# iTunes for PC problem



## CraigInOregon (Aug 6, 2010)

Hey all,

I'm having a problem with iTunes on my Win7 (64-bit) laptop.

I can see the store, I can sign in, but whenever I go to buy something, or to change the details in My Account, I get an Unknown Error (-1202) Please try again later message.

Anyone familiar with how to fix this?

All I could find was some bogus advice about clicking Redeem from iTunes... but I'm not redeeming anything.

I've double-checked my date and time, signed in and out again, changed my password, etc., etc.... but none of the advice I found works.

To make matters worse, Apple Support's iTunes board is apparently down.

WTF? I just wanna buy Brandi Carlile's latest CD. Is that so wrong?


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

Craig,

I'm going to move this to the iThing forum where _those people_ hang out. 

Betsy


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## CraigInOregon (Aug 6, 2010)

Betsy the Quilter said:


> Craig,
> 
> I'm going to move this to the iThing forum where _those people_ hang out.
> 
> Betsy


Thanks, Betsy


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

CraigInTwinCities said:


> Thanks, Betsy


Plus I booted up my netbook to see if I have any problems. 

Betsy


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

CraigInTwinCities said:


> Hey all,
> 
> I'm having a problem with iTunes on my Win7 (64-bit) laptop.
> 
> ...


It's working fine for me, Craig. And iTunes Support seems to be up now. If your date and time are correct, you might try the solution about the certificates found here:

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/2153674?start=0&tstart=0

Scroll down a bit and you'll see this response:



> 3. Apple now have a support document that points to to an MS knowledgebase article on how to troubleshoot certificate problems on Vista. It's long and involved and the final step if nothing has worked is a reinstall. You should check out the article here: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/822798


Although I would read the whole thread...

Betsy


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## CraigInOregon (Aug 6, 2010)

I tried that certificate patch thing. Didn't make a difference.  And a lot of the folks who had problems with that code were trying to redeem an iTunes gift card... which isn't the problem I'm having.


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## Eeyore (Jul 16, 2009)

Craig, did you download the iTunes for Windows 7 *64 bit* version found here:

http://support.apple.com/kb/DL1427

There was a patch done on 11 June 2012 that may be affecting users who had originally downloaded the generic version of iTunes for Windows, which is a 32 bit version.

All the best.


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## CraigInOregon (Aug 6, 2010)

Eeyore said:


> Craig, did you download the iTunes for Windows 7 *64 bit* version found here:
> 
> http://support.apple.com/kb/DL1427
> 
> ...


Eeyore,

I am actually using a version of iTunes that goes back a couple revision numbers because when iTunes split itself off completely from QuickTime, I couldn't get any of the "latest" versions of iTunes to work for me on Windows 7. It is a 64-bit version of iTunes, but it's an old version of iTunes.


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## Eeyore (Jul 16, 2009)

I did a little more research and one of the parameters for Unknown Error (-1202 ) is a time out error for processing the transaction. I'll assume you already checked the obvious such as that your credit card number, expiration date and security code are up to date on your iTunes account.

Note: (Use the following suggestions with caution.)

First thing i would try is to log into iTunes using a different browser. If you are on Firefox, try Safari or Chrome and then try to finish the transaction. It may be the way the browser is temporarily accessing iTunes that is causing the time out.


Next thing to try is to temporarily turn off your firewalls and virus check to access iTunes. Try the transaction and if it still doesn't work, turn them back on since you ruled that possible interference out.


The third thing to try is flushing the dns cache in your laptap. (This is for Windows Vista Service Pack 2. I'll assume Windows 7 works the same way.)

1.) Hit Start, and type "cmd" (without the quotes) into the box that says "Start Search" and hit enter. This will open the command prompt.

2.) Type "ipconfig /flushdns" and hit enter. (no quotes)

Now go ahead and attempt to connect to the iTunes store again and complete your transaction.


And the last thing to try, if all else doesn't work, is to reset your cable/dsl modem. Turn the electrical power to your modem completely off for 30 seconds, then turn it back on. The modem will re-power, and lights will flash as it resets and reconnects to your internet service provider. Then use your laptop to connect to iTunes and try to complete the transaction.


Ever since Bill Gates called OSX a second rate operating system back in the 1980's, Apple hasn't been exactly user friendly to Windows users.   

All the Best.


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## Mike D. aka jmiked (Oct 28, 2008)

Eeyore said:


> Ever since Bill Gates called OSX a second rate operating system back in the 1980's, Apple hasn't been exactly user friendly to Windows users.


OSX didn't exist prior to 2001.

And arguably, Microsoft hasn't been user friendly to Mac users, either.

Mike
Mac user since 1989, Windows user since 1985.


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## CraigInOregon (Aug 6, 2010)

Jmiked,

OSX wasn't released prior to 2001, sure.

But it was in development as early as 1996-97, and perhaps before that.

In fact, the development of OSX pre-dates the return of Steve Jobs to Apple... it goes all the way back to (if I'm remembering the right name) the John Scully/Gil Amelio era.

(OSX was a derivative of another Jobs brainchild, NeXT OS, which Jobs helped develop. Apple purchased NeXT in 1996, and as part of the deal, Jobs was named an advisor to Apple. Apple was struggling, and in the chaos, Jobs emerged back in the Apple CEO chair.)

I remember because the Mac Evangelist email list was full of hype about it. And I was an early subscriber to that list. I used to be a complete Mac-head.

But times changed and I made the switch around the time of Windows 98, following the death of my "by then very ancient" Macintosh Performa 630.










My Windows 98 SE PC was a Hewlett-Packard model. The next time I upgraded, it was to an Acer that ran Windows Vista initially (nightmare!) but which I upgraded to Windows 7.

Early this year, I finally let that one die, replacing it with a Dell.

I've done well using iTunes on Windows computers until last fall, when iTunes 10.5 was released. They divorced iTunes from QuickTime and somehow iTunes has never worked all that well for me ever since... even on my new desktop with a fresh install of everything.

I'm getting ready to make a MAJOR decision...


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## CraigInOregon (Aug 6, 2010)

And that decision is this:

I'm done with iTunes.

Fed up. Had it. Fini.

Oh, I'll keep it around to manage content on my iPod nano. But as far as buying music via iTunes? No thanks. I'm sick of trying every solution out there and none of them work... or if they do work, it's only temporarily.

I have an Android phone now, and an even better one coming my way later this year. (I'm getting the Galaxy SIII this summer to replace my T-Mobile G2.)

And I just found out Google Play Music has a music manager software that works smooth and sweet on Windows 7.

I can store up to 30,000 songs in their cloud, access them on any Android device (including a Kindle Fire/Fire 2, once I get one of those), and their software will even seemlessly import my iTunes library into Google Play Music. (And the reverse is true... I can seemlessly import albums I but on Google Play Music into iTunes and add them to my iPod nano.

Now, I know a lot of people are going to be critical of my decision.

"Buy an iPhone," they'll say. Nope. iPhones have tiny screens compared to the Samsung SIII. And the Google Play Music manager actually WORKS on Windows, unlike iTunes.

"Buy an iPad," they'll say. Nope. The next thing I buy that's remotely tablet-like will be either a next-gen Fire (Fire 2) or maybe a Samsung or Asus Android tablet.

"Buy an iPod Touch so you can at least buy music via WiFi from your device." Overpriced.

The next time I buy an Apple device won't be for a while.

When I do, it'll be either an iPod Touch with a HUGE storage capacity, or it'll be an iPad... but not for a long time. Both are too spendy for me right now... and iTunes still doesn't work on my Windows PCs, whereas Google Play Music DOES.

Sorry, but I've been struggling to get iTunes to work for almost a year. (About nine months, actually.) It's not like I haven't been patient.

But iTunes has no phone support, their email support stinks and is ALWAYS off-target, and all they end up doing is blaming you for not owning only Apple products.

So forget it. I'm done with iTunes for the foreseeable future. From now on when I want a new hit or album, I'll be buying it via Google Play. Or Amazon.

I'll miss iTunes-exclusive content, sure. But that's Apple's fault. They're the ones that made their software impossible for me to use on Windows 7, so they can now lose out on my millionth-of-a-percent of their income that was generated by my music purchases.


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