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Repair permissions to stop iTunes ID3 tag editing crash Apps
The past three weeks, I noticed that whenever I tried to edit MP3 / AAC ID3 properties in iTunes (4.0.1), it would commit the changes to the file(s), and then immediately crash. iTunes is perhaps the best way to manage, name and ID3 tag files, and I love its global editing features. Crashing sucks. Even not saving changes to a file caused crashes to occur. So how did I fix the problem?

You guessed it, repair permissions. Just go into your /Applications -> Utilities folder, run the Disk Utility app, and select Repair Permissions. I noticed the permissions were set wrong on an item in the iTunes.app package having to do with id3 usage. Voila, problem solved.

[robg adds: This small hint has inspired me to finally finish writing my own "OS X Troubleshooting 101" hint (it's been 'almost done' for um, quite some time now...), which I'll try to get posted before the week is out ... and repairing permissions is definitely part of that process, as noted here for a number of other OS X issues.]
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Repair permissions to stop iTunes ID3 tag editing crash | 8 comments | Create New Account
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Repair permissions to stop iTunes ID3 tag editing crash
Authored by: socalmmr on Sep 24, '03 11:52:11AM

I do have an observation to add here. I too, recently ran into this problem. Now, I will first interject, that I am an OS X Admin / architect for a VERY large financial firm, SO, all I do is troubleshoot OS X. Which also means, every time someone farts, I run Permissions. It is true that it does solve a LOT of quirks, BUT, I also usually run as Root, just because I, well want to. So that tends to negate a lot of the permissions arguements. As root has access to anything & everything. But even in cases where it may not apply, I always CYA by running Permissions, ANY time I install/ update, etc....

However, in my iTunes 4.x ID tag editing crash, where the info WAS written to the file, repairing Permissions did NOT solve the problem. However a quick trip to the crash log for iTunes, quickly showed in the Console log that a Visual Plug-in was the culprint. In fact about 2 of the 5 or so that I had in there caused problems. SO, along the lines of the old OS 7/8/9 Extensions isolating bliss, I yanked & tested, & yanked & tested until I found the offending culprints.

Moral of this story, plug-in's are fun, BUT, they are writting by, well anyone, & MAY not follow all of the "rules" per se. So, if you have random iTunes crashes & Permissions does not do the trick, yank your Visual Plug-In's, & maybe also since it's a crash, check the crash log.... MUCH info can be found in relatively plain English in at least 60% of crash log cases about why a crash happens, the rest is admittedly for programmers, but the offending crash is usually at the top of the list, & they are nicely dated, etc....

Just my 2 cents..


SoCalMMR



[ Reply to This | # ]
Which plugins ?
Authored by: VRic on Sep 24, '03 12:28:08PM

Could you please post which plugins you found to be faulty?

Just so we don't have to find it the hard way.



[ Reply to This | # ]
Which plugins ?
Authored by: socalmmr on Sep 24, '03 12:42:36PM

Yeah, you know, I meant to add a line about this in the original post. I am at work, & did this at home so have no info here & this was many weeks ago, so nothing is commited to memory, & BEST of all, after finding them, not only did I trash them, but I went into my Image Library & also dumped them from there, so I do not know if by chance they are still laying around on my desktop since I sometimes make copies of things when troubleshooting, but I will take a look, & if I still have them, I will post it. However, I could also post the names of the ones that I am using that ARE good, & as we all know, there are not really all that many (at least great ones) out there. So that may help a little. I want to say iGoom was one of them, but DO NOT hold me to that!

SoCalMMR



[ Reply to This | # ]
That did it!
Authored by: GORDYmac on Sep 24, '03 06:36:06PM

This was really bugging me. Removing Fountain Music.bundle did it. I don't use plugins anyway.



[ Reply to This | # ]
That did it!
Authored by: socalmmr on Sep 25, '03 10:32:05AM

Yes, in fact, I believe Fountain was one of them. I did not get a chance last night to jump on the computer, so I did not have an opportunity to try & list my findings. Ironically, the Apple included one is better than most of the one's available anyway (IMHO), so I think I have that like 2 others, & like you, rarely use them anyway....

Glad this suggestion helped. It feels good to know the hour + I spent of troubleshooting that problem helps others too!!! :)

SoCalMMR



[ Reply to This | # ]
And unlock files, too
Authored by: VRic on Sep 24, '03 12:19:46PM

I noticed the same problem when trying to edit tags for locked mp3 files ("locked" checkbox in the Finder's info window).

iTunes handles those half-way: it says you can't change the image and doesn't allow editing the text tags in the list, but it lets you edit them from the "info" dialog and then forgets the file is locked and crashes trying to save them, which I don't recall happening for files from read-only disks.

I didn't try to repair permissions yet, but I doubt it would solve this one.



[ Reply to This | # ]
Addenda
Authored by: DougAdams on Sep 24, '03 12:33:19PM
Just a couple of thoughts:

Technically, AAC files do not support ID3 tags. That info is managed internally by iTunes.

Repairing permissions may also sometimes cure the MIA track problem some iTunes users experience--the file exists yet iTunes displays the dreaded (!) adjacent to a track.

Doug
Doug's AppleScripts for iTunes


[ Reply to This | # ]
Addenda
Authored by: garbanzito on Oct 01, '03 07:25:39PM
i don't feel that i know the issue inside and out, but i do know the situation with tags in AAC files is a little complicated.. with an .m4a file recognized by iTunes as kind "AAC", i have demonstrated that metadata (inlcuding comments, genre & BPM) is preserved in the file i've seen some discussion of the issues here

[ Reply to This | # ]