Shocker: Apple/iPod support sucks

[IVANKERLEY]

Good thing Apple realized the importance of being able to use Windows, and is making Macs capable of running it. Might keep them in the computer game for a few more years....

no offense man but apple has been around a pretty long time and are industry standard in graphics/art circles, ive been on them since 91-92 i have also worked in desktop publishing on a PC, for me there is no comparison.
Apple will probably be around awhile, we were a niche market before and for the graphics industry that niche is still predominately a mac environment.
They are not perfect and they do have things i dont like but for me and what i do they fit the bill. You can drag and drop in itunes so i'm a little confused by this sentiment

More importantly hopefully the OP has received the help/assistance he needed
best regards
ivan

 

[Mountainman38]

Pretend iTunes is the iPod and drop and drag your files from Windoze Explorer onto itunes. Then connect the ipod and let it sync. If you don't like auto syncing set the ipod to manually mange songs and add or remove them by dropping and dragging. It's fool proof. If my 72 year old computer illiterate father can use it, anyone can.

I've put files from my PC into iTunes before. The infuriating part is trying to get the iPod to sync, whatever that nonsense term is for. Half the time I lose the stuff already on the iPod, and the other half I don't get the new stuff. The user interface is pathetic, and makes no sense to me.

You can keep your fool proof comments to yourself. It may work easily for you because you're wired that way. Doesn't mean it's easy for others to use. Windows (or Windoze, as would-be pundits have been cleverly putting it for years now) is very simple to open up, grab what I want, and drop files in another location. Not so with iTunes.

 

[MJF]

I think you might just have an issue with dealing with something new and unfamiliar...Think back to when you first started using windows, and I'll bet there was a bit of a learning curve there too.

Anyway, OP, is your wife's firmware up to date? Dunno if it matters anymore, but I remember that the first gen Ipods sometimes had issues with the battery life being drastically reduced after a short period due to incomplete chargings....A firmware update fixed the problem (my brother had the same issue). Dunno, might help.

 

[Mountainman38]

I think you might just have an issue with dealing with something new and unfamiliar...Think back to when you first started using windows, and I'll bet there was a bit of a learning curve there too.

I can think back to learning DOS and machine language, then Windows 3.1, NT, 95, 98, 2000, XP, VISTA, and UNIX along there somewhere. Yes, there is a learning curve, but those make more sense (to me).

 

[ChadHahn]

My first iPod was when I was still messing with Windows. I never had any problems with iTunes or iPods with Windows. Like was said, make sure that iTunes isn't set to automatically load songs onto the iPod other wise all you have to do is select the songs from recently added and drag them to the ipod.

Chad

 

[tedwca]

I've put files from my PC into iTunes before. The infuriating part is trying to get the iPod to sync, whatever that nonsense term is for. Half the time I lose the stuff already on the iPod, and the other half I don't get the new stuff. The user interface is pathetic, and makes no sense to me.

You can keep your fool proof comments to yourself. It may work easily for you because you're wired that way. Doesn't mean it's easy for others to use. Windows (or Windoze, as would-be pundits have been cleverly putting it for years now) is very simple to open up, grab what I want, and drop files in another location. Not so with iTunes.

Sorry about the fool proof comment, it wasn't directed at you. if you knew my Dad you'd understand, he can mess up a computer by looking at it.

The way you want your iPod set up is to be MANUALLY MANAGED. This allows you to use it with many different computers and drop and drag the files from iTunes onto the iPod. It sounds like you are having it automatically sync everytime the ipod is connected to a computer. The vital information you seem to be missing is the iPod can only sync with one computer at a time. Meaning it is a clone of the itunes library you are currently connecting it to. If it gets connected to another computer it will ask if you want to delete all the information and replace it with the data on the new computer.

I use mine on 5 different computers and drop and drag between itunes and the ipod all the time. Feel free to email me and I'll see if I can help you out.

 

[elkins45]

1. iTunes sucks because the music industry wanted it to be that way. All the problems with music transfer and syncing libraries are there because of the DRM restrictions Apple had to agree to in order to open the iTunes music store in the first place. It's all a PITA now that we have so many options like Amazon and so forth, but without the success of the iTunes music store none of that would have happened so quickly.

2. Go to the Apple website and do the online service consult thing (I forget what its called, but you can probably figure it out) and run through all their options.If it's under warranty you can probably get them to send you a prepaid mailer to send it back and fix the battery.