Using multiple iPods with one computer

Many families have more than one iPod in the home, and some individuals own more than one player for different functions (an iPod shuffle for jogging; an iPod touch for commuting, and so on). No problem: you can sync more than one iPod to the same computer.

Every iPod has a unique ID, so iTunes has no problem telling your player from your thirteen-year-old’s. But there are some things you can do to make all your music transfers smooth and hassle-free:

• Give each iPod its own name, so you don’t confuse the players. (Unless you don’t mind accidentally loading your iPod with the Jonas Brothers, while your daughter gets stuck with your Miles Davis playlist.) Naming an iPod is easy: just select the player from the iTunes Source list at the left side of the screen, and type in the new name.
• Unless all the iPods in your household boast enough memory to store your entire music library, you’ll probably want to set at least one to allow you to add songs manually. See our discussion on updating music manually for instructions. Fortunately, each iPod retains its own set of preferences, so you can have iTunes automatically update your 120GB iPod, but only transfer a specific playlist to your 8GB iPod touch.

Using one iPod with multiple computers

Chances are good that you’ve got a computer at home and one at work, both with iTunes. Or maybe you’ve got a couple of computers at home. Either way, if you want to sync your iPod to more than one computer, it’s simple to do. Here are some tips:

• Song management. On at least one computer, you’ll probably want to set iTunes to let you manually update the songs on your iPod (see our tips about updating music manually below). This will keep each computer’s version of iTunes from overwriting all your music files every time you sync your iPod.
• Switching between Mac and Windows. When you first get your iPod, you can format it for either a Mac or a Windows PC; it’s not designed to switch from one to the other. You can re-format it, but that erases all the music from the iPod.
• Moving songs between computers. Apple makes it easy to transfer music to your iPod, but doesn’t allow you to move songs in the other direction. Fortunately, there’s a workaround — particularly handy if you want to move your iTunes library to a new computer.
  • Configure iTunes for manual management of songs (see instructions below).
  • When your iPod is selected in iTunes’ Source menu, check the gauge at the bottom of the window to make sure it is at least half empty. If not, delete some music from your iPod.
  • Under the Advanced menu, select Consolidate Library. When iTunes asks you if you want to consolidate your music, click Consolidate.
  • Quit iTunes.
  • Navigate to the iTunes folder in your Music directory. Drag it to your iPod to copy it.
  • Connect your iPod to the new computer, and copy the iTunes folder from your iPod to the new computer’s Music folder. When iTunes starts up, it should locate your music library.

Updating music manually

Many people find that their computer hard drive is the perfect place to store their entire music library — more than they could possibly fit onto their iPod. Others want to use their iPod with more than one computer — for instance, one at home and one at work. Still others simply want close control over the songs that get loaded onto their iPod.

If you’re one of these people, you can set iTunes to let you hand-pick the music you transfer to your iPod. And manually managing your music is simple; just follow these steps.

• Select your iPod from the iTunes Source list (on the left side of the iTunes window).
• Click the iPod Options button on the bottom right corner of the iTunes window. (It’s the square button with a picture of an iPod on it.)
• When the iPod dialog box pops up, it lets you choose “Automatically updated selected playlists” or “Manually manage songs and playlists.”
  • “Automatically updated selected playlists” lets you choose the playlist(s) you want to load onto your iPod. Any music on your iPod will be replaced with the music in the iTunes playlist(s) you select.
  • “Manually manage songs and playlists” lets you hand-pick songs to transfer to your iPod.
  • Select the option you want and click “OK.”

When you manage your music manually, your iTunes music library and your iPod library are no longer identical. There are a couple of things to keep in mind:

• You can listen to music stored on your iPod through iTunes and your computer, but you can’t transfer songs from the iPod to iTunes.
• You can delete a song from your iPod through iTunes. Just select the iPod from the iTunes source list. To the right, the iPod’s music library appears. Select a song and press the Delete key. When iTunes asks you if you’re sure, click Yes.

If you ever want to switch back to automatically updating your iPod, just follow the steps above, selecting “Automatically update all songs and playlists” or “Automatically updated selected playlists,” instead of “Manually manage songs and playlists.” Just remember that automatic updating replaces the songs on your iPod with the songs in iTunes.

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Viewing album art using iTunes and your iPod

With iTunes, music isn’t just an auditory experience: it’s visual as well. You can see cover art, or any still image file, while you listen to your music.

Songs that you purchase at the iTunes Store automatically come with cover artwork — you can see it by clicking the “Show or hide song artwork and video viewer” button on the left lower side of the iTunes window. For the rest of your music, just select “Get Album Artwork” under the iTunes’ Advanced Menu. Album art will automatically be matched up and downloaded to your library.

Sometimes, though, album art may not be available (especially if you’ve imported tracks from out-of-print CDs). No problem. You can add your own artwork simply by dragging the photo you want to that same viewer box. You can even drag more than one photo to the box: the viewer displays one photo at a time, letting you scroll through them by clicking the right or left arrow. You can also see a larger version of the photo by clicking on it.

Naturally, iPods can display album artwork as well. Once you’ve loaded the artwork into iTunes, you simply configure iTunes to transfer the art to your iPod:

• In the iTunes Source menu, click iPod.
• From the iTunes menu at the top of your screen (or, if you’re using Windows, the Edit menu), choose Preferences.
• Click the iPod icon.
• Select “Display album artwork on your iPod.”
• Click OK.

If you decide to turn off this option, don’t worry — you won’t lose images you’ve saved in iTunes and/or on your iPod.

Listening to podcasts

Maybe you’ve heard of podcasting. If you haven’t, you’re missing out on a world of free audio and video on-demand programming. Shows run the gamut from offerings by major networks such as ESPN, NPR, and ABC to niche programs about virtually any subject, such as indie music, crafts, comics, parenting, and tech news, just to name a very few.

What is a podcast?
A podcast (the word combines “iPod” and “broadcast”) is an audio or video show that produces new episodes on a regular basis (usually daily, weekly, or monthly). These episodes are posted to the program’s website and made available for downloading to your computer.

That may sound a little involved, but iTunes makes it easy. That link takes you to the podcast section of the iTunes store, where you can browse to your heart’s content.

• Make sure your iTunes and iPod software are up to date by going to the Apple website. Older versions of iTunes aren’t compatible with podcasts.
• Click on the Podcast listing in the Library listing. It will probably be blank (when you start subscribing, this is where you will find the downloaded episodes of your podcasts), but down on the lower right corner you’ll see a link to the Podcast Directory.
• Click on the Podcast Directory link. You’ll be taken to the podcast section of the iTunes store.
• Find a podcast that looks interesting, and click on it to see available episodes.
• Check out a sample of the podcast by double-clicking an episode.
• If you like it, click Subscribe, and iTunes will automatically download the latest episode whenever it comes out.

You can view and manage podcasts by clicking Podcasts from the iTunes Source menu. Click the Settings button to choose:

• How often to download new episodes,
• What to do when new episodes are available,
• How many episodes to keep, and
• Which podcasts to transfer to your iPod

If you find a podcast online that isn’t in the iTunes Music Store, you can subscribe to that, too. In iTunes, choose the Advanced menu, select Subscribe to Podcast, paste in the podcast’s web address, and click OK.

Watching videos using iTunes and your iPod

Of course, iPods are more than just portable juke boxes. You can take TV shows, movies, games, and music videos with you wherever you go.

With the exception of the iPod shuffle, all iPods can display MPEG-4 and MOV files, including videos and TV shows downloaded from the iTunes Store. You need to have iTunes 8 or later, though. If you need to update iTunes, head to Apple’s web site and download the latest version.

Here’s how to transfer and view video on your iPod:

• Download a video from the iTunes Store, or convert a video to an iPod-compatible format using QuickTime Pro, and drag it into iTunes.
• If you want to automatically sync videos to your iPod, navigate to iTunes Preferences, select iPod, then select Videos.
• You can choose to automatically update all your videos, to automatically update only certain playlists, or not to update videos at all. (See our discussion of automatic updating for more information).
• From your iPod’s main menu, select Videos. From there you can choose the video you want to see.
• Select TV Off.

Here are some more tips for using your iPod to enjoy videos:

• Your iPod can play videos on a TV if you have an A/V iPod dock or cable. Simply use the cable to connect your iPod to your TV’s component video input. Then, on your iPod, choose the video you want to see, and select TV On.
• You can listen to just the audio portion of a music video. Go to your iPod’s Music menu, and you’ll see the video listed. Select it and the audio will play.
• To see a video directly on your computer, double-click it in iTunes. It plays in the lower left corner of the iTunes window — if you don’t see it, click the Video Viewer button. If you click the video, it will appear in a larger window. There’s also a Full Screen button at the bottom of the iTunes window; click it to see the video in full-screen mode. You can return to the iTunes window by pressing ESC.

Viewing photos using iTunes and your iPod

iPods make great high-tech “brag books” for showing off your kids, your friends, or your vacation pictures. Seeing photos on the iPod’s screen is simple:

• In addition to iTunes, you’ll also need one of the following programs:
  • For Mac: iPhoto 4.0.3 or later
  • For PC: Adobe PhotoShop Album 2.0 or later, or PhotoShop Elements 3.0 or later

Here are some more tips for using your iPod to enjoy photos:

• Your iPod can display a slideshow on a TV, if you have an A/V iPod dock or cable. Simply use the cable to connect your iPod to your TV’s video input. Most often this is either a composite video or S-video connection. Then, on your iPod, from the Start Slideshow menu, select TV On.
• You can play music while you watch a slideshow. Simply navigate to the iPod’s Photos menu, choose Slideshow Settings, then select Music. The iPod will let you choose a playlist to use as a soundtrack for your slideshow.

Listening to your iPod in the car

Once you get your iPod’s songs and playlists the way you want them, you’ll want to enjoy them everywhere, including while you drive. Fortunately, there are lots of ways to play your iPod through your car’s radio. Check out our iPod Car Stereo Adapter Shopping Guide for details.

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Five simple steps to an iPod RESCU

Whether your iPod holds your entire music library, or just provides the beats you need to power through a workout, a technical problem can cause you major stress. Don’t fret — there are five easy potential fixes. Just try them one by one, until your iPod is working good as new.

Of course, you should first check to be sure your iPod’s battery is charged. After that, toggle the Hold switch on and off. If you’re still tuneless, you’re ready for an iPod RESCU:

• Reset your iPod:
  • Switch the Hold control on and then off.
  • Hold the Menu and Select buttons (for Click Wheel models), or the Menu and Play/Pause buttons (for earlier models).

If these steps don’t work, Apple’s support site offers more information.

Problems playing music in iTunes

iTunes and your iPod are designed to work together seamlessly, and most of the time they do. But even with this dynamic duo, you may encounter the occasional hiccup when you’re trying to listen to your music.

If you find that iTunes won’t let you play a particular song, the cause probably has to do with “authorizing” that song to play on your computer. Authorizing is Apple’s way of copy-protecting the songs that it sells via its iTunes Music Store. Here are a few tips:

• Have you authorized five computers to play your purchased music? If so, iTunes won’t let you play your purchased music on any more computers until you “deauthorize” one of your previously authorized computers. You can do this by navigating to iTunes’ Advanced menu and selecting Deauthorize Computer while the computer is online.
• Where did you get the AAC song file you’re trying to play? iTunes won’t play some types of AAC files available online in places other than the iTunes Music Store — and neither will your iPod.
• Are you trying to access a shared playlist on a network? If so, your computer may not be authorized to play music that someone else has downloaded. Double-click the song you want to hear, and get the person who purchased it to enter his or her Apple account ID and password.
• Are you having trouble playing a song on a CD you burned? Make sure your equipment is compatible — for example, CD-RWs and MP3 CDs don’t play on all CD players.
• How fast is your Internet connection? Computers with slower connections may have trouble playing song previews in the iTunes Music Store. Go to the iTunes menu, then choose Preferences. Select Store, and click “Load complete preview before playing.”

Need more information? Try Apple’s iTunes support website.

Problems burning a CD using iTunes

iTunes makes it easy to burn a mix of your favorite tunes. If you’re having trouble creating a CD, here are some helpful tidbits to keep in mind:

• You have to burn your CD from a playlist you create. iTunes won’t let you burn a CD directly from your library — or from a shared playlist, an iPod playlist, or Internet radio, for that matter. To create a playlist, go to the File menu and select New Playlist. Then just select the songs you want, and drag them to the playlist in your iTunes Source menu.
• Once you’ve set up a playlist you want to burn, make sure the songs you want on the CD are checked. Unchecked songs won’t be included on your CD.
• If you want to burn music you’ve bought from the iTunes Music Store, your computer must be authorized to play it. Having trouble authorizing your computer? You may already have authorized five computers to play your iTunes purchases — and five is the limit. You’ll have to deauthorize a computer. You can do this by navigating to iTunes’ Advanced menu and selecting Deauthorize Computer while the previously authorized computer is online.
• Another copy protection measure that iTunes uses: letting you burn no more than seven copies of a playlist that includes a Music Store purchase. One easy workaround is to modify the playlist, perhaps rearranging the songs. The new playlist should be burnable.
• Make sure your CD-R drive is compatible with iTunes. To do this, go to the iTunes menu and choose Preferences. Then click Advanced, and choose Burning. Make sure your CD-R drive is listed; this means it’s compatible with iTunes.
• Are you trying to burn an audio CD, or an MP3 (data) CD? An audio CD will play in just about any CD player, but an MP3 CD will only play on hardware specially designated as compatible with MP3 discs. Go to the iTunes menu and choose Preferences. Then click Advanced, and choose Burning. Then select either Audio CD, or Data CD or DVD. (Note that, if you are trying to burn AAC files, you can’t choose the MP3 CD option.)
• Having trouble ejecting a CD? Try the Eject button in the bottom right corner of the iTunes window.

Need more information? Try Apple’s iTunes support website.

Moving your library to a larger hard drive

Less compression equals higher sound quality. But it also equals larger files. Even if you keep your music files relatively small, it’s pretty easy to clog up a computer’s hard drive with music. The easiest solution is to transfer your library to an external hard drive. And because the cost of these devices continue to fall, you don’t need a fortune to get an external drive large enough to comfortably house tens of thousands of high-resolution audio files.

Relocating your iTunes library to an external drive is fairly straightforward. Start by connecting your new drive to your PC through your computer’s USB port. In the iTunes “Preferences” folder, select the Advanced Settings. Under the “Advanced” tab (sometimes “General” tab in earlier versions of iTunes), there’s a place to change the iTunes Music folder location (make sure both “Keep iTunes Music folder organized” and “Copy files to iTunes Music folder when adding to library” are checked).

Using the “Browse” function, select the new drive and hit “OK.” This changes the default location of the iTunes music library, so that everything you add to iTunes from that point forward will go straight to the new drive.

The final step was to go to the iTunes “Edit” menu, and select “Library.” From that drop-down menu, choose “Consolidate Library” (older versions have this under the “Advanced” menu). This starts iTunes copying its library to the new drive. The nice thing about this process is that all of your music’s metadata is preserved: play count, album art, year of release and so on.

Since this creates a copy of your library, you can check to make sure the transfer worked before deleting the library off your computer’s drive. When you’re ready to clear the iTunes library off your PC, be careful to delete the music the right way. You should only delete the actual music files inside the iTunes folder (it’s the one marked “iTunes music” and has the artist folders in it). In order for iTunes to function, the other folders need to remain untouched.

When you’re finished, you’ll have room to grow your iTunes library without stinting on sound quality, and your computer will probably run a little better as well.

Moving your library off a laptop

While the process for moving your iTunes library is the same for both a laptop and desktop computer, there are a few additional things to consider with a portable PC. Chances are you’ll be plugging in and unplugging the external drive as you move from location to location.

If you leave iTunes open and disconnect the external drive, iTunes will reset itself to make the laptop’s C drive the default library location. Although all the songs remained listed in iTunes, if you click on any, an exclamation mark will appear in front of them to denote an unknown address. Any songs you import while the external drive is disconnected will be stored in the laptop’s memory.

When you reconnect the hard drive, you’ll have to go into the iTunes “Preferences” menu and then to the “Advanced” tab to change the address of the library back to the folder on the external drive (you can find this under the “Advanced” menu in older versions). Select “update” and wait a minute or so while iTunes reestablishes all the connections between its listings and the music files on the external drive. Any new music you imported remains stored on the laptop.

iTunes will also reset its library location to the C drive if you open the program before connecting the external drive to the laptop.

Fortunately, there’s a simple work-around that avoids all that: just remember to close iTunes before disconnecting the external drive and open it only after reconnecting the drive. As far as iTunes knows, the connection between it and the external drive was never broken. You won’t have to re-establish file links and any new additions will automatically go to the external drive, where they belong.