Topic: Mac Ipod, Windows XP and MJ (Read 5192 times)

Marley · « **on:** December 27, 2002, 11:49:37 pm »

So I've been watching the Ipod plug in postings for a while now and would like to jump into the fun but need some help.

I have a Mac Ipod, Windows XP and MJ8. If I understand things correctly, I need to upgrade to MC9 then "format my Ipod for MJ" using the right click pulldown. This will essentially turn my Ipod into a Windows Ipod but from there I should be able to sychronize and enjoy all the benefits of MC9 and Ipod, right? If in the future I want to convert back to a Mac Ipod this is still possible, correct?

I just want to make sure I have it straight before I mess something up. Thanks.

TimB · « **Reply #1 on:** December 28, 2002, 01:00:38 am »

Just to get back to you quickly I think you're missing a step, converting the iPod to a Windows iPod, but I'm not expert enough to actually explain it and I'll wait for one of the aces to get to you.

(Oh, it isn't that tough and it is reversible.)

-=TIm=-

JimH · « **Reply #2 on:** December 28, 2002, 06:11:51 am »

I think you can do that with the latest software update from Apple, but you can find out more in the iPod section here:

http://discussions.info.apple.com

Marley · « **Reply #3 on:** December 28, 2002, 06:53:14 am »

I forgot to mention that I also have XPLAY. Do I need to reformat my Ipod to Windows if I have XPLAY?

TimB · « **Reply #4 on:** December 28, 2002, 07:52:15 am »

Again, I'm playing at the limits of my knowledge here but I think XPLAY forces the iPod to be Mac formatted.

-=Tim=-

Kurt Young · « **Reply #5 on:** December 28, 2002, 10:50:03 pm »

A few things from an iPod freak:

First off, please consider upgrading to MC9. There are many features that just aren't available in MJ8 that you will definitely want, synchronization being one of them. This isn't a ploy to get new customers, it's just that the MJ8 engine lacks the functions that synchronization needs. When MC9 is final and they make MJ8 into MJ9, this will probably not be an issue; but for the time being, MC9 is your best iPod bet.

Second, this plugin is, at the moment, not compatible at all with an XPlay-initialized iPod. That is to say, if you've ever run the "XPlay Setup Wizard" on your iPod, MC will not recognize it as an iPod. More on that wizard later.

If you would like to keep your iPod mac-formatted, you can download and install MacOpener or a similar HFS+ driver for Windows. I did it once as a test, and the MC9 plugin worked great with it.

I totally suggest that you convert your MacPod into a Windows-formatted iPod, however. Here's a link on how to do this. Please note: if you use XPlay to restore your iPod, it will restore it to a Mac-iPod, regardless of what it was before. The only thing that the XPlay 1.0.4 (or earlier) restore program can do is format HFS+. If you convert your iPod, perform any future restores with the new updater, not with XPlay.

If you want to have the best experience possible with MC9 and your iPod, I suggest uninstalling XPlay completely. I too, paid for XPlay and used my MacPod with it. I uninstalled it about a month ago, and haven't looked back since.

Okay, so let's say that you don't want to uninstall XPlay. You followed my link above, downloaded the 1.2.1 updater, and converted your iPod. Now, each time you plug it in, you get a window called "XPlay Setup Wizard" right? HIT CANCEL. Tell it you're sure you want to cancel. If you go through with this wizard, MC9 will fail to recognize your iPod as an iPod; it will think it's just another hard drive.

Steve, if you're reading this, let us know if you plan on making the plugin compatible with an XPlay-initialized iPod. I'd love to re-install XPlay' it's a good tool and I've paid for it already. But the two don't mix currently.

Kurt Young · « **Reply #6 on:** December 28, 2002, 10:54:41 pm »

Heh, man I type too much.

Long story short:

1. Convert your MacPod into a WinniePod.
2. Upgrade to MC9; get the latest iPod plugin.
3. Connect the iPod; right-click it in MC and "Format" it.
4. Send your music to it.
5. Rock out.

Ahh... brevity!

SteveG · « **Reply #7 on:** December 30, 2002, 07:37:43 am »

Kurt,

Thanks for a great reply above. In regards to XPlay, I tabled this idea and we decided not to do it for now. Maybe sometime in the future.

Steve

Marley · « **Reply #8 on:** December 31, 2002, 05:59:19 am »

Thank you for the replies. I have gotten the 1.2.1 updater and am attempting to run but have run into a "Firmware update error. Disc write error" when I try to run the updater.

Any recommendations how to get beyond this?

lclontz · « **Reply #9 on:** December 31, 2002, 09:44:07 am »

I've heard that "updating" the Mac iPod to be a Windows iPod disables the ability to play Audible files on it. Anyone know if that's true?

Kurt Young · « **Reply #10 on:** December 31, 2002, 02:12:23 pm »

Woah. I've never heard of a disc write error when trying to run the firmware updater. Make sure that your iPod is appearing as a removable drive under My Computer... something may be prohibiting it from being written to "as a disk". Also, what brand of firewire card are you using? If you have an Audigy, they're notorious for not behaving well with an iPod... you may need to consider switching up.

No, converting it doesn't mean it can't use Audible files. It's just that Apple chose not to include the capability to upload audible files to the iPod in their mmjb plugin. Ephpod 2.59 can, and hopefully one day MC9 will be able to send audible files to your iPod.

Marley · « **Reply #11 on:** January 01, 2003, 08:22:56 am »

My computer isn't recognizing the Ipod any longer but it did before. Not sure at what point it stopped. The only thing I did was remove XPLAY because it's incompatable. I don't remember what firewire I have but it's not the one you mention. It's Orange-something and it was recommended by the Mac store.

I plan to re-install XPLAY to get back to zero and see what I can figure out. Let me know if anyone has any other ideas.

BTW,since I recently bought MJ8 and now looks like I need MC9, is there a cheaper upgrade price or am I SOL?

Thanks

TimB · « **Reply #12 on:** January 01, 2003, 12:28:04 pm »

Quote

BTW,since I recently bought MJ8 and now looks like I need MC9, is there a cheaper upgrade price or am I SOL?

Thanks

The key here is what date did you buy MJ8?

-=Tim=-

Marley · « **Reply #13 on:** January 01, 2003, 05:20:01 pm »

I bought before December so I was able to download MC9, install and all looks good. I have formatted my iPod using MC9 and sent music to the iPod. It seemed to go too quick so I'm a little concerned. When I reomove the iPod to check to see if there is music there I get a file folder with an exclaimation mark and I cannot go beyond. What's that mean?

Thanks for your help.

LarryJoe · « **Reply #14 on:** January 02, 2003, 04:11:10 am »

Suggestions:

1- Completely remove xplay, scrub registry too.
2- Format Ipod with Windows XP by right clicking letter
3- Run Ipod updater 1.2.1 for Windows
4- Uninstall Ipod plugin, then reinstall plugin
5- Right click Ipod in MJ/MC and give it a go.

I agree with Kurt, the Ipod plugin is much more functional and stable under MC9. Trouble is, MC9 beta is a little buggy at the moment.

Marley · « **Reply #15 on:** January 20, 2003, 12:01:12 pm »

OK, I'm back and after a lot of messing around I finally was able to get my iPOD formated for Windows. I have loaded MC9, gotten rid of XPLAY (though I don't know how to scrub a registry) and followed the instructions regarding the plugin.

Here's where I'm at:

>In MC9 under "CD,DVD and Handhelds" all I get is a drive letter for the iPOD, no volume label. When clicked on, I get a "player not found" error and it tells me to update the volumn label under the tools section, which I have done but to no avail.

>Interestingly, in MC9 under "my computer", it lists my iPOD with it's volume label then from there I can see the contents of the iPOD, which are just empty folders at this time.

>If I try to drag songs to the drive letter under "handhelds", it gives me the "player not found" error and seems to hang up MC9.

>If I try to drive a song into the "my computer" iPOD (the root), it thinks for a minute and then gives me a "failed to update the following files" and list the song filename but doesn't hang up MC9.

I feel like I'm close to actually being able to enjoy this expensive toy but cannot get there. Can anyone help me with this?

SteveG · « **Reply #16 on:** January 21, 2003, 05:59:20 am »

Marley,

Can you confirm that you have the downloaded the latest iPod Plug-in (v 3.0.45) and have the latest MC 9 (9.0.100)?

Steve

Marley · « **Reply #17 on:** January 21, 2003, 08:44:25 pm »

It was MC9.0.88 so I went and downloaded MC9.0.98. I couldn't find MC9.0.100 on the website. The plugin is 3.0.45.

With the update to MC:

>I can know see calender and contact folder under the "handhelds" section though still no volume label.

>I can drag and drop songs to the "handhelds" section and then when clicked on the iPOD, it opens a window where I can select to upload files. Which it seems to do fine.

>In the "my computer" section, it shows the volume label and I can drag and drop directly without the uploading command.

>When clicking on the iPOD in either section, I can see the songs but when I dismount the iPOD nothing appears under the "browse" menu.

Thanks

SteveG · « **Reply #18 on:** January 22, 2003, 05:56:43 am »

Marley,

Here is the link to get 9.0.100....

http://www.musicex.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.cgi?board=beta;action=display;num=1042825470

If you are seeing "Calendars and Contacts" under the iPod drive letter, either the Plug-in is not installed correctly or the volume label is incorrect. To correct this, either change the volume label to "IPOD" or go to Tools->Plugin Manager->Handheld->Portable Drives->Configure and change the label to whatever you have named the IPOD.

For a great guide to how to use MC and iPod go to...

http://www.home.earthlink.net/~ashawley01/.

or post back with further questions.

Steve

buddy · « **Reply #19 on:** January 22, 2003, 07:12:45 pm »

I'm using xp pro (mc9.100 & .45 plug-in) for my ipod. Everything is working well together. My problem is, I can't find any way in mc to eject the ipod. When I try to eject via win explorer it gives me an error. When I have the ipod connected the 'safely remove hardware' icon is not available.
1. Will the ability to eject be available any time soon or is this a feature that is not needed?
2. What consequences can I expect because I continue to have to disconnect when I'm being warned not to disconnect?
3. If #2 causes problems how do I avoid them.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions

SteveG · « **Reply #20 on:** January 23, 2003, 04:37:38 am »

Buddy,

Check out the following thread (item 4, Kurt Young's reply).....

http://www.musicex.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.cgi?board=beta;action=display;num=1042052266;start=8

I need to get this functionality included in our Plug-in. Hopefully soon.

Steve

Marley · « **Reply #21 on:** January 23, 2003, 08:03:41 pm »

I've gotten it to upload but now I can't dismount either and it appears that the link for the .exe is broken.

Thoughts?

SteveG · « **Reply #22 on:** January 24, 2003, 05:47:25 am »

Marley,

In regards to the eject, did you check out the link in the post before yours?

What do you mean by the link to the .exe is broken?

Steve

Marley · « **Reply #23 on:** January 26, 2003, 07:53:05 am »

AHHH!

I've got the dismount .exe now but I made the mistake of dismounting when it said not to before I had the .exe. Now I can't remount the iPOD nor view it anywhere on on my PC. Help.

I'm an idiot.

SteveG · « **Reply #24 on:** January 26, 2003, 11:24:25 am »

Marley,

If you reconnect your iPod, your PC should recognize it. At that point, we will recognize it as well.

Steve

Marley · « **Reply #25 on:** January 26, 2003, 07:02:09 pm »

No dice. I've tried everything. Disconnecting and reconnecting. Rebooting. Deleteing the drivers and reinstalling them.

When I disconnect/reconnect...my PC makes a noise like normal but I cannot see anything.

When I remove the iPod the iPod screen remains locked in the "do not disconnect" mode and none of the buttons seem to do anything (turn off, etc...).

SteveG · « **Reply #26 on:** January 27, 2003, 05:00:38 am »

Marley,

When your iPod gives you the disconnect screen, have you tried holding the menu and play buttons down for a few seconds to reset the iPod. After doing this, try reconnecting. Go to My Computer and see if you see the iPod as a drive letter. If you do, reformat the player just to start clean.

Steve

Marley · « **Reply #27 on:** February 05, 2003, 08:25:53 pm »

I think I have figured things out almost. My IPOD registers and all seems well but I was I was receiving an error message when I selected "upload files" after dropping them on the IPOD.

If I choose to convert the files to "mp3 encoder" from the options box during upload it works but it takes a long time. All my music shows up as MP3 files but I thought if I went through and "converted format" from the tool menu it would solve my problem. When I do this it seems to work but eventually stalls out and I cannot get it to complete.

Can anyone give me some information about why I have to convert my files if they all show mp3 to upload to my IPOD? If I convert once am I done or do I have to do it every time I synch? Am I going about this the right way?

SteveG · « **Reply #28 on:** February 06, 2003, 04:28:24 am »

Marley,

If your files are .mp3, you do not need to convert them. What file type are you starting with? If they are mp3, turn of the conversion and try transferring the files and let me know if it fails. When you reply, please let me know what version of MC and the Plugin you have. The Plug-in version can be found in Plug-in manager under Portable Device.

Thanks,

Steve

Marley · « **Reply #29 on:** February 06, 2003, 09:02:03 pm »

It doesn't work with the conversion turned off. It gives me a progress bar but then a "file transfer error" dialog window appears and the file s doesn't transfer.

I'm running plugin 3.0.47 and MC 9.0.105.

SteveG · « **Reply #30 on:** February 07, 2003, 04:43:00 am »

Marley,

Could you try right clicking on the drive letter and selecting Format iPod for MJ. This will erase everything on your iPod but will hopefully help. If it does not, please tell me exactly what the Error message says so I can try to solve this.

Thanks,

Steve

Marley · « **Reply #31 on:** February 08, 2003, 12:08:27 am »

Reformatted my IPOD for MJ but still got the same message after upload.

"File upload error transferring 'x'". Where x=the file destination and name. I would screen dump it for you but I cannot figure out how to.

Thanks for trying to help me through this.

JimH · « **Reply #32 on:** February 08, 2003, 03:44:07 am »

Please check the iPod thread on the Media Center board and post there. I'm going to close this thread.

It's important that the plug-in and version of MC are correct. They need to be part of a set that SteveG has discussed.

The iPod plug-in no longer works with MJ 8. Not sure whether we will have time to change that.

INTERACT FORUM

Author Topic: Mac Ipod, Windows XP and MJ (Read 5192 times)