ITunes sees the music but will not play anything

Question

First I would like to thank anyone who addresses this issue in advance! I have been trying to figure out the problem for some time and obviously have been unsuccessful. I also apologize if it is an easy fix and I was too dimwitted to figure it out on my own.
I can open iTunes and see all of my music. I can see my playlists, purchased music and all of the music in my library. However, when I try and double-click or select play from the drop-down menu nothing happens. I even tried to purchase a new song and listen to it, but still nothing. I checked the deauthorize feature, but it is not set.
Any advise, tips or replies are appreciated!
Thanks

Answer 1

you're not dimwitted. I wonder sometimes! lol
just checking on something first. when you try to
play a song in itunes, does that little
diamond-shaped thingy stay firmly stuck to the left? Yes
if so, next let's explicitly doublecheck your precise
itunes version number. in itunes, go "help > about
itunes" and wait for the version number to scroll up
from the bottom of the screen. (for example, mine
says "itunes 6.0.5.20") 6.0.5.2
if you've got an itunes version 5.0.0.35, 5.0.1.4,
6.0.0.18 or 6.0.1.3
... first let's check on this possibility:
iTunes for Windows: Audio files do not play in
iTunes 5 or 6
if you've got an itunes version 6.0.2.23 or
higher, or the compatibility settings thing wasn't a
factor for you
... then first we'll try a careful standalone QT 7.1
reinstall.
download and save a copy of the QT 7.1 standalone
installer to your hard drive. (we'll run the install
from there rather than online.) switch off
antivirus and antispyware applications prior to the
install.
Quicktime 7.1 Standalone Installer
if that install goes through okay, does your itunes
play audio properly again? Yes, this did the trick!
(if you get an error message on the QT standalone
reinstall, let us know what it says. include error
message numbers if you're getting any.)
b noir I thank you so very much for being willing to share your knowledge and lending a helping hand! I am indebted to you!