Thursday, September 11, 2008

The Hold Button!!!

I now have an iPod. An 80GB Classic iPod to be exact. Took me several years to earn enough Thank You reward points to get this thing .... the Hold button. What's it holding. I wonder how long it will take to get all my Barry Manilow CDs on this thing. It's slim and silver ... and one of the most frightening pieces of equipment that I have ever seen. Setting the VCR was a lot easier than this. Right now I am copying CDs to my computer ... yes, Barry Manilow CDs ... and I am charging the thing for the first time ...have not quite figured out how the music gets back onto the thing. Yes, I have downloaded ITunes. I can watch tv on this thing. But Marlene, you have to download tv to the iPod ... Oh. Thank goodness I didn't actually pay for this thing ... I just might look at it for a few days, and get some kid to tell me what the hold button means.
I have no idea what 80GB means, but it must be a lot of GBs. I expect I can get all my Barry Manilow CDs on this thing. I hope.
I will let you know in a few days if Barry gets to Pod.

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

the Hold switch (Ok, it's a stupid name for it - it should be called "lock") turns off the touch-sensitive buttons so the iPod doesn't accidentally turn on in your pocket.

Which means you should check it if the buttons don't seem to be working...they may just be locked with the hold switch.

I'd be very surprised if you had any problem getting Barry properly in place.

Marlene Eilers Koenig said...

Be surprised. Be very surprised. One album made it, plus stuff that I don't want. Everything else is on ITunes file, but there is nothing to tell me how to copy to the iPod. Yes, it is connected to the computer. Eject before disconnecting. I do not see a friggin eject button anywhere! The pitiful directions don't tell you how how to delete. I am so glad I didn't buy this thing because it would be already be back at the store.

Anonymous said...

The problem is you aren't 12 years old. They seem to have the instructions in their DNA. They view the various icons almost as if they were letters of the alphabet, and look on in wonder that someone could actually grow to adulthood without knowing them. Nevermind that the icons are newer than the adults, or that the same adults look on the same 12 year olds with fear about their literacy with regard to actual letters....

Anyway, you're probably on a PC, I'm on a Mac, but it will be similar: If you leave the default synchronization on, you will get stuff you don't want on the iPod. To get only stuff you want, turn synchronization off. Then you select the song in the iTunes library you want to move to the iPod, click on it, and drag it to the iPod icon, and it will be copied there.

To remove a song from the iPod, select the song (in the iPod listing, not the iTunes library) and drag it to the trash can.

The iPod icon should be under "Devices". Obviously, it only shows up when the iPod is attached to the computer.

The "eject" button should be a little underlined up-pointing triangle in a circle, to the right of the iPod icon. Again, it's only there when the iPod is plugged in.

Marlene Eilers Koenig said...

Huh!

I did find the eject button. I am on a PC. I have created 2 playlists - both have the same name: unamed playlist. There are no &%^& instructions on how to name a playlist. Can you keep stuff on the iPod (aka THE THING) and remove it from ITunes -- I hate having so much stuff on my computer.

Anonymous said...

Renaming a playlist is very much like renaming a file on your hard disk: Click on the name once or twice (it should highlight; you may have to click and drag so that the whole "unnamed playlist" is highlighted), then type the replacement name, followed by the return key.

The iTunes library is supposed to act, really, just like a library: it's the home where the songs get checked out of. It's possible to have some songs on the iPod and not in your iTunes library, but I definitely wouldn't recommend it.

But enquiring minds want to know: did you get all of Manilow onto the iPod?

Marlene Eilers Koenig said...

Click and drag? Gulp. I am beginning to hate the THING. It is a very nice box.
All of my Manilow CDs ... heck no. Do you know how many Barry Manilow CDs I own. Don't ask. A lot. Very many. I got a few on -- you know, the unnamed playlists and a Josh Groban and Jersey Boys and South Pacific. And the Beach Boys. I think I got a Beatles CD on the Thing. I am a librarian. I should be able to organize my I Tunes. This Thing intimidates me. It is so much easier to put the CD into the portable CD player ...
I think I will go see if my 8-Tracks still work :)

Anonymous said...

I would guess there are at most 20 unique Manilow CDs. Have I grossly underestimated?

Anyway, I don't think there's anything that should intimidate you. Maybe if you started calling the iPod "Gladys" instead of "The Thing" it would be nicer to you!

I would not worry about playlists. If I wanted my Manilow CDs on my iPod, I'd:
(1) insert my CDs into the computer, one by one, and let iTunes copy them to the iTunes library, and
(2) plug in my iPod (or Gladys), turn on synchronization, and relax with a cold mint julep while the computer quietly copied the iTunes library to the iPod.
(3) eject the iPod.
(4) unplug the iPod.
(5) enjoy.

If there's now stuff on the iPod that you don't want there, plug it in, turn synchronization off, delete the songs you don't want there, eject the iPod, and unplug it.

Playlists are for making subsets of songs to play in order; you don't have to bother with them to copy songs from the iTunes library to the iPod.

Have you tried the iTunes "Help" menu? The one on Mac seems to have all the instructions I need, maybe the PC one will also be helpful.

There are also iPod manuals online (at http://support.apple.com/manuals/#ipod, you'll have to look for your specific model.)

Marlene Eilers Koenig said...

I have more than 20 ... and I like lots of other kinds of music, too ...



thanks for the help.

Unknown said...

Marlene, do you still need any help? I've had to explain how to use an ipod to my parents and surely nothing could be worse than that! For instance, if you want to rename a playlist (I have a PC, too)double click on the aforementioned "unnamed playlist", type in what you want the new name to be, and hit enter.

Marlene Eilers Koenig said...

Thanks ... I may need help. Thing is back in the box. I was in Baltimore for the weekend, so I have not had time to do anything ..