iPod Where to start?

[Jengo]

I just purchased the new 60gig ipod and before I open the box and go nuts with it, I want to understand somethings first.
I plan on putting a lot of music on this thing quickly. I have 3 computer that all have different music on each computer. I want to be able to upload all the music to my ipod. I have heard that there is some tricks with itunes and ipods. I have heard that plugging my ipod into one computer, then into another (both using itunes) that I can loose all of my music doing so if I don't change a setting itunes. What setting is that?
Also my brother has his own ipod, can he upload music from the same computers, same music? All the music I have are from cds I have imported to the computers, none of it is from itunes music store. Would that even make a difference?

 

[mkrishnan]

I have heard that there is some tricks with itunes and ipods. I have heard that plugging my ipod into one computer, then into another (both using itunes) that I can loose all of my music doing so if I don't change a setting itunes. What setting is that?

Plug in your iPod to the computer (the menu will not be there if there is no iPod plugged in). Go to preferences in iTunes, then click on iPod, and then click on "Manually manage songs and playlists." You will have to select songs in iTunes and drag them to your iPod to get them to copy over. But your iPod can hold songs from all the computers.

Also my brother has his own ipod, can he upload music from the same computers, same music?

Yes, same deal.

All the music I have are from cds I have imported to the computers, none of it is from itunes music store. Would that even make a difference?

No, no difference.

 

[Jengo]

Cool
Will there be a problem when my bro plugs into the same computer to upload the same songs?

 

[mkrishnan]

Cool
Will there be a problem when my bro plugs into the same computer to upload the same songs?

I think both of your iPods have to be set on manual update. That way, neither one will mung with the library on the computer.

 

[Jengo]

How do I do that? Is that a setting in the ipod or in itunes? What do you mean by mung?

 

[mkrishnan]

How do I do that? Is that a setting in the ipod or in itunes? What do you mean by mung?

"screw up" -- but actually, I don't think it's true. I don't think you can screw up the library in iTunes this way.

And you do it for his iPod the same way I described doing it for your iPod -- you plug it in, you go to preferences, you click the iPod button, and you select "Manually manage songs and playlists."

When you plug either of your iPods in, it won't do anything except mount it. To put songs on it, you drag them from the library (or by playlist) onto the iPod in the left hand side of the iTunes window.

What happens if you don't do this is that when you plug into computer A, and then plug into computer B, all songs that were put on by computer A, which are not on computer B, will be deleted from the iPod (only). So this way, you can have songs on the iPod from several different computers, but you will have to drag over new songs from iTunes to the iPod yourself to get them on the iPod. Whereas the other way, you just plug it in, and all the songs in iTunes get put on the iPod automatically.

 

[wwooden]

Each iPod can have it's own setting with each computer. You could have your iPod set to manual update, and he could have his set to "update all", and it would not affect your iPod. You can even have them both plugged in at the same time. The computers remember each iPod and what the settings are for them.

 

[wwooden]

What happens if you don't do this is that when you plug into computer A, and then plug into computer B, all songs that were put on by computer A, which are not on computer B, will be deleted from the iPod (only).

This only happens if you say "yes" to when it asks if you want to connect this iPod to the new computer. If you say no, you can then change the settings to manual and not loose all the songs.

 

[mkrishnan]

This only happens if you say "yes" to when it asks if you want to connect this iPod to the new computer. If you say no, you can then change the settings to manual and not loose all the songs.

Yeah, you're right. I forgot that you get this prompt the first time you plug a new iPod in. Basically once you set it to Manual, this isn't an issue anymore.

But if you had two iPods and you wanted both to contain music from multiple computers, you would still need both of them set to manual updating on all of the computers. That is correct, isn't it?