Apple iTunes Defaults to Ripping .m4a - Thumbs Down

I like Apple. I like iTunes. That's what is going to make this hard (and yet so very easy) to write complaints about them. In yet another argument for never ever updating software ever, a setting that I depend on in iTunes buried deep in the preferences menu defaulted to factory settings. I should note that I'm not sure this happened during an update or for some other reason.

I use iTunes for most of my music right now. I've used Winamp (yay), Windows Media Player (boo) and a few of the online services like Playlist.com. What I find most often is that none of these free tools is fully featured, but depending on what you need at that moment the right tool is available. That's a presumably common thread for free software, right? But for the longest time, Windows MP would not rip mp3s from CDs and neither would Winamp so when need this I used iTunes only. By default, the star software from Apple will rip your mp3s to a ridiculous place on your computer's hard drive.

C:\Users\USERNAME\Music\iTunes\iTunes Music\Music

Really Apple? Isn't "Music" used three separate times a little redundant? And why would I care to separate out the "iTunes" stuff into it's own folder tree? Even if I'd bought it through the iTunes store (*scoff*) I'd just want it in the root music folder organized by artist. Thankfully, you can change this in the preferences to wherever you want. Since I share this PC with the whole family, I usually use something everyone can access.

C:\Users\Public\Music

The folders in this directory are organized by artist and album.

Aside from this, iTunes also defaults to encoding ripped music to AAC/m4a (mpeg-4 audio) format. I'm sure there is some sort of computer music snob --and I recognize I'm throwing stones in my glass house-- that could explain to me the differences and the advantages of .M4A for music files versus traditional .MP3. I prefer mp3s. Since music first became something usable on a computer, they've been the bread and butter standard. And I'll keep on preferring them and reinforcing them as the industry standard.

Again, iTunes preferences allow you to specify mpeg-3 and every file ripped from then on will be right. I've had it set that way for years. However, something recently has reset these preferences to their defaults and if there was a warning or notice about it, I missed it. Later, I went looking for stuff I knew I'd ripped from my CDs and couldn't find the mp3s right away. As it turned out, that's because they were saved in a redundant folder, in a different format than mp3. Even my next step for finding lost files using Google Desktop didn't work, because I narrowed my search to mp3 files.

My Steps to Repair

• Change the settings in iTunes preferences.
• Delete the \iTunes\ folder, and all M4A files inside it. I know that iTunes will recreate the folders when it next starts up, but at least for the moment, they are goodbye.
• Find the CDs I wanted on the computer and rip them again into the right place.
• Consider Winamp once again, as it's pretty good.

That's all, I'm done complaining. Go back to your regularly scheduled whatever.

More Information

• Here are details instructions on how to change the preferences: Ask Dave Taylor!® - How do I have iTunes rip CDs into MP3 format?
• Here's someone on Apple's forums confused about m4a: Topic: Bought song from itunes store for mp3 player but it's in mp4 format??
• Here's more of the same sort of confusion: Topic : .m4a, .mp3, etc questions
• I didn't read these instructions, but they may have helped. They were more specific to "protected" m4a files than normal ones, which was not my problem. Converting m4p to mp3 files

SOFTWARE REVIEW: Recuva

Files get deleted unintentionally. It happens to everyone at some point. Sometimes they can be recovered from the recycle bin, but if they aren't there it's a little-known secret that they can still usually be recovered from the hard drive anyway. The reason for this is that when a file is deleted by the operating system, it only means that the file has been removed from a table of contents that the file system maintains. The data is still there, but the computer has simply stopped tracking it. It might still be there on the physical hard drive media. Over time, the system may write NEW data to that specific location on the media thereby making it impossible much more difficult to recover. But if that hasn't happened yet, special scanning software could find it.

I've been the loudest megaphone that I can possibly be to let people know about this and the free software that is available to accomplish this simple task. Currently, the most recommended tool available that I've seen is called RECUVA. This tool was reviewed positively on Lifehacker and I'd downloaded it upon reading the review.

It wasn't until today that I needed it. And it was for a friend's SD media card. Of course Recuva's details make it clear that it will work on SD and other media cards, so I confidently stated to my friend that I could get it done.

Where this went wrong is that the way that I read SD cards on my computer is to plug them into my Dell Axim. I don't have a built-in or stand-alone SD reader. My camera plugs in directly, but just for reading SD cards this indirect method has always worked.

Except it didn't work in this instance. The recovery software has some options for scanning hard drives, ipods, media cards and other devices. But it failed to scan and locate the media card, even though Explorer could browse to the files on the device with no problem. It seems that it only recognizes drives with letters associated with them (C:, D:, E:, etc.) and since the handheld doesn't get one, then it can't be recognized.

You should still download Recuva and have it in your arsenal anyhow, but don't rely on it to recover files on your Pocket PC, PDA or an SD card inserted in it.

Update: I had a moment after thinking about these steps and I tried the same tool with my camera instead of the handheld. But the results were the same. Oh well, it was worth a shot.

iTunes Issue

I'm a fan of iTunes and I am a long time Apple fan. I'm having a little issue recently with this little media player and I hope to help others work around it. If anyone knows a way to actually fix the problem, I'd like to know.

I've been creating a set of playlists from mp3s (that I totally purchased legally) and these lists have grown longer than would fit on one CD. In case you didn't know it, blank CDs can hold a maximum of 80 minutes of music usually. If you create a playlist of songs in iTunes, you can then record it to disc. For your convenience, if your list is longer than 80 minutes, Apple's music player will split the list up for you.

I've got a two-hour playlist that warns me about the multiple disc burn which I validate and set the first disc to burn. Where the problem begins is when it spits the full disc out and asks for the next one. At this point, it only highlights 3 or 4 songs for the new disc. Sometimes it will burn the rest, but often it seems to completely halt and invisibly cancel the entire burn process.

What I thought at first might be an issue with my CD-burner or a corrupt installation of iTunes appears to be related to the files themselves. All of these mp3 files have been previewed by me start to finish. The player will play them, but iTunes cannot burn them for some reason. I moved the file to the end of the remaining playlist and click the button again and I get success with the one song as exception.

Once I identify tunes like these, I can delete the mp3 and then... "repurchase" them. But I was looking for some other more elegant fix. Thanks!

More About iTunes and MP3s

• Amazon.com Search - iTunes
• Amazon.com Search - MP3s

Microsoft TechNet

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• TechNet Magazine: Wireless Single Sign-On
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There is a lot more, including a free magazine. Get your daily dose at the Microsoft TechNet Home Page.

Live Slick: Top 10 Freeware Software Nobody Knows About - But Should

Quote:

It's always a shame when a great program is not heard about by most people - especially when it's free. Here are the top 10 freeware software that many people still haven't tried, but definitely should.

I definitely agree. I love to stumble upon interesting software that I've never used before and that makes a difference in my day. It is especially interesting to use tools that have not yet gained a large amount of popularity.

Here is the referenced list with my one-line opinion. It is numbered in the opposite order as originally published.

1. Sharepod - Since this is an iPod add-on and I don't own an iPod... it sounds useful anyhow.
2. ConTEXT - A Notepad replacement, specifically for web and software developers. I've used TextPad and other Notepad upgrades, but this one is new to me.
3. IrfanView - This simple image viewer and editor is one that I've never used, but it has been recommended to me by my dad, who I consider an authority on image software.
4. Windows Live Writer - A desktop tool for publishing to multiple blog software programs, including Blogger. I've not used this one, but it's gotten more attractive lately. This is certainly the most intruiging option on the page.
5. Foxit Reader - More efficient replacement for Adobe Reader. I've not used it yet, but it should be faster than the original.
6. Snipping Tool - a screen shot tool included with Windows Vista. Since I don't have Vista..
7. Blender - Computer graphics software usable for art and movies. I've never used it and it would appear to require more system resources than I have at my disposal.
8. ImgBurn - A good tool for managing ISO files and ripping from and burning to CDs and DVDs. I've not used this one either.
9. MusikCube - a simple music player and playlist manager. I've found Winamp and iTunes fit my needs for the most part, but I might try this one at some point.

And there you have it. Apparently, for the most part I'm out of the loop and need to start downloading now. You should too. Read the full list and detailed descriptions at Live Slick.

Google News - Sci/Tech

I recommend Google News - Sci/Tech as a home page for those looking for the most recent and most linked-to news stories.

You can also add a feed of the most recent relevant news stories to your iGoogle home page or Google Reader.

Windows Is Free (A TLUG Article)

Software piracy of Microsoft Windows operating systems is probably pretty prevalent among geeks and non-geeks. It's illegal and arguably immoral, but many people do it anyhow with various excuses. Dave Gutteridge wrote a detailed and convincing argument that piracy of Windows is not only helping Microsoft's software get adopted, but it is also likely hindering the adoption of Linux and/or other open source operating systems.

A recent column on Zdnet, by Adrian Kingsley-Hughes, discussed the reasons why people won't change from a retail operating system to a free one. The implication is that Linux can't even give away their software.

That sounds pretty dire. Windows retails for around 200 US dollars, give or take depending on which version and where you buy. If the above statement by Mr. Kingsley-Hughes was true, it means that Linux is so bad that people would gladly pay 200 dollars to avoid it. Do users really think Linux is that lame?

This article is not to defend Linux and counter the points that Mr Kingsley-Hughes made. Instead, the intention here is to simply use his article as a starting point to discuss in depth an issue which, so far as I've ever seen, is missing almost entirely from the debate over Windows versus Linux versus Mac.

Mr Kingsley-Hughes gives five essential points to explain what is so bad about Linux that it can't even succeed for free. On the whole, users aren't all that dissatisfied with Windows (I agree). Too many different versions of Linux (I sort of agree). People want certainty that hardware and software will work (I agree that's what people want, but I don't read the situation the same way that Mr Kingsley-Hughes does). As far as most people are concerned, the command line has gone the way of the dinosaur (It has for me, I love the GUIs. But, I'll get into this more below). Linux is still too geeky (Linux developers are still too geeky, sure. I totally agree that the people mainly developing and advocating Linux often don't see users' needs the way users see their needs.)

All the above reasons have some truth in them, but consider how the price comparison makes those points seem so much worse.

Want to read the whole article? It's longish, but important enough and the subject matter complex enough to need the detailed examples, anectdotes and explanations. Go read Windows Is Free (A TLUG Article).