Q: I am glad to see that Apple is expanding options for ringtone creation (re: your article about Garageband ‘08) but I am a PC user. Are there any other options?

- Brad

A: Since Apple does not provide a utility like GarageBand for the PC, there is presently no official Apple-endorsed solution for creating ringtones for the iPhone on a Windows platform.

However, since Apple seems to have moved away from their previous restrictive ringtone support in iTunes, many of the third-party ringtone applications are now in the very least tacitly supported by iTunes and the iPhone. For Mac users who do not have the latest version of GarageBand, Ambrosia Software’s iToner ($15, trial available) is a popular choice.

For Windows users, there is Efiko Software’s iPhoneRingToneMaker ($15, trial available).

Q: I have an iPod classic. Does anyone make a wired iPod remote equivalent to the one Apple used to sell for earlier generation iPods? I bike a lot and enjoy keeping my iPod in my bag and being able to change tracks/volume by using the remote clipped to my shoulder strap.

- Michael

A: Actually, the Apple FM Radio Remote (iLounge rating: A-) originally released for the fifth-generation iPod is still supported with the iPod classic and iPod nano. It is not supported on the iPod touch or iPhone, however.

Other options include the Logiix The Remote+ for iPods (iLounge rating: C-), Logic3 In-line Remote with LCD Display (iLounge rating: B-), and the Griffin iFM Radio and Remote for iPod with Dock Connector (iLounge rating: B+). While we have not specifically tested all of these against the new iPod classic, from our experience the iPod classic and iPod nano (video) use the same Dock Connector remote control features as the fifth-generation iPod did, so any remotes designed for the fifth-generation iPod should continue to work with the 2007 iPod classic and iPod nano (video) models.

You can find a more comprehensive list of both wired and wireless remote control options in our Remote Control Reviews.

Q: I have four users on one Windows XP computer, but only one iTunes library which we all share. The iTunes library is under my own user account, and when other users such as my daughter are logged on, she can’t access the iTunes library to listen to music while she’s working. How can I let everyone access the songs without them logging on as me? On the iTunes library in my daughter’s XP account I changed the iTunes Music Folder location to point to the location that my iTunes uses at, but this hasn’t worked. How can I let the other users access the iTunes under their logon without copying the library into their directories?

- Rick

A: There are a couple of ways you can do this, depending upon how your file rights are setup on Windows XP.

If other users have full read/write access to your “My Music” folder, or you’re willing to grant them this access, then the simplest solution by far is to simply point their iTunes installations at the iTunes library database in your own user profile. This is accomplished by holding down the SHIFT key when starting iTunes. You will then be prompted to either create a new library database, or choose an existing one:

Simply select “Choose Library” and then browse for the “iTunes Library.itl” file on your computer. By default on Windows this should be located under “C:\Documents and Settings\(your user name)\My Documents\My Music\iTunes”

Once you have specified this the first time you start iTunes under each user profile, they will continue to use that database as their primary iTunes database unless you switch it again by holding down SHIFT when starting iTunes and choosing/creating a different one. Note that each user will still have their own iTunes preferences settings, and you will need to ensure that the iTunes Music Folder location is set to the same iTunes Music Folder path as your own user profile.

Alternatively, if file sharing rights between user profiles is a problem, you can relocate the iTunes folder from your own “My Music” folder to a common, shared location, and then point all four users to that new database location.

Keep in mind as well that the iTunes library database is not designed for concurrent multi-user access. If you are using the “Fast User Switching” feature on Windows XP, always ensure that you close the iTunes application in one user profile before opening it in a different one.

Our article on Managing your iTunes Library on an External Hard Drive contains more information on how iTunes stores its library database and other related files.

Q: I have a Powerbook with an 80 GB hard drive - and an external 300 GB drive which stores all my music. Attaching my external drive, plugging myself into a power socket, consolidating my music, updating my iPod, and unmounting it all again seems to be a nightmare, and I’m sure there must be a better way to store and access my media.

Time Capsule has suddenly made me realise - if its not done wirelessly, it shouldn’t be done at all!  To wirelessly access my iTunes library, do I need to purchase Time Capsule? Is this the best solution? Can I get a special router to attach my drive to that will do the same job? What’s the most cost effective thing to do?

- Faraz

A: You can certainly store your iTunes media files and even your iTunes library on a remote network device. Note that “Time Capsule” is not specifically required for this purpose, and doesn’t actually offer any extra iTunes-specific functionality as compared to any external “Network Attached Storage” (NAS) device.

Certainly if you are looking for a new wireless access point with included storage, and are a Leopard Time Machine user, the Time Capsule device is a good solution. However, these are really the only benefits of Time Capsule. If you’re strictly looking for somewhere to store your existing library wirelessly, and you want to use the 300GB hard drive you already own, then there may be more cost-efficient ways of doing this.

There are many wireless routers available these days with USB ports for external hard drives, including Apple’s own Airport Extreme base station. Purchasing a device such as the Airport Extreme may be more cost-effective as you are not paying for additional hard drive storage that you may not need. In the case of the Airport Extreme, you would simply connect your existing 300GB hard drive to the USB port on the base station, and access it remotely from there as a network share.

Other third-party wireless routers offer similar functionality, although they do not necessarily offer the ease of configuration and use that Apple’s routers do, particularly for a Mac OS X user.

Once you have a NAS configuration set up, regardless of whether you are using Time Capsule, an Airport Extreme with an external hard drive, or another type of NAS device, the process for moving your iTunes library over to it and managing it from there is much the same as you’re already doing for the external hard drive. If your iTunes library database is already on your Powerbook, then you would simply need to change the path of your “iTunes Music Folder” in your iTunes preferences to point to the network location. If you want to store the actual iTunes library database on the network device, then you would also need to point iTunes itself to that new location by holding down the SHIFT key when starting iTunes.

See our article on Managing your iTunes Library on an External Hard Drive for more information on the specifics of how this can be handled.

Q: I have a 3rd generation iPod. I love it and use it every day, but unfortunately my old wall charger was stolen. Seems like all of the after-market chargers don’t work with my older iPod. Can you suggest a replacement charger?

- Rex

A: Unfortunately, chargers that are compatible with the third-generation iPod models have become particularly scarce. The third-generation iPod charged using a Firewire-based power source, which connects to different pins in the iPod Dock Connector as compared to a USB charger, which is not supported by the third-generation iPod.

Although FireWire cables can still be found on the Apple Store, the actual Firewire AC adapter does not appear to be available directly from Apple. If you have a powered Firewire port on your computer, or another power source with a Firewire port, then the standard Dock Connector to Firewire cable will suffice to charge your iPod using your computer or that particular charger.

Depending upon your computer, purchasing a FireWire adapter card might actually be a viable solution as well. FireWire PCI cards are available from many sources for around $20, and these do generally provide powered FireWire ports, and you would be able to both charge and sync the iPod this way.

Otherwise, your best option is to look at the older, used accessory market. Many older iPod speakers can still be used to charge a third-generation iPod, particularly if they advertise 3G iPod compatibility, and FireWire-based AC adaptors, whether specifically for the iPod or not, can probably be found on a number of sources for used equipment such as eBay or Craigslist.