When you try to start iTunes, you get an error message that says:

The iTunes Library.itl file is locked, on a locked disk, or you do not have write permission for this file.

This happens because, somehow the iTunes Library.itl file got set as read only. You can fix this by doing the following steps:

1. Open the My Documents folder.

2. Open the My Music folder.

3. Open the iTunes folder

4. Right-click the iTunes Library.itl file and select Properties.

5. Uncheck Read-only.

6. Click OK.

Now you should be able to start iTunes without the error.

There are many ways to convert FLAC files to MP3 in Windows. Which one is the easiest though? Well there is a web site that will convert almost anything, including those formats. It’s very easy, but it’s also very slow. It converts only one file at a time.

For faster conversions, your best bet is to do the following:

1. Download and install dBpoweramp.

2. Download and install the FLAC codec for dBpoweramp.

3. Click Start > Programs > dBpoweramp Music Converter > dBpoweramp
Batch Converter

4. Select the folders where your FLAC files are located. Then check the files you wish to be converted. Click Convert after they are all selected.

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When trying to install an application, you may get the following error:

Internal Error 2738

To fix this problem, try the following steps:

1. Click Start > Run

2. Type regsvr32 vbscript.dll

Now try to install the program again. I hope this works!

I had a problem tonight with a movie I downloaded being stretched across the screen too long. I looked at all of the options in Windows Media Player 10 and had trouble finding a setting to make the movie “skinnier” or thinner. Finally I located the setting. The aspect ratio has to be adjusted. Here is how to access this setting:

1. In Windows Media Player, select Tools > Options.

2. Click on the Devices tab.

3. Click Display then click Properties.

4. Adjust the pixel aspect ratio by using the slider. The circle above will show you how much you have adjusted it.

5. Click OK when you are done.

I have to admit it took me a while to find out how to mark an email as Read Only in Lotus Notes. I couldn’t find it because it’s not like Outlook where you can right click the message and get the option. I figured there were others out there that might be slow like me, so here are the steps:

1. Highlight the email you wish to mark as Read Only.

2. Click Edit > Unread Marks > Mark Selected Unread.

There have been many users of iTunes that have hit a problem when they upgraded to version 7.6. After the upgrade, problems are occurring where no audio is playing.

The problem appears to be with QuickTime, which is bundled with iTunes. Some users downgraded to an older version of iTunes or QuickTime to fix the problem. However now there appears to be a fix available. You can simply download the new version of QuickTime.

When trying to burn a music CD with iTunes, you get the following message:

The songs in this playlist will not fit on one Audio CD
Do you want to create multiple Audio CDs with this playlist split across them?
This will require more than one blank CD to complete.

even though you are not trying to burn more than the CD can take.

I came across this problem and discovered that it was a problem with an MP3 file I had downloaded from the Internet. The file was corrupted and was causing this problem.

I had to remove one song at a time and try to burn the compilation without that song in order to track down exactly which file was causing the issue. Once the song was removed, iTunes burned the audio CD fine.

When playing trying to uninstall QuickTime for Windows, you instead get a Rollback Action message and you are unable to uninstall it.

To solve this problem try the following steps:

1. Click Start > Run and type %windir%\system32. Click OK.

2. Delete the QuickTime folder
Delete the files QuickTimeVR.qtx and QuickTime.qts

3. Go back into Add/Remove Programs and try to uninstall QuickTime. You should be able to now.

iTunes supports graphic formats of JPG, TIFF, or GIF for album artwork. Here’s how to add your own album artwork graphic to a song in iTunes.

1. Right-click with you wish to add album artwork to, and select Get Info.

2. Click the Artwork tab.

3. Click the Add button.

4. Navigate to the the file that contains your artwork. Select the file and click Open.

5. Click OK and you’re done. The album artwork will also sync with your iPod.

I’ve received a couple of questions regarding some older tutorials regarding the iPhone tab being missing from the iTunes Preferences screen. The reason is newer version of iTunes have removed the tab. The iPhone tab has been replaced. Now you can access the iPhone options by simply selecting it on the left panel of iTunes and then clicking the Info button toward the top of the Window.

Now that iTunes is offering movies, you may want to consider setting parental controls within iTunes.

1. Click Edit > Preferences in Windows, iTunes > Preferences in Mac,

2. Click the Parental Control tab.

3. Set the criteria for what will be password protected from your kids.

4. Click the lock to set a password. Enter your Windows or Mac password for the account with admin rights.

5. Click OK then OK again when done.

When you burn CD’s, do they skip no matter what kind of player you play them in? I had this problem recently, and I ended up having to swap out my drive entirely. Here are a few steps you can try before resorting to that though.

1. Check for flash updates from your CD burner manufacturer - This step is easily the most common fix for most CD burning issues. Flash ROM updates can usually be obtained on the manufacturer’s web site. Please also note, I am not talking about drivers.

2. Try different media - Did you get burnable CD’s for a penny each? There’s a reason. Try buying better media. Verbatim media seems to work the best for me.

3. Try burning at a lower speed - Sometimes manufacturers like to claim that the equipment can burn at a super fast speed. Sometimes it’s better to lower it a bit. My burner for example won’t burn well at 32x. I have to set my software on one of my computers to burn at 16x. It takes longer, but I will suffer waiting for my discs to burn rather than suffer when I try to listen to the disc in my car.

4. Use different burning software - The software is rarely the cause, but every now and then there may be a problem between certain hardware and software.

5. Replace the burner - If you’ve exhausted all of the above, it might be time to just get a new burner. I have regularly made the mistake of buying cheaper, “no name” burners and as a result I have had to replace my burner every 2 to 3 years or so.

Feel free to share your own Cd burning tips in the comments section below.

How to prevent ZoneAlarm from blocking a program access to the Internet or network.

1. Open ZoneAlarm. You can usually do this by double-clicking the icon that is loaded by the time.

2. Select Program Control.

3. Find and click the red X for the application you wish to allow.

4. Select Allow.

5. Close ZoneAlarm.

Is McAfee blocking a program from accessing the Internet? You may want to allow applications such as your chat programs, email clients, or video games. Here’s where the setting is to do this.

1. In McAfee Personal Firewall, Select Personal Firewall Plus.

2. Click View the Internet Application List.

3. Right-click the name of the program you wish to allow and select Allow Full Access.

If you don’t see the name of the program listed, click Allow New Application and enter the full path of where the application is loaded. Example: C:\Program Files\AOL Instant Messenger\aim.exe

4. Close McAfee Personal Firewall.

iTunes has a feature that allows you to merge tracks from a CD. This will create a single track for 2 songs that will play without the pause in between the tracks.  Please note that this can only be performed on songs from a CD before you import them into iTunes.

Note: These steps are for iTunes for Windows. 

1. Click the CD on the left side.

2. Click on one of the tracks you wish to merge, then hold down the CTRL key and select the other song.

3. Click Advanced >  Join CD Tracks.

4. Now you can import your CD into iTunes. The tracks you selected will be merged.

See also:
Join Tracks in iTunes