Secrets of the iPod and iTunes (Fifth Edition) [Electronic resources] نسخه متنی

iPod for Windows Software

Included with the latest iPods is a CD-ROM that contains the drivers necessary for the iPod to be recognized by Windows, a Windows version of the iPod Software Updater (a utility necessary for updating or restoring the iPod's software), and a copy of iTunes for Windows. If you have an iPod shipped before the release of iTunes for Windows, your CD-ROM includes a copy of Musicmatch's ([www.Musicmatch.com]) Musicmatch Jukebox Pro. The latter application, like iTunes, lets you play the music files on your PC and iPod, burn music files to CD-R and CD-RW discs, and download music to your iPod.

Installing the iPod Software

If you've installed just about any other Windows application, there are no surprises here. When you insert the iPod disc, an installer application opens and walks you through the installation process. Although installing the software is anything but challenging, a few points are worth mentioning.

Out of the box, all iPods are formatted for the Macintosh. To convert them to an iPod formatted for Windows, you must restore (reformat) them with the Windows iPod Software. The easiest way to do this is to install the iPod software and, during the installation process, wait for a window to appear that reads: "Your new iPod needs to be configured. Do it now?" Click OK and another window prompts you to plug in your iPod.

The installation will proceed apaceinstalling first the iPod system software and then iTunes and QuickTime. When these components are installed, the appropriate version of the iPod Updater Software will launch and offer you a single choice: Restore. Restore in this case is little more than a euphemism for reformat. When you restore an iPod, you erase all the data on it. When you restore an iPod on a Windows PC, its hard drive is formatted as a FAT-32 volume. When you restore an iPod on a Mac, it's formatted as a Mac OS Extended volume (also known as HFS+).

If your iPod is connected to your PC via a powered FireWire connection, pressing Restore sends the firmware update to the iPod, restarts the iPod, and updates the firmware (thus erasing the data from it). All this happens with the iPod plugged into the FireWire port.

If your iPod is connected to your PC via USB 2.0, this process works a bit differently. When you click Restore, the firmware update is sent to the iPod; then you're asked to plug the iPod into a power source before the update can proceed. (Apparently, the USB 2.0 connection can't guarantee the kind of uninterrupted power the iPod wants to complete the update.) A cute little icon of the iPod's power adapter and a wall plug appears on the iPod's screen. When you provide that powerwhich can be either the adapter-in-power-socket setup outlined on the iPod's screen or a powered FireWire connectionthe update proceeds, with the firmware installed and the data removed.

Because an update or restore via USB 2.0 won't proceed unless you connect your iPod to a power source, be sure you have the iPod's power adapter nearby before performing such an operation.

When you quit the installer, iTunes will launch and display a screen where you can name your little musical buddy, as well as register the iPod. It's up to you to decide whether to register the iPod or not. Registering the device may help, should you need repair or replacement service at some point, but your sales receipt works just as well.

The Small Print

If you decide to register your iPod, you'll be asked for your iPod's serial number. If you have extraordinarily good vision (or a decent magnifying glass), you may be able to make out the miniscule number printed on the shiny back of the iPod. I can't.

Fortunately, you can find the serial number in two other locations. The first is the iPod's display screen. Just fire up the iPod, choose the About command in the main iPod screen, and press Select. You'll find the serial number at the bottom of the resulting About screen. You can also find the iPod's serial number on the outside of the box that the iPod came in (not the outer sleeve, but the black or white inner box).

Chapter 2 for details on how to switch from manual to automatic updating.) Click Finish to exit this window.

If you've configured your iPod to be updated automatically, iTunes will proceed to copy all the compatible music on your PC to the iPod. During this process, it will also take you to the iTunes Music Store if you have an active Internet connection. If you'd rather not visit The Store right away, click the small X in the display that reads "Accessing Music Store" to stop the connection.

Converting Windows Music Files

One feature of the Windows version of iTunes that's not present in iTunes for the Mac is the ability to convert files saved in the unprotected .wma format (the default audio file format used by Microsoft's Windows Media Player) to Apple's AAC format. Before you dash to iTunes in search of a Convert From .wma command, you should know that Apple has made this as transparent as possible by performing this operation semi-automatically when you drag files into iTunes or invoke the Add File to Library or Add Folder to Library command.

To convert a file, be sure that you're running iTunes 4.5 or later and have installed Windows Media Player 9 or later (available from