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veryniceguy2002 · May 12, 2006, 06:59 PM

I would like to know, if I re-install my Mac OS X by doing a clean install, do I need to de-authorise my iTMS music before my clean intall so that it would "double count my Mac" in the list of 5 authorised computers?

What if I re-partition a hard drive before the re-install?

Ganesha · May 12, 2006, 08:17 PM

No you don't.

Goldfinger · May 13, 2006, 02:48 PM

I think you do.

wataru · May 13, 2006, 03:05 PM

No you don't. After reinstalling, the first time you try to play a protected file it will prompt you to authorize the machine. When you authorize it, Apple will recognize the machine as already having been authorized, and you will not use up another of your 5 (?) simultaneous authorizations.

icruise · May 13, 2006, 03:05 PM

I'm actually not sure, but there's no disadvantage to temporarily de-authorizing your computer before you do it, so you might want to just to be safe.

I do know that in the past I mysteriously had more authorizations than I own machines, and I wonder if it wasn't something like this that caused it. I had to do a "complete reset" of all of my authorizations to get rid of the extraneous one.

Goldfinger · May 13, 2006, 05:03 PM

I know for a fact that the one and only iTMS song I have has been authorized 2 times. On the same machine. I had to re-authorize after a reinstall IIRC...

So I would de-authorize all your songs before reinstalling. Just to be on the safe side.

icruise · May 14, 2006, 03:15 AM

Originally Posted by Goldfinger

So I would de-authorize all your songs before reinstalling. Just to be on the safe side.

Just to clarify, you don't de-authorize songs, but rather machines. (De-authorizing a machine will make it unable to play any songs from that particular account.)