Well i finally gave in but i hate Itunes, i need help!!!

[JAFO]

I too have a 2GB iPod Nano. I have over 60GB of MP3s loaded on to iTunes. And I haven't purchased anything from iTunes Store yet.

A lot of what I have I picked up of the Internet pre-Napster shut down. I have only have one or two music files that would not load due to the file extension not being compatable with iTunes.

I used Music Match previously but like iTunes better.

Also if you use software to rip MP3s off your CDs then you will want to make sure that it is setup to generate the ID3 tags for you. If you use iTunes to rip your cds, it will get all of the CD information (artist, song title, genre, album, etc) automatically from the Internet and automatically generate the ID3 tag.

When I first installed iTunes I told it to manage my MP3 for me and to copy them to the iTunes music folder. So all of my music is in one central location. When I drag and drop an mp3 to iTunes it automatically copies the file and adds it to the library. Like transio and kobie said if you have an mp3 that does not have the ID3 tag set up then iTunes does not know what to fill in the fields with. I'd say 75 to 80 percent of the songs that I have downloaded had the ID3 tags setup.

This is not something unique to iTunes, any other MP3 players would have the same problem.

Also just a side note since I have way more music than my Nano can hold I kept getting the "can't update iPod, not enough space" error. To correct this you can do one of two things, if you go to the settings menu, iPod, tab you can tell it to only download checked files from the "Library". I tried this but if you also listen to music out of the "Library" while at your PC, iTunes only plays the checked songs. So I did not like that because I wanted to listen to everything not just what was synced to my iPod.

The other option is to create a playlist or lists, then in the settings specify the iPod to only download those playlists. You can check the files in the playlist to designate that the file is to be downloaded to the iPod. Files checked in the playlist are independent of the "Library" therefore it will not interfear when you play songs on the library. This works much better for me.

Also iTunes will sync with other MP3 players not just limited to iPods.

[transio]

Ty, yipes I have much of my work backed up on my ipod with no other backups!!!

I better work on getting another backup!

[Tone]

1. You can drag and drop music on an iPod.

2. There is NO problem with using the iPod as storage for music AND data and has NOTHING to do with your failure. More likely you didn't unmount the iPod drive before you disconnected it from your Windoze box.

3. HOW songs are ripped controls if the tags are included.

4. Sure, you can hook up any other MP3 players with an 1/8" mini jack to many stereo aux inputs but that it analog data most certainly distorted by the simple amp circuits in the player - the iPod provides digital out via it's connector.

5. Finding music on your hard drive has to do with the way it was ripped and stored, NOT the fault of iTunes.

[transio]

Tone, how do you unmount the iPod?

[morgan-tec]

You must eject it from itunes before you disconect it. I went with the ipod becuase i could get a direct digital interface with my car head unit. Thanks for all the info guys, i will get it all fixed.

[Tobert]

http://www.gnome.org/projects/rhythmbox/

http://amarok.kde.org/

They both work with iPod, too. Of course, you will probably have to upgrade your OS to use either of those. Try Ubuntu Linux.

http://www.ubuntu.com/

It's all free software. Free as in beer and free as in freedom. http://www.gnu.org.

[tbigity]

Ty, yipes I have much of my work backed up on my ipod with no other backups!!!

I better work on getting another backup!

Yeah, I then got a couple 1GB SD cards. One o fmy crucial files...stored on a bad bit. Gotta love it. All I can say is I learned my lesson and that is why I keep things in triplicate.

2. There is NO problem with using the iPod as storage for music AND data and has NOTHING to do with your failure. More likely you didn't unmount the iPod drive before you disconnected it from your Windoze box.

Actually...it is nothing I did. I work in IT and have for nearly 4 years now and do not EVER unproperly unplug any device. In fact, I am the guy that has to remind others of that at work. (PS - steve, they moved me back into IT/WD, WOOT, no more sales!) Every unplug was preceeded by a click of the eject button.

According to the tech I talked to my problem is usually caused by vibration (in car) while playing. The shielding and shock proofing is *** on those things and considering you are basically spinning a hard drive up while it sits in your cupholder going down the highway at 75 mph...well, yeah, you could see the problem. Why they didnt rugadize the things a bit more I'll never know.

The other thing that could have happened, according to the tech, is I simply got a bad one. It is a piece of hardware, it happens. Loose connection, piece of dust on the harddrive, bad soldering, any number of things coulda caused it.

I don't understand why everyone just automatically buys an iPod, there are several other brands that imho are way better....

...I just bought my first portable MP3 player myself, an 8 GIG Creative Zen Micro Photo.

Prolly because IPods are up to...what, 60gig (is that still the top?) now. And honestly, they have a few problems...but you are getting a 60 gig MP3/mobile HD. While you can put data on other MP3 players, few reach the level of storage of an Ipod and if they do, their price is far greater and the size is going to be larger. Your 8 gig, what did it run you, half the price of a 40 gig ipod?

I looked at most other major players in the MP3 scene but found that most capped out at 8-16 gig and were only $100 less than the iPod. So why not! It is well worth it.

I looked at it like anything else that is tech related. You can buy a 128 meg sd card for nothing, but a gig is just double anymore...and 8 times the capacity, so why stop there with just 128?

my $0.02 x 3

[tbigity]

tobert:

ubuntu = 1337 for gaming.

I love how streamline it is. I loaded it on my mom's compie after the 3rd reformat and she has been sailing smoothly for 2 years nearly now. I dont think she's had a single lockup

[morgan-tec]

I got the nano for its shock resistance. I know three guys that had the normal ones and killed them snowboarding last year.

[Bulldoggie]

I love iTunes!

My 15gig did lose it's hard drive, about 4 months after giving it to my 11 year old. I don't think hard drives were made to be droped.
I use a 4 gig Nano (about 1000 songs) and I replaced the 15 gig with a 1 gig nano (about 250 songs) for my daughter.
The best way is like Jafo said, "make Playlists for your iPod."
It tells you how much room you have for adding more songs. and you can have a song on as many playlists you want, without taking up any extra space.
1000 songs on 10 favorite mixed playlists, makes for days of listning and you can still browse by artist, which is like having 50 or more playlists that you didn't have to do anything to add. having your address book is handy also.
iTunes lets you Back-up your intire library, select all songs into a playlist and burn as a data dvd (or two, or more). The songs get burned in seconds, too fast to see all the titles. You can share these disc even with your PC friends, but they get frustrated that you have to drag each song file, one at a time, to their library. But I cannot think of any other way of importing songs faster.
My Nano is used every day in the VX. I have it attached to the emergency brake handle. very handy there, I'll post a few pictures. I know someone will comment on how dirty my console is. It removes very quickly and then I put it on my Griffin lanyard headphones.
My home desktop is always attached to the surround sound at home. playing the Library on Party suffle mode. I don't know how anyone cannot like iTunes.
I have taken my iPod to friends homes and hooked into their stereos and they love it, no matter how much they dislike Apple.