iTunes + new computer + XP updates = Bad!

I was finally blessed with a new computer last week after 5 years at the college. The warm fuzzies associated with my new toy quickly faded as I soon discovered I could no longer backup my iTunes purchases to CD. If it were just my personal purchases I wouldn't worry about it and move on, but I need to keep backups of the audiobooks I purchase as part of the library's new iPod/MP3 service (it finally launched after a year in the making!!! - more about that later).

When I tried to make a backup of my newest purchases on iTunes I was presented with the message: 'the attempt to burn a disc failed. an unknown error occured (4280)'. I called in the big guns (my buddy in IT) to check it out and make sure my drive was functioning properly - it passed with flying colors. Google wasn't much help either. Lots of people have my problem too, but most of them have Sony drives that broke after an XP update and the fix from Apple and Microsoft didn't work for me and my new Dell.

After playing with it for a while I discovered a fix of my own that I thought I'd share...
1. Open iTunes (I'm on version 7.something)
2. Choose 'Edit' then 'Preferences'
3. Click on the Advanced tab
4. Click on the Burning tab
5. Change the prefered speed from 'Maximum Possible' to your drive speed in the drop down box. If you don't know your drive speed, try 4x.
6. Make sure the radio button next to "Data CD" is selected.

Now try Backing up to Disc again.

Books are boring? Incoming freshmen seem to think so.

Noel-Levitz just released their second annual freshmen attitudes report. A total of 97,626 first-year college students were surveyed nationwide during the first two weeks of class in the summer and fall of 2006. Only half of the students surveyed enjoy reading and 48% of male students report that 'books have never gotten me very excited.'




Read the full report: Noel-Levitz Freshman Study 2007