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I remember when I bought my first iPod. I was working in a very isolated location where we had no radio reception and driving around in a truck all day, I needed something to listen too that could hold enough songs that I wouldn't grow tired of so I bought and iPod. I took the green and white box back to my hotel room and quickly pulled it out and then started at it blankly and thought; how in the world does this thing work?

The good news is id didn't take me long to figure out that also in the box was a CD that included the software for installing iTunes. I popped the CD into my computer's disc drive and followed through all the prompts for the install of iTunes. Alternatively, you can download iTunes from the Internet at http://www.apple.com/itunes/do wnload/ prior to purchasing your iPod or to make sure that you have the latest version.

After installing iTunes, you will need to fill up your library with the music you already own. The easiest way to import music into your iTunes library is to open iTunes and look under the File menu. There you will find two options "Add File to Library" or "Add Folder to Library". These two options are very useful if you have previously been using another music player program such as Quick-time or Windows Media Player. Clicking on either the "Add File" or "Add Folder" options will bring up a search menu that will allow you to import all of your saved music into iTunes by simply browsing your computer's hard drive and selecting the folder where you currently have your music stored. Don't worry if the music isn't already in the iTunes format because iTunes will be able to convert all of your music files into the proper iTunes file format automatically.

If you own music on CD that you want on your iPod that is not already on your computer, then you will want to copy your Cd's to your computer before you start copying your music files onto your iPod. To copy Cd's into iTunes, first insert the disc into your computers disc drive and iTunes should automatically prompt you to copy the disc to your iTunes Library. If the prompt does not appear, then simply go into the iTunes "File" menu and select "Add Folder to Library" and then browse to find the appropriate disc drive that contains the music you want to import. Once you have copied all of your music onto your computer you are ready to begin importing iTunes files onto your iPod.

Transfering files from iTunes to your iPod isn't extremely difficult but there are a few key points to look out for. First, make sure that your iPod is connected to your computer with the USB cable that came with your iPod. Once your iPod and your computer are connected you should see the iPod icon in the left side menu. Under the "Library" click on music so that you can see all of your music listings. Now you can select songs by clicking on them, and put them onto your iPod by dragging the song so that it is over the iPod icon and "dropping" it into the iPod. If you have successfully started copying the file then the status bar at the top of the iTunes program window will show you the copy progress of the file. You can copy multiple songs to your iPod by holding the CNTL and SHFT keys down while clicking on the songs. You can also check to make sure that your songs have been copied to your iPod by clicking on the iPod icon on the left side window and then selecting the music option. This will show you the list of songs that are on your iPod.

By learning to effectively transfer songs onto your iPod from you iTunes software you are now on your way to becoming a music guru. Now it is time to rock out.

Learn more about this author, Eve Mager.
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