Ipod With Windows Xp

OK, first off, XP is the best Operating System to use w/your iPod. It just the most up to date and it works fine with it. So your fine there.

I personally like firewire better, but since you have a notebook, you might want to go the USB route because notebooks w/firewire don't charge the iPod when connected--and you want that so you don't lose power when uploading tunes.

You should be able to open device manager to determine if you have USB2 or not. Right-click My Computer, select Properties. On the Hardware tab, should be a "Device Manager" button. Click that. Then you should see a USB hub or something like that. Expand that tree item and it should say what USB you have.

If you don't have USB2, then I suggest going the firewire route. You'll need to buy what's called a "PCMCIA" firewire card. These are the cards that fit into the left side of your laptop. They are about the size of a credit card only a little thicker. Right now you probably have a network/modem card in your PC. You'll take that out and replace it w/the firewire card.

Now, regarding what card to get. Check out cards by Adaptec or OrangeMicro. Those are the best IMO. You want to look for one of 2 things so you can charge the iPod when it's connected to the PC.

1. Get a card that has an external power supply so the iPod will get a charge when connected.

or...

2. Get a card that has 2 6-pin firewire ports so you can connect the iPod to one port and connect a second cable (you'll have to buy it) to the 2nd port and then plug that cable into the AC adaptor that comes w/the iPod. This then plugs into a wall outlet. This will provide power to the ipod.

Now, as far as software is concerned. You can if you want use the included MMJB (Music Match Jukebox) software to upload to the iPod. Most 'loungers don't use it as it, well...sucks. ;) You can check out the Software Compendium (http://ipodlounge.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=2286) for a list of you available options.

Anyway, that's about it. And if you have questions, problem, just post here. Somebody will help you out.

Oh, and welcome to the 'lounge.

Adam

For almost a year now I've been using my 20GB 2nd gen ipod with my Inspiron 8100/XP OS laptop - which has a 4 pin firewire port - and have had no problems. While it's perhaps a minor inconvenience that the firewire doesn't also charge the ipod, I just make certain that the pod is fully charged if I'm doing a major syncing job (like restoring the pod and re-filling it up with tunes). Doing the little syncs (where there are just a few new albums for example) is no big deal at all.

Now, that said - it can matter what application you're using to interface with the ipod. Last fall I tried MusicMatch which Apple provided - it was incredibly slow. Since then there has been at least one significant revision so hopefully it is faster. (I had moved on to other apps).

There are other apps you can use - and lots of help & advice here in the lounge in figuring out which one might be best for your needs. EphPod and MediaCenter 9 are two that I have experience with. EphPod is free.

For figuring out whether the 8200 has USB2 - check the Dell site, you can pull up the specs of a model, or ask in their support forums. Or, if you still have the papers/manuals that should tell you. If it doesn't specifically say USB2, than you don't have it (that's the way I've seen the USB/USB2 labeling handled with other products). A colleague of mine at work got the 8200, which came out not long after I'd gotten my 8100, and my suspicion is that it has USB1 not 2.

If you don't have USB2 (which is comparable to firewire in terms of speed) - firewire is MUCH preferable to regular USB since it's SO much faster (though you may be more patient that I am :) ).

I love both my ipod and my Dell laptop - and they have played very nicely together thus far! Happy to answer further questions as our laptops are quite similar (and I'm happy that our power is still on - knock on wood - Isabel's winds are now blowing north of DC this evening).

Thanks to all for such quick and thorough responses. I am still trying to get all of the new lingo. The Dell 8200 does not have USD 2.0, but has a build in Firewire port (IEEE 1394) that is a 4 pin serial connector. If this helps, my noteboo is also P4, 2.0GHZ, 512MB, DDR,266MHZ, 40GBHD.

Please be patient - trying to piece this all together before I make the IPod purchase. With the built-in firewire, does this mean I still need to get one of the "PCMCIA" cards? What does this do?

Also, if I get the IPod with the docking station, is it connected to the firewire? How does this impact the downloading of music and charging the IPod OR is this where the 2 6 pin firewire ports and extra cable come into the picture? Sorry if these questions are basic, but I'm a newbie and want to understand how it all works.

Many thanks again - glad Isabel did not wreck havoc with DC loungees...

Thanks for the response. To clarify, if the internal firewire (no additional card) works, I understand I cannot download and charge the pod at the same time. How does the pod get charged? Does the pod get charged in the docking station via the firewire when I am not downloading?