Ask iLounge 8-15-08

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:

I know iTunes keeps track of the play count of tracks played, but I mostly listen to my music on my iPod not so much on iTunes. Is there any software available that would track the play count of tracks played on my iPod and then transfer these counts back into iTunes when syncing? Thanks!

- Anonymous

Actually, as long as you’re using automatic synchronization, this really should not be an issue. With automatic sync, iTunes transfers back any ratings, play counts, last played times, skip counts and last skipped times from the iPod back into your main iTunes library during each sync.

In fact, if you’re not using automatic synchronization with your iPod, this may be a very good incentive to do so.

Recent versions of iTunes also seem to provide some ability to transfer this information back when the iPod is set to manual mode, but this generally only seems to occur if the iPod content was originally synced automatically (ie, if you performed a full automatic load of your iPod before switching to manual management). This is likely due to the internal track identifiers still matching up between the iPod and iTunes, and the fact that users often temporary set their iPod to manual mode for various reasons.

If you must use manual mode for some reason, there are some tools available that can reverse-sync your ratings and play counts, although these are generally designed as a more full-featured iPod recovery solution. This process is usually far more cumbersome than simply using automatic sync with your iPod, so that is certainly our recommended solution. You can check out our iPod 201 article, Copying Content from your iPod to your Computer for more information on some of the available tools for doing this manually, however.

Can I play my iPod and charge it at the same time. I’ve been advised that doing this is unsafe but I don’t believe it. Can you advise me please?

- Rick

Absolutely. There is no reason whatsoever that you cannot both charge your iPod and listen to it at the same time, and in fact most car adapters and iPod speakers work on this very same principle—power is provided via the Dock Connector while also playing audio from the iPod. Further, it does not matter whether you are listening via the Dock Connector or headphone port.

When the iPod is connected to an external power source, it basically runs from external power and simultaneously charges the battery. When the battery is fully charged, the charging circuit shuts down and the iPod itself simply continues to run from the external power source. The only impact to listening to your iPod while charging it is that it will obviously charge more slowly since some of the power that would normally be used to charge the battery must be diverted to power the iPod itself.

The only other issue you may have is listening to your iPod while it is docked with your computer. In this case, if your iPod is connected to your computer, either because it is syncing or you have disk mode enabled, you will simply not be able to access any of the iPod functions, and therefore not be able to listen to it. Even in this case, however, as long as you are using automatic sync and not using disc mode, you can listen to your iPod once it has finished syncing.

Is there any way to customize the sounds on my iPhone?

- Anonymous

The iPhone allows custom ring tones to be used, and you can also choose between six different pre-defined sounds for your SMS (text message) notifications. The options are found under the Settings application on the iPhone, in the Sounds category.

Any custom ring tones can also be used as alarm sounds within the iPhone’s Clock application.

Other sounds, such as the new voicemail and new mail notifications, can merely be turned on or off.

You can purchase custom ring tones from the iTunes Store, however we consider this to be the more expensive and impractical option. Numerous third-party software applications are available to turn your existing songs into custom ring tones, including Apple’s own GarageBand ‘08 application if you’re using Mac OS X. If you’re a Mac user without the latest version of GarageBand, you can check out iToner (http://www.ambrosiasw.com/utilities/iToner, $15). If you’re a Windows user, there’s iPhoneRingToneMaker (http://www.efksoft.com/products/iphoneringtonemaker, $15).

Note that if you have jailbroken your iPhone, there are numerous options for customizing your sounds, but we do not normally recommend the jailbreaking process unless you are an experienced user and are comfortable with the possible warranty issues and instabilities that this may introduce to your device. Jailbroken devices are not in any way supported by Apple, and the software you are using on a jailbroken iPhone is therefore also unsupported in the event that you run into problems.

I have a new iPod nano (video), and I’m trying to get a movie to play on it. I downloaded the movie from the iTunes Store, and it shows up in the “Movies” category in iTunes. However, it’s not syncing into my iPod. I tried finding it in the “add file to library” category, but it wasn’t listed. What can I do?

- Emily

Even though you may be synchronizing your music content to your iPod automatically, the settings for Movies and TV Shows are controlled separately, so you may want to double-check the synchronization settings for your iPod within iTunes to ensure that this new movie is included.

To do this, connect your iPod to your computer, and then select it from the Devices list on the left-hand side of the iTunes window. You should see an iPod Summary screen in the main window, and a series of tabs at the top. Select the “Movies’ tab and you will see the settings for which movies are being synchronized to your iPod:

Ensure that the “Sync Movies” box is selected, and that your synchronization settings include the movie that you would like on your iPod—either All Movies, unwatched movies, or specific movies. Note that if your selection is “Unwatched Movies” then only those movies that you have not already watched will be transferred to your iPod.

Also ensure that “Sync only checked items” is not selected on the main iPod “Summary” tab, or if it is selected, that the movie in question has a checkmark in the box which appears beside it in your iTunes library.

If these settings are correct, and the movie is still not synchronizing to your iPod, you should also check to ensure that your computer is authorized to play the movie. Normally if you simply try to play it, iTunes should prompt you for your iTunes Store user name and password and then take care of the necessary authorization for you, but you can also force this manually by selecting Store, Authorize Computer from your iTunes menu.

iTunes will normally inform you if there is a problem transferring content to your iPod, but you may have also suppressed these warnings in the past. A useful troubleshooting step can be to reset all warnings for your iPod by right-clicking on it in the iTunes Source list and choosing “Reset Warnings” from the context menu:

Once you have done this, try re-syncing your iPod and see if any warnings come up explaining why the movie will not transfer from your iTunes library onto your iPod. If the warning involves “authorization” then the steps to authorize your computer explained above should generally fix this. If there are problems with the movie not being in the correct format, you should contact the iTunes Store customer service as this would generally indicate that you may have a bad download from the iTunes Store itself.

If you receive no warnings at all, even after you have reset the warnings, this generally means that the movie is simply not selected for transfer to your iPod, and you should check all of the sync settings again to confirm that they are properly set.

iTunes doesn’t recognise CD’s when I put them in. It holds onto the song lists from the previous CD even when I’ve ejected it a few times and closed the CD drawer with nothing in it. I have to shut down iTunes every time and start from scratch. What do I need to do?

- Katie

This problem is usually caused by Windows’ Auto Insert Notification having been disabled by a third-party application. This most commonly occurs with certain CD burning applications, since Auto Insert Notification can sometimes get in the way of a CD burning process.

As the name implies, Auto Insert Notification is a process within Windows itself that allows it to determine and notify other applications when a new CD has been inserted into your CD-ROM drive. Naturally, this means that when Auto Insert Notification is disabled, iTunes has no way of knowing that you’ve inserted a new CD into your computer’s CD ROM drive, and it continues to show you the data from the previous CD until you cause it to refresh in some other way—in this case by exiting and restarting iTunes.

Often you can work around this problem by ejecting the CD from within iTunes itself, rather than by pressing the eject button on your actual CD-ROM drive. To do this, simply click on the small eject icon which appears to the left of a CD in your iTunes device list. Since you’re telling iTunes itself to eject the CD, it should be able to refresh its cache properly when you insert a new disc.

Ideally, however, turning on Auto Insert Notification is usually the preferable option. There are a number of ways to do this manually, however these generally involve hacking around in the Windows Registry. Fortunately, Microsoft provides an AutoPlay Repair Wizard that can look through your Windows AutoPlay and Auto Insert Notification settings and fix any problems with them.

Great Solitaire roundup! Now can you do the same for Sudoku? There must be 50 versions! My wife won’t upgrade her iPod touch to 2.0 until she is sure there is a Sudoku game she likes as much as the jailbreak version she’s using now. I have no idea how to judge them and the rating/review system on the App Store is now virtually uninterpretable.

- Keith

Actually, Sudoku was the very first iPhone Gems feature that we did back on August 1st. You can find it here: iPhone Gems: Every Sudoku Game, Reviewed. In this article, we briefly cover each of the 23 different Sudoku games available on the iTunes Store, and provide a rating for each.

If you’re simply looking for our top choices, be sure to check out Gameloft’s Platinum Sudoku (iLounge rating: A), Hudson Soft’s Sudoku Vol. 1 (iLounge rating: B+) and Electronic Arts’ Sudoku (iLounge rating: B)—the only three titles to earn a better than C rating.

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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: iPhone Gems: Tetris Clones and Other Grid-Based Games

Previous: Ten iPhone App Developers Worth Caring About

Comments

1

hay its me again i still have a prob i dont know how to transfer itunes from my ipod nano (not the video) to my ipod touch if its even possible

Posted by shana on August 18, 2008 at 8:29 PM (PDT)

2

Please start a separate iphone section.I don’t have an iphone and never will.I come here for itunes help not iphone help.

Posted by dwr50 on August 19, 2008 at 10:22 AM (PDT)

3

Hello, I would like to know if I can download images in my iphone (.jpg or .tif) and be able to see them and organize them in the photo gallery.

Posted by Javier Cachu on August 20, 2008 at 6:44 PM (PDT)

4

I have a mini IPOD (about 4 years old) and ever since I restore it on the apple website, I’m getting a lot of static noise. I called Apple tech support and basically they tell me to do another restore and if that does not work, my ipod basically is tossed!. I can’t believe it. It’s been playing fine all along. Can you help?

Posted by Karl Lung-Hung on August 21, 2008 at 11:19 AM (PDT)

5

Similar to Katie’s issue, I have a CD ripping problem on my 6 month old iMac. After a varying number of normal rips, iTunes appears to be hanging up between recognizing the CD and going out to CDDB for lookup data. The CD will show as an audio CD on the desktop, will appear in iTunes devices section on the right, flash a CD track list window and then disappear from iTunes and the desk top thereby leaving no indication that there’s a CD in the drive. Ejecting from the keyboard usually works and then reinserting the CD a 2nd time works for a while. Again after a varying number of CDs it becomes necessary to restart the iMac. Setting iTunes to just show or rip and eject or anything in between the CD has no effect.
We took it to the Genius Bar at the Apple store, but apparently all the Geniuses were out of the store. Our sub-genius guy apparently wasn’t able to process customer input. Multiple attempts were made to explain that reinserting the same CD after a successful read a 2nd, 3rd, 4th or 10,000th time NEVER FAILED. He proceeded, un-swayed, to insert his “test” CD (he knowingly said there were music files on it, oohhh! ahhhh!) 10 times and proclaimed that the drive was OK. This despite my wife and I had the foresight to bring an armload of CDs the Mac hadn’t been introduced to. As a 52 year old electrical engineer that has programmed and trouble shot numerous control systems over the last 33 years I find it always makes me feel better when customer care types talk to me like I’m 6.

He offered to reinstall the operating system if we wanted to bring it back because the store was closing. The whole point of switching to Mac was stability, unsurpassed integration between apps and hopefully having somewhat more elegant solutions available than reinstalling the entire operating system. If I wanted to reinstall Windows in the vain hope it would do more good than harm to solve my computer problems I would still be running a PC and be $2500 ahead.

It seems I can prolong the onset of the problem if no other applications that use the Internet are open. We are running DSL to a Time Capsule 1 foot away from the iMac. The Mac connects to the time capsule via wifi. OS X and iTunes are up-to-date. We have no other problems with this computer what-so-ever.

Has anybody else run into this problem?

Posted by Elcoholic in So Cal on August 22, 2008 at 3:14 PM (PDT)

6

this is the THIRD time some problem has occured with my Itunes and the songs I put into my “considering” file after hearing them and wanting to consider buying them have ALL disappeared and been replaced by songs I already bought. All the other folders are intact… I don’t mind reconstructing them manually if I can simply see where they have gone on my computer! Where are they? Is the information corrupted and gone forever?

Posted by Jeff Cohn on August 23, 2008 at 6:01 PM (PDT)

7

My computer recently died, thankfully it did so slowly so I was able to back up my iTunes folder so that I could install it on my new one. I installed onto the hard drive of my new computer and synced my shuffle to the new computer however the song count does not update itself in the new iTunes. I’ve restored my shuffle to factory settings with no success. Any ideas?

Posted by Fiona O'Neill on August 28, 2008 at 1:36 PM (PDT)

8

the central button of my ipod and the scroll wheel arent functioning. when i click, there is no response, it dosent even turn off or play.

the scrolling by the loop is also very slow, like it hangs for a while… i didnot use my ipod for a month or so, before putting it away, i never had such problems… it started when i removed it out, it hasnt fallen in water, not even have i tripped it down….

is it due to viruses? should i format the ipod from My computers????

i tried deleting all songs and playing it, but of no use..

where is an apple store in navi mumbai?????

Posted by sagar on December 26, 2008 at 7:05 AM (PDT)

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