itunes protected files

[dannyday5821]

how do i know if my itunes music files are protected? when i right click a song file and choose properties - it shows "general" (type, location, size, attributes etc)

and "details" (name, type, size, owner etc)

it doesnt say explicitly that its a protected file - im sure when i had windows xp (im now on vista) it made it obvious if it was protected. something like ACC protected (whatever that is)

basically, i want to back up all my itunes music. I started my music collection when i had windows xp, on another computer - i had to reinstall windows afew times, and when i put itunes back on, it kept saying something like

"you now only have 1 more authorisation on this computer" (i started with 5, but now im down to 2...i think)

so naturally i was worried when i got a new pc that it would tell me ive used up all my authorisation things, so i wouldnt be able to play the music i paid for!

i dont want to do anything "illegal" - so how can i ensure if my new vista pc crashes, when i reinstall itunes, its not gonna say

"sorry mate youve used up all your authorisation times, im not gonna let you play this music anymore"