mumble grumble curse

May 11, 2008 7:17 PM

I use iTunes Alarm, or used it anyway... I need help with getting rid of it and finding a replacement

First, the program froze a few days ago, won't quit (even with force quit), and continues to run after shut downs. Actually, it cancels shut downs, so I have to do a hard shut down with the on/off button, and not shut down through the Apple menu.

First, if it is running, how do I remove it?

Second, does anyone know of a stable mac-based alarm clock that interfaces in some way with iTunes?

posted by Pants! to computers & internet (8 comments total)

I use awaken. It has never failed me and it works great with iTunes. It's not free but I've never found a free one that works as reliably and has all the features I want. You can find it at the manufacturer's website
posted by MasterShake at 8:14 PM on May 11, 2008

Aurora
posted by zap rowsdower at 9:24 PM on May 11, 2008

hmm... previous got fubar'd. try: Aurora
posted by zap rowsdower at 9:24 PM on May 11, 2008

To remove it, first make sure to kill the process via the "Activity Monitor" which is in your \Applications\Utilities folder. Then, use a utility like AppZapper to remove the application and all stray resources on your computer. They offer a trial version that will let you do this for free, it's safe and an excellent app. If you want to do it manually, kill the app as previously stated, go to System Preferences > Accounts > Login Items and remove it from startup. Next move the app. to the trash and remove its folder from ~\Users\you\Application Support\.

As for a suitable replacement, I use "Awaken" for alarm purposes. It's lightweight, extensible and works great. It's never negatively impacted my system as is rather inexpensive ($12, totally worth it). If you're Mac has an infrared (with the Apple Remote) it's even more useful so you can turn it off from bed and such. Also, it can double as an egg-timer/countdown.

http://embraceware.com/software/awaken/ (not a paid endorsement, but it gets me up daily)
posted by cgomez at 9:49 PM on May 11, 2008

Not to hijack too much, if anyone has a recommendation for a Windows program that does the same, please MeMail me. I can post a list later.
posted by grouse at 2:04 AM on May 12, 2008

grouse: foobar2000 with playback resume on open with task scheduler does the job. :)
posted by rc55 at 4:09 AM on May 12, 2008

I've been happy with the alarm feature in FoxyTunes. I use it on Windows, but it says it works on Mac and Linux as well.
posted by vagabond at 6:33 AM on May 12, 2008

Alarm Clock is what I use. I like the Easy Wake feature, where the volume slowly gets louder the longer it takes for you to turn it off.
posted by justnathan at 7:23 AM on May 12, 2008