iTunes 2.0 Installer Deletes Hard Drives

Cheviot writes: "It seems Apple's new iTunes 2 installer deletes the contents of users' hard drives if the drives have been partitioned. I personally lost more than 100gb of data. More information is available at Apples Discussions board. (registration required). Apple has pulled the installer, but for hundreds, if not thousands, the damage is already done." The iTunes download page has a nice warning about the problem. Ouch.

Comments

How the hell does this happen?

[dimator]

Well, here's the pseudo-code:


if(installDrive->hasEnoughSpace()){
return startInstall(instalDrive);
} else {
installDrive->formatRecklessly();
return startInstall(installDrive);
}


Hard-to-spot bug, actually.

Re:How the hell does this happen?

[Phil Wherry]

Hmmm. I'm just expecting Apple to issue a press release soon that says something to the effect of, "in retrospect, perhaps we shouldn't have subcontracted the installation script to RIAA after all."

New Apple Slogan

[Anonymous Coward]

Rip. Mix. Burn. Format. Reinstall.

Copy Protection

[Tachys]

Guess their copy protection code gets a little over-zealous.

[PATCH] Re:How the hell does this happen?

[Anonymous Coward]

There's a bug in you pseudo-code. Attached is a patch which fixes the problem.

--- itunes-install.pseudo-orig Sun Nov 4 01:36:11 2001
+++ itunes-install.pseudo Sun Nov 4 01:36:19 2001
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
if(installDrive->hasEnoughSpace()){
- return startInstall(instalDrive);
+ return startInstall(installDrive);
} else {
installDrive->formatRecklessly();
return startInstall(installDrive);

Re:[PATCH] Re:How the hell does this happen?

[jesser]

There's a bug in you pseudo-code. Attached is a patch which fixes the problem.

It's pseudocode. You can't patch pseudocode. You have to pseudopatch it, like this:

- return startInstall(instalDrive);
+ return startInstall(installDrive);

or like this:

Replace instalDrive with installDrive.

Free Format

[starphish]

I've been looking for a good free format utlity with an attractive front end. Is there a PC port?

This might be very good.

[Krapangor]

I usually don't have very much space on my harddisk because it very small and i often can't decide which pictures to delete i downloaded from the internet.
So this installer comes in very handy because it deletes just all data and you don't have to decide whether to delete the picture of all these nice kitties or not.
So you have much more space on your harddisk and can download again much more nice pictures from the internet with cats.
My problem is however that i don't have an MAC and i hope they port it to linux soon so that i have again nice 30 megabytes of free harddisk space.
It is of course very sad that people with important data have lost all important data but you can't have much space and important data on your harddisk all the same time anyway.

Yet another way in which the Mac is superior to PC

[Colin Bayer]

Look at this innovation!

What Apple did in a few lines of shell script, it takes Windows a complicated installer to do. I personally plan to switch to the Mac platform for its superior file deletion capabilities.

Gotta be said

[Lord_Pall]

So i guess the Ipod/Itunes combo really IS a killer app.

Renumeration Remuneration

[eyewell]

Renumeration has been addressed. It is aparently no longer 2.0, but 2.0.1.

However, this does not address any Remuneration!

So old, it's a classic joke

[McD]

From the classic old joke list "How To Shoot Yourself In The Foot" in various programming languages and computing environments, here's the entry for Unix:

% ls
foot.c foot.h foot.o toe.c toe.o
% rm * .o
rm: .o: No such file or directory
% ls
%

Same bug. Welcome to the world, Apple. :-)

Peace,
-McD

100BG! Ouch

[dbretton]

I personally lost more than 100GB of data.
....
....
Somewhere, in a little corner of the basement of a house, someone is installing their new iTunes...

{blip, squeek}.. Oh man, this is sooo cool!
{HD Grrrrinnd!!}
huh? What thee.. !!

NooooOOooooOOOOO!!!! My PORN!!!
Oh my God!

Later that day, at a Starbucks, we see a man, trembling as he sips is triple MochaBucka Latte-chino...

Brtney... GONE!
Pam....GONE!
Margolis....GONE!
That chick doing the horse...GONE!

My life is over....

Re:Relative severity vs. a MS flaw

[Anonymous Coward]

So Apple releases a script that erases your hard drive if certain conditions exist, but somehow this is Microsoft's fault. I love /..

The shell script not the problem...

[A_Non_Moose]

You have to realize that iTunes has an equalizer now.

After the installer formats your HD, you can record the high pitched scream you emit into an mp3 and then change the pitch to all bass.

So, now Apple just "equalized" itself with all other unicies.

To Apple I say, "I feel your pain" but you need to "strategize" some more.

Ow, crossing OS, platform and political lines... for shame! for shame!

(on a side note, modding me down as overrated because of my +2 bonus makes about as much sense as hating people for being intelligent...Oh, wait, that is what happens to "us" nerds all the time... I just answered my own question, never mind...so, being different is ok, as long as you are different like everyone else? Heh, makes sense...NOT!)

Yes I'm an esoteric, tenacious, longwinded SOB.

I'll never need therapy as long as I can post to slashdot.

Orbb: "keep talking, I'm reloading"

Once Again Apple is Ahead of the Curve

[Anonymous Coward]

I don't understand what benefit formatting or deleting data has, but I am SURE it has something to do with great usability! I predict within the year, MOST software installers will also reformat/delete your hard drive if you dont have enough space. Apple is just that good.