Bugs & Fixes: iTunes’ CD mounting bug

Morshad published 29 Aug 2008, 18:07 in apple - 337 views

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Most often, when Apple releases an minor update to one of its applications, such as iTunes, its purpose is to provide bug fixes and/or add some essential new feature. For example, iTunes 7.7 (released in July) added the code needed to permit syncing iPhones and iPod touches running the new iPhone 2.0 software.

A few weeks later, Apple released iTunes 7.7.1. For this update, as is too often typical, all Apple would say officially is that the update contained “fixes to improve stability and performance.” Postings on the Web (as described in this TidBits article) filled in at least some of the blanks. For example, we’ve learned that the update apparently fixes a bug that prevented CDs from being ejected while iTunes was running.

What these minor updates aren’t supposed to do is introduce new bugs that did not exist in the prior versions of the software. Still, given the complexity of these applications, you shouldn’t be surprised to learn that such new bugs do occasionally manage to slip through the cracks.

On such new bug arrived in iTunes 7.7 and appears to remain in 7.7.1. The symptom (which may be intermittent) occurs when you insert a CD to import into iTunes. The disc typically mounts in the Finder, as expected. However, the disc either never shows up in iTunes or appears briefly but then vanishes after you click Yes in the “Would you like to import the CD…” dialog.

At this point, pretty much all you can do is eject the CD, by holding down the Eject key on the keyboard. But here’s the surprise: If you immediately reinsert the same disc, everything works fine. The disc shows up in iTunes and you can successfully import it. However, when you insert a new CD, the symptom returns. If you are planning on importing several CDs, you can wind up in a repeated shuffle where you have to insert-eject-insert each CD before you can import it.

According to reports (which I can confirm with my own experience), this symptom did not occur in iTunes 7.6 or earlier. At least one thread in Apple’s Discussions boards covers this bug but, unfortunately, does not offer a solution. More than likely, the solution will have to wait for the next iTunes stability-improving update.