I'm an idiot, or, how Apple built the feature I was looking for right into iTunes

As I explained in my previous post, I recently purchased an album on iTunes but didn’t manage to download all the tracks before iTunes crashed.

When I restarted iTunes, I had the tracks I’d already gotten, but nothing more. If I went back to the store, all it offered was to let me buy the album again. Now some kind folks pointed out that Apple is in the habit of offering a one-time-only re-download all your music for no reason deal.

[Image: itunes_check.png]That’s a sweet deal, but I’m wary of using up one-time deals if I don’t have to. All I want is four songs I never got in the first place.

Turns out that iTunes 7 (at least, maybe others) has got this little menu item: Check for Purchases. On the PC at least, you can find it under “Store.”

I thought it might take me to my purchase history, where I’d be able to file an error report or something. Turns out it just checks your purchase history against what you downloaded (I assume) and resumes downloading anything you didn’t actually get.

I got my four songs before finishing this post. Awesome.