I’ve both checked and unchecked the “sync music” box, it has synched, and not made a damn bit of difference.
It’s very difficult ti figure this out without seeing your screen. From your description there seems robe a bunch if options missing. I’ve never seen an iTunes screen with no other options.
Oh, dear.
Well, it’s not like my iPod isn’t working, I just can’t add any more music to it. I guess I will have to buy a second iPod. Which would be insane and I can’t afford that anyway.
Let’s see if we can do this one step at a time.
My info applies only to iTunes on IBM machines. I do not know if it is relevant to MACS.
- Open iTunes.
You should see a list of items down the left haf of the sscreen, with category headings of MUSIC, STORE, and PLAYLISTS.
- Plug in your iPod.
After a few seconds you should see a new category heading of DEVICES appear, just above PLAYLISTS.
Below that heading will be an item called “Owner’s iPod”
- Select “Owner’s iPod”
The list of songs on the right half of your screen should disappear and be replaced by a screen with a menu at the top that includes SUMMARY, MUSIC, and probably some others that aren’t relevant here.
- Select SUMMARY (though you are probably already on that page by default)
You’ll see a picture of the iPod and some ID information near the top, and some “Options” to slect near the bottom.
Now you have some choices to make. One choice you can make right here, and the other I’ll get to next.
OPTION 1: The best choice is you want to reduce your music song by song
One of the options to select is “Synch only checked songs and videos”.
If you check this box, and then uncheck some of your music later in your library or in your playlists, they won’t be on your iPod after the next time you Synch, and you’ll free up some space.
FYI, if you do this and later Unselect this option, all the individual songs you unchecked will go back to your iPod again after the next Synch, but they won’t play in a roation of a playlist or a shuffle unless you specifically select them. Unchecking music is more or less telling iPod to “Ignore thes unchecked songs unless I specify otherwise.” You can make them behave like all the other songs is you re-check the little boxes for them song by song.
OPTION2: the best choice if you eant to reduce your music by categories, or groups or albums.
Select “MUSIC” from the menu at the top.
You will see a thing that says “SYNCH MUSIC”, and two choices below it. One is “Entire Music Library” and the other is “Selected Playlists, Artists, Albums and Genrres”
If you make the latter selection, four boxes will appear and you can select to Synch all your Rock music, or all your favorite bands, or your favorite albums, etc.
BONUS!! If you hold down th CONTROL key while clicking on any of the check boxes in a list, EVERY item on the list will be checked. This is important, because, let’s say you have a thousand songs by 500 artists. If you want to get rid of twenty artists, you use this CONTROL shortcut to select them all, and the uncheck the twenty artists. Otherwise you would have to check all the 480 artists individually that you want to keep.
I’m not sure that buying a new iPod would solve your problem. It sounds like you have something set wrong. Follow those step by step instructions and report back.
If that doesn’t work, it might be worth it to take your laptop and iPod to an Apple Genius. Alternatively if your pod is still under warranty your get get a genius to call you on the phone.
With your iPod plugged in, and while looking, in iTunes, at the songs on your iPod, select the songs you don’t wish to have on your iPod.
If you can place these all in a single playlist, that’s even better. Then select everything in the playlist.
Shift-Delete.