Ask iLounge 6-27-08

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:

Q: Is it possible to edit the ‘Purchased’ playlist that comes already set up in iTunes? It must be a Smart Playlist set up for a certain amount of songs or for a preset amount of time. I’d like it to include all the songs I’ve ever purchased. If that isn’t possible, how do I make a list that does?

- Kendra

A: The Purchased playlist that comes pre-defined in iTunes is basically just a standard playlist with a special position in the source list. Tracks you purchase are added to this playlist automatically, of course, but it otherwise behaves just like any other standard playlist, meaning you can sort it, re-arrange the tracks in it manually, and even add and remove tracks. If you delete the Purchased playlist, iTunes will simply re-create it the next time it’s needed (ie, the next time you purchase something from the iTunes Store).

You cannot change the behaviour of the default Purchased playlist, but you can easily create your own Smart Playlist to track your purchased music. This can be particularly helpful if you’ve ever deleted your Purchased playlist or removed tracks from it.

The key to creating a Smart Playlist to track your purchased music is that all music purchased from the iTunes Store has a “Kind” of either “Protected AAC Audio File” (standard iTunes Store tracks) or “Purchased AAC Audio File” (iTunes Plus tracks), so you can create a simple smart playlist that searches on either of these criteria:

If you want to include ALL purchases in your Smart Playlist, including video files, you can refine the Smart Playlist slightly to only look for the word “Purchased” or “Protected” at the beginning of the “Kind” field:

You can also build a Smart Playlist that contains only your purchased video content. Videos will be listed with a “Kind” of “Protected MPEG-4 Video File” so you only need to search on this criteria and you can add additional restrictions for different kinds of video, so if you wanted to create a Smart Playlist that shows only your purchased movies, for example:

Note that with Music Videos there is one additional exception to be aware of: iTunes Plus Music Videos do not contain any reference to “Purchased” or “Protected” in their “Kind” field, so the above Smart Playlists will not include these music videos. Since iTunes Plus music videos have an audio bit-rate of 256kbps, the following Smart Playlist may help to identify these tracks, but only if you have not created any of your own music videos with a 256kbps audio track:

Q: I have bought some audiobooks from eMusic which are provided as hundreds of three-minute files, with titles numbered 001 through 233 (for example). How can I organize these in iTunes and on my iPod to facilitate playback without having to keep track of which segment I am on? Is there any way to set up a playlist that will remember my place in the sequence of files, in the same way that the “Remember playback position” will remember my place within an individual file?

- Joe

A: Although neither iTunes nor the iPod can remember your position within a playlist, they do keep track of which items you’ve listened to by setting a “Last Played Date” and “Play Count” for each item as you listen to it. Therefore, the easiest way to solve this problem is through the use of Smart Playlists to track which audio book chapters you’ve already listened to and thereby remove them from the playlist as you listen to them.

You can either start by placing all of your audiobook tracks into a standard playlist, or if they are properly tagged simply build the Smart Playlist to identify and group all of those tracks by the audiobook title, album, or artist fields. You would then specify a criteria of “Play Count” is 0 to only include those sections that you had not listened to. For example, the following Smart Playlist would select all of the chapters/tracks in a specific audiobook, excluding those that have already been played through to the end:

You would then ensure this playlist is synced to your iPod, and listen to your audiobook tracks directly from this playlist. When you finish listening to a chapter/track in your audiobook, the play count for that track is incremented, and the next time you open that Smart Playlist on your iPod, the first track listed should be the one you’re currently listening to, since the others will have been removed based on the “Play Count is 0” criteria.

Q: I’m planning to format my Windows XP computer. Is it possible to save my current iTunes music library and to re-import them again later on when I reinstall Windows XP again?

- Danny

A: Absolutely. In a default configuration, iTunes stores everything you would normally care about in a folder named “iTunes” located under your “My Music” folder in your current user profile. Unless you have changed the default locations in your iTunes preferences, this folder normally contains your iTunes library database and all of your media files.

Simply backup this folder and everything in it to an external hard drive or CD/DVD before your reformat your computer. When you have reinstalled Windows XP and iTunes, copy this folder back into its normal location (under your “My Music” folder) before your start iTunes for the first time. Once it’s copied back, restart iTunes and it should pick up the existing library database and all of your existing media files.

Of course, if you’ve moved the “iTunes Music folder” (under the “Advanced” tab in iTunes Preferences), you will need to back that up in addition to the main “iTunes” folder, as this secondary folder is where your actual media files will be located.

The only thing that will not be backed up by this process is your iTunes Preferences, which are stored elsewhere in Windows. Although you can back these up as well, these do not always restore properly, so it’s better simply to re-visit your iTunes preferences settings after you have your library up and running and confirm that they are all set to your liking.

Our our iPod 201 tutorial on Managing your iTunes Library on an External Hard Drive has more information on how this all fits together.

Q: I purchased a game (Texas Hold’em) for my old fifth-generation iPod, which has since been stolen and replaced with a new iPod classic. However, this game will not sync with my new iPod classic, and in iTunes it says it is only compatible with the fifth-generation iPod. Any ideas how to make it sync to the new iPod classic?

- Patrick

A: Unfortunately, games that were purchased for the fifth-genereation iPod are simply not compatible with the iPod classic or iPod nano (video). This incompatibility is due to the fact that these new iPod models use a different hardware architecture, and the games had to be recompiled for the new hardware. Sadly, however, Apple chose to not offer an upgrade path for previous fifth-generation iPod users, requiring the games to simply be re-purchased again for the new iPod models at the full retail price.

Therefore, you will have to re-purchase the game from the iTunes Store for your iPod classic. Alternatively, you can try contacting the iTunes Store customer service department to see if they can be of assistance in allowing you to download the game again to include the iPod classic version, but they will likely also tell you that you need to purchase the game again for your iPod classic.

Q: I’m ripping CD’s into my iTunes library and the artist and album names aren’t coming up on the information. Is there any quicker way of adding the info rather than doing them all individually, or can you do it once and then copy it for the whole album?

- Gerald

A: The first thing you should check if the CD information is not coming up properly is that you have a working Internet connection when you insert the CD, since the track information is downloaded from the CDDB system on the Internet. You can also force iTunes to check again by selecting Advanced, Get CD Track Names from the iTunes menu.

Keep in mind as well that non-commercial CDs, such as “mix CDs” that you’ve made yourself, will not be identified by the CDDB service, since these are not standard CDs.

In terms of editing the track information for a CD before importing it, this is actually handled in much the same way as it is for normal tracks that are already in your iTunes library, meaning you can also very easily edit the properties for multiple tracks. Simply insert the CD, select all of the tracks in the track listing, and then choose File, Get Info:

From this dialog box, edit the common track information like you normally would (ie, album, artist, etc) and click “OK” to apply these changes to all of the selected CD tracks.

Naturally you won’t be able to edit the names of individual tracks from this dialog box, since these are likely going to be different for each track, but here’s another useful shortcut that may help: You may already be aware that when editing the track information for an individual track, you can use the Next and Previous buttons at the bottom of the track information dialog box to navigate between tracks. However, you can also use keyboard shortcuts for these buttons: ALT-N/ALT-P on a PC or CMD-N/CMD-P on a Mac will quickly move you through the track listing and the cursor will remain in the current field. This should help you make short work of entering individual track names without having to use the mouse each time. Simply enter the track name, hit ALT-N or CMD-N and then type in the next track name, and so forth.

Q: When I go onto iTunes and click Get Album Artwork for a new album, it constantly says the artwork can’t be found. When I first added my files the artwork feature was fine and the old artwork is still there, but anything new that I’ve added to my library won’t appear.

- Simon

A: Firstly, you will need an iTunes Store account to get album artwork, and you may need to ensure that you are signed in to the iTunes Store when you do this. You can sign in to the iTunes Store by selecting Store, Sign In from the iTunes menu and entering your userid and password when prompted.

Keep in mind as well that since iTunes gets its album artwork from the iTunes Store, only those tracks that are normally sold on the iTunes Store will have artwork available for them. Therefore, if you rip a Beatles CD into your iTunes library, you’re not going to find any artwork for that, since iTunes doesn’t carry Beatles albums. In this case, you will simply have to find and add the artwork manually.

Further, iTunes looks for album artwork based on the artist and album information in your existing tracks, which must therefore match the corresponding album on the iTunes Store. Even subtle differences, such as a suffix on the album name (ie, “Greatest Hits (Remastered)” ) can be enough to prevent iTunes from finding the matching artwork.

The bottom line is that you’re best to try looking for the album directly on the iTunes Store. If the album cannot be found at all, then iTunes doesn’t carry it in their catalog and cannot provide artwork for it—you’ll have to find your own artwork and add it manually (Amazon.com and Walmart.com are good places to look for artwork). If the album is found on the iTunes Store, make sure that the spelling of the artist and album name for the iTunes Store version matches the tracks in your library, otherwise iTunes may not be able to match them up when searching for album artwork. In this case, simply editing the properties of your existing tracks so that they match what is listed on the iTunes Store will often be enough for iTunes to find the album artwork during the next search.

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Ask iLounge Archives:

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

See the rest of the Archives...

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

7-26-07: Transferring photos from iPhone, Using iPhone speaker and dock, Song volume adjustments in iTunes, Transfer from a Mac-formatted iPod in Windows Vista, iTunes Other category and TV show syncing, Printing track lists from iTunes

7-19-07: Importing MP3 CDs, Using two iPods on one computer, Showing current track in Windows Messenger, iPod nano accessory compatibility, Keeping content only on the iPod, Transferring between two iTunes libraries

7-12-07: Sorting in iTunes 7.3, Joining CD tracks, Selecting TV Shows for sync, Recovering photos from iPod, Tagging multiple video tracks, iPhone activation requirements

7-5-07: Managing your iPod content with Smart Playlists, External hard drives and iTunes, Problems getting CD info from CDDB, Grouping by Album Artist, Using iPod as a removable hard drive

6-28-07: Manual mode and preventing auto-sync, Transferring iTunes library, Burning, ripping and sound check, Saving your place in multi-track audiobooks, Renaming your iPod, Resolving lost iPod content, Drivers and Software for 4G iPods

6-21-07: Smart Playlists for Podcasts, Incorrect track info when importing CDs, Deauthorizing computers revisited, Problems transferring purchased tracks, Transferring photos from iPod to computer, Deleting On-The-Go playlists, Songs not appearing under Artist name

6-14-07: Problems syncing re-ripped MP3s in iTunes 7.2, Grouping albums with multiple artists, Radio tuners for older iPod models, Managing Podcasts, Using an iPod on Mac and Windows, Selecting items for synchronization, iTunes not showing full iPod capacity

6-7-07: Using two iPods with the same library, Converting to AAC to Apple Lossless, Corrupt iPod errors, Sound Check and Crossfade, Exporting from iMovie to iPod and Apple TV formats, Copying from DVR to the iPod

5-31-07: iTunes Plus DRM-free music, Using iTunes songs in Windows Movie Maker, Storing notes on the iPod, Restoring the iPod, Synchronizing Watched TV Shows, Adding music from a second library, Viewing iPod menus on a TV screen

5-24-07: Storing artwork on an external hard drive, Nike+iPod kit and treadmills, Setting up a new iPod with an existing library, Using the iPod as an alarm clock, iTunes fails to transfer all tracks to the iPod, Syncing selected items to iPod, Identifying iPod models

5-17-07: Converting e-books for iPod, Problems Syncing Selected Playlists, Normalizing volume between tracks, iTunes truncating long filenames, Sorting tracks properly within albums, Pausing and remember playback position on the iPod

5-11-07: Video conversion: iPod vs Apple TV format, Automatically adding music to iTunes, Finding iPod-compatible music online, Organizing tracks on the iPod, Bluetooth speaker accessories, iHome speakers

5-3-07: Tagging content for your Apple TV, Organizing your Music Videos, Duplicate copies of your iTunes library files, Using the Universal Dock line-out, Problems restoring your iPod, Power adapter compatibility, Unlocking your iPod's volume limit

4-27-07: Transferring purchased content between iTunes accounts, FireWire/USB connections, External batteries, Problems turning off iPod, Sharing iPods on the same computer, Sorting tracks when importing CDs

4-19-07: iPod widescreen mode, Transcoding lossy formats, Locating missing music files, Assigning artwork to multiple tracks, Transferring iTunes purchases, Playing single tracks

4-12-07: Converting DVDs to iPod, Resetting Screen Lock, Moving an iTunes library to a new computer, Deleting songs manually from an iPod, Compatibility with overseas accessories, Finding accessories for the 5G iPod, Speakers for charging a 3G iPod

4-5-07: Playing iPod through iTunes, Preventing Apple Remote from controlling Universal Dock, Resetting iTunes authorizations, Transferring podcasts from a secondary computer, Finding music by composer tags, Sorting tracks on the iPod Shuffle

3-29-07: iPod photo transfer performance and accessories, Sorting photos on iPod, Syncing music and contacts from two different computers, iTunes video storage and formats, Converting AAC to MP3, Burning MP3 CDs

3-22-07: Album artwork and Other storage on the iPod, Storage size of iPod Games, Multiple iPods on the same computer, Etymotic Earjacks, Charging iPod while recording audio, Syncing TV Shows to iPod, Properly Tagging Albums

3-16-07: Converting Windows-formatted iPods for Mac use, Importing Calendar and Contacts from Outlook, Moving iTunes content to another hard drive, Recovering Playlists from iPod, Recording Lectures, Calculating iPod Storage

3-10-07: Understanding the new sort fields in iTunes 7.1, Smart playlists and rating preference, RSS feeds for new iTunes content, Checkboxes and synchronizing music to small iPods

2-22-07: Hiding the iTunes Store from view, Restoring iTunes' "Recently Played" smart playlist, Restoring an iPod's missing free space, Using third-party A/V cables, Apple TV and Wi-Fi network protocols, Authorizing iPod games

2-1-07: Windows Vista iTunes issues, Music Video organization in iTunes, Removing songs from Shuffle play, Sorting albums by year

1-17-07: iPhone Questions, Apple TV Stereo Connections, Car Stereos with USB ports, Now Playing screen on TV, Locating playlists a song belongs to, Playing podcasts sequentially

12-29-06: Charging iPod video with old AC adapter, Identifying iPod generations, Preventing iTunes from accessing the store, Accessing and playing video with DLO HomeDock Deluxe, Nike+iPod Sport Kit compatibility

12-14-06: Searching the comment field in iTunes, Buying an aux-in cable for the car, Making a recent top 25 playlist, Multiple genres per song, Radio Charts in iTunes

12-9-06: Gifting specific items from the iTunes Store, Linking to photos from the iPod's Notes feature, Properly listening to iPod music in loud places, Using Mac-formatted iPods with an XBOX 360

12-1-06: iTunes visualizers, Programs stored on iPod, Converting music en masse, Charging second-generation iPod shuffle, Adding chapter markers to videos

11-23-06: iPod deals, Continuously playing videos on iPod, Getting replacement iPod manuals, Finding size and playtime of a group of tracks, Fixing podcasts that reset iPod

11-16-06: Extracting audio from videos, Transferring albums to iPod easily, Using iTunes Store gift cards, Dealing with a scratched iPod backing, Recovering contacts from iPod

11-10-06: Volume limit on iPod shuffle, Preserving On-The-Go playlists between syncs, Storing Audiobooks in proper iTunes library, Apple Lossless on iPod shuffle

11-3-06: iTunes Store displayed in foreign language, All tracks begin where they were last stopped, Converting tracks to mono in iTunes, iPod wakes up and plays tunes on its own, Greatest Hits album won't show on iPod

10-26-06: Loading TiVo/DVR TV Shows on iPod, Accessing iTunes music with a Media Center PC, Leaving an iPod in the car, iPod Hi-Fi remote control, Tagging tracks just added to the library

10-20-06: Disc capacity & song quality tradeoff, iPod sleep behavior explained, Ordering albums by year on iPod, Using an iPod while charging via USB, Restoring a deleted playlist in iTunes

10-12-06: Displaying singles in iPod's Artists menu, Party Shuffle not advancing tracks, Two+ iPods on one computer - revisited, Finding songs not in any playlist, Returning to beginning of iPod shuffle playlist

10-5-06: Only one song plays at a time in iTunes, Playing interactive booklets, Resetting iPod's language, Shuffle anywhere on iPod, Isolating MP3 songs from AAC

9-28-06: Suppressing 'Explicit' tags in iTunes Library, Restoring the 'Purchased' playlist, Differentiating 5G 30GB models, Album Artist on iPod, Just for You in iTunes 7

9-21-06: Splitting "hidden" tracks from other songs, Multiple iTunes libraries, Movie trailers in the iTunes Store, iTunes-fetched artwork on iPod, Isolating Music Videos from songs in iTunes

9-13-06: iTunes 7 issues: Preserving library upon upgrade, Authorizing games for iPod, Audio severely distorted with static, Album artwork retrieval problems, Enhanced podcasts menu

9-7-06: Reverting to former iPod software updaters, iPod crashes and loses library, iPod not storing advertised song capacity, Cleaning out one's iTunes Library safely, Deleting Album Artwork en masse

8-30-06: Unchecked songs in smart playlist, Connecting iPod to car Aux-In jack, Deleting songs from iTunes, Filling iPods completely, Playing only one song in iTunes

8-25-06: Quickly erasing duplicate songs, Replacing iPod's front panel, Excluding videos from playlists, Using albums in smart playlists, Album art missing from iPod

8-17-06: Tags disappearing on play, Third party headphones on iPod, eAAC and eAAC+ codecs, Creating random batches of songs with smart playlists, Transferring iTunes Music Store tracks

8-9-06: Size of Smart Playlists, Changing an iPod's file system format, Backing up iTMS video purchases, iPod not automatically disconnecting, iPod shuffling problems

8-2-06: Airport Express not working under "Multiple Speakers", Tuning radio remote in 0.1 increments, Ordering albums properly, Video podcasts on older iPods, Multiple album artwork files per track on iPod

7-27-06: Exclamation marks near playlists, Artist column on far left of library?, Songs in multiple playlists, No options in for iPod slideshow music, Song numbering in iTunes' Library

Next: Ask iLounge 7-4-08

Previous: Ask iLounge 6-20-08

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Comments

1

I have had iTunes not find artwork on several occasions, even though the title is spelled exactly the same way it is in the iTunes Store.
Alternatively, you can find high quality artwork at http://www.albumartworkexchange.com/ They currently offer 10,000 covers at 600 x 600 or better.

Posted by Galley in Greenville, SC on June 30, 2008 at 6:26 AM (PDT)

2

Doh! The correct URL is http://www.albumartexchange.com/

Posted by Galley in Greenville, SC on June 30, 2008 at 6:27 AM (PDT)

3

I have a better way of multi-handling audiobooks. I set up a dumb playlist called “Bookbag” and put my current book in there. Then I set up a smart playlist called **Unread Chapters as described above, drawing from the dumb playlist. So all I need to do to start a new book is to clear Bookbag and put the new book in there.

Posted by otaku on June 30, 2008 at 12:18 PM (PDT)

4

How does reformatting XP affect your FairPlay authorizations?

I replaced my computer’s hard drive about a year ago and after installing iTunes and setting up my account with the previous username/password, my number of FairPlay authorizations dropped by one. In my case, I didn’t back up/restore the old iTunes database file.

I was just curious as to whether losing one of my authorizations was caused by creating a whole new iTunes installation or was it due to replacing a physical piece of hardware?

Posted by Paul on July 1, 2008 at 5:53 PM (PDT)

5

If you don’t have all your music organized on iTunes, you can also copy the music and put it back in the exact folders you had them (i.e., c:\documents and settings\username\my documents\my music, you only need to copy the 3 files inside the iTunes folder too.

I’d recommend making a backup of these 3 files from time to time, since they store all the information of the library (ratings, times heard, times skipped, gapless info), and should your iTunes crash and ask you to re-import EVERYTHING one again, insted of selecting the Lybrary file (don’t do this! your podcasts will be combined with your music), just repair it and restart it, making shure these 3 files are in the iTunes folder.

Posted by Arturo Lugo Gonzalez on July 2, 2008 at 6:01 AM (PDT)

6

About the FairPlay authorizations, simply deauthorize your computer before you format, then reauthorize after. Otherwise, iTunes will see your pre-format computer and after-format computer as two separate computers, not the same one.

Also, that info after authorizations are not stored in the iTunes database file, Apple has a secret system for that.

Hope this helps
Cameron

Posted by Cameron in Reno, NV on July 17, 2008 at 6:41 PM (PDT)

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