The 4 Fixes to Common Problems with iTunes for Windows XP

Love it or hate it, iTunes is one of the most popular media players available, thanks to the success of the iPod and iPhone. The following tips should come in handy for those of you who use iTunes for Windows XP, in the event that your iTunes installation ends up in less-than-perfect operating condition.

First off, I suggest uninstalling iTunes from the Add or Remove Programs Control Panel and then installing the latest version of iTunes downloaded from Apple.com. This may fix some issues with older versions. Apple also suggests keeping your anti-virus software up to date. Now, on to some more-specific issues.

Problem #1

Certain iTunes screens are pink. (Note: Only a problem if you don’t like pink.)

Cause: Windows is set to display a low-quality color palette, and thus cannot correctly render the iTunes window when it demands a high-quality color.

Solution: Make sure Windows is set to display 32-bit color in the Display Control Panel. This will be under the Settings tab, as “Color Quality.”

Problem #2

Error messages as follows:
“iTunes might be unable to launch or communicate with iPod or iPhone.”
“The iPod (Customer’s iPod) cannot be updated. An unknown error occurred (-50)”
“The iPod (Customer’s iPod) could not be restored. An unknown error occurred (1418, 1429, 1430, 1436 or 1439)”

Cause: This symptom may be caused by an issue with the digital signing of Windows XP drivers.

Solution: Re-register Certain Windows XP Drivers
(Copied from source: http://support.apple.com/kb/TS1539)

1. Disconnect the iPod from the computer and close iTunes.
2. Highlight all of the following 10 lines of text that begin with regsvr32 and then chooseCopy from the Edit menu of your web browser:
   

   regsvr32 /s softpub.dll
   regsvr32 /s wintrust.dll
   regsvr32 /s dssenh.dll
   regsvr32 /s rsaenh.dll
   regsvr32 /s gpkcsp.dll
   regsvr32 /s sccbase.dll
   regsvr32 /s slbcsp.dll
   regsvr32 /s mssip32.dll
   regsvr32 /s cryptdlg.dll
   regsvr32 /s initpki.dll

3. Open the Notepad program by navigating to:
   Start > All Programs > Accessories > Notepad
4. In Notepad, choose Paste from the Edit menu. Note: make sure that the text that appears in Notepad is the same as what is shown above.
5. From the File menu, choose Save As.
6. In the File name field type appleipod.bat and save the file to the Desktop.
7. Close Notepad and locate the appleipod.bat file.
8. Double-click the file and you will see a black window appear on the screen for about a minute. Wait until the window automatically disappears and proceed to the next step.
9. The appleipod.bat file can be deleted at this time.
10. Open iTunes and connect the iPod.
11. When the iPod appears in iTunes, restore the iPod and resync your content.

Problem #3

iTunes will not open or unexpectedly quits

Cause: Corrupted preference files or possibly out-of-date plug-ins.
Solution: Remove Preferences and Third-Party Plug-ins. Delete the following folders:

C:\Documents and Settings\Your Username Here\Application Data\Apple Computer\iTunes

C:\Documents and Settings\Your Username Here\Local Settings\Application Data\Apple Computer\iTunes

C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Apple Computer\iTunes\SC Info

Problem #4

Error messages as follows:
“iTunes cannot run because it detects a problem with QuickTime”
“iTunes cannot run because it has detected a problem with your audio configuration”
“Error (-200)”

Cause: Apple doesn’t provide a cause for this issue, but it appears to have something to do with QuickTime Player’s audio preferences.
Solution: Reinstall QuickTime
Click Control Panel from the Start Menu then select Add or Remove Programs.
Select QuickTime from the list then click the Remove button to start the uninstall process.
Download and run the QuickTime installer without iTunes from here.

How to Download iOS Apps Stuck on “Waiting..”

Trying to update an iOS App but download it taking forever?

 You open the iTunes Apps Store on your iPad /iPhone and click “install” to download an app. The app icon appear on your device home screen with the “waiting..” status. You go for a coffee, come back but the app hasn’t downloaded yet – the blue progress bar on the app’s icon isn’t moving and the status is still “waiting.”
This isn’t a new problem but am facing it more and more ever since I upgraded the second-generation iPad to iOS 6. The official Apple forums are flooded with similar complaints and there has been no official response /fix so far.

Resume App Downloads on your iOS Device

So how do you download and update apps that are stuck at “waiting..” forever? Now  doesn’t really help but here are some possible solutions:

1. You can download the app on your computer using iTunes and then sync to transfer the app to your iPhone /iPad.
2. Or, long-tap the icon on the home-screen until the icons begins to shake. Now delete the “waiting” app and reinstall it from the iTunes store. This isn’t the best option as you  may lose some of the custom settings that were previously associated with the app.
3. Or, single tap the app’s icon on the home screen and it will pause the download. Now go back to the iTunes Apps store, switch to the “Updates” screen and click “Update” to resume the download. This is what I do on my iOS device and the fix works most of the times.
4. Or, go to Settings -> iTunes & App Stores and tap the Apple ID to sign-out. Restart the iPad, go back to Settings -> iTunes Apps Store and sign-in. Tap the waiting icon to update the app.

Tried trick #3 with the “stuck” app and downloading resumed