How do I transfer my purchased songs from my WinXP computer to my iPod with iTunes 4.6?

July 29, 2004 9:21 PM

I cannot transfer purchased songs from my computer (WinXP) to my iPod (3rd gen 40gb, firmware 2.2) with iTunes (4.6). Google pleads ignorance. Ideas?

Everything worked fine up until a few weeks ago. I don't remember any configuration change that would have triggered this. Maybe Windows Automatic Update did something and now my iPod doesn't recognize my computer as mommy any more?

(For extra credit, why do my smart playlists of music added within the last day/week no longer work? Work fine in iTunes, not at all on iPod - also, used to be just fine on iPod)

posted by lbergstr to technology (11 comments total)

(Oh yeah - everything is set to manual update.)
posted by lbergstr at 9:25 PM on July 29, 2004

Simple things to try:

• Deauthorize your computer and reauthorize it, in case the iPod software is confused
• Restore the iPod from the iPod updater and re-add all the music to it, in case the control files on it have gotten smashed somehow

posted by mdeatherage at 9:58 PM on July 29, 2004

You might want to experiment with hymn. I don't buy from iTunes and I have no experience with hymn, but I know that it hooks into the mlipod plugin for Winamp, which is a good alternative to iTunes.
posted by muckster at 10:14 PM on July 29, 2004

psst...

What exactly are the symptoms?

Does your iPod show up as a removable drive?

Does it show up in iTunes?

Is it booting up?

Are you getting a folder with a question mark?

Is it giving you an error in iTunes?

In Windows Explorer?

Can you transfer normal files to it?

Have you tried updating iTunes?
posted by bshort at 8:39 AM on July 30, 2004

Unfortunately I will not be able to give exact answers since I don't have my USB cord with me ...

What exactly are the symptoms?

I try to drag (purchased) music to the iPod ... nothing happens.

Does your iPod show up as a removable drive?

dunno

Does it show up in iTunes?

yes

Is it booting up?

yes

Are you getting a folder with a question mark?

no

Is it giving you an error in iTunes?

no

In Windows Explorer?

dunno

Can you transfer normal files to it?

yes

Have you tried updating iTunes?

yes (now at 4.6)
posted by lbergstr at 1:36 PM on July 30, 2004

sorry, thought i had mentioned all the relevant data. dave winer (for once) has the right template here:

1. here's what i did
2. here's what i expected it to do
3. here's what it actually did

my bad.

anyway:

1. try to drag purchased music onto iPod in iTunes
2. transfer music when i release left mouse button
3. nothing

(can't remember if the cursor switches to the "invalid" cursor when i'm hovering over the icon or not .. sorry.)
posted by lbergstr at 1:42 PM on July 30, 2004

Is it full?

Can you delete songs from it in iTunes?

If it's just happening with purchased music, then it's possible that your iPod isn't authorized for the AAC files you're trying to put on it. One solution might be to reformat it using the CD that came with your iPod and then try and drag the files in.

Do you have other iPods connecting to the same machine?
posted by bshort at 1:47 PM on July 30, 2004

Actually, it looks like as long as a song is authorized to play on a specific computer, then it will be authorized for iPods that are connected to that computer.

Can you play the purchased song in iTunes?
posted by bshort at 1:58 PM on July 30, 2004

i've heard if you've de-DRM'd (via hymn) the music that iTunes v4.6 won't recognize it unless you do a little hex editing. perhaps that applies to the iPod too. why anyone would want to do anything that illegal is beyond me, though.
posted by keswick at 2:18 PM on July 30, 2004

Is it full? No

Can you delete songs from it in iTunes? Yes

Do you have other iPods connecting to the same machine? No

Can you play the purchased song in iTunes? Yes

(thanks for your time btw)
posted by lbergstr at 3:22 PM on July 30, 2004

the de-auth re-auth cycle worked

thanks all
posted by lbergstr at 8:18 PM on July 30, 2004