Importing multiple tracks into iTunes

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Importing multiple tracks into iTunes

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Q: I want to import some music from an external hard drive into my iTunes library. I have been able to import songs one at a time. Is there a way to import multiple songs at once? Also, how about importing an album? Also, I cannot get my first-generation iPod nano to turn on. I have tried to reset it with no luck. It wasn’t used for an extended period of time. I do not want to restore it until I have my library updated. Could my problem be that the battery fully discharged? Will my music be lost?

- Pam

A: In answer to your first question, there have been a number of bugs through various versions of iTunes on Windows with regards to the “Add File To Library” menu option—some versions would allow any number of files to be selected, others only allow a single file at a time, while still other versions have some other limit in between.

In reality, however, the simplest way to add content to iTunes is to actually not even bother with the menu options. Instead, simply open a Windows Explorer window alongside your iTunes window, select whichever files you want to add, and then drag and drop them straight into the iTunes window using the mouse. Provided the files are in a format compatible with iTunes, it will import all of the selected files based on your current preferences (specifically, the files will be copied into the iTunes Music Folder or referenced from their original location, depending on the setting of the “Copy files to iTunes Music folder when adding to library” option in your iTunes preferences).

With regard to your second question, it is very likely that if you have not used your iPod for an extended period of time that the battery has been depleted. Even though the device has been off, some small amount of power is still used, and the lithium ion batteries themselves will normally lose voltage over time even from doing nothing.

In this situation, connecting the iPod to a power source, such as an external charger or your computer’s USB port should bring it back to life and begin charging it. Note, however, that in the case of a completely depleted battery, it may sometimes take up to 10 minutes after you plug the iPod in before you actually see it come to life.

Note that completely draining the battery on an iPod does not result in the loss of any of the actual media content on the device. At the most, on some models the actual user preferences (ie, the options found under “Settings” on the iPod menu) may be reset after the battery is completely drained, but the actual music and other media content is stored on non-volatile flash memory or on a hard drive, which do not require power to retain their content.

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