# iTunes for Windows.... Your thoughts? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 23, 2003, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/itunes-for-windows-your-thoughts/209153 "2003-10-23T17:15:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![iamthewalrus\_3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/258eb7/32.png) [@iamthewalrus\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamthewalrus_3)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2003, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/itunes-for-windows-your-thoughts/209153/21 "2003-10-27T04:12:18Z")
I tried using it and it burned a coaster with my drive (It’s a Lite On 52x-er). I’ll give it one more shot, but if the cd doesn’t burn correctly, then I’m not going to buy music through them. I did look around the store though. It’s a nice layout. ---
**Author:** ![Wisp00](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/977dab/32.png) [@Wisp00](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wisp00)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2003, 7:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/itunes-for-windows-your-thoughts/209153/22 "2003-10-27T07:23:57Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by friedo \* > \*\*Even better, create a CD disk image and rip MP3s from that. Much faster and cheaper than wasting actual CDs. 🙂 \*\* How do you do that? ---
**Author:** ![rekkah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ee59a6/32.png) [@rekkah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rekkah)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2003, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/itunes-for-windows-your-thoughts/209153/23 "2003-10-27T14:39:05Z")
Is it possible to convert audio book files to MP3 using the burn to CD then rip method? I tried looking around on the [audible.com](http://audible.com) and itunes help sections and they seemed to imply that it wasn’t possible but the explanations were very non-technical and gave very little information as to the format they come in etc. Alternatively, if I have a portable MP3 player that plays AAC files will it be able to play the audiobooks straight, even if it isn’t on the list as compatible? ---
**Author:** ![Mal\_Adroit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df788c/32.png) [@Mal\_Adroit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mal_Adroit)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2003, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/itunes-for-windows-your-thoughts/209153/24 "2003-10-27T20:26:57Z")
So what does the Windows 98 user do? :mad: ---
**Author:** ![rjung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/45deac/32.png) [@rjung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjung)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2003, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/itunes-for-windows-your-thoughts/209153/25 "2003-10-27T22:30:54Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by rekkah \* > Is it possible to convert audio book files to MP3 using the burn to CD then rip method? Can’t imagine why not, since iTunes will burn books as audio CDs. iTunes will even span the audio books across multiple CDs if necessary. > [@](#): > > Alternatively, if I have a portable MP3 player that plays AAC files will it be able to play the audiobooks straight, even if it isn’t on the list as compatible? The audio books are not in AAC format; they’re in a proprietary format Audible has developed. > [@](#): > > _Originally posted by Moody Bastard_ > So what does the Windows 98 user do? Why, get a Mac, of course! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Ms2001](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ms2001/32/18463_2.png) [@Ms2001](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ms2001)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2003, 5:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/itunes-for-windows-your-thoughts/209153/26 "2003-10-28T05:45:37Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Anamorphic \* > \*\*You can’t do it directly […] Just burn the tracks to a CD […] then rip it back to your computer as MP3 files. A bit of a hassle, perhaps, but it’s not accurate to say you can’t convert the AAC files to MP3s. \*\* D’oh! For a while there I was planning to use iTunes, but I guess I’ll have to wait for another company to get it right. ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2003, 5:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/itunes-for-windows-your-thoughts/209153/27 "2003-10-28T05:49:55Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Mr2001 \* > \*\*D’oh! For a while there I was planning to use iTunes, but I guess I’ll have to wait for another company to get it right. \*\* I don’t think that’ll ever happen. I don’t think you can do the conversion without breaking the copy protection scheme, so a software designed to do it would be illegal. ---
**Author:** ![Ms2001](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ms2001/32/18463_2.png) [@Ms2001](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ms2001)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2003, 9:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/itunes-for-windows-your-thoughts/209153/28 "2003-10-28T09:21:34Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by scr4 \* > \*\*I don’t think that’ll ever happen. I don’t think you can do the conversion without breaking the copy protection scheme, so a software designed to do it would be illegal. \*\* I don’t think it’d be illegal for Apple (or some other online music store) to let their program “break” its own copy protection. Or to simply distribute the songs in a consumer-electronics-friendly format in the first place. ---
**Author:** ![Anamorphic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/anamorphic/32/3057_2.png) [@Anamorphic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anamorphic)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2003, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/itunes-for-windows-your-thoughts/209153/29 "2003-10-28T17:37:37Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Mr2001 \* > \*\*I don’t think it’d be illegal for Apple (or some other online music store) to let their program “break” its own copy protection. Or to simply distribute the songs in a consumer-electronics-friendly format in the first place. \*\* I don’t think it’d be ‘illegal’ either, but I believe part of the deal with the record companies was having some sort of copy-protection in place. Without it, or with the copy protection as easy to break as you’d like, they’d surely have even fewer labels then they do now, and would not be able to continue to sign new ones. Yeah, as it is, if you really need the songs to be in MP3 format, then iTMS probably isn’t for you. I’m happy with it, and fine with the AAC format, but I have an iPod, so it works for me. Just curious, is that the reason you need them to be in MP3? Do you have a player that doesn’t support AAC? ---
**Author:** ![Unintentionally\_Blank](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/unintentionally_blank/32/5418_2.png) [@Unintentionally\_Blank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Unintentionally_Blank)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2003, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/itunes-for-windows-your-thoughts/209153/30 "2003-10-28T18:33:45Z")
Due to a major SNAFU, I had to go to my backups and restore my data…I had pretty much everything backed up except two iTunes albums I’d purchased last friday. Is there a way to download the music again? Heck, it can even be DRM’d the same way, that’s not a problem. I’d just hate to pay for two albums twice if I didn’t have to. ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2003, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/itunes-for-windows-your-thoughts/209153/31 "2003-10-28T18:37:19Z")
Well, if this is the one with the wildly dancing silouettes, I’d buy it just for the commercial! God! I LOVE THAT COMMERCIAL!!! ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2003, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/itunes-for-windows-your-thoughts/209153/32 "2003-10-28T18:47:11Z")
Outside the US, it doesn’t appear possible to use iTunes for buying music. However, I’ve installed it instead of WinAmp on my PCs at work and at home, and it’s a hell of a lot better to use - I perceive slightly better sound quality too, but that might just be personal bias. There’s a slight glitch in redrawing the window when I open another window over the top of it, but that’s only a small gripe. ---
**Author:** ![rjung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/45deac/32.png) [@rjung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjung)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2003, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/itunes-for-windows-your-thoughts/209153/33 "2003-10-28T20:08:30Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by jjimm \* > Outside the US, it doesn’t appear possible to use iTunes for buying music. Licensing agreements outside the USA have not been reached yet. It’s rumored Canada will be next, though. And Europe is currently tied up due to some outstanding patent for buying music online. You can certainly browse the store and try the samples outside the US, though. ---
**Author:** ![Ms2001](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ms2001/32/18463_2.png) [@Ms2001](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ms2001)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2003, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/itunes-for-windows-your-thoughts/209153/34 "2003-10-29T01:59:38Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Anamorphic \* > \*\*Just curious, is that the reason you need them to be in MP3? Do you have a player that doesn’t support AAC? \*\* Yes, and not just one: I have a car stereo, a DVD player, a portable CD player, and a Palm handheld… about $750 worth of equipment. They all play MP3s, which is why I bought them, but none of them will even play unencrypted AAC–let alone Apple’s DRM-wrapped AAC. iTunes fans have claimed that since the iPod is the most popular digital music player, and it plays iTunes files, the file format isn’t a problem. But although the iPod might sell more units than any other single device, _most_ digital music players (car, home, and handheld) aren’t iPods, and won’t play the files. MP3 has been the de facto standard for years. ---
**Author:** ![DarbyV](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/779978/32.png) [@DarbyV](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DarbyV)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2003, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/itunes-for-windows-your-thoughts/209153/35 "2003-10-29T02:31:05Z")
Are you telling me I can’t burn a CD from itunes of songs i’ve downloaded that will play in my car? ---
**Author:** ![Unintentionally\_Blank](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/unintentionally_blank/32/5418_2.png) [@Unintentionally\_Blank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Unintentionally_Blank)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2003, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/itunes-for-windows-your-thoughts/209153/36 "2003-10-29T02:40:06Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by DarbyV \* > \*\*Are you telling me I can’t burn a CD from itunes of songs i’ve downloaded that will play in my car? \*\* You have the option of burning a CD-R with Audio you can play on a normal CD player, or a CD-R or DVD±R with mp3’s of your music. ---
**Author:** ![Hanna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b3f665/32.png) [@Hanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hanna)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2003, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/itunes-for-windows-your-thoughts/209153/37 "2003-10-29T03:38:56Z")
I have another question about iTunes: Can I create a playlist and copy those songs to my portable MP3 player? I never installed the software that came with the MP3 player I have, I normally just connect the USB cord, open my “My Music” folder and drag the songs I want onto the MP3 player. I have only had iTunes a short time and I can’t figure a way to do this - these are my MP3s from CDs I ripped myself, not purchased from Apple music. I have been creating playlists within iTunes anyway, it would be so convenient to be able to transfer some directly to my MP3 player. ---
**Author:** ![cheddarsnax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a587f6/32.png) [@cheddarsnax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cheddarsnax)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2003, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/itunes-for-windows-your-thoughts/209153/38 "2003-10-29T03:48:30Z")
[My thoughts in the Pit](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=217747) ---
**Author:** ![Geoduck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c37758/32.png) [@Geoduck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Geoduck)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2003, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/itunes-for-windows-your-thoughts/209153/39 "2003-10-29T03:53:36Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Boscibo \* > \*\*I have another question about iTunes: Can I create a playlist and copy those songs to my portable MP3 player? \*\* Sure you can. The key is identifying the folder where iTunes stores the actual MP3 data files. Under the “Advanced” tab in your iTunes Preferences is the file path of the iTunes music library location. Find that folder and make a shortcut to it for your desktop. Then you can open that library folder when needed and drag the files to your player. iTunes presents the user with metadata about their music and at first it can be confusing. With a little time you will see that this approach is brilliant, allowing flexible playlists. ---
**Author:** ![Hanna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b3f665/32.png) [@Hanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hanna)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2003, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/itunes-for-windows-your-thoughts/209153/40 "2003-10-29T04:33:51Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Geoduck \* > \*\*Sure you can. The key is identifying the folder where iTunes stores the actual MP3 data files. Under the “Advanced” tab in your iTunes Preferences is the file path of the iTunes music library location. Find that folder and make a shortcut to it for your desktop. Then you can open that library folder when needed and drag the files to your player. \*\* Hmmm…I found the iTunes folder, but all that was in there is a folder that is empty, an .itl file (brings up the iTunes program and my music) and an .xml file with all the titles. Would my playlist be somewhere else? I had the option “Copy files to iTunes folder when creating library” unchecked, but I checked that and no difference. Do I need to rebuild my library to get the songs copied to the iTunes folder? How do I do that? Thanks. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/itunes-for-windows-your-thoughts/209153.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/itunes-for-windows-your-thoughts/209153.md?page=3)