itunes

The company www.burningthumb.com advertises DRM Dumpster is the legal way to convert DRM tracks your iTunes music library to standard files. DRM Dumpster uses a CD-RW and iTunes itself to convert all of your DRM music files to standard format files (MP3, AAC, Apple Lossless, AIFF, WAV) that you can use with any music player.

So far so good. I tried the demo and converted a couple of tracks and then bought the full license to convert my whole iTunes library for my mac OS x for $24.95.

Unfortunately I encountered severe issues. The software is burning CD-RW (tried different media) but is afterwards not reading the written information (i.e. null expected 10). DRM Dumpster just continues to erase the CD-RW and to restart with the next songs. I would expect - as the software does recognise that something went wrong - that I’ll be prompted before continuing.

Meanwhile I found MAC MP4-Converter from Ahamediasoft doing an excellent job with a different but similar approach (using virtual CD-ROM drive instead of real CD-RW media).

This said, I contacted customer service from burningthumb.com and kindly ask them if they can revoke my serial and refund my paypal account. Usually I’m made excellent experience in the past with most customer services who do refund you, if you’re polite and if you explain the reasons (software is not working properly). Find enclosed the surprising answer I got from their service department:

The problem you experience happens to some people due to iTunes getting busy on the Internet. The solution to that problem is to turn off your network connection. Then it will work fine.

It is explained in the document named IMPORTANT Read First.rtf under the TroubleShooting section (shown again for you below) as point #5 which I have highlighted:

Troubleshooting:

The first thing to do is try these steps:
1. Re-check all the settings for iTunes and the System Preference described above
2. Make sure you have unconverted protected music - *not* audio books since books are not supported
3. Make sure you have a brand new name brand CD-RW *not* a CD-R or low cost CD-RW (you can order DRM Dumpster
from us on a High Speed CDRW that we know works).
4. Restart your Machine
5. Turn off your Network Connection so that iTunes does not get busy performing network operations
6. Launch DRM Dumpster
7. Tab to the field titled Identify protected tracks by looking for this word in Kind: and press the delete key to leave that field blank
8. Make sure the field titled iTunes burns CDs using: File (Burn Playlist to Disc)
9. Then Dump DRM again.
10. If that does not solve the problem contact us directly via email at support@burningthumb.com

Since you did not first follow the trouble shooting please try it again following all those steps and you will see it is working fine.

That’s funny, isn’t it? First of all I believe that I did reboot my machine last time after installation of Leopard 10.5.2. ;-). Turning off network might be a solution to the technical issue but it’s not a solution for the end user. I’m basically buying software help to avoid switching CD-RW all the time and having the possibility to continue working! And yes, most probably I’ll need network connection for my jobs?!?

That’s weird, isn’t it. After replying them again that this in my understanding a software buck, they replied me the following: That is why we have a free demo that converts 30 tracks. So people can try and decide before they make a purchase.

If you want I can offer you an exchange for something else but unfortunately its your responsibility to try the software and make sure you like it before you make a purchase so we don’t do returns based on that preference that you have expressed.

Well, I leave it up to them. 25 bucks do not bother me too much, but at least I want to inform those of you, who are thinking about buying this piece of wonderful service what might happen to you if you test the free demo with less titles than fitting on one CD.

Please leave a comment or link to your blog in case you experienced similar issues.