How to correctly assess your windows computer for an iPod?

The first step to deciding which connection type to use is to determine which types are supported by your computer. There are a couple of ways you can do this.
Look at your computer to see which ports it includes. If it has at least one six-pin FireWire port available, you don’t need to do anything else because this is the method you should use.

Because a six-pin FireWire connection also charges the iPod when it is connected to your computer, this is the best option. If your computer doesn’t support six-pin FireWire, consider adding a FireWire PCI card. These are relatively inexpensive at around $40 and require only a few minutes to install.

If you don’t see a six-pin FireWire connector, locate the USB ports on your computer. Unfortunately, you can’t tell by observation whether a USB port supports USB 2 or USB 1 because the ports are identical in appearance. Check the documentation that came with your computer to determine if it supports USB 2. If you can’t find that information, contact your computer’s manufacturer. If your computer does support USB 2, you are in good shape.

If your computer doesn’t have a six-pin FireWire connector and doesn’t support USB 2, look for a four-pin FireWire port. If it has one, you might be able to use a six-pin to four-pin FireWire adapter to connect your iPod to your computer. If your computer doesn’t have any FireWire ports and does not support USB 2, you’ll have to add a PCI FireWire or USB 2 card to your computer before you can connect an iPod to it.
To use an iPod with a Windows computer, you must also be running Windows 2000 with Service Pack 4 or Windows XP Home or Professional.

Connecting an iPod to a Windows Computer

Connecting an iPod to a Windows computer requires that you decide on the type of connection you will be using. The following three options are possible:
■ Six-pin FireWire—If your computer includes a six-pin FireWire port, you can use that to connect it to the iPod. This has the advantage of also charging the iPod at the same time.
■ USB 2—If you have a computer that supports USB 2, you can use USB 2 to connect your iPod to the computer. USB 2 is slightly faster than FireWire, but your iPod won’t also charge when it is connected to your computer in this way. iPod minis include the cable you need to connect an iPod to a USB 2 port.
For other models, you will need to purchase the iPod Dock Connector to FireWire and USB 2.0 cable. This cable is actually two cables linked to a single iPod Dock Connector Port connector. You can connect the USB 2 cable to your computer and the FireWire connector to the iPod’s power adapter. This enables you to charge the iPod while it is also connected to your computer. You can purchase the iPod Dock Connector to FireWire and USB 2.0 cable at the Apple Store (http://store.apple.com/).
■ Four-pin FireWire—If your computer includes a four-pin FireWire connector, you can use that to connect some models of the iPod by using the included six-pin to four-pin adapter. This method is not as desirable as the other two because it doesn’t charge the iPod at the same time like six-pin FireWire does, and it is slightly slower than USB 2. You should use this option only if one of the others isn’t available to you.

Connecting and Configuring an iPod on Your Computer

In order to load music onto an iPod, you must connect the iPod to your computer so that the music files can be moved from your iTunes Library onto the iPod.
To do this, you connect one of the cables supplied with your iPod to your computer. All iPod cables have the Dock connector connection on one end. You connect this to the iPod’s Dock connector port located on the bottom of the iPod. How you connect an iPod depends on the type of connections your computer has and the specific iPod model you have. The three types of connectors you use to connect iPods to computers are six-pin FireWire (all Macintoshes), USB 2, and four-pin FireWire

Installing the iPod’s Software on a Macintosh

You can install the iPod’s software on a Macintosh using the following steps:

1. Insert the iPod or iPod mini CD in your Mac. It will be mounted.
2. Using the Finder, open the installation CD so you can see its folders.
3. Open the iPod Installer folder.
4. If you are installing software for an iPod, open the iPod installer package. If you are installing software for an iPod mini, open the iPod mini installer package.
5. Allow the installer to check for the appropriate software by clicking OK. The install window will appear.
6. Click Continue. The installer will start and you will see the next screen in the process.
7. Read the information on each screen that appears and click Continue to move to the next screen.
8. When you get to the license agreement page, click Agree. You’ll see the Select a Destination screen.
9. Choose the destination on which you want to install the iPod software. Typically, you should install the software on your active start-up drive. When you select a drive, it will be marked with a green arrow to show you the drive you have selected. In the lower part of the screen, you will see information about the drive on which you have elected to install the software.
10. Click Continue.
11. If prompted to do so, authenticate yourself as an administrator and click OK. The installer will run. When the process is complete, you will see the installation complete screen.
12. Click Close. The installer will quit. The iPod Updater application will launch. To enable you to update the iPod’s software, you will need to connect the iPod to your computer. You’ll learn how to do that in the next section.
13. For now, quit the iPod Update by choosing iPod Updater, Quit. You also need to have iTunes installed on your computer. Because you are using a Mac and I have assumed that you are running Mac OS X, you probably already have a copy installed on your computer. You should update the version you have installed to make sure you are using the most current version of the application.
    

Installing the iPod’s Software on a Windows PC (Part 1)

If you have installed even one application from a CD, you won’t have any trouble with the iPod CD, as the following steps will confirm:

1. Insert the Installation CD in your computer. The disc will be mounted on your computer, the software will begin to run, and the Choose Setup Language dialog box will appear.
2. Choose the language you want to use on the drop-down list and click OK. Because I am linguistically challenged and can only read English, that is the language I use throughout this book. They say music is the universal language (I think it is math myself) and so iTunes can use many different languages. You can choose the language that works best for you. After you click OK, the InstallShield Wizard window will appear, and you can watch the initial installation process. When that is complete, you will see the iPod for Windows dialog box or the iPod mini for Windows dialog box.
3. Click Install. The iPod Serial Number dialog box will appear.
4. Enter your iPod’s serial number, which can be found on the back of your iPod, and click Next. You will see the Select Country or Region dialog box.
5. Select the country or region that is most applicable to you and click Next. You will see the Registration Information dialog box.
6. Complete your registration information. Most of it is optional; however, you do have to provide at least a name and an email address. When you are done, click Next. You will see the second screen in the registration process.
7. Complete the fields about where you will use the iPod and what best describes what you do, if you’d like to. These are both optional. (Speaking of which, given how easily you can carry an iPod around with you, which is the whole point, how much sense does a question about where you will use it make?)
8. If you want to receive email from Apple, click the Yes radio button, or click No if you don’t want to receive email.
9. Click Next. You will see the iPod configuration screen. This screen asks you to choose whether or not you want to configure your iPod now. In order to configure your iPod, it must be connected to your computer.
10. 10. Click Cancel to skip the iPod configuration step for now (you’ll learn how to do this later in this chapter). The installer will do its work, and you can watch its progress in the resulting windows. When the process is complete, you will see the InstallShield Wizard for iTunes window.
11. Read the information in the installer window and click Next.
12. If you have a lot of time and patience, read the license agreement; when you are done (if you are like me, you will realize it is incomprehensible and will just assume you aren’t giving away your first born), click Yes.
13. In the resulting Information window, you can read information about iTunes, such as what it can do and what you need to install it. When you are done reading, click Next. You’ll see the iTunes for Windows Setup Type dialog box.
14. Check the following options to make them active or uncheck them to make them inactive: Install desktop shortcuts—This option places a shortcut to iTunes on your desktop. Unless you don’t like desktop shortcuts for some reason, you should usually leave this option checked.
15. Use iTunes as the default player for audio files—This option causes iTunes to be used to play most audio files that you will access on the Internet, CDs, and so on. If you prefer to use another application, uncheck this check box. However, I recommend that you leave it checked; you can always change the default application to be something else after you have become comfortable with iTunes.
16. Use QuickTime as the default player for media files—If you choose this option, the QuickTime Player application will be used when you view video or other multimedia content. Just like the previous option, if you prefer to use a different application, uncheck this check box.
17. Click Next. You’ll see the Choose Destination Location dialog box.
18. If you don’t want to accept the default installation location (which is C:\Program Files\iTunes\), click the Browse button and choose the location you do want to use. Then click Next. You’ll see a window advertising the iPod.
19. Click Next. As the installer starts to work, you will see the Setup Status window. This window provides you with information about the installation process. When the process is complete, you will see the Installation Successful window.
20. Click Finish to restart your computer and complete the installation process. When your computer restarts, iTunes will be ready for you and your iPod.

Charging the iPod’s Battery

Like all portable electronic devices, the iPod has an internal battery. Before you start using an iPod, you should charge its battery.
To charge an iPod using the power adapter, connect the FireWire to iPod Dock connector cable to the power adapter and to the iPod. Then plug the power adapter into a power outlet.

While the iPod is charging, a battery icon will appear on its display and the word “Charging” will appear at the top of the screen. According to Apple, the iPod’s battery is charged to the 80% level in one hour and fully charged in four hours. When the iPod is fully charged, the display will contain a “full” battery icon and the status message will be “Charged.” Unplug the power adapter and then disconnect the cable from the power adapter and from the iPod.

Exploring the iPod’s Box

The iPod is so cool that even its box is stylish! In this section, you’ll learn about the items included in that stylish box and how and where you use them. What you get with an iPod depends on the type and model of iPod you purchased. The following list tells you what comes with each type of iPod:

• An iPod or iPod mini—You probably didn’t need this item listed or explained, but I like to be thorough! Installation CD—This CD contains the iTunes installer you will use to install the iPod’s companion software on your computer.
• Information manuals—These include the Quick Reference and the User’s Guide. (Because you have this book already, you might not find these to be very useful.)
• Power Adapter—You use this to charge an iPod’s battery.
• FireWire to Dock connector port cable (iPod only)—You use this cable to connect the iPod’s Dock connector port (or the Dock port on a Dock) to a FireWire port on your computer. You can also use it to connect the FireWire port on the power adapter to the iPod’s Dock port.
• USB 2.0 to Dock Connector Port cable (iPod mini only)—You use this cable to connect the iPod mini’s Dock connector port to a USB 2 port on your computer.
• Earbud earphones—You use these to listen to the iPod’s output.
• Six-pin to Four-pin FireWire adapter (iPod only)—This adapter is used when the computer to which you are connecting an iPod uses a four-pin FireWire port.
• Dock Port covers (iPod only)—These plastic inserts can be placed in an iPod’s Dock port to prevent it from being damaged by dirt or other debris.
• Dock (some iPod models)—Currently included with the 20GB and 40GB models, the Dock is a base unit into which you can place the iPod to connect it to your computer. The Dock eliminates the need to mess around with cables each time you connect your iPod to your computer.
• iPod Remote (some iPod models)—This remote is connected inline with the earbuds and enables you to control the iPod from its control panel. It is currently included with the 20GB and 40GB models.
• Case (some models of the iPod)—Some models include a carrying case with a belt clip.
• Belt clip (iPod mini only)—You can insert your iPod mini into this clip and then clip the clip to a belt to carry the iPod mini with you.