrade pack. I don't have BeyondTV installed.

 

[Rob]

I know this is not an XP problem, but my searching has found no info on this
problem. Maybe someone here could point me in the right direction?

I recently updated iTunes to version 10 (from 7). Now, none of my remote
controls work properly after I start iTunes. After a reboot, everything is OK.
Run iTunes, and the skip forward and back buttons I use to control BeyondTV no
longer work. They then control iTunes song skipping rather than the functions I
want in the open BeyondTV window. If I close iTunes, then everything works OK
again.

If anyone can help point me toward an understanding of this problem, I sure can
use some help.

This won't help much but iTunes caused so many problems on one PC that I had
to remove it entirely. I found plenty of alternative free applications to do
the (few) things that iTunes was needed for.
In your case, the first thing I'd try is to remove iTunes 10 and reinstall
version 7, unless there is some specific reason you updated to v10?
On another PC, upgrading itunes killed my £400 astronomy application and
I had to revert to v6 as the only solution. iTunes isn't well behaved
software and a Windows PC is better off without it.

HTH

 

[(PeteCresswell)]

Per Rob:

In your case, the first thing I'd try is to remove iTunes 10 and reinstall
version 7, unless there is some specific reason you updated to v10?

After being burned badly once (in fact, I've never had an iTunes
"upgrade" that didn't cause at least some problems) I have come
to dread iTunes upgrades and never apply them unless I absolutely
have to make a device work (as in the case recently of a new
iPad) or I'm too stupid at the moment to decline the upgrade
prompt.

My suspicion is that Apple is long on glitz and short on testing.

The UIs really are nice.... but I have found new releases tb
problematic too many times for it to be just me.

 

[Bob F]

Per Rob:

After being burned badly once (in fact, I've never had an iTunes
"upgrade" that didn't cause at least some problems) I have come
to dread iTunes upgrades and never apply them unless I absolutely
have to make a device work (as in the case recently of a new
iPad) or I'm too stupid at the moment to decline the upgrade
prompt.

My suspicion is that Apple is long on glitz and short on testing.

The UIs really are nice.... but I have found new releases tb
problematic too many times for it to be just me.

I did the update trying to get a firmware update to load into a used iPod I
acquired. It turned out that the iPod seems to have a failing harddrive. I guess
it's time to go back to ver 7.

 

[Paul]

My suspicion is that Apple is long on glitz and short on testing.

I think it's worse than that. These are design intent issues, rather
than testing issues. They do things, they really shouldn't be doing.
It's a matter of not really caring, about the design environment
you're working into. I bet, if some other software developer were
to write a clone of iTunes, the install package and scheme, would
be entirely different, and smaller...

Paul

 

[Bob F]

I did the update trying to get a firmware update to load into a used
iPod I acquired. It turned out that the iPod seems to have a failing
harddrive. I guess it's time to go back to ver 7.

Uninstalled ver 10, and reinstalled 7.7. It's back to working right. That'll
teach me.

 

[(PeteCresswell)]

Per Bob F:

I did the update trying to get a firmware update to load into a used iPod I
acquired. It turned out that the iPod seems to have a failing harddrive. I guess
it's time to go back to ver 7.

What do you base the diagnosis of a failing hard drive on?

I went through two new iPods where iTunes was telling me that it
was unable to write to the device because of
some-error-or-another that implied that the device was bad.

Once it dawned on me that iTunes might not be the
tightest-wrapped software out there, I started Googling and found
an Apple knowledge base article that suggested deleting a certain
directory on my PC.

Did it, problem went away.

 

[Bob F]

Per Bob F:

What do you base the diagnosis of a failing hard drive on?

I went through two new iPods where iTunes was telling me that it
was unable to write to the device because of
some-error-or-another that implied that the device was bad.

Once it dawned on me that iTunes might not be the
tightest-wrapped software out there, I started Googling and found
an Apple knowledge base article that suggested deleting a certain
directory on my PC.

Did it, problem went away.

If you have the details conveniently at hand, I'd love to check them out. I will
do more research in either case.

 

[Bob F]

Per Bob F:

What do you base the diagnosis of a failing hard drive on?

I went through two new iPods where iTunes was telling me that it
was unable to write to the device because of
some-error-or-another that implied that the device was bad.

Once it dawned on me that iTunes might not be the
tightest-wrapped software out there, I started Googling and found
an Apple knowledge base article that suggested deleting a certain
directory on my PC.

Did it, problem went away.

The symptom is connecting the iPod to the computer, iTunes says " iTunes has
detected an iPod in recovery mode. You must restore this iPod before it can be
used with iTunes". I do the restore, which seems to go fine, but the same
message repeats after the restore......

I also tried writing some files from my computer onto the drive, but got error
messages doing that also, even after also trying to format the drive from my
computer.

 

[(PeteCresswell)]

Per Bob F:

The symptom is connecting the iPod to the computer, iTunes says " iTunes has
detected an iPod in recovery mode. You must restore this iPod before it can be
used with iTunes". I do the restore, which seems to go fine, but the same
message repeats after the restore......

I also tried writing some files from my computer onto the drive, but got error
messages doing that also, even after also trying to format the drive from my
computer.

That is different from the root problem on mine - although I did
manage to get to where you are trying to follow the instructions
for a system update.

For that problem, I took it to a local Apple Store and the tech
guy there used some utility to force-feed a new system to the
device (which, of course, hoses everything that is on it...).

In both of my cases, the device looked OK at the store, but would
not synch bco the implied-bad-device errors.

I can't recall the KB article, but if you Google the exact text
of your error messages you might get something useful. (the
operative word being "might".... -)

 

[Bob F]

Per Bob F:

That is different from the root problem on mine - although I did
manage to get to where you are trying to follow the instructions
for a system update.

For that problem, I took it to a local Apple Store and the tech
guy there used some utility to force-feed a new system to the
device (which, of course, hoses everything that is on it...).

In both of my cases, the device looked OK at the store, but would
not synch bco the implied-bad-device errors.

I can't recall the KB article, but if you Google the exact text
of your error messages you might get something useful. (the
operative word being "might".... -)

I've been through that. I tried a lot of "fixes", but so far, nothing worked for
this iPod.