To use an iPod with Windows, you have to run the iPod installer to reformat the iPod for Windows and install the Windows version of the iPod software.
Before installing the iPod software for Windows, make sure that you’re logged on as a Windows Administrator user if you’re using Windows 2000 or Windows XP. Quit all other applications before installing, and disable any virus protection software.
The version of the iPod software for Windows provided on the CD-ROM with your iPod might not be the newest version. Therefore, we recommend going directly to the Apple Web site and downloading the latest version.
If you bought your iPod before the fall of 2003, the CD-ROM that came with it installs MusicMatch Jukebox. Don’t use the CD-ROM from older iPods if you plan on using iTunes for Windows — download the newer iTunes and iPod installers from the Apple Web site.
If you use Windows 2000 or Windows XP, you can use iTunes for Windows. If you use any other Windows version, you need to install MusicMatch Jukebox from the iPod CD-ROM. (We cover MusicMatch Jukebox in Chapter 7.)
To download the iPod software for Windows, go to Apple’s iPod download page on the Web (www.apple.com/ipod/download) and click the iPod software link. Follow the instructions to download the installer to your hard drive.
Pick a location on your hard drive to save the installer.
To install the iPod software for Windows, follow these steps:
1. Double-click the Setup.exefile, which you can download from the Apple Web site.
2. In the first dialog that appears, choose the language that you want to use, and then click OK.
The language shortcut menu lets you choose from quite a number of dif-ferent languages. After clicking OK, the InstallShield Wizard so familiar to Windows users takes over and launches the installer.
3. Click Next (or Cancel to quit).
4. In the Choose Destination Location pane, select a destination folder for the iPod Update folder, and then click Next.
The iPod folder contains the iPod Update folder that in turn contains the iPod Updater program. By default, the installer assumes that you want to store the iPod folder in the Program Files folder of your C: drive (which is just peachy, unless you like to defy the system designers at Microsoft by putting programs in other places). Click Browse to use Windows Explorer to locate a different folder if you dare. After selecting a folder (or keeping the default), click Next.
5. Select the Yes option or the No option to determine whether your system restarts after finishing your installation, and then click Finish.
By all means, select the Yes option to restart your computer — after all, you don’t know where it’s been or what it was doing before you arrived with this new software. Restarting cleans out memory and starts Windows over again. Select the No option only if you prefer to live dangerously or need to install more software.
As of this writing, the CD-ROMs that are supplied with iPods offer iTunes for Windows and the iPod Updater program in one installation. However, the CD-ROM might not contain the newest versions of these programs. The Apple Web site offers free downloads.
If you have no other choice, you can install from the CD-ROM and then update your software later from the Apple Web site. The CD-ROM’s AutoPlay feature starts the installation process; if the installer doesn’t open automatically, right-click the CD-ROM icon in the My Computer window and choose AutoPlay from the shortcut menu that appears (see Figure 2-5). Follow the instructions to type in your iPod serial number, and click Next for each window. The CD-ROM installation performs the same process as installing iTunes and the iPod soft-ware separately.
After your system starts up, you can launch the iPod Updater program by double-clicking the program icon or choosing it from the Start menu (Start➪
iPod➪iPod Updater). If you install from the CD-ROM, the iPod Updater program launches automatically.
Connect your iPod by using a FireWire or a USB 2.0 hookup, which are avail-able on most desktop PCs and laptops. To read more about this choice, see Chapter 1.
After connecting your iPod to the PC, the iPod Updater displays a dialog asking whether you want to configure the iPod. Click OK, and the iPod Updater dis-plays a dialog for updating or restoring your iPod, as shown in Figure 2-6.
The only option with a new iPod is to click Restore.
Figure 2-6:
Use the iPod Updater to restore the iPod to factory con-ditions for Windows.
Figure 2-5:
Starting installation from the iPod CD-ROM.
The Restore function clears all settings and reformats the iPod to the Windows hard drive format, preparing it for use. After you click Restore, the iPod Updater displays a warning dialog.
Click Restore to continue with the restoration. If you’re restoring an iPod that you bought prior to 2004, the iPod Updater displays the message in Figure 2-7, asking you to disconnect your iPod and connect it to a power supply so that it can do a firmware refresh. (Firmwareis software encoded in hardware.) Disconnect your iPod carefully, and then connect it to your power adapter.
The iPod performs a firmware refresh operation that takes a few minutes.
After the operation is complete, the iPod Updater displays its opening dialog.
Close the iPod Updater by clicking the X-marked close box in the upper-right corner.
Figure 2-7:
Disconnect an older iPod for a firmware refresh.