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Subject: Re: IPod loading after Rockbox

Re: IPod loading after Rockbox

From: Woody Anna Dresner <wadresner_at_hawaiiantel.net>
Date: Wed, 31 Jan 2007 08:56:23 -1000

Hi Ian,

I have an iPod Nano first generation, and I routinely use both the
Rockbox and Apple firmware. I use Rockbox to play unprotected music
and the Apple firmware to play Audible books and music purchased from iTunes.

Rockbox has the ability to create an ID3 database that includes music
imported through iTunes and music copied to the iPod with Windows
Explorer, but this database can't use voice clips, so song names,
etc., have to be spelled or numbered. For this reason, I don't use
the database. Instead, I use iTunes to import the tracks I want to
play with iTunes and Windows Explorer to copy in the tracks I want to
play with Rockbox. Neither firmware is aware of the music copied to
the iPod by the other firmware. So when I load Rockbox, I only have
access to what I copied in with Windows Explorer, and when I load the
Apple firmware, I only have access to what I copied in using iTunes.

To put music in for playing with Rockbox, I used Windows Explorer to
create a Music folder at the root level of the iPod. I also created
a folder for podcasts, one for drama, etc. Within music, I have a
folder for each artist. Within that folder are folders for each
album by that artist. And within each album folder are all the
tracks from the album.

You can copy any tracks you imported into your iTunes library from CD
using Windows Explorer. On most systems, the iTunes library is in a
folder called My Music within the My Documents folder. There is a
folder in My Music called iTunes, and within that is one called
iTunes Music or some such. Within that is all your music, organized
just the way I described. You could simply select all the artist
folders containing music you imported and copy them to the music
folder on your iPod.

If you purchased music from the iTunes store, however, those tracks
won't play unless you load them into your iPod using iTunes and then
play them running the Apple firmware.

I would suggest running the Apple firmware any time you import music
into your iPod or delete music from it, even if you're using Windows
Explorer to copy and delete files. The Apple firmware uses USB 2.0,
but the Rockbox firmware doesn't. This means that music transfers go
much, much more quickly while running the Apple firmware. Then
switch to Rockbox before playing the music you copied using Windows Explorer.

I hope this makes sense. Please let me know if it doesn't, and I'll try again.

Cheers,
Anna
Received on 2007-01-31

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