TW Blog :: Archives for October 2008

An unknown error occurred (4010) - iTunes Genius FIXED

Relates to Software and Music

Are you suffering the 4010 error in iTunes Genius when you try to activate the service?

I had set up a subsidiary repository for my most popular music on a separate laptop where I could store all audio at 128kbps and transfer it freely to my iPod Touch without interfering with the music stored at higher bit rates on my main media drive. This in theory would also allow me to easily manage the new Genius feature for these compressed files and have it working on the Touch.

Alas though, I could not get Genius to activate! The iTunes Store just threw back the 4010 error every time the tracks were submitted.

I validated my iTunes library XML file; I setup a new iTunes account; I deleted the Genius database file; I converted any MP3 files that had not been created with iTunes; I tried repeated submissions; and even tried submitting in the early hours of the morning (to get around any server bottlenecks) but still to no avail.

So as a last resort I closed iTunes down and deleted the iTunes library XML file. In fact I deleted all the files in the iTunes directory - library file, Genius file, Extras file and the artwork cache. Note my actual music library was stored on a separate partition. If this is in the iTunes directory do not delete this of course ;) So when iTunes was re-opened it was a blank slate again. In my Advanced preferences I ensured the path to my library still pointed to the directory housing all my music files to ensure I didn't end up with two copies of each file! Then I added just one album (the classic Allman Brothers Live at Fillmore East) back to iTunes by dragging the folder and dropping it into iTunes (can also do File->Add Folder from iTunes menus). Now I tried once again to enable Genius and… it actually worked! Just to play it safe I added a few more albums at a time and updated Genius from the Store menu (in case it was a corrupt album causing the problem). But after 20 or so albums had been registered successfully with Genius I dropped the rest of the albums back in (200 in total) and once again submitted to Genius with no issues at all :)

So finally now I have Genius working with all the albums on my Touch. Well I say all but of course no collection is complete without a Beatles album or three which don't fit in with Apple's Genius currently!

Posted on Tuesday, Oct 07, 2008 at 16:17:25.