Dear my iPod/computer: WTF?

[hiyacynth]

Okay, so I have two computers--home and work. I put music from both of them onto my iPod. Until yesterday, this has not been an issue. Yesterday morning, when I plugged Speck into my home computer to let it provide painting music, it went into this auto-update thing, which I tried unsuccessfully to cancel out of, and 20 minutes later, my iPod only

Comments

[writerj]

Were you using it in manual mode before? That's what it sounds like to me, if you could play songs directly from it when attached to a computer. The update may have reverted it to automatic mode, where it simply stores music for play through itself-that would explain why everything is greyed out.

I never understood how you got music from two computers to sync to the same iPod, since I always thought it could only sync to one library at a time. How do you usually use your iPod? Me, I use it exclusively for playing music/shows through itself, so it's always been on automatic: plug, chug, unplug.

[hiyacynth]

I guess I must have been using it in manual mode before, because yes, I could get it to play on both computers. It never did any of this syncing stuff before, though. It just appeared as another entity in my iTunes interface, and I could drag things from my computer's iTunes library (either of them) to the iPod.

I usually use my iPod in the car, but because I have some music on one computer and not on the other, I've started using it as my primary "library," so I plug it into whichever computer (I've even been able to run it off Bronwyn's computer) and play directly from it. I almost never use it for video simply unless I'm traveling or babysiting any other time I want to watch something, I can either play it on my TV or my computer and have a larger screen.

I wonder if now that it IS synced to my work computer, if it won't allow me to play as a pure device anymore?

[writerj]

Try setting it to manual mode again. Plug it into a computer, go to iTunes, select Preferences, click on the "iPod" tab, and then select Manual (third option down).

[hiyacynth]

Ha! You are genius. I did this at work this morning, and it cleared right up. I'll do the same at home and load the stuff from there up, and I should be back in full-swing iPod-dom. Thanks!

[baylorsr]

I only use mine with the one computer, so I'm not sure about this. Did you check over at Apple support? If you can't find the answer over there, you can go to Discussions and post your problem - I've gotten answers a couple of times by doing this.

[hiyacynth]

J was right on target. Going with his tip and getting the resident iPod guru to come stand next to my computer this morning has solved my problem. Now I just have to figure out what from my home machine was on this one, and I'm back in business. Thanks!

[ramalama]

I don't believe in iPods.

[hiyacynth]

I don't blame you. They are a timesuck. But they're so so pretty and yay I have all my music in my car without having to mess around with CDs. This enables me to make safe longish-distance drives in musical contentment. Like, say, to Indy week after next. :-) Answer my email!