Ask iLounge 5-24-07

Article

Ask iLounge offers readers the opportunity to get answers to their iPod-related questions from a member of the iLounge editorial team. We'll answer several questions here each week, and of course, you can always get help with more immediate concerns from the iLounge Discussion Forums. Submit your questions for consideration using our Ask iLounge Submit Form. We reserve the right to edit questions for grammar, spelling, and length.

The most asked question at iLounge.com:

How do I copy music from my iPod onto my computer?

Click here for the answer.

The second most asked question at iLounge.com:

How do I put DVDs on my iPod?

For converting DVDs, web video, TV shows and home movies to your iPod, iPhone or Apple TV, we have a three-part series outlining the best formats, settings, and various tools to use for converting all types of video content for use on these devices.

The Complete Guide to iPod, Apple TV and iPhone Video Formats

The Complete Guide to iPod, iPhone and Apple TV Video Conversion (Mac)

The Complete Guide to iPod, iPhone and Apple TV Video Conversion (Windows)

Top five questions most recently asked by iLounge readers:

Q: What are the best speakers to use with my iPod? (15, 76-79, and 90-92)

Q: What are the best headphones to use with my iPod? (10, 72-75, and 90-92)

Q: I really want to get a nice case for my iPod. Do you have any suggestions? (36-37, 54-67, and 90-92)

Q: How can I connect my iPod to my car stereo? (14, 32-35, 68-71, and 90-92)

Q: Are there any batteries that I can use to extend my iPod's battery life? (82-83 and 90-92)

A: Answers to these and many other questions can be found in two places. Our Free iPod Book 3.3 provides a complete report card to all of the iPod accessories we've reviewed as of summer 2007, as well as over 125 iTunes and iPod tips & tricks. Further, our new 2008 iPod & iPhone Buyers' Guide has accessory tutorials at the page numbers listed in parentheses above. These and other publications in our Library are free downloads, developed by the editors of iLounge!

And now, for this week's Ask iLounge column:

I have all of my iTunes files on an external hard drive connected to my laptop. However, all of my album artwork is being stored on my actual laptop hard drive. How do I change this? How can I transfer all of my artwork from my laptop hard drive to my external hard drive without confusing all the files? How can I make the default place for my artwork to be stored be on my external hard drive?

- Brandon

Although iTunes does create an “album artwork” folder in the same location as your iTunes library database, this is not necessarily the only place where album artwork is stored. Rather, this functions as a cache for any artwork you manually add, as well as the location for album artwork that is automatically downloaded through iTunes’ “Get Artwork” function.

Artwork that you manually add to the tracks themselves is actually placed in a tag within each track file. This means that no matter where you copy the song file, the artwork itself will always be available within the track. Even if you were to import these tracks into a brand new iTunes library, the artwork will be included.

For manually added artwork, iTunes does cache the artwork within the “album artwork” folder, in a subdirectory called “local.” This cache is intended to improve performance for artwork-intensive features like the new iTunes 7 “Coverflow” feature.

Note that this also applies to artwork that you download through third-party applications such as iArt. These applications use the same functions that you would if you were adding the artwork manually, and therefore the artwork will be stored within the tracks.

On the other hand, artwork that you download automatically through iTunes 7’s new “Get Artwork” feature is not embedded in the tracks themselves, but rather only stored in the “album artwork” folder, under the “download” sub-folder. Tracks with automatically downloaded artwork will not maintain this artwork if moved to a different iTunes library, since the artwork isn’t in the MP3/M4A file itself. However, since the artwork was downloaded automatically, iTunes can easily re-retrieve the artwork as required, which at least partially eliminates the need to store the artwork within the track.

Note that if you’re using a Mac, you can embed all of your downloaded artwork into your track files by using the Embed Artwork AppleScript, which can be found at Doug’s AppleScripts site.

Embedding the artwork is the best way to preserve it for backup purposes, but if you do want to move the artwork directory to conserve disk space or maintain your iTunes data completely on the external hard drive, this is done by moving the entire iTunes library folder. Unfortunately there’s no way to move just the album artwork folder—you need to move the entire “iTunes” folder and all other associated files to the external hard drive in the process.

To do this, simply shut down iTunes and copy your “iTunes” folder (from directly under your “My Music” folder in Windows or your “Music” folder on a Mac) to a location on the external hard drive. Once you’ve done this, hold down the SHIFT key (Windows) or OPT key (Mac) while starting iTunes. You should be prompted with a dialog box similar to the following:

Simply select “Choose Library…” and then browse to the location that you copied the “iTunes” folder to on the external hard drive. From this point on, iTunes will continue to use this new path for it’s library database and other related data such as album artwork unless you manually change it to another location by using the same procedure again.

Does the Nike+ kit work when running on a tread mill?

- Barbara

Although the Nike+iPod is not specifically recommended for use on a treadmill, our own experiences have demonstrated that it will work on traditional treadmills—that is the ones with a conveyor belt that simulate actual walking motion.

Although the Nike+iPod does work well for most people out of the box, if you plan to use it on a treadmill, it’s strongly recommended that you follow the included calibration instructions to ensure that it’s measuring your pace and distance as accurately as possible.

It is also important to note that if you frequently switch between using your Nike+ kit with a treadmill and using it for normal walking, you may find that the calibration for each is somewhat different. This is due to the fact that most people’s running or walking gait and/or pace differs between treadmills and normal walking. A simple test of the calibration can determine whether this is a significant problem or not. Further, as the Nike+iPod allows for separate calibrations for running and walking, this should be taken into consideration based on your normal activity patterns as well.

The key point to remember is that the Nike+iPod is designed to track the movements that are normally associated with walking. It uses a piezoelectric sensor to detect the movement of you foot up and down from a surface. Therefore, the sensor will work reasonably well with any activity that closely resembles normal walking or running, but will not work with other activities such as cycling. Further, for the same reason the Nike+iPod kit will not work properly on exercise devices such as elliptical trainers. Unlike traditional treadmills, elliptical trainers do not accurately simulate the normal foot movements of walking, and therefore will not produce accurate results.

I’ve had the extreme misfortune of losing my iPod nano, and have purchased a new one of the same model. Can I use the same library with the new nano? How do I set this up?

- Erin

Absolutely, and setting it up is truly as simple as just connecting your new iPod nano to your iTunes library.

iTunes will detect this as a brand new iPod and take you through the same setup wizard that you encountered when you hooked up your first iPod nano. If your library is smaller than the capacity of your Nano, you can simply choose to use automatic synchronization and iTunes will simply go ahead and transfer all of your music and playlists to your new iPod nano, and you’ll be ready to go.

If you do have a library that is larger than your iPod nano, then you can either let iTunes choose a selection of music to put on your Nano, you can setup and choose your own iTunes playlists to transfer to your Nano, or you can choose to simply manage the content on your Nano manually.

To let iTunes choose a selection of music automatically, simply choose the automatic synchronization mode as you normally would, and iTunes will advise you that your library is too large to fit on your Nano and will offer to choose a selection of music for you.

Selecting “Yes” will tell iTunes to create a standard playlist containing enough music to fill your iPod, and set that playlist to automatically sync to your iPod. You can change what is placed on your iPod simply by changing the content of that particular playlist, and you can even choose additional playlists to sync to your iPod from within the iPod preferences in iTunes.

On the other hand, if you prefer to either manage your music manually or set up your own playlists to sync to your iPod, then the simplest solution is to DEselect the option to automatically sync music during the setup wizard process. This will basically leave the iPod in manual mode, and not load any specific content onto it. You can then either drag-and-drop any music or playlists yourself from your iTunes library, or go into your iPod preferences and select specific playlists to automatically sync to your iPod.

Does the iPod have a “snooze” function?

- Ed

While the iPod does include both an alarm and sleep timer function, there is no specific “snooze” function to postpone an alarm once it has sounded.

The iPod does include the ability to set multiple alarms, however, so depending upon your specific requirements this could be used in place of a snooze feature. In this case, you could simply setup one alarm to trigger at 6:45 in the morning, and a second alarm to trigger at 7:00 in the morning. You can then pause the iPod playback (or stop the beeping alarm) when the first one goes off, and wait for the second one.

You can even have different playlists for the different alarms, so your early alarm could be some more relaxing music (such as some smooth jazz) and then the second alarm could be something intended to get you out of bed.

To set up multiple alarms on the iPod, you basically need to set up multiple clocks. Each clock gets its own alarm settings. To do this, simply go into the Extras, Clocks menu, and add an additional clock, making sure that it’s set to the same time zone as your existing clock. You can then go into the new clock and set an additional alarm to go off at the appropriate time.

While this work-around may be fine for some applications, if you’re looking for a more ad-hoc solution, or simply want the satisfaction of having an actual snooze button to whack on those more difficult mornings, you may want to take a look at one of the many third-party iPod clock radio accessories that are available, such as the Philips AJ300D (iLounge rating: A-), XtremeMac Luna (iLounge rating: A-) or iHome iH8 (iLounge rating: B+). These accessories offer alarm settings that are independent of the alarm feature on the iPod itself, including most features found on standard clock-radios such as snooze and FM radio functions.

I’ve had a sad run of bad luck with my computer hard drives resulting and several reformats, a new computer, another reformat and then yet another new hard disc! Now I find that iTunes will only copy a few of my songs to my iPod even though there is plenty of spare capacity. I suspect that there is some sort of copyright rule coming into play. Can I fix this without reloading hundreds of CDs?

- Warrick

This likely isn’t the result of a “copyright rule” per se, although if you have purchased tracks from the iTunes Store it is possible that you haven’t “authorized” your new computer to play those tracks. This is the most common cause of tracks failing to transfer to the iPod after reinstalling iTunes onto a new computer system.

Note that iTunes will normally provide a warning message when tracks cannot be copied to the iPod for this reason or any other reason. If you are not seeing any warning messages, try right-clicking on your iPod in iTunes and choosing the “Reset Warnings” menu item.

Once this has been done, simply sync your iPod again. If there are any problems preventing tracks from being transferred, iTunes should notify you of this.

If the issue is with transferring purchased tracks, this likely indicates that you will need to authorize your computer. iTunes will not transfer any purchased tracks to a connected iPod unless the computer that you are using has been authorized to play these tracks. This normally occurs the first time you attempt to play a purchased track. If you have moved to a new computer, however, your authorization keys will not necessarily be restored as part of your iTunes library.

To re-authorize your computer, either try playing one of the purchased tracks, or go to the Store menu in iTunes 7 and select Authorize Computer. In either case, you will be prompted to enter your Apple user id and password for the iTunes Store. iTunes will then download the necessary authorization keys to allow your computer to play these tracks and transfer them to your iPod.

If there are no warning messages coming up, you may want to review your iPod sync settings to ensure that you do in fact have all of the items that you expect to be transferred onto your iPod selected for synchronization. If iTunes is set to sync only selected playlists to your iPod, you may need to ensure those items are in the appropriate playlists, or select the additional playlists you would like to synchronize.

I have an active playlist in my iTunes library that includes both purchased music and uploaded music for my old iPod nano. I recently plugged in a new 5G iPod and was successful in setting up a different user account, however the new iPod synched music on the new iPod that I don’t want. Question is: How do I delete the songs from the new iPod but not remove them from my music library folder?

- Diana

There are a couple of ways that you can prevent songs in your iTunes library from transferring to your iPod in automatic synchronization mode.

If there are only a few tracks or specific categories of music you want to exclude (holiday music is a common example of this), then you can use the checkmarks that appear beside each song, and simply tell iTunes to only synchronize those songs that have a checkmark beside them.

To do this, simply connect your iPod, and select it from the iTunes source list on the left-hand side. You should be presented with a screen similar to the following, from which you can simply choose the “Only sync checked items” setting, and hit the “Apply” button.

You can then go back to your iTunes library and simply UNcheck any tracks that you don’t want to have placed on your iPod. You can also UNcheck ALL displayed tracks at once by holding down the CTRL key (Windows) or CMD key (Mac) while clicking on a check box. This can be useful if you wanted to deselect all tracks within a specified playlist or a specified genre—simply filter the iTunes display using the browser or search box to show only the tracks that you want to select or deselect, and then CTRL/CMD click on one of the checkboxes to select or deselect ALL displayed tracks.

This method of using checked items works best if you simply want to exclude a few specific tracks from synchronization. If on the other hand, you would prefer to only sync a sub-set of your library, you can do this by telling iTunes to sync only selected playlists to your iPod. To do this, select the iPod in the iTunes source pane, and choose the “Music” tab:

You can then change the option to only synchronize “Selected playlists” and choose the specific playlists that you want to transfer to your iPod. Only tracks that are in these playlists will be transferred, and you can either use a combination of both standard playlists that will let you specifically add the tracks you would like, and smart playlists to automatically select music matching certain criteria that you specify.

In either case, since the iPod operates in automatic synchronization mode, mirroring the changes you make in the iTunes library, those tracks that are excluded from synchronization will be removed from your iPod on the next synchronization.

Will I lose everything I have on my iPod when the battery is changed? Also, I received an 80g iPod for Christmas; is this a 4th or 5th generation? How do you tell?

- Venita

No, changing the battery does not result in any of the data on the iPod being lost. The full-size iPod models use an internal hard disk, similar to the one found in your computer, which is a permanent storage device. In the same way that your computer retains data when it’s unplugged, so does the iPod itself.

Likewise, although the iPod nano does not have a hard drive, it uses persistent flash memory, which also does not require a power source to maintain its content.

Changing the battery will result in some of the memory-based settings being reset (such as backlight timer and shuffle mode), but these are merely configuration options that can be easily reset.

To answer your second question, an 80GB iPod would be a fifth-generation iPod, as the fourth-generation units were not made in that capacity (60GB was the largest fourth-generation iPod model). Further, the fourth-generation iPods did not support video playback capabilities.

There have actually been two different releases of the fifth-generation iPod: The original 5G iPods were released in October, 2005, and came in 30GB and 60GB capacities. In September, 2006, Apple introduced an “enhanced” fifth-generation iPod (sometimes also referred to as the “5.5G” iPod), in 30GB and 80GB capacities. At the same time, a firmware update was released for the older 5G iPods, providing many of the 5.5G features to the older models. The only difference between the older 5G and newer 5.5G iPods is the brighter screen on the newer models, slightly improved battery life, and a “Search” feature that can be found under the “Music” menu on the iPod.

Original 5G and Enhanced 5.5G iPods can also be identified by the packaging. The orignal 5G iPod shows a picture of Bono from U2 on one side, and the song “Feel Good, Inc” by Gorillaz is shown on the “Now Playing” screen on the reverse side. The enhanced 5.5G iPod shows a picture of Johnny Depp from Pirates of the Caribbean on one side, and the song “Dani California” by the Red Hot Chili Peppers on the “Now Playing” screen.

You can find a comprehensive list of the various iPod models and differences between them in our Frequently Asked Questions section, under the heading What are the differences between all the iPod models?

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Ask iLounge Archives:

11-20-09: Sharing iTunes libraries between two user accounts, Enlarging text on iPhone 3GS, Transferring an iPod to a new user, iPhone shuffles when walking, New 8GB iPod touch models, Transferring purchases from a remote iTunes library

11-13-09: Syncing different contact info with two iPhones on the same computer, iPod shows no content, Syncing music and videos in playlists, Exclamation marks next to tracks in iTunes, Playing podcasts on 3G iPod shuffle.

11-6-09: Storing iPod software updates, Playing an iPod continuously, Transferring play counts to a new iTunes library, iPhone backups, Klipsch S4i earphones

10-30-09: Authorization problems with iPod touch, Changing Grid View background in iTunes, iTunes library and Music Folder are different sizes, Older iPods and firmware updates, Reconciling two different iTunes libraries, Syncing multiple devices to one iTunes library

10-23-09: Using a laptop with an iTunes library on an external hard drive, Transferring YouTube videos to iPod, iPod touch accessibility settings, Disabling Shake to Shuffle on iPod nano, Purchased songs fail to download from iTunes Store, Charging and powering off iPhone

See the rest of the Archives...

10-16-09: Moving iTunes to a new computer, Transferring contacts from Blackberry to an iPhone, Disabling iPhone Backups, Using AV cables for audio only, Problems syncing photos to iPod touch, Memorex iFlip and iPhone compatibility

10-9-09: iPhone OS and external keyboards, Adjusting ratings in a remote iTunes library, Excluding tracks from Genius Mixes, Moving iTunes library out of My Documents, Playlist folders on iPod touch, Refreshing random Smart Playlists

9-25-09: iTunes 9 and Shopping Cart, Restoring iTunes to an external hard drive, Using an HTTP Proxy over 3G, Problems transferring movies from iTunes to IPhone, iPod touch shuffle mode, Using an iPhone without a SIM card

9-18-09: Recovering unlisted media content from iPod, Repeat and continuous video playback on iPod touch, iPhone 3G vs 3GS, Customizing iTunes sorting, Rebuilding an iTunes library, Removing artwork from iPod in iTunes 9

9-11-09: Genius Mixes and iPod classic, Drag-and-drop content to iPod, Sharing home libraries in iTunes 9, Using an iPod without iTunes, Waking to a playlist on iPod touch, Kensington LiquidAUX, Disabling Geotagging Warnings

8-28-09: Consolidating Multiple iTunes Libraries, iPod touch Bluetooth headset compatibility, iPod holds less than advertised number of songs, Transferring media between iTunes Store accounts

8-21-09: Recover Contact/Calendar info from iPod touch, Connect iPod without automatic sync, Managing On-The-Go playlists, iPhone and Stereo Bluetooth Support, Sharing an iTunes library between multiple users on the same computer, Disabling Shake-to-Shuffle on iPod nano

8-14-09: Syncing iPod touch apps and data with a new iTunes library, Automatically adding media files to multiple iTunes libraries from a network share, Downgrading to iTunes 7, iPod nano and disk mode, Displaying release dates on iPod, Playing iPod through TV USB port

8-7-09: Clean up album artwork in iTunes, Syncing media content and calendar/contact info from different computers, Reorganizing recovered tracks in iTunes, Using multiple iPods and iPhones on one computer

7-31-09: Using an iPod and a Zune, iPod and on-TV menus, Backing up Notes from IPod touch, Sharing an iTunes library between a Mac and a PC, Waterproof earphones, 3G iPod and iPhone Accessory compatibility, Shure earphones

7-24-09: Displaying recent plays on web site, iPhone and car integration, iPod classic TV output, Renaming iPhone, Sound quality on different iPod models, iPod shuffle accessory compatibility

7-17-09: Transferring saved application data to new iPhone, Recovering Content from Mac iPod on Windows, iPhone 3GS and charging accessories, Recreating Recently Added playlist, Restoring old iPod touch, Track sorting on iPod classic

7-10-09: Passwords on iPod touch, iPod headphone jack problems, Tagging tracks imported from CD, Adding chapter markers to audiobooks, first-generation iPhone and stereo Bluetooth, Nike+ shoes

7-3-09: iPhone Recent Calls list and location info, iPod touch Bluetooth audio support, Car interface fails after 3.0 upgrade, iPhone battery life, iPhone stereo audio recording,

6-26-09: Recovering a dead iPod touch after 3.0 update, Battery Percentage Display on iPhone 3.0, Options hidden after 3.0 update, iPhone locked after 3.0 update, Managing videos on iPhone, iPod classic accessory compatibility

6-12-09: Conserving power on iPhone, Syncing iPhone Notes, Syncing Apps on new iPod touch, Block pop-ups in Safari, Syncing new iPhone, Playing multiple albums

5-29-09: Sorting tracks in iTunes, iPhone Bluetooth Headset Dock, Recovering Mac-formatted iPod on Windows, Screen damage on 4G iPod nano, Syncing purchased tracks back to iTunes, Managing a class set of iPods

5-22-09: Syncing iTunes content between computers, Importing music into iTunes, Re-transferring apps from a new iTunes library, New iPods and charging accessories, Using multiple iTunes libraries

5-15-09: Starting out with an external hard drive, Syncing playlists manually, Recovering lost iPod serial number, Music count vs Playlist count, Multiple iTunes Store accounts on the same computer, Optimizing album artwork

5-8-09: Organizing audiobooks, Problems transferring purchased items back to iTunes, Keeping played podcast episodes on iPod, Transferring iTunes library to a new computer, iPod shows no content, Using a new iPod with an existing iTunes library

4-24-09: Playing iTunes purchases on a non-networked computer, Finding iPod manuals online, Sharing an iTunes library between separate user accounts, Equalizer on iPod shuffle, Recovering content from Apple TV, Screenshots on iPod touch

4-17-09: Converting tracks to higher bit-rates, Using iPod with non-iTunes content, Using iTunes with an external hard drive, Expired rentals don't delete on iPod, Using only part of a song, Restoring 4G iPod stuck on AC adapter icon

3-27-09: Transferring iTunes library from XP to Vista, Using iPhone as an alarm clock, Splitting iTunes library across two iPods, Recovering iPod onto a computer with an existing iTunes library, Purchased TV Shows stuck in downloads folder, Tagging tracks as Audiobooks in iTunes 8

3-20-09: Using two iPods on a single computer, iPod shuffle 2G/3G accessory compatibility, Displaying TV Show seasons separately in iTunes, Playing iPod through secondary computer, Stopping iPod playback on iPhone, iPod touch 2G and Dock audio

3-13-09: iPod touch vs iPhone, Storing music only on your iPod, Problems transferring rented content, Managing content manually on iPod shuffle, iPod lyrics display, Playing video out to TV from iPhone

3-6-09: iPhone playback on other computers, Games on iPod classic and 5G, Transferring iTunes tracks to SD cards, Group compilations on iPhone, Transferring your iTunes library, iPhone Car Integration

2-27-09: Problems transferring iTunes content to external hard drives, Using an iTunes library database from an external hard drive, Converting Palm address book for iPod touch, How iTunes organizes music videos, Preventing iPhoto from opening when connecting an iPod touch

2-20-09: Video docks for 5G iPod, Connecting an old iPod to a new iTunes library, Downloading iTunes 8 on another computer, Erasing a used iPod and starting fresh, Recovering photos from an iPod, Tracking purchases in iTunes

2-13-09: Waterproof cases and sound quality, Upgrading to iTunes Plus with a manually managed iPod, Reinstalling games on the iPhone, iPhone 3G Dock options, Fixing album artwork problems, Display iTunes Applications category

2-6-09: iPod nano voice memo format, Buying iPods abroad, Skipping a playlist when shuffling, Adjusting playback speed of music tracks, Not all TV Shows syncing to iPod, Checking and unchecking multiple items in iTunes

1-23-09: Synchronizing contacts to iPod touch, Pairing iPhone Remote app, iPhone call audio via Dock Connector, Recovering iPhone apps, New iPods and charging, Remote control of Windows via iPhone

1-16-09: Creating Smart Playlists based on other playlists, Transferring or syncing an iTunes library between two computers, Converting Mac-formatted iPod to Windows, Using Artist and Sort Artist fields, Using an iPod on more than one computer, Importing audiobook CDs as audiobooks

1-2-09: Parents controls on iPod touch, Running iTunes from an external hard drive, Search feature on 5G iPods, Syncing videos to iPod touch, Safari problems on iPod touch, Other content on iPod shuffle

12-19-08: Keeping podcast episodes, iPod and TV USB inputs, Converting PC-formatted iPod to Mac, iPod touch e-mail accounts, Backing up iTunes to a hard drive, Managing and syncing iPod touch On-The-Go playlists

12-12-08: Classifying videos in iTunes 8, Sharing music between iPods, Sharing apps between iTunes libraries on the same computer, iH9 and iPhone compatibility, Recreating Purchased folder, Locating Music Videos

12-5-08: Creating custom slideshows for Apple TV, Optimal album artwork size, Transferring iPod touch from PC to Mac, Upgrading to a new iPod touch, Authorizing iPod Games on new computer, Managing iPod content manually

11-21-08: iPod keeps resetting, Organizing iPhone apps, iPod touch video accessories, iPod-compatible online music sources, Reordering playlists manually

11-14-08: Cover Flow on 4G iPod nano, Setting up iPod touch without Internet access, Internet radio for iPod touch, Apps button missing on iPod touch, mm50 speakers and new iPod models, Including Year field on iPod

10-31-08: iPod charging accessory compatibility, Adding tracks to multiple albums, Removing pre-installed games, Transferring contacts from iPod touch to a second computer, iPod touch accessory compatibility, iPod synchronization to a new computer

10-24-08: Importing folders with M3U files, AV cables with 2008 iPods, Moving iTunes libraries between computers, Unknown albums after importing music, Newly added tracks don't show up on iPod

10-17-08: Backup up your iPod, iPods and viruses, Using an iPod on Mac and Windows, Managing photos on an iPod manually, Adding iTunes Shared Music to iPod, iPod video out

10-3-08: Displaying lyrics on iPod touch, Calculating playlist sizes, Transferring tracks to iPod in manual mode, Purchasing older iPod models, Using iPhone without phone service, Shuffle modes

9-26-08: iTunes HD TV episodes showing up twice, Shure MPA-3C and iPod touch, Synchronizing iPod to a new iTunes library, Problems updating iPhone applications, Managing iTunes media files on an external hard drive, Managing multiple iPods on one computer

9-19-08: Removing Genre column in iTunes 8, Syncing TV Shows by playlist, Recovering Mac-formatted iPod on Windows, Recovering photos from iPod, XtremeMac Luna X2, iPod flash memory capacity, Restoring older iPod models

9-12-08: Managing iPhone Backups, iPod disk mode and deleted items, iPod Plays only single tracks, iPhone and T9 predictive text, Copying ratings and play counts from iPod to computer, Automatically retrieving CD information and album artwork

9-5-08: AV output from iPhone 3G dock, New playlists not appearing on iPod, Transferring music on iPod touch from multiple computers, Resetting iTunes Store authorization counts, Editing tag information, iPhone task applications

8-29-08: Disabling data on iPhone 3G, iTunes Plus and Apple Backup, Deleting photos from iPod, iPhone v2.0 and TV Out accessories, Consolidating multiple iTunes libraries, Restoring iPod touch from backup

8-22-08: Cleaning up applications in iTunes, Playing back all songs on iPod, Excluding podcasts from Smart Playlists, Bookmarking tracks, Playing tracks back at a consistent volume level

8-15-08: Transferring play counts back to iTunes, Playing iPod while charging, Customizing iPhone alerts, Syncing movies to iPod nano, iTunes not recognizing new CDs, Sudoku reviews

8-8-08: iPhone and SIM card contacts, Syncing iPhone contacts, Hiding SMS previews on iPhone, Playing iPod touch on secondary computer, Syncing photos to iPod, Resuming interrupted iTunes WiFI Store downloads

8-8-08: iLounge Editor-in-Chief Jeremy Horwitz responds to reader questions on all things iLounge, including technical issues related to iPhone 3G, and behind-the-scenes editorial issues

8-1-08: iPhone Edition: Switching between apps, Car charging accessories, Activating older iPhone models, Sending MMS, App Store in wrong language, Excel and A2DP support

7-25-08: MobileMe on iPhone for Calendars only, Buying iPods for International use, Voice recorders for 4G iPods, Free Music for iPod, Problems transferring purchased content to iPod, Playing AAC files in Windows Media Player

7-18-08: Ask iLounge iPhone v2.0 Edition: Installing apps on multiple devices, Converting videos for iPhone 3G, Activating first-gen iPhones, Saved photos on iPod touch, Push e-mail support

7-4-08: Recovering a corrupt iPod, Hard cases for iPhone, Reimporting CDs into iTunes, iPod shows only Other content, Managing multiple audio formats in iTunes, Optimum iPod video output cables

6-27-08: Creating Smart Playlists for Purchased items, Keeping place in multi-track audiobooks, Backing up iTunes before a reformat, iPod Games on 5G and classic, Editing CD tracks before import, Getting Album Artwork automatically

6-20-08: Third-party iPod management tools, Transferring large files on iPod, Shuffling On-The-Go Playlists, Removing played podcasts from iPod, Continuously playing one track, Moving iTunes from PC to Mac

6-13-08: Artists not appearing on iPod, Unchecked items do not play in iTunes, iTunes shows incorrect CD track information, Podcast support on older iPod models, Upgrading to a new iPod, Photo albums on iPod touch

6-6-08: Downloading YouTube videos onto iPod, Selling old iPod models, Fit iTunes Window to Screen, Handing down an iPod, Dock Compatible iPod cases, Problems transferring music from iPod to Mac

5-30-08: Burning iTunes purchases to an MP3 CD, Playing iPhone via computer, Pre-loading a gift iPod on another computer, Music Video playlists on Apple TV, Music videos on 2G iPod nano, Importing existing MP3 and WMA files into iTunes.

5-23-08: Finding and backing up purchased music, Syncing duplicate tracks to iPod, Restoring 4G iPod and AC power, Syncing iPod to a laptop when travelling, Finding photos on iPod, Storing a large iTunes library in multiple folders

5-16-08: Using the iPhone with integrated in-car Bluetooth, Problems with iPods and depleted batteries, Transferring content to a new iPod, iPod displays audio but no video, Removing photos and album artwork from iTunes, Overdrive Media and iPods

5-9-08: About iPod battery life and charging, Using Apple FM Radio remote on older iPod models, Scan and Fix dialog using iPod on Windows Vista, Preserving iTunes metadata when reinstalling Windows, Importing multiple tracks into iTunes, About iTunes and ID3 tags

5-2-08: Transferring digital camera movies to iPod, Reordering and shuffling playlists, Transferring playlists between iTunes libraries, Importing audiobooks, Correcting tags on CD import, Burning CDs with longer gaps

4-25-08: Finding Duplicates in iTunes, Setting files to open in iTunes automatically, Resetting authorizations, 1G iPod nano and voice recording, Syncing a library larger than your iPod capacity, Grouping multi-disc albums

4-17-08: Ripping CDs to external hard drive, Zeppelin speakers and USB port, Bluetooth stereo on iPhone, Converting TV shows to iPod, Audio recording on iPod touch, Wireless security on iPod touch

4-10-08: Transferring LPs to iTunes, Movie Rentals and 5G iPod, New iPod models on older Macs, Maintaining Playback Position on iPod, Importing CDs on multiple computers

4-3-08: Using several iPods on one computer, Renaming imported CD tracks, iM7 and iPod nano, Burning different CD types, Purchasing from iTunes while travelling, Importing CDs on MacBook Air, Sending photos from iPhone

3-28-08: iPod capacity and bit-rates, International iTunes Gift Cards, iPhone charging accessories, Moving iTunes purchases to another computer, iPod touch and third-party tools, iPod videos play only audio

3-21-08: Basic DVD conversion, 5G iPod and subtitles, Slideshows on iPod touch, Using the Voice Memo function, iPod classic TV output quality, iPod Dock Connector extender cables

3-14-08: About Skip Count, iPhone alarm clocks, 5G firmware updates, Cleaning up after a library move, Syncing new playlists to iPod nano, Authorization of multiple iTunes Store accounts

3-7-08: Transferring MP3 files to new iTunes library, iPhone ringtones on Windows, Wired remotes for iPod classic, Sharing iTunes with multiple users on one PC, iTunes library and Time Capsule, Chargers for 3G iPods

2-29-08: Finding iPhone Backups, Contact Display on iPhone, Automatic vs manual iPod management, iTunes CD burning restrictions, iTunes movie rental expiry on iPods, Downloading podcasts to iPhone

2-22-08: Upgrading your iPhone, Recovering data from corrupted iPod, Recreating default playlists, Syncing iPod Games from more than one computer, Problems playing purchased TV shows on iPod, Output settings when playing movies from iPod to TV

2-15-08: Setting up an AirTunes network, Shuffling music, Playing podcasts sequentially, Firewire support on modern iPods, Recovering Mac-formatted iPods on Windows, Recovering iTunes library from a virus

2-7-08: Transferring music from iPod touch, Voice recorders for 2007 iPods, Cover Flow on 5G iPod, Renaming your iPod, iTunes and iLife, Organizing music transferred from the iPod

1-31-08: Apple TV AirTunes Support, iPod Games on 5G and classic, Keeping videos only on iPod, Syncing iPod using checked songs, Charging with Universal Dock, International iPod and iTunes Store use

1-18-08: Macworld Expo 2008 Special Edition: Questions about the new iTunes Movie Rentals and Apple TV features, including Time Capsule and the Apple TV, Renting HD Movies from iTunes, Transferring rented movies to and from the iPod, Fifth-generation iPods and movie rental support, AirTunes support on Apple TV Take Two.

1-10-08: TV output quality, iPod windows driver installation errors, Connecting iPod to portable DVD player, Syncing games, iPhone charger compatibility, Reformatting iPod for Mac

1-3-08: 2007 iPod models and speakers, Video resolution vs bit-rate, Preventing auto-deletion of podcasts, Videos with no sound, Using iTunes Store when travelling abroad, Transferring videos to iPod, Importing Audiobooks

12-27-07: Your First iPod, Differences between iPod models, Accessory compatibility, Converting DVDs for iPod, New iPods and older computers, Earphone Recommendations, Troubleshooting iPod Problems

12-21-07: Other space on iPod, Search feature on iPod touch, Adding third-party ringtones to iPhone, iPod suddenly shows no content, TV Dock compatibility, Artists appearing more than once on iPod

12-14-07: New iPods - Buy now or wait? Transfer music from an old iPod, Convert MP3 to Lossless, Listening to videos and battery life, Bluetooth headphones for iPod nano, Universal Dock and line-out volume

12-7-07: Using Compilations settings, Re-syncing iPod after hard drive replacement, Locating iTunes Plus tracks, New iPod firmware - video output and iPod Hi-Fi support, Mac-formatted iPods, Cover Flow on iPod, iPhone screen goes blank when on a call

11-29-07: Photo resolution on the iPhone, Obtaining video content for the iPod touch, Restoring older iPod models, Sharing iTunes library on a single computer, Transferring iTunes via external hard drive, Auto-deleting played podcasts

11-22-07: Syncing games to iPod, Removing album artwork, Replacing files in iTunes library, Limiting volume on iPod, Preventing iPod sync when connecting with iTunes, Skipping audiobooks when shuffling songs

11-16-07: iTunes and Vista, iPod classic video output (revisited), Transferring iTunes from PC to Mac, Organizing Music Videos in iTunes, Using newer iPods with older OS X versions, Sorting photos on iPod

11-9-07: Editing calendar on iPod touch, Multiple iTunes libraries on one computer, Creating an iTunes Store account without a credit card, Burning CDs with track names, iPod/iPhone remote control, iPhone TV output from Safari

11-2-07: TV Docks for new iPod models, Calculate song file sizes, iPhone backup and restore, Sync selected content with iPhone, Universal Dock compatibility, Managing podcast synchronization

10-26-07: iTunes Plus, Play Slideshow on iPod nano, Activate TV out on new iPods, Recover Mac iPod in Windows, Add descriptions to TV shows, iTunes not opening when iPhone is connected

10-18-07: iPod and Windows Autoplay, Reinstalling iTunes, Manually Managing Videos, iPod charging accessories, iPod touch power and sleep modes, Resyncing recovered iPod content

10-11-07: Managing a class set of iPods, New firmware and older iPods, Windows ME support, Sorting artists by last name, 3G iPod car audio compatibility, Resetting iPod language

10-5-07: iTunes WiFi Store, Videos with no sound, Managing video content manually, Tagging TV Shows, Renaming iPod, Flash support on iPhone, Removing multiple artwork images, iPhone and multi-recipient SMS, US/UK iPod compatibility, Photo storage on iPod touch

9-27-07: iPod classic audio quality, New iPod models: features and accessory compatibility, Transferring music from iPod 5G to classic, iPod nano voice recording, Storing multiple bitrates in iTunes

9-7-07: Special Edition on the new iPod lineup - users most common questions answered about the new iPod lineup and new iTunes release, including accessory compatibility and new software features.

8-30-07: Playing single tracks, iPhone sleep timer, Deleting iPod content, TV shows do not appear on iPod, Manually sorting playlists, Fitting content onto audio CDs, Car line-out solutions

8-23-07: Set Video Kind within files, Authorization and iPod transfer, Chat Clients for iPhone, Importing CDs for gapless playback, Tethering iPhone, Burning Purchased Tracks

8-16-07: Managing podcasts, Bookmarking audiobooks, No artwork in Cover Flow, Storing iTunes content on two hard drives, Sleeping with an iPod, ROKR sunglasses and iPhone, Selling an iPod

8-9-07: Playing Podcast episodes in sequence, Recording radio in iTunes, New iPod with songs already on it, Authorized Computers, Sync iPod with a new computer, Transferring a Windows iPod to a MacBook

8-2-07: Syncing the iPhone to more than one computer, Transferring iTunes music to the Blackberry, Continuous video playback on the iPod, Problems editing track info in iTunes, Transferring content from iPhone to computer, Video playback from the iPhone, Sending MMS messages from the iPhone

Next: Ask iLounge 5-31-07

Previous: Lost's iPod/iTunes Quinfecta: Game, TV Show, Podcasts, Audiobook & Soundtrack

Comments

1

hello, i just would like to know how do i download my music from the itunes library onto my ipod nano.

Posted by kenya on May 25, 2007 at 5:36 AM (PDT)

2

Everytime I try to plug in artwork into my 80GB Video Ipod, the Itunes is telling me that the artwork is not modifiable. Any suggestions on what to do?

Posted by Sir Crunch on May 11, 2008 at 6:12 PM (PDT)

3

i bought an ipod from my friend, and when i plug it in, it doesnt let me uncheck or delete any of the previous files because its’ not hooked up to its’ original library, how do i make my laptop the original library.?

Posted by emilee on July 28, 2009 at 7:04 PM (PDT)

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