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[Taxee]

I downloaded MC as a trial so am completely new to MC.  I wanted to download the files from my iPod to MC10 on a second computer but received a message from MC that I needed to re-initialize my iPod to work with MC which would delete everything on my iPod.  So I stopped immediately because I did not want to mess something up from which it would be a pain to recover.

I would have thought that there would be a FAQ on the subject of converting iPod use from iTunes to MC (since it would encourage more potential customers to switch to MC   ) but have not been able to find one.

I obviously don't want to reinitialize my iPod without knowing the following:

1. How do I import my ratings to MC if the iPod is reinitialized.

2. Should I convert to MC first on the system on which I have iTunes installed and then download the files to my second computer?  How do I do this safely?

3. Can I synch with iTunes on one computer and MC on another?  or will re-initializing with MC mean I can't use iTunes? (this may not be the end of the world as long as I can get my ratings info to MC)

Thanks for the help.

[SteveG]

Taxee,

If you reinitialize your iPod, you will lose all the files on it.  If you want MC to recognize your iPod without warning you about the reinitialize, create a file called iTunesBackup and copy it to your iPod_Control\iTunes folder on your iPod. After you do this, you will be able to download tunes from iPod to your PC. However, the ratings will not be present after you import them into MC because iTunes does not write that information to the file tag.

If you want to get the iTunes ratings into MC you will need to get the files on the PC and imported into MC. Then if you access the iPod from MC and use the synchronization feature (right click on the iPod drive letter) with the option to 'Sync Data to MC' selected ratings from iPod will enter MC if the rating for the file in MC is not set.

2. Should I convert to MC first on the system on which I have iTunes installed and then download the files to my second computer?  How do I do this safely?

It depends on what you are trying to do. If you are trying to use iPod as the way to get files to PC 2, you do not gain anything by converting to MC first.

3. Can I synch with iTunes on one computer and MC on another?  or will re-initializing with MC mean I can't use iTunes? (this may not be the end of the world as long as I can get my ratings info to MC)

You can, but we do not recommend going back and forth between iTunes and MC it can be problematic.

Here is the deal.... I think you are trying to get files from iPod to your PC and get MC running on that PC without losing your iPod ratings. Here is what I would do....

1) Copy the contents of the iPod_Control\Music directory from my iPod to the new PC.

2) Install MC and import the contents of that folder into MC.

3) Synchronize all files with 'Sync data to MC' checked.

This should work, but has not been tested extensively. We generally recommend switching to MC and minimizing contact with iTunes and a reinitialize the first time through. Give it a whirl but be sure to back up all your data in case this process fails.

Steve

[Taxee]

I created a file called iTunesBackup (by copying and renaming an existing 0Kb file from the iPod_Control\iTunes) and copied it to the iPod_Control\iTunes folder on my iPod

I then started MC and when I access the iPod from MC, I received a message that the database on the iPod had a problem and that I should rebuild the database on the iPod(which I did).

I then attempted to sync the iPod to MC and receive a message that there is not enough memory (available memory reads -5.5GB) even though I actually have more than enough free space on my hard drive (>68 Gb).

Additionally, MC managed to two-thirds of the files on the iPod ( had 3600+ song files on the iPod but the "About" command on the iPod says that there are 1128 now).  As well, the iPod says that I only have4 Gb of space left so the files are still there but the iPod is not recognizing them.  Did MC do this when it "rebuilt" the database?  It also appears that all of my ratings have also been deleted from the iPod.

While MC appears to be a good program, I do not want to lose my ratings.  It appears I will have to reinitialize the iPod and go back to iTunes.

Any suggestions?

[SteveG]

I then attempted to sync the iPod to MC and receive a message that there is not enough memory (available memory reads -5.5GB) even though I actually have more than enough free space on my hard drive (>68 Gb).

The sync is transferring the files from your PC to iPod. If you want to move files from iPod to PC, do not use synchronization, use the right click 'Download files to PC' option when you right click on the files while viewing them in MC.

If you follow the steps above, this should work. Could you try that and let me know where you get stuck?

Steve

[Taxee]

Here’s what I did:

1) Copied the contents of the iPod_Control\Music directory from my iPod to the new PC.

2) Imported the contents of that folder into MC.

At this point, when I right-click on the E: drive in MC I am presented with the following choices:

   Show Queued Files Only
   Play
   Add to Playing Now
   Explore
   Eject iPod
   Enable Auto-Eject on Close
   Synchronize
   Set Upload Volume Adjustment
   Initialize Ipod
   Rebuild Data base from iPod

Nowhere does the option “Download files from the PC” appear.

If I select the “Synchronize” option, the dialog box entitled “Synchronize Handheld Player” appears which states that I have 4.1 Gb available after synch.  However if I select “Synchronize all files” on the dialog box, I have -10.3 Gb available after synch (obviously going from PC to iPod which is the wrong way).  Selecting “Synch data to MC” does not change this.  Selecting the “options” button does not provide anything that might help with this.

As this would not work, I tried the following:

1. loaded Explorer and right-clicked on the IPOD(E:) drive

2. Selected Media Center/Import

However, all this did was to make duplicate entries in MC (without ratings).

Is it possible to convert from iTunes to MC10 on the same computer and then deal with the other computer later?

My whole object is to convert to MC and then play with it for a comple of weeks to see if it is as good as the reviews that I have seen.  However, at the moment it seems that there is no simple or eaxsy way to convert from iTunes to MC.  As I have invested a lot of time on the ratings, this is a major negative.

However, I am willing to keep trying if you can tell me the steps that I need to go through.

Thanks for your help.

Regards,

Rod Bergen

[SteveG]

Taxee,

If you have copied and imported the files into MC, create a playlist which is only the files that you have imported (after the copy of the files from iPod to your PC). Sync this playlist to iPod with 'Send Data to PC' checked in the Synchronization dialogue. The result will be that MC should recognize the files on the iPod and not resend them . Your ratings from iPod should copy into the MC database and you should be all set. If they do not the first time, sync a second time and they should.  I presume that when you were selecting 'Sync all files' you had more than the files already on your iPod selected which is why the max space was exceeded.

You need to get rid of the entries in MC which you created when you imported the files directly from iPod into MC.

No one has asked to do this before or has done this before so proceed with caution.  

Steve

[Taxee]

Steve,

You said "Sync this playlist to iPod with 'Send Data to PC' checked in the Synchronization dialogue."  The only problem is that there does not appear to be any such selection in the Sync dialog.

Maybe I am doing something completely wrong but when I right click on the E:(iPod) and select "Synchronization" the dialog only has the following boxes that can be checked:

• Synchronize all files (top)
• Delete unselected from HH
• Sync data to MC
• Send playlist data

There is no 'Send Data to PC' selection available.  

What am I missing?

Thanks,

Taxee

P.S. - I also thought that I might be able to export the various ratings (i.e. all 5's, all 4's, etc.) to separate playlists in iTunes and then import the playlists into MC.  If this is possible, it again certainly isn't obvious since MC does not appear to recognize an iTunes generated playlist.


 

[Taxee]

Steve,

I found the solution to transferring the iTunes ratings to MC in a post from Alex B (many thanks):

- Right click a Song List in iTunes (PC-version) and export it to .txt format.
- Open that file in Excel (or any other spreadsheet).
- Go to the "Location" column, copy the contents of the column to clipboard (except the header) and paste it to Notepad.
- Save this new notepad file with .m3u extension.
- Import that .m3u file to Media Center.
- The new playlist appears in Imported Playlists.

I did this on the computer that I was syncing iTunes and the iPod.  I can now sync MC and the iPod on that machine.

But now I am faced with the task of trying to sync from the iPod to MC on a different computer (my notebook).  I would like to transfer all of the files from the iPod (complete with ratings) to the new computer.

Again, I have been unable to find the 'Send data to PC' selection which you referred to in your post.

Thanks,

Taxee

[SteveG]

Taxee,

When you open the Synchronization dialogue, there are 3 check boxes at the bottom. The middle one is 'Sync data to MC'.  This is the one to check, and the one  I was referring to when I said 'Send data to PC'.  I apologize for not being specific.  Please follow the directions in my previous post to get the files to your notebook with that box selected.

Steve

[Taxee]

Steve,

I now have MC on my first PC and it appears to be working fine.  So I then attempted to transfer the music files to my second PC.

Here's what I did:

1) Copied the contents of the iPod_Control\Music directory from my iPod to the new PC.

2) Imported the contents of that folder into MC.

3) Synchronized all files with 'Sync data to MC' checked.

The result is that some of the ratings came across but not all.  I currently have about 3600 songs on my 20 Gb iPod of which about 1000 are rated.  However, on the new PC about 3100 are unrated, meaning the ratings on about half the songs did not come through.

I have not determined yet whether this is completely random and may not be able to without a lot of work.

I had thought that MC wrote the ratings directly to the file tags so am puzzled as to why step 3 is required and why MC does not simply recognize the ratings from the song tags on the iPod (or do I have this wrong?)

Additional background - I have 3 PC's and would like to keep my music library on at least 2 of them.  The songs are all from my CD collection but I find it much more convenient to have everything on each computer as it saves hunting for CD's.  I only use the iPod in my car and on airplanes.

Thanks,

Taxee

[SteveG]

Taxee,

Did you already have some of the files from your iPod on your PC and were they already imported into MC before you did steps 1, 2 and 3? If so, that is the problem. If not, remember to do the sync 2 times.

iTunes does not write the rating information to the file tag. If you are copying files from iPod to your 2nd PC which are the ones from iTunes, that is why the rating information is not in the tags. If the files are the way you want them (with the correct tag info) on PC 1 and you have the default option set which writes tag information into the files, why not copy the files from PC 1 onto the iPod (not through the plugin but just to anywhere on the iPod as if it were a simple removable drive) and then copy those files to PC 2 and then import them into MC? The files will be there with the correct tags and you will be all set.

Steve

[Taxee]

On computer #1, I converted from iTunes to MC.  MC has the correct ratings information based on the steps that I outlined above.  I initialized the iPod with MC and then synced the iPod to MC.  The iPod has all of the ratings and the sync appeared to have been correctly done from MC.

On computer #2, I followed your steps as outlined at the beginning of this thread.  Perhaps that was my mistake.

To rephrase my current problem - I have an iPod synced to MC on computer #1 and want to transfer the music on the iPod (complete with ratings) to computer #2.  The object of the exercise is to have the same music (with ratings) on one iPod and 2 computers.  Please assume that iTunes is no longer being used (although I am getting near the expiry of the free trial period for MC on one of the 2 computers).

[SteveG]

Taxee,

If all the files are tagged correctly on PC 1, you need to get those files on PC 2. If you can't do it directly, initialize your iPod so it has nothing on it. Copy the files from PC 1 to a folder on the iPod (not using the plugin or MC, simply copying the files with Explorer). Copy the folder to PC 2 and import the files into MC on PC 2.

At the end of this, you should have files with correct ratings on both PCs and should be able to sync either PC with iPod.

Steve

[Taxee]

Thanks very much.

It worked great and I now have everything on 2 computers.  I am gradually becoming more familiar with the program and purchased it on the weekend as it really appears to have alot of flexibility.

Thanks again.

[SteveG]

Taxee,

Glad it all worked out. Thanks for the update.

Steve