iTunes repeatedly prompts to authorize computer to play iTunes Store purchases

  • Last Modified: November 06, 2009
  • Article: TS1389
  • Old Article: 306424

Symptoms

If you authorize your computer to play your iTunes Store purchases, but you can't play them and iTunes keeps prompting you to authorize, try these suggestions.

Products Affected

iTunes Store, iTunes, Windows Vista, Windows XP, Windows 7

Resolution

Authorize your purchases from an administrator account

To authorize your purchases from an administrator account, follow these steps:

  1. Log in to the administrator account.
    Note: If you do not have access to an administrator password, you will need to contact the administrator of this computer. If this is a work computer, this may be your IT department.
  2. Make sure you have the latest version of iTunes installed. You can download the latest version free.
  3. Choose Store > Authorize Computer.
  4. Enter your iTunes account name and password in the resulting dialog.
    Note: If you have multiple accounts, you will need to log in to the iTunes Store and authorize each account separately.
  5. Quit iTunes.

After you have authorized your computer on your administrator account, you will need to log out and log back in to the user account you would like to play your purchases from. Once you are logged back in your user account, simply open iTunes, select an iTunes Store purchase in your library, and click Play. The item should begin to play.

Authorize using the correct account name

The items you are trying to play might have been purchased using a different iTunes Store account. To determine which account was used to purchase an item, follow these steps:

  1. Select a purchased song in your library and choose File > Get Info.
  2. Click the Summary tab. Note the Account Name that appears in the list. This is the account name (Apple ID) you will need to use when authorizing your computer to play this purchase.

Note: The account name that appears is the one you used when purchasing the item. Even if you have changed your account name since then, the item's Summary will continue to display the original account name. When authorizing your computer to play your iTunes Store purchases, you will need to enter the current account name to authorize this item to play on your computer. If you forgot the password to one of your accounts, you can recover it using Apple's password-recovery website.

Remove the SC Info folder

If you are still unable to authorize your computer to play your purchases, you may be able to resolve your issue by removing the "SC Info" folder. To do so, follow these steps:

Mac OS X:

  1. Quit iTunes and any other open applications until only Finder is open.
  2. Choose Go > Go to Folder.
  3. Type /Users/Shared/SC Info and click Go.

  4. If Finder is not already set to column view, set it by choosing View > as Columns.

  5. Select the SC Info folder and move it to the Trash by choosing File > Move to Trash.
  6. Restart the computer and open iTunes.
  7. Authorize your computer to play your purchases. Note: If you have multiple accounts you will need to authorize your computer for each account. For more information on how to authorize your computer, see this article.

Windows XP:

  1. Open My Computer from the desktop or Start menu.
  2. From the Tools menu, choose Folder Options.

  3. Click the View tab.
  4. In the "Advanced settings" pane under "Hidden files and folders," make sure that the "Show hidden files and folders" option is selected.

  5. Click OK.
  6. Navigate to the following location by either typing it into the address bar, copying and pasting it into the address bar, or clicking through the folder hierarchy listed:
    C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Apple Computer\iTunes\
  7. Right-click the SC Info folder shown and on the shortcut menu, choose Delete.

  8. Restart the computer.
  9. Open iTunes.
  10. Authorize your computer to play your purchases. Note: If you have multiple accounts you will need to authorize your computer for each account. For more information on how to authorize your computer, see this article.

Windows Vista and Windows 7:

  1. Choose Start > Computer.
  2. Choose Organize > Folder and Search Options.

  3. Click the View tab.
  4. In the "Advanced settings" pane under "Hidden files and folders" make sure that the "Show hidden files and folders" option is selected.

  5. Click OK.
  6. Navigate to the following location by either typing it into the address bar, copying and pasting it into the address bar, or clicking through the folder hierarchy listed:
    C:\ProgramData\Apple Computer\iTunes
  7. Right-click the SC Info folder shown and from the shortcut menu, choose Delete.

  8. Restart the computer.
  9. Open iTunes.
  10. Authorize your computer to play your purchases. Note: If you have multiple accounts you will need to authorize your computer for each account. For more information on how to authorize your computer, see this article.

Important: Information about products not manufactured by Apple is provided for information purposes only and does not constitute Apple’s recommendation or endorsement. Please contact the vendor for additional information.

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