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it works!! But I still get the -42408 error, any way of overriding this? I don't care about the error I just don't like the pop up
 
For some reason, Suspicious Package takes longer than before to analyze the pkg, so the script from post #43 fails in Big Sur and Monterey.

So, here is another method to get iTunes 12.9.5.5, tested on Monterey. For the most part, this replicates what Retroactive does.

Before beginning, delete iTunes from Applications, ~/tmp and ~/tmpcore from your home folder, if they exist.

- Download the InstallESDDmg.pkg for Mojave 10.14.6 from Apple
Code:
https://swcdn.apple.com/content/downloads/17/32/061-26589-A_8GJTCGY9PC/25fhcu905eta7wau7aoafu8rvdm7k1j4el/InstallESDDmg.pkg

Note: if you have Install macOS Mojave.app, you don’t have to download InstallESDDmg.pkg, you can just mount InstallESD.dmg from its /Contents/SharedSupport/ and continue with the sudo pkgutil command below.

- The pkg is acctually a dmg, so we can mount it and extract all the contents of Core.pkg. Be patient, pkgutil --expand takes a long time and requires more than 12GB of free space. From Terminal:

Code:
hdiutil attach ~/Downloads/InstallESDDmg.pkg -noverify -nobrowse

sudo pkgutil --expand-full /Volumes/InstallESD/Packages/Core.pkg ~/tmpcore

hdiutil unmount /Volumes/InstallESD/

* Optional, create a zipped copy of the original iTunes 12.9.5.5, saved on your Desktop as iTunes12.9.5.5_Original.zip

Code:
ditto -c -k --sequesterRsrc --keepParent ~/tmpcore/Payload/Applications/iTunes.app ~/Desktop/iTunes12.9.5.5_Original.zip

- Modify iTunes 12.9.5.5 to work on macOS Catalina and above

Code:
ditto ~/tmpcore/Payload/Applications/iTunes.app ~/tmp/iTunes.app

plutil -replace CFBundleGetInfoString -string 'iTunes 13.9.5.5' ~/tmp/iTunes.app/Contents/Info.plist

plutil -replace CFBundleShortVersionString -string 13.9.5 ~/tmp/iTunes.app/Contents/Info.plist

plutil -replace CFBundleVersion -string 13.9.5 ~/tmp/iTunes.app/Contents/Info.plist

* Optional, create a zipped copy of the modified iTunes, saved on your Desktop as iTunes12.9.5.5_Patched.zip

Code:
ditto -c -k --sequesterRsrc --keepParent ~/tmp/iTunes.app ~/Desktop/iTunes12.9.5.5_Patched.zip

- Copy the modified iTunes into Applications

Code:
ditto ~/tmp/iTunes.app /Applications/iTunes.app

- Start iTunes

Code:
open -a /Applications/iTunes.app

- Clean-up: delete from Finder ~/tmp and ~/tmpcore, or from Terminal

Code:
rm -rf ~/tmp

sudo rm -rf ~/tmpcore


*Post edited to correct one misspelled command and to add the note about Install macOS Mojave.app
This is unfortunately not working on Sonoma. Is there anything to do to make it work?
 
This is unfortunately not working on Sonoma. Is there anything to do to make it work?
Have you tried the additional steps from post #374?
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/itunes-12-6-5-3-on-macos-catalina-10-15.2184518/post-32588314

I did. Without success! I'm not on Apple Silicon. install_name_tool failed:
error: /Applications/Xcode.app/Contents/Developer/Toolchains/XcodeDefault.xctoolchain/usr/bin/install_name_tool: input file: /Applications/iTunes.app/Contents/MacOS/iTunes is not a Mach-O file
 
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On Intel, I have a virtual machine with Sonoma 14.3, SIP enabled, and iTunes is working just as created with the instructions from post #357.
On Apple Silicon, I have Sonoma 14.3 installed on MBA M1 and I couldn’t get it to work, even with SIP disabled and the instructions from post #374.
 
I did. Without success! I'm not on Apple Silicon. install_name_tool failed:
error: /Applications/Xcode.app/Contents/Developer/Toolchains/XcodeDefault.xctoolchain/usr/bin/install_name_tool: input file: /Applications/iTunes.app/Contents/MacOS/iTunes is not a Mach-O file

Hi all,

I'm happy to see there are some others keeping the old ways alive!

I am entering this thread late. I have been using Retroactive to run iTunes 12.9.5.5 on an Intel MBP. I had no trouble with Sonoma until the recent update to 14.7.3.

After this update, iTunes crashes on start with an "CODESIGNING 1 Taskgated Invalid Signature": error. I'm not totally sure why it needed to be resigned (since Retroactive should have taken care of that) but running codesign manually was able to take fix it.

The next error was "tried: '/usr/lib/libgnsdk_dsp.3.06.1.dylib' (no such file, not in dyld cache), (security policy does not allow @ path expansion)". I understand this is the issue that has been breaking iTunes on OCLP macs ( https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/retroactive-for-itunes-is-broken.2382781/ )

I followed rotoyouoio's hardlinking instructions using install_name_tool in #358, which I think are the same as the OCLP issue above. Like HaSch in #380, I got an error from install_name_tool. This turned out to be a simple path error (no idea why we don't have the same paths). Correcting this error enabled iTunes to start again, with the caveat of the -42408 error which can be dismissed without further effect. iTunes seems to be working as usual.

I wrote this up partly for my own notes and in case anyone else finds themselves with this exact issue. Here are the commands I ran:

Code:
sudo codesign --remove-signature /Applications/iTunes.app

install_name_tool -change @executable_path/../Frameworks/libgnsdk_dsp.3.06.1.dylib /Applications/iTunes.app/Contents/MacOS/iTunes.app/Contents/Frameworks/libgnsdk_dsp.3.06.1.dylib /Applications/iTunes.app/Contents/MacOS/iTunes.app/Contents/MacOS/iTunes
install_name_tool -change @executable_path/../Frameworks/libgnsdk_manager.3.06.1.dylib /Applications/iTunes.app/Contents/MacOS/iTunes.app/Contents/Frameworks/libgnsdk_manager.3.06.1.dylib /Applications/iTunes.app/Contents/MacOS/iTunes.app/Contents/MacOS/iTunes
install_name_tool -change @executable_path/../Frameworks/libgnsdk_musicid.3.06.1.dylib /Applications/iTunes.app/Contents/MacOS/iTunes.app/Contents/Frameworks/libgnsdk_musicid.3.06.1.dylib /Applications/iTunes.app/Contents/MacOS/iTunes.app/Contents/MacOS/iTunes
install_name_tool -change @executable_path/../Frameworks/libgnsdk_submit.3.06.1.dylib /Applications/iTunes.app/Contents/MacOS/iTunes.app/Contents/Frameworks/libgnsdk_submit.3.06.1.dylib /Applications/iTunes.app/Contents/MacOS/iTunes.app/Contents/MacOS/iTunes
install_name_tool -change @executable_path/../Frameworks/libgnsdk_dsp.3.06.1.dylib /Applications/iTunes.app/Contents/MacOS/iTunes.app/Contents/Frameworks/libgnsdk_dsp.3.06.1.dylib /Applications/iTunes.app/Contents/MacOS/iTunes.app/Contents/Frameworks/libgnsdk_dsp.3.06.1.dylib
install_name_tool -change @executable_path/../Frameworks/libgnsdk_dsp.3.06.1.dylib /Applications/iTunes.app/Contents/MacOS/iTunes.app/Contents/Frameworks/libgnsdk_dsp.3.06.1.dylib /Applications/iTunes.app/Contents/MacOS/iTunes.app/Contents/Frameworks/libgnsdk_musicid.3.06.1.dylib
install_name_tool -change @executable_path/../Frameworks/libgnsdk_dsp.3.06.1.dylib /Applications/iTunes.app/Contents/MacOS/iTunes.app/Contents/Frameworks/libgnsdk_dsp.3.06.1.dylib /Applications/iTunes.app/Contents/MacOS/iTunes.app/Contents/Frameworks/libgnsdk_submit.3.06.1.dylib
install_name_tool -change @executable_path/../Frameworks/libgnsdk_manager.3.06.1.dylib /Applications/iTunes.app/Contents/MacOS/iTunes.app/Contents/Frameworks/libgnsdk_manager.3.06.1.dylib /Applications/iTunes.app/Contents/MacOS/iTunes.app/Contents/Frameworks/libgnsdk_dsp.3.06.1.dylib
install_name_tool -change @executable_path/../Frameworks/libgnsdk_manager.3.06.1.dylib /Applications/iTunes.app/Contents/MacOS/iTunes.app/Contents/Frameworks/libgnsdk_manager.3.06.1.dylib /Applications/iTunes.app/Contents/MacOS/iTunes.app/Contents/Frameworks/libgnsdk_musicid.3.06.1.dylib
install_name_tool -change @executable_path/../Frameworks/libgnsdk_manager.3.06.1.dylib /Applications/iTunes.app/Contents/MacOS/iTunes.app/Contents/Frameworks/libgnsdk_manager.3.06.1.dylib /Applications/iTunes.app/Contents/MacOS/iTunes.app/Contents/Frameworks/libgnsdk_submit.3.06.1.dylib

sudo codesign -fs - /Applications/iTunes.app --deep
 
If I'm now getting iTunes crashing on 13.7.3, what exactly do I need to do ?

Do I just copy and paste each line above in the command line ?

I run the first Install line and get an error

error: /Library/Developer/CommandLineTools/usr/bin/install_name_tool: can't create output file: /Applications/iTunes.app/Contents/MacOS/iTunes.app/Contents/MacOS/iTunes.XXXXXX (Permission denied)


fatal error: /Library/Developer/CommandLineTools/usr/bin/install_name_tool: cannot rename /Applications/iTunes.app/Contents/MacOS/iTunes.app/Contents/MacOS/iTunes to /Applications/iTunes.app/Contents/MacOS/iTunes.app/Contents/MacOS/iTunes.XXXXXX (No such file or directory)
 
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Update

Ran each line with Sudo and it worked.

I do however get "Unknown error -42408" every time i open iTunes now.This is followed by -11571 error.

Anyway of getting rid of this ?
 
Hi all,

I'm happy to see there are some others keeping the old ways alive!

I am entering this thread late. I have been using Retroactive to run iTunes 12.9.5.5 on an Intel MBP. I had no trouble with Sonoma until the recent update to 14.7.3.

After this update, iTunes crashes on start with an "CODESIGNING 1 Taskgated Invalid Signature": error. I'm not totally sure why it needed to be resigned (since Retroactive should have taken care of that) but running codesign manually was able to take fix it.

The next error was "tried: '/usr/lib/libgnsdk_dsp.3.06.1.dylib' (no such file, not in dyld cache), (security policy does not allow @ path expansion)". I understand this is the issue that has been breaking iTunes on OCLP macs ( https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/retroactive-for-itunes-is-broken.2382781/ )

I followed rotoyouoio's hardlinking instructions using install_name_tool in #358, which I think are the same as the OCLP issue above. Like HaSch in #380, I got an error from install_name_tool. This turned out to be a simple path error (no idea why we don't have the same paths). Correcting this error enabled iTunes to start again, with the caveat of the -42408 error which can be dismissed without further effect. iTunes seems to be working as usual.

I wrote this up partly for my own notes and in case anyone else finds themselves with this exact issue. Here are the commands I ran:

Code:
sudo codesign --remove-signature /Applications/iTunes.app

install_name_tool -change @executable_path/../Frameworks/libgnsdk_dsp.3.06.1.dylib /Applications/iTunes.app/Contents/MacOS/iTunes.app/Contents/Frameworks/libgnsdk_dsp.3.06.1.dylib /Applications/iTunes.app/Contents/MacOS/iTunes.app/Contents/MacOS/iTunes
install_name_tool -change @executable_path/../Frameworks/libgnsdk_manager.3.06.1.dylib /Applications/iTunes.app/Contents/MacOS/iTunes.app/Contents/Frameworks/libgnsdk_manager.3.06.1.dylib /Applications/iTunes.app/Contents/MacOS/iTunes.app/Contents/MacOS/iTunes
install_name_tool -change @executable_path/../Frameworks/libgnsdk_musicid.3.06.1.dylib /Applications/iTunes.app/Contents/MacOS/iTunes.app/Contents/Frameworks/libgnsdk_musicid.3.06.1.dylib /Applications/iTunes.app/Contents/MacOS/iTunes.app/Contents/MacOS/iTunes
install_name_tool -change @executable_path/../Frameworks/libgnsdk_submit.3.06.1.dylib /Applications/iTunes.app/Contents/MacOS/iTunes.app/Contents/Frameworks/libgnsdk_submit.3.06.1.dylib /Applications/iTunes.app/Contents/MacOS/iTunes.app/Contents/MacOS/iTunes
install_name_tool -change @executable_path/../Frameworks/libgnsdk_dsp.3.06.1.dylib /Applications/iTunes.app/Contents/MacOS/iTunes.app/Contents/Frameworks/libgnsdk_dsp.3.06.1.dylib /Applications/iTunes.app/Contents/MacOS/iTunes.app/Contents/Frameworks/libgnsdk_dsp.3.06.1.dylib
install_name_tool -change @executable_path/../Frameworks/libgnsdk_dsp.3.06.1.dylib /Applications/iTunes.app/Contents/MacOS/iTunes.app/Contents/Frameworks/libgnsdk_dsp.3.06.1.dylib /Applications/iTunes.app/Contents/MacOS/iTunes.app/Contents/Frameworks/libgnsdk_musicid.3.06.1.dylib
install_name_tool -change @executable_path/../Frameworks/libgnsdk_dsp.3.06.1.dylib /Applications/iTunes.app/Contents/MacOS/iTunes.app/Contents/Frameworks/libgnsdk_dsp.3.06.1.dylib /Applications/iTunes.app/Contents/MacOS/iTunes.app/Contents/Frameworks/libgnsdk_submit.3.06.1.dylib
install_name_tool -change @executable_path/../Frameworks/libgnsdk_manager.3.06.1.dylib /Applications/iTunes.app/Contents/MacOS/iTunes.app/Contents/Frameworks/libgnsdk_manager.3.06.1.dylib /Applications/iTunes.app/Contents/MacOS/iTunes.app/Contents/Frameworks/libgnsdk_dsp.3.06.1.dylib
install_name_tool -change @executable_path/../Frameworks/libgnsdk_manager.3.06.1.dylib /Applications/iTunes.app/Contents/MacOS/iTunes.app/Contents/Frameworks/libgnsdk_manager.3.06.1.dylib /Applications/iTunes.app/Contents/MacOS/iTunes.app/Contents/Frameworks/libgnsdk_musicid.3.06.1.dylib
install_name_tool -change @executable_path/../Frameworks/libgnsdk_manager.3.06.1.dylib /Applications/iTunes.app/Contents/MacOS/iTunes.app/Contents/Frameworks/libgnsdk_manager.3.06.1.dylib /Applications/iTunes.app/Contents/MacOS/iTunes.app/Contents/Frameworks/libgnsdk_submit.3.06.1.dylib

sudo codesign -fs - /Applications/iTunes.app --deep
Running the last line gave an error 🥲
/Applications/iTunes.app: resource fork, Finder information, or similar detritus not allowed
Tried both SIP enabled and disabled, but same results.
Apple is really a pain about something like this. Making a Windows machine more and more attractive every single day.
 
Running the last line gave an error 🥲
/Applications/iTunes.app: resource fork, Finder information, or similar detritus not allowed
Try
Code:
sudo codesign --force --deep --sign - /Applications/iTunes.app
 
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Try
Code:
sudo codesign --force --deep --sign - /Applications/iTunes.app
Sadly, same error message.
/Applications/iTunes.app: resource fork, Finder information, or similar detritus not allowed
What did I mess up 🤔
Need SIP disabled?
Just tried disabling SIP. Does not seem to made a difference.
Still a huge thanks to all the help you have provided over the years!
 
Last edited:
Run first
Code:
sudo xattr -cr /Applications/iTunes.app
then
Code:
sudo codesign --force --deep --sign - /Applications/iTunes.app
 
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Run first
Code:
sudo xattr -cr /Applications/iTunes.app
then
Code:
sudo codesign --force --deep --sign - /Applications/iTunes.app
Once again, greatly appreciate the help.

Got past the previous point with new failure. (BTW, this is iTunes 12.6.5)

Termination Reason: Namespace DYLD, Code 1 Library missing
Library not loaded: /Applications/iTunes.app/Contents/Frameworks/iPodUpdater.framework/Versions/A/iPodUpdater
Referenced from: <5ECB442D-CA47-32EA-AADA-598D71C8C859> /Applications/iTunes.app/Contents/MacOS/iTunes.app/Contents/MacOS/iTunes
Reason: tried: '/Applications/iTunes.app/Contents/Frameworks/iPodUpdater.framework/Versions/A/iPodUpdater' (no such file), '/System/Volumes/Preboot/Cryptexes/OS/Applications/iTunes.app/Contents/Frameworks/iPodUpdater.framework/Versions/A/iPodUpdater' (no such file), '/Applications/iTunes.app/Contents/Frameworks/iPodUpdater.framework/Versions/A/iPodUpdater' (no such file), '/System/Library/Frameworks/iPodUpdater.framework/Versions/A/iPodUpdater' (no such file, not in dyld cache)
(terminated at launch; ignore backtrace)
 
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I don't have Ventura to test at the moment, but could you please try to make a new iTunes 12.6.5 app with this script https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/itunes-12-6-5-3-on-apple-silicon.2354390/post-33685483
Backup the current iTunes you have and delete it from Applications.
If you don't have the iTunes12.6.5.dmg, the link from the first post of that thread still works.
Oh dear! That did the magic!!
Love your work so much!
Need to buy you a drink. 🍻

Side note, I am seeing the same error codes that Airsculpture is seeing. The apps waiting for update in iTunes are also showing as a frame only. I can live with this. Just another middle finger to Apple's push to kill iTunes when it was fine.

Also, connecting the iPhone to it got an error that says it cannot read the contents of the iPhone and is telling me to restore the iPhone to factory settings.
 
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Also, connecting the iPhone to it got an error that says it cannot read the contents of the iPhone and is telling me to restore the iPhone to factory settings.
Try installing the latest software required to connect iOS devices (MobileDeviceOnDemand & CoreTypes)and reboot.

https://swcdn.apple.com/content/dow...l5spk5grss6or2zt2qye/MobileDeviceOnDemand.pkg

https://swcdn.apple.com/content/dow...1aw3k1feoirl5spk5grss6or2zt2qye/CoreTypes.pkg

You can also try to give iTunes Full Disk Access.
 
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I don't have Ventura to test at the moment, but could you please try to make a new iTunes 12.6.5 app with this script https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/itunes-12-6-5-3-on-apple-silicon.2354390/post-33685483
Backup the current iTunes you have and delete it from Applications.
If you don't have the iTunes12.6.5.dmg, the link from the first post of that thread still works.
This worked absolutely beautifully for me, very quickly. I was really annoyed that a routine security update to Ventura could nuke iTunes so completely. Many thanks. It's not of vital importance, but is there any insight regarding error -42408? Thanks again!
 
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I find it disappointing that the Music app in 2025, is STILL considerably worse than iTunes, when it comes to responsiveness and functionality for searches in a large music library.

So Apple wanted to get rid of iTunes because it was "too bloated"? Yet, it performs significantly better than Music, even now years later.
 
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