Almost 30 days after the release of Windows Vista, Apple has taken a step forward to make iTunes compatible with Vista. The Apple support document (link) states:
"Apple has released a new version of iTunes that addresses a number of compatibility issues with Windows Vista. iTunes 7.1 is recommended for use with most editions of Windows Vista, however, Apple is actively working with Microsoft to resolve a few remaining known issues."
I installed iTunes 7.1 following Apple's instruction to deauthorize the computer first from the iTunes store. The upgrade went fine, however I did get a warning for Internet Explorer and Windows Explorer. I decided to ignore (to much trouble to turn off all my gadgets), the install finished successfully. I reauthorized the computer with the iTunes Store. iTunes seems to be running fine, and the DRM issues I had with songs not playing are fixed.
This version of iTunes does not fix all Vista issues, however for most users I think will solve 90% of the issues. You must however be very careful when ejecting your iPod to use the iTunes eject function. The support article states:
"Ejecting an iPod from Windows Explorer or the Windows notification area (system tray) using the "Safely Remove Hardware" feature may corrupt your iPod. To always safely eject an iPod, choose Eject iPod from the Controls menu within iTunes. If your iPod becomes corrupt, selecting your iPod in iTunes and clicking Restore in the iPod's Summary panel should return your iPod to a working condition."
It is hard to believe that it has taken this long to get a viable version out when Apple had the opportunity to play with Vista for the last year. Talk about the arrogance of snubbing your largest iPod/iTunes customer base...
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