Wednesday, August 27, 2008

How Do You Download Songs Onto An iPod

By George Tho


A lot of iPod users are wondering "How do you download songs onto an iPod?" Here I will explain the step-by-step instructions of how you can actually DIY.

So how do you download songs onto an iPod? Before we look at the detailed steps, here a few things that you need to prepare beforehand:

1. You need the iTunes software. This is the software that ships with your iPod. If for some reasons you are not able to find it, not to worry. You can download it from Apple's website. Just go to Google and search for "itunes download".

2. Hardware - You need your iPod of course. Duh. How do you download songs onto an iPod without an iPod! Anyway, you will also need the USB cable that came with the device to connect the iPod to your PC. You should try to install iTunes before plugging iPod to your PC first. I don't think there should be any issue if you do this first but I find that it is always a good practice to install whatever software/driver that comes with the device before connecting the device to PC. There are some known issues with Windows Vista. If you do come across problems with Windows Vista, unplug the device and do a Windows Update and then try again.

3. Last but not least, you need the music files. Duh. If your songs are in MP3 format, you are good to go. However, if you want to extract music from audio CDs, you can do so easily using the "Import CD" function found in iTunes. There are of course other tools like AltoMP3 and Freerip but I find that using iTunes is more convenient.

So here go, let's see how do you download songs onto an iPod with all of the above ready. Firstly, install iTunes if you have not done so. Secondly, launch iTunes, go to File >> Add to Library and navigate to the folder where your audio files are stored. Finally, do a sync to transfer the music files. It is that easy.

Easy? Now you should have a pretty good idea of how do you download songs onto an iPod. After you have done it once, you will have no issue doing it again. Soon you will find yourselves loading iPod with thousands of songs and music. Speaking of songs, if you like to listen to the latest releases, it can get really expensive buying CD albums or online. However, the good news is that there are affordable ways for you to constantly get the latest music. Do respect intellectual property and look for safe places to download music. There are many scam sites and sites filled with viruses and spywares online. One of the safe and affordable avenue for song downloads are portals that charge one-time membership fee for unlimited downloads.

I do hope that the information will help those asking "How do you download songs onto an iPod?" Do pass it on if you know of people who are asking the same question.

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