iPod shuffle Tips and Tricks
by Scott Knaster02/15/2005
When Steve Jobs introduced the iPod shuffle last month, everybody had an instant opinion about Apple's decision not to include a display. Depending on your point of view, it was either a bold solution for reducing cost and complexity, or the latest example of an unclothed emperor. The iPod shuffle has now been in the world for a few weeks, and so far, it looks like a big winner, with mostly positive reviews and plenty of demand.
The shuffle is so simple to operate that even your 2-year-old might soon be nagging you for one. But there are plenty of fun intricacies and nuances to learn about in iPod shuffle and in its faithful companion, iTunes 4.7.1. In this article, we'll take a deeper look at the newest iPod and iTunes.
Buttoned Up
There aren't many buttons to push on the shuffle, and that's a good thing: it makes it hard to push the wrong one. Most people can figure out how to press the big button to start and stop the music, and perform other basic functions using the four other buttons to control volume and navigation.
There are a few interesting features hiding behind those buttons. Unlike other iPods, the shuffle has no "hold" switch to prevent tragic button-push accidents. On the shuffle, you can lock the buttons by holding down Play/Pause for a few seconds until the amber (you might think it looks more like orange or yellow) light blinks at you a few times. To unlock the buttons, hold down Play/Pause again until you get the blinking green light.
Although iPod shuffle lacks the fancy song-scrubbing trick that lets you quickly skip through a track, it does have the same basic fast-forward and rewind feature as other iPods: just hold down Next or Previous to move around in the current song.
When you pause an iPod shuffle, then press Next or Previous, the iPod moves to the new song and starts playing. That's different from other iPods: on those, the iPod stays paused when you press Next or Previous. This is another example of how Apple wisely simplified a feature to accommodate a screen-less design.
When you pause the shuffle, the green light blinks at you. If you leave the shuffle paused, the light stops blinking after a minute, and it's easy to forget that it's still on. The shuffle has clever hardware and software that greatly conserves power if the iPod has been paused for more than a minute or so, but when you're not using your shuffle, you should use the good old-fashioned off switch to be sure it isn't using its battery when you don't want it to.
Once in awhile, iPods get confused and must be brought back to their senses by resetting them. iPod shuffle is no exception to that, but there is a unique way of resetting it: turn it off using the slider switch on the back, wait awhile (at least 5 seconds), then turn it back on again, to either the play-in-order or shuffle mode position.
The iPod shuffle includes a handy shortcut for going back to the beginning of its playlist: just press Play/Pause three times and the shuffle will start playing at the beginning of the first song. (You don't even have to say, "There's no place like home.")
If the iPod is in shuffle mode, it will reorder the playlist before starting over. You can use this trick to quickly get to songs at the end of the playlist, too. Just triple-click to go to the start, then press Previous to wrap around and get to the last song. While other iPods let you choose whether they start over or stop when finishing a playlist, the iPod shuffle always starts over, for the sake of simplicity, which makes this tip work. (It also works on other iPods if you turn on Repeat All in the settings. But other iPods have screens, which makes them somewhat easier to navigate.)
Das Blinkenlights
The iPod shuffle has two subcutaneous LEDs on the front to help you figure out what it's doing in the absence of a display. There's a green light, which is mostly useful when you're listening, and an amber light that's primarily needed when the iPod is connected to your computer. The lights give you reassuring feedback that all is well, or help you figure out when something is wrong. Here are some of the most important iPod shuffle light shows:
- Usually, when you press any button, the green light will shine as long as you hold down the button.
- If you press a button and you see the orange light instead, and nothing else happens, your iPod is locked. Hold down Play/Pause for a few seconds to unlock it.
- If absolutely nothing happens when you press a button, not even a light, you probably need to charge your shuffle's battery.
- If you press a button and see both the green and amber lights blinking, one after another, that usually means there are no songs on the iPod, or some other error has occurred. Try resetting it by turning it off for 5 seconds, then back on. If you still get the psychedelic lights, you'll need to connect to a computer and load some music.
When your iPod shuffle is connected to a computer, you'll see the amber light. A blinking amber light means, "I'm busy. Please don't disconnect me." If you have disk mode turned on, the light will blink whenever the iPod is plugged in. With disk mode off, the light blinks only when it's transferring music. Be sure you click the eject icon next to the iPod name in iTunes before unplugging a blinking iPod. If the amber light isn't blinking, feel free to unplug at will.
There's another set of LEDs on the back of the iPod shuffle. When you're playing tunes and you press the oval button on the back, these tiny lights tell you about your battery level: green for a good charge, amber for low, red for uh-oh, and no light for no charge. When the shuffle is connected, the battery light blinks if the orange light on the front is blinking, as an additional reminder not to disconnect if you happen to be staring at the wrong side of your shuffle.
iTunes 4.7.1
The iPod shuffle comes with iTunes 4.7.1, a new version. (It's interesting that a release of iTunes that supports new hardware and includes new, user-interface features only merits a second-level dot increase in the version number. I guess 4.8 is really going to be awesome!) The main addition in iTunes 4.7.1 is Autofill, a new feature expressly for iPod shuffle.
When you connect an iPod shuffle, it appears in the Source list of iTunes. Getting tracks onto your shuffle takes two steps:
- Put tunes in the shuffle playlist. You can do this by clicking the Autofill button, manually by dragging songs in or deleting songs, or a combination of these methods.
- Copy the songs to the iPod. iTunes does this automatically whenever the shuffle is connected to your computer.
Note a couple of interesting facts about Autofill: you always have to click the Autofill button to get it to do its thing -- it never generates a playlist unless you click. And, using Autofill is not required in order to load up your shuffle. No matter how you build your shuffle playlist, iTunes automatically copies the music to your iPod. It doesn't hate you if you fail to use Autofill.
(There is one time when iTunes fills your shuffle playlist without you clicking Autofill. The very first time you connect a new iPod shuffle to iTunes, you see an iPod Setup Assistant screen that includes a checkbox, "Automatically choose songs for my iPod." If you leave this checked, it's just like clicking Autofill. But after you listen to music, then reconnect your iPod, Autofill isn't triggered unless you click the Autofill button.)
If you decide not to use Autofill, iPod shuffle works a lot like any iPod that's set to manual sync. You can drag tracks or whole playlists from your music library to the iPod, and you can remove tracks by pressing Delete. As soon as you drop the tracks on the iPod, iTunes starts to copy them over. The new feature that iTunes 4.7.1 adds is the ability to create a playlist with Autofill -- not the automatic syncing, which has always been there.
Fill Harmonic
Autofill includes some handy options that let you tweak its behavior. The Autofill from popup lets you choose which playlist you want to use as the source of the Autofill list. It defaults to your music library, but you can restrict it to any playlist you want. If you turn off the Choose songs randomly option, iTunes will simply grab as many songs as it can cram onto the shuffle, starting from the beginning of the chosen playlist.
Pick a playlist for Autofill.
By default, Autofill empties out the playlist before generating a new one. You can disable that behavior by turning off Replace all songs when Autofilling. With this setting turned off, you can create a manual playlist by dragging in your favorite tracks, then "top it off" by clicking Autofill to add some random tracks automatically to fill up the remaining space.
iTunes 4.7.1 includes Autofill and other handy tools to upload and change the music on your iPod shuffle.When you use Autofill, you don't have to settle for what iTunes provides for you. Let's say you click Autofill and get a list that includes "There is a Mountain" by Donovan, and you just can't bear to hear that one again. Just select it and press Delete -- it's gone. You can replace it by dragging another track, or by clicking Autofill to top off the playlist.
Unlike other iPods, you can't move your shuffle from one computer to another and add tracks from each. If you plug your shuffle into another computer, iTunes notes that it's an alien iPod and asks if you want to start using it with this machine instead. If you say yes, the songs on the iPod are erased and you have to start building a playlist from scratch (or from Autofill). If you say no, iTunes refuses to have anything to do with the iPod.
Autofill is a super-simple way to grab songs for you iPod, but maybe you think it's too simple. With a little effort, you can construct a Smart Playlist that's cleverer than the Autofill list. For example, you can use the Time is greater than 1:00 criterion to make sure your playlist doesn't include any random songlet snippets, and you can add a Time is less than 10:00 (or for you Neil Young fans, less than 18:00) if you want to keep out epics. Add any other criteria you like. You can then drag this playlist to your shuffle, or even use it as the source for the Autofill from popup in iTunes.
iPod Preferences
When you connect your shuffle, you'll get access to a few iPod settings in iTunes preferences. Keep this iPod in the source list, also known as shadow mode, is a cool feature that lets you modify the shuffle playlist even when the shuffle isn't connected. You can add, delete, Autofill, and top off to your heart's content, just as if the iPod were there. When you connect it, your spiffy playlist is copied over to the iPod.
By turning on "Keep this iPod in the source list", you can edityour shuffle's playlist even when the iPod isn't there.
If you create a playlist you're particularly fond of, you can save it forever. Just select all the songs, then choose New Playlist From Selection from the File menu.
There's also a preferences setting for Enable disk use, including a slider that lets you indicate how much space you plan to use for files vs. tunes. This slider simply tells iTunes how much space to leave for songs when you Autofill or add songs to your shuffle manually -- it doesn't actually partition or reserve space in the shuffle's flash memory.
A Few More Things
The shuffle is the first iPod that only works when it's formatted as a FAT32 volume. If you're adventurous and you try formatting your shuffle as an HFS disk, you won't be able to use it as a music player again until you use iPod Updater to restore it to iPod-hood.
If you're using disk mode on the shuffle, FAT32 has some unfortunate implications for Mac users. You'll notice that the shuffle insists on yelling its name in ALL UPPERCASE in the Finder. If you change it to include lowercase characters, it will revert to uppercase the next time you connect it. Bummer.
Apple's support for FAT32 has a list of seemingly innocent characters you can't use in file names, such as * and [ . If you try copying a file with any of these characters in its name from an HFS volume to your shuffle, the Finder will complain. (The details are provided here.) Apple doesn't support formatting your shuffle as an HFS volume. At best, you'll get a slightly pricey flash drive that fails to play music.
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Related Reading 
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Unlike its bigger siblings, the iPod shuffle has no real-time clock. You will find that out if you use the Last Played date in smart playlists or AppleScripts. When you play a song on the shuffle, it increments the play count, but doesn't change the last played value.
Apple urges us to "Enjoy uncertainty" with the iPod shuffle, but if you like predictability, you might spend a lot of time with your shuffle switched to Play in order (the middle setting of the slider on the back). You can hand-tweak your play order in iTunes by dragging songs where you want them.
You can also easily rearrange your play order to match any of the column sort orders in iTunes. For example, if you want to listen to your songs in order from shortest to longest play times, click the Time column, then Control-click (or right-click) on the iPod name in the Source list, and choose Copy to Play Order. The shuffle's play order will change to match the way they're listed in iTunes, and that's the way you'll hear them if you switch the shuffle to Play in order.
For you audio-book fans (we know who you are by your massive iTunes Music Store bills), here are a couple of notes about how the iPod shuffle handles audio books. If your iPod is in shuffle mode, it won't play parts from audio books, because most people reportedly don't like to hear book chapters in random order. For the same reason, Autofill will never choose audio book tracks for its playlists.
Shuffling Off
With the shuffle, Apple has innovated the iPod line in a new direction: instead of more features, the shuffle has fewer, along with less complexity and a much lower price. Even with all that simplicity, there are still a few tweaks left for us to talk about. The shuffle is the easiest iPod yet, but there are plenty of ways to make iPods even easier in the future. For example, imagine fully automatic Autofill that loads up your iPod with new music without having to click a button or even launch iTunes, or a fast wireless connection that transfers songs before you even plug your iPod in. You think they would sell any of those?
Scott Knaster is a technical writer on the Mac team at Google.
Return to MacDevCenter.com.
Showing messages 1 through 129 of 129.
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ipod shuffle 2gb
2008-06-01 12:51:08 aliaxox [Reply | View]
i have 2 ipod shuffles and i already put music on my first one.. and whenever i plug my 2nd shuffle in it puts music from the 1st shuffle on the ipod..n i want different music for my second ipod shuffle but i dont know how to do it on my itunes.. i need help plz
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shuffle
2008-05-30 10:11:49 rob3677 [Reply | View]
i run window s 2000 and my pc sees the shuffle as
a hard drive so it doesn't load i tunes up any answers please
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Playlist..........not I-tunes
2008-04-02 17:25:31 OSAGE [Reply | View]
Ok.......maybe dumb question.
I've got a playlist from Yahoo Music........I thought I could put it on the Ipod Shuffle....at least I was told a person could.
I simply am not seeing any instructions on how to do that. If it can be done, it must be pretty simple, but I'm not seeing it.
Help????
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2nd Gen IPOD Shuffle problems
2008-01-08 04:42:39 helenr [Reply | View]
I've got a 2nd Gen Ipod shuffle for xmas, I'm trying to dowload CD's onto it using my Imac which is currently running on OSX 10.2.8, with the standard version of Itunes V3. The itunes software is not recognising my ipod and my platform isn't new enough to download the latest version of itunes - please help how can I download my CD's onto my Ipod??
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CHARGING?
2007-06-17 03:41:16 RIDERED11 [Reply | View]
I WAS TRADED A IPOD SHUFFLE IT WAS CHARGED BUT ITS GOING DEAD WHERE DOES IT PLUG IN AT OR WHAT DO I NEED TO CHARGE AND UPLOADSONGS TO IT?yEA I FEEL RETARDED BUT THANKS FOR THE EXPLINATION!
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DEAD iPOD SHUFFLE CAME TO LIFE: A TRUE TO LIFE STORY
2007-01-13 06:08:29 PILIPINO [Reply | View]
DEAD IPOD SHUFFLE CAME TO LIFE: A TRUE TO LIFE STORY
by Wreigh Paris, Lorica Law Office, Urdaneta City (Pangasinan), Philippines
MONTHS AGO and as a paralegal officer of said law office, I normally used my 1GB iPod Shuffle (hereinafter referred to as Shuffle for brevity) both as an MP3 Player and a Memory Flash Drive. And for a number of months from date of acquisition, I had no problem with it until my PC started failing to “open” it via double mouse clicks but with “explore” on My Computer.
Uneasy with said unexpected development, I tried to “restore” it to its factory settings using the latest iPod Software Updater but it didn’t respond and showed a “Disk write error” instead. The same goes when I tried to “update” its firmware, commonly known as the hardware’s driver. So, I had to settle with said problem.
But, one day, as I turned on my Shuffle, it failed to play any song and the yellow LED light thereof remained lit and stayed as such without a blink. “What could be wrong? What have I possibly done to destroy such a costly gadget?”, I thought. What followed is seeing myself inside an internet café as I frantically “googled” for any possible solution that could bring my precious Shuffle to life but none of the solutions I downloaded and copied ever brought my presumed “dead” Shuffle to life. Neither the “iPod Shuffle Database Builder” nor the “iPod Reset Utility” softwares ever changed its state. With no single song ever played, I settled using my Shuffle as a Memory Flash Drive, to which I saved my office files onto. And with that, I kept myself satisfied having a 1GB iPod Shuffle.
Then, I made a long distance call to the only Apple Service Center in the Philippines (I think) and that is, Power Mac of San Juan, Metro Manila. After informing its personnel of my aforecited predicament, I was told that they are unable to fix my Shuffle, not only that they don’t open it for repair but also that my warranty had expired, thus, they are equally unable to send me with a new one. I was made to understand that I should have bought an extension of the warranty of my Shuffle prior to its expiration. Thus, I had to settle having my Shuffle for data transfer purposes only. Otherwise, as I was also told by said personnel, I could have my Shuffle traded-in with the latest Shuffle in the market that serves like a clip on the pocket with a 10% discount.
When I had an audio system installed on my 100cc Topboy scooter, I had to borrow the MP3 player of a friend just to satisfy my desire to listen to my kind of music. And I had to buy a number of AAA batteries for it as well, unlike with my Shuffle, the battery is directly rechargeable upon insertion on the USB port of my PC.
The, last night, after having my PC formatted a week ago, as if I was led to a miracle as I thought of trying my luck in reviving my deceased Shuffle. Of course, not by mouth to USB resuscitation but as follows:
First, with my Shuffle inserted on the USB port of my PC, I went to My Computer and therein, I right clicked on the drive referring to my Shuffle and formatted it not under the FAT 32 file system but on FAT for no definite reason but only for a change as I have also tried reviving it before by formatting it on my PC with the FAT 32 file system but with no luck;
Second, I installed the latest “iPod Software Updater” with the iPod Shuffle 1.1.4 version firmware and thereafter, I inserted my Shuffle on the USB port of my PC. After having been recognized by the PC, I clicked on the “restore” button but with no luck as it showed the same “Disk Write error”. I did not surrender and I clicked on the “update” button and alas, it did updated the firmware of my Shuffle to the latest 1.1.4 version;
Third, I installed the latest iTunes on my PC and filled songs on my Shuffle with firm hopes that it will play the same but again, no luck. Again, I did not loss hope;
Fourth, having updated the firmware of my Shuffle to the 1.1.4 version, I thought then that I could now use the “iPod Shuffle Reset Utility” software that I previously used on my iPod but to no avail because it did not carry then the 1.1.4 version firmware and as such, the said software did not recognize my Shuffle. After having installed said software and activated it, I safely removed my Shuffle from the USB port and reinserted it anew. Oh yeah, the “iPod Shuffle Reset Utility” software recognized my Shuffle. Then, I clicked on the “reset” button and the progress bar started moving slowly and faster until it finally restored my Shuffle to its factory settings with firm hopes that it did brought it back from the world of the dead. The revival job is nearing to a conclusion;
Fifth, I opened the latest iTunes software I previously installed and filled my Shuffle a couple of songs. Thereafter, I safely removed it from the USB port, inserted my headphone and then, I shouted at the hearing distance of my neighbors a souding YES, YES, YES. My 1GB iPod Shuffle came back to life. It played the songs I filled onto it;
Now, I am so happy having my Shuffle from the world of the many dead Shuffles. I am now enjoying my iPod shuffle using the headphone and the audio system of my scooter. A miracle had happened, indeed.
With this article, I hope that those who kept on posting their ire against Apple Computer, Inc. on the web would be able to bring their iPod Shuffles to life as well. Don’t loss hope. I did not throw my Shuffle on the trash when I presumed it was dead. I kept it and used it as it could possibly be used, in my case, as a memory flash drive.
And for my parting words, take note of the following tips on how NOT to destroy you iPod Shuffle, to wit:
1. It is a must to safely removed your iPod Shuffle from the USB port of your PC. You can do this my right-clicking on the USB device icon located on the Notification Area of your Windows OS, normally beside the date and time. Then, click on stop and on another;
2. Should you use your iPod Shuffle for saving your data files onto, make it sure to allocate a number of megabytes for said purpose through the settings offered in the iTunes software;
3. Minimize having to “update” or “restore” your iPod Shuffle. This, I think, must only be done once in the lifetime of your iPod Shuffle. Should there be any updated iPod Software Updater, you may as well use it but once;
4. I actually haven’t seen the alleged beauty of “iPod Shuffle Database Builder” for when I did, I had it installed on a dead Shuffle. For those who do, I just hope you could uninstall it when desired. I sent an email to its programmer, asking how to uninstall it but he did not replied. And for those who have not, do not. Do not ever use any other software on your iPod Shuffle if its not from Apple Computer, Inc.. Modifying the firmware of your iPod with another that does not have the blessings of Apple Computer, Inc. could, in one way or another, eventually destroy your iPod and when it does, then you will start posting your ires against Apple Computer, Inc.. That’s bad;
5. So to speak, the continued enjoyment we wish to have with OUR iPod is OUR responsibility. The way and purpose we use it is in us. Certain rules and regulations, do’s and don’ts, must be followed and we must stick to it. Otherwise, stop hurting the feelings of the talented personnel of Apple Computer, Inc. who simply desires to share their precious technology for our benefit and extreme enjoyment. I love my revived 1GB iPod Shuffle!
Well, I am neither an employee of Apple Computer, Inc. nor related with any of its personnel. I did not even author this article, sent it to Apple Computer, Inc., and posted it on the many bulletin regarding this subject, with hopes that the Honorable COO of Apple Computer, Inc. could read it and considerably send me the latest iPod Shuffle as a token of appreciation but solely, exclusively and simply, to share to the many iPod Shuffle users and owners in the world on how to bring their dead Shuffles to life and on how not to kill it as well. Love thy iPod as you love thyself. Protect it from your ignorance and curiosities, et.al., as I say in my own native tongue – “Mabuhay ang mga iPod users sa buong mundo!”
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ipod
2006-12-03 07:30:41 jamesgold [Reply | View]
when i try to put songs onto ipod it say cannot be read or writen to
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My Ipod shuffle has died?
2006-11-30 08:40:17 Louise30 [Reply | View]
Can anyone help? I have fully charged my shuffle and it will not now do anything? When I switch it on, no lights appear whatsoever as if it has crashed maybe?
Whilst it was charging I unplugged it from my Mac without clicking eject first, could this be why?
Any help would be appreciated.
Thanks.
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transfering music from shuffle to itunes
2006-11-06 12:46:30 haikukelly [Reply | View]
Hi, my hard drive recently failed and had to be replaced. I consequently lost all of my music except for the songs on my shuffle. At this point my shuffle does not recognize my computer. My options appear to be either to erase all my songs on my shuffle or leave it how it is. I would love to be able to transfer my songs from my shuffle to my computer. Its all I have left of an extensive music library. Understandably depressing. If anyone knows of how to get the songs from my shuffle back to my itunes let me know. Thanks! -
transfering music from shuffle to itunes
2007-04-16 21:56:50 JLEE42189 [Reply | View]
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transfering music from shuffle to itunes
2007-06-21 21:17:14 LEEMAN1212 [Reply | View]
Without installing itunes Connect ipod to computer.if already software installed, uninstall it.
doble click mycomputer
select your ipod from listed devices
From main menu select tools->Folder options
select View Tab. in advanced settings
select show hidden files and folders
now some folders will be displyed in ipod drive
copy them to your computer and install itunes now.
when it asks for erase and sync respond yes.
add the folder you copied from your ipod to play list.
bye
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getting songs on to the ipod shuffle
2006-10-01 22:07:34 ojh [Reply | View]
I am having some trouble getting songs on to my ipod shuffle...I mean, they get there, but it takes aaaaaaaaaages...... On other mp3 players, you just send the songs to the external disk which is the mp3 player, and it is done in seconds and the player is ready to go...With the shuffle I have to first send the songs to itunes, and then copying the songs onto the player takes ages. Just copying about 40 songs takes close to an hour...Thats got to be wrong right.....Can you tell me an easyer and quicker way to do this, or do I have to return the player and buy a nother brand that is quick and easy to put my music on to?
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help??
2006-09-15 10:49:48 shanno1313 [Reply | View]
Here is my problem, I use the external battery pack for my shuffle and I put in new batteries.. it plays for 10 songs or so then starts blinking saying no power... Now.. if I shut it off then restart it will go back to the same song it started with before, then it just keeps doing the same thing. Why?? Is there anything I can do to fix this??
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Ipod Shuffle Art Work , Simple, Repeatable
2006-09-10 10:51:49 chandannm [Reply | View]
A simple, repeatable , non-distructive way of showing your art work on the shuffle with just clear tape and perma markers is here. http://chandanscorner.blogspot.com
takes 5 Mins and is lots of fun
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My iPod says it has music on it, but there's none there
2006-09-07 16:50:34 jlynn1918 [Reply | View]
I wanted to add music to my iPod shuffle, so I took off the songs but when I went to put new music on it only allowed for 21 songs. No music shows up but it says that there's some on there. Can anyone help me with this problem?
Thanks!
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Keep your position in playlist while not using the Shuffle
2006-08-23 15:35:37 Feefer [Reply | View]
As many here, I use my 1GB Shuffle at the gym, and don't like the idea of having to try and figure where I was in the playback list every time I use it.
Some have rightfully noted that it's tricky to get traction on the power slider, and worse yet, some of the carriers and cases (e.g. the Action Jacket, from DLO) don't even ALLOW access to the slider without pulling the device out of the case; a pain in the neck that create more wear and tear on the surface.
So after a bit of trial-and-error, I worked this out.
Alternative One (not-so-good alternative):
1) Set the Shuttle to pause (push the play button briefly). The music will stop playing, and the green LED will blink.
2) After (1) minute, the Shuttle will automatically go into hibernation (energy conservation) mode. If you still have your ear buds in, you'll hear the amp clicking off leaving only total silence (i.e. you won't hear that bit of background hiss that you usually hear). Be sure to leave the power slider in it's current position, though, as turning it 'off' will over-ride hibernation.
3) Pushing almost any of front panel controls at this point will do NOTHING: e.g. pushing the volume or fast-forward buttons will do nothing, and you won't even see the orange LED blink to confirm a button push.
4) The exception is pushing the PLAY button: hit it, and music will begin to play immediately from wherever you paused. At this point, all the buttons resume normal functionality.
The reason this is not advantageous is it's very likely the play button will depressed even momentarily while your Shuttle is in storage in your work-out bag, etc, and you're likely to discover the battery is dead the next time you want to use it, or that you've lost your position in the playback. So it's not a good alternative, and hence why Apple doesn't suggest this vs. turning the unit off with the power slider.
Fortunately there's a better way, combining hold functions with auto sleep mode:
1) Set the Shuttle to pause (push the play button briefly). The music will stop playing, and the green LED will blink.
2) Go into "Hold" mode by holding the play button for (3) seconds. Once engaged, the orange LED rapidly blinks (4) times. Trying to activate any button on the front panel will NOT work, with the orange LED appearing to remind you that you've put the Shuttle into hold (key lock-out) mode. FWIW, this is a good mode to use when working out, since it's easy for buttons to be pressed accidently when working out.
3) After (1) minute, the Shuttle will automatically go into hibernation (energy conservation) mode. If you still have your ear buds in, you'll hear the amp clicking off, giving total silence (you won't hear that bit of background hiss that you usually hear). Be sure to leave the power slider in it's current position, though, as turning it 'off' will over-ride hibernation.
Pushing any of front panel controls at this point will do NOTHING: e.g. pushing the volume or fast-forward buttons will do nothing, and you won't even see the orange LED blink to confirm a button push.
The exception is the PLAY button: push it, and the orange LED lights. Now the LED will light for subsequent pushes of any of the other buttons, too. This is the "awakening" mode, in that the amps haven't kicked on, etc, but the Shuffle is now receptive to being awoken. If no buttons are pushed within (1) minute, it automatically goes back into hibernation mode.
4) When you want to use the Shuffle again (say, the next day at the gym), press the play button for three seconds, and a green LED will flash (4) times, confirming you've unlocked the Shuffle from hibernation and "hold" mode.
5) Now press play, and the Shuffle should continue playing from where you last left off.
I think all of this in undocumented: I searched the Net, and Apple's site, and couldn't find any of this discussed. :)
Chris
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charging ipod shuffle
2006-08-08 12:38:08 misfitrocker665 [Reply | View]
when i charge my ipod shuffle i plug it in and the lights flash but only for like 20 seconds and then they stop, is it charging right?
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charging ipod
2006-08-08 12:30:42 misfitrocker665 [Reply | View]
when I charge my ipod shuffle the lights blink but after 30 seconds they dont blink anymore,Is it charging right?
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charging ipod
2006-10-11 09:38:33 sandra123 [Reply | View]
I had the same problem with charging(the light would blink while the ipod was being updated and the light would go off after it was done updating). But when I chose to update the ipod software to latest version, it updated to new version and then continued charging.
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repeat
2006-06-25 13:49:15 baseballstud22a [Reply | View]
How do you repeat on the iPod Shuffle? I know if you hit previous it will, but is there a way to set it.
Thank you,
AJ
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Always same order in shuffle mode ?
2006-05-30 07:32:37 markharr [Reply | View]
Just one niggle with my shuffle - I always play it in shuffle mode,
but each time I switch it on it starts with the same song and plays the rest in the same order until I reload it from iTunes.
Shouldn't it remember where it was when I switched it off,
or at least reshuffle each time ? Since I only listen half an hour at
a time, I never hear the other songs.
Is my pod special, or am I missing something ?
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ipod nano is not working
2006-05-28 12:44:04 azdsfsdafrew [Reply | View]
my ipod nano thinks it is full when i plug it in and only has 53MB left but really only has 3 songs on it because it deleted every song. now i can not update my ipod because it thinks it is full. please help.
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How to change the playing Sequence
2006-05-28 12:03:41 Ribbonfish [Reply | View]
I'm putting in some mp3 foreign language lessons. But the sequence that appears in the ipod list is always inverted to the alphabet sequence of the file name ( Lesson 30, Lesson 29, ..., Lesson 1)
How come and how to change the sequence in which songs appear in in the ipod?
Thanks.
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ipod wont work
2006-05-28 06:21:45 sarah666 [Reply | View]
ive tried n tried to put music on my ipod but it wont play when ive autofilled n took it out of my USB. please could you give me an explination on hoe to fix this thank you sarah
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ipod shuffle lights
2006-05-13 14:08:58 Mewi [Reply | View]
i have an ipod shuffle and where the lights are (yellow and green) they keep flashig wat does that mean?
i need an reply a.s.a.p -
ipod shuffle lights
2006-06-22 13:06:50 Thaddy [Reply | View]
Whatis the cause of yellow and green lights flashing on my iPod shuffle? What can I do about it please?
Thaddy. -
ipod shuffle lights
2006-10-18 11:09:08 metalvet [Reply | View]
Had the same problem, I would recommend erasing your songs, starting a clean slate... right click start format to erase all data. (FAT).
Make sure you have your songs backed up somewhere else of course.
Download the latest itunes which will also update your ipod. Plug in.
That should solve the problem.
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A Little Further Trouble
2006-05-04 20:32:03 DemonHood [Reply | View]
Here is my little or should i say enormous trouble
My damn ipod shuffle has crashed way beyond normal, why? well i been using it since two weeks ago and last night it suddenly stop working! why? i dont know but not even the itunes, ephod, anapod, winamp ipod plug-in or the restore aplication recognize it like an ipod. Further more, when i try to access it from my pc it appears like a flash memory! but" i cant open it or even see what is in it, cuz well, it says "there is no drive" but o hell! i see it right there. Also when i try to format it, it appears full, well not full, but with 0kb available of 0kb of total memory!
What can i do? can somebody plz tell me? -
Ipod Shuffle front green light stays on, no music
2006-11-09 17:05:02 varoadman [Reply | View]
I recently upgraded my Itunes software to version 7. Now my Ipod Shuffle's front green light stays on and I get no music from the Shuffle, even though the Itunes program says "complete." Any way to reset or reformat Shuffle, then reinstall orginal software?
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A Little Further Trouble
2006-07-28 08:17:39 takeitout [Reply | View]
I have a similar problem. I have reloaded software on my pc and on my Ipod. When I go to the Ipod store and they plug it in an Apple, it works. When I bring it home, it does not. It seems to charge, but does not act like it is. The songs are on it and I can play them in Itunes, but it does not work. Did you get any ideas?
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green and orange blinking lights! help me!!!
2006-04-23 07:32:52 ean15 [Reply | View]
after playing my ipod shuffle last night. when i was about to plug it in my computer it won't update anymore and when i tried to play it, green and orange lights keeps on blinking but my library has all the songs that i saved in my shuffle. i can't understand what happened. hope u guys could help me out too. thanks! -
green and orange blinking lights! help me!!!
2007-08-19 00:00:22 Briii [Reply | View]
This happened to me and it was a pretty quick fix.
I simply restored my ipod to it's original settings and then synced it again and it all worked.
I'm sure your guys' must be different because I doubt I (if anyone) would be able to figure out the cure to this problem.. "green and orange lights of death".
good luck. -
green and orange blinking lights! help me!!!
2006-12-08 11:00:19 Zifer [Reply | View]
OK well this happened with me and what i did is hold
onto to play/pause button for about 10-20 seconds it will flash again and that should do it -
green and orange blinking lights! help me!!!
2006-05-06 06:37:01 tiger2000 [Reply | View]
I'm experiencing the same issue: There are blinking green and orange lights on my iPod Shuffle, and it won't play. I reset it, but nothing helps.
Windows Explorer displays the iPod as a drive, but it will not display the files on the drive. iTunes does not recognize the iPod even though iPodService.exe is running just fine in the background.
UGH!
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Cannot restore my iPod shuffle
2006-04-06 04:41:20 remluc [Reply | View]
I cannot get the the ipod to play music it blinks orange and green.
I am unable to restore my ipod using the latest updater 2006 03 23. Mac/PC seems to be unable to find my ipod shuffle.
I am unsure whether it is the iTunes update that may have done this. I have not dropped or bashed it and I am sure it is fully charged.
Please HELP!
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I KNOW HOW TO FIX THE GREEN LIGHT PROBLEM!
2006-02-17 10:32:10 aoife6786 [Reply | View]
This man saved my life http://theblogconsultancy.typepad.com/techpr/2005/12/my_xmas_ipod_sh.html
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My ipod shuffle
2006-02-12 20:48:38 toygoy930 [Reply | View]
When i turn on my iPod all i see is a green light and i cant play any of my songs on it. What should i do to fix it. -
My ipod shuffle
2006-03-28 11:12:10 raoulc [Reply | View]
I've bought an iPod today and immediately have had I had the same problem: a permanent green light, while the mp3's were corrected uploaded. I used the "iPod updater 2005-03-23", restored the factory settings, went back to iTunes, re-uploaded the mp3's, disconnected the iPod, turned it on and ... the back green light was gone. Everything works fine now! Thanks for your help everyone! -
My ipod shuffle
2006-03-02 11:56:06 dridout [Reply | View]
Hi, i had the same problem and what you need to do is go to start then programs then ipod and ipod updater and click on the file ipod update 2005-03-23. (the date at the end maybe different)
when you open that it will give you two options, if you restore the ipod it'll remove everything on the ipod but when you try it again, it should work. it worked for me
good luck
c ya
David
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Please Help!
2006-02-11 18:10:57 ecuapapi [Reply | View]
my ipod shuffle the green light does not turn off please help i put songs onto the shuffle buh nuthing happens it doesnt wanna play plz help !
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i-pod shuffle doesn works
2006-02-05 08:05:18 hitesh_ahire [Reply | View]
HII.. I HAVE I-POD SHUFFLE 512 MB BUT I DON KNO WHY AND HOW MY PC DISPLAYS THE SIZE OF SHUFFLE TO BE 446MB. AND IT DOES NOT PLAY MUSIC AS WELL.PLZZ HELP
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shuffle doesn't connect
2006-02-02 22:07:51 flandrew [Reply | View]
My shuffle still plays music but won't connect to my (or any) computer, so it just plays fo ra few seconds on what little battery ot has and dies. I guess there is something wrong with the USB connection but it looks fine and I don't see how that happened. Really frustrating because it apparently still functions but can't charge or get new music, so useless. Any suggestions or is it dead? -
shuffle doesn't connect
2006-03-07 03:03:38 Shoomus [Reply | View]
what is up dude? my shuffle just started doing what you describe today. I went to plug it in to my usb port and it doesnt even begin to charge..its sad too, because it was chargable 2 days ago..think apple should gives us a reimbursement?, lemme know if you can solve this prob..thanks
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i cant make my cursor move it froze first then i pressed menu and middle it reset it but now cant move cursor and i dont have the cds for this ipod
2006-02-02 13:44:49 amiee2es [Reply | View]
i cant move the cursor on my ipod , first it froze then i reset it and now it wont move it plays but only whats fircant change it
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shuffle automatically empties
2006-01-29 21:33:45 hksjza70 [Reply | View]
Why is it that when I plug my shuffle into my PC to charge, it automatically empties? I hate that . . . anyway to turn that feature off?
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some accidents are good
2006-01-21 11:27:34 erinm [Reply | View]
Scott, thanks for all this great info, I found you by accident after I lost the directions to my new shuffle by accident. Still learning, mostly about itunes; sure makes my library of 'assorted cassette tapes' medieval! No more timing the end of a song on the radio before the dj opens his big mouth Bravo, iPod! and thank you too.
erinm
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help!!!!!!!
2006-01-16 10:49:41 mari19 [Reply | View]
I have an two computers- one is a mac with iTunes already on it and one is a PC with iTunes downloaded on it. I successfully transfered music from my PC to my iPod shuffle. Then when I tried to plug in the iPod shuffle to my mac, a window popped up telling me that the only way I could put music in my iPod is if I replace all the music already on my iPod with the music from this library. The library of music on my mac had alot of music I didnt want on my iPod, but it looks as if I have no choice but to only put music on my iPod shuffle using my PC.
Is there anyway to put music on my iPod shuffle using two computers!?!?!?!?!? PLEASE!!!!! -
help!!!!!!!
2006-01-17 11:15:44 Lobdell [Reply | View]
Yep, this is a downside to the Itunes software. If you want to plug your IPOD into another computer it will erase all songs on the IPOD first, and than allow you to transfer or build playlists on the other computer.
You could try getting a copy of another song management software called X-Play. This allows you to transfer songs from computer to computer without deleting or replacing your IPOD songs. Also, you can try loading the MP3 files on your IPOD using the DATA portion. The IPOD Shuffle has the ability to set aside a certain portion of it's memory to use as data files. You may be able to load the songs on their that way.
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help my i pod shuffle not workin
2006-01-15 17:18:37 missscoobyyadigg [Reply | View]
i need help my i pods not workin....like when i log on to itunes right next to the number the song is, is a little dot.this has happened befor with one song and it didnt play but now its on all of them.... how do i get it off plz help
E-mail me plz with the answer...Scooby_doo_7990@yahoo.com
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need help with my ipod
2006-01-15 13:58:58 bmwx5 [Reply | View]
i have a ipod shuffel and it is not playing any songs and blinking when i press any button the colers green and orange . and it is on can some one hlep me
thank you
mike mahmoud
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My ipod don´t play music
2006-01-10 21:51:29 Cancionera [Reply | View]
I can´t hear anything with my shuffle. I copy music in this but it don´t reproduce anything. It has enough battery and everything seems ok when is coneccted to the PC. Somebody help us, please.
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My shuffle won't play.
2006-01-07 11:28:42 polargirl [Reply | View]
I received an iPod Shuffle for Christmas and followed all instructions, loaded my playlist but no tunes. Everything says it's in order but no sound at all. Does anyone have any advice? Or is this an iPod problem? -
My shuffle won't play.
2006-03-02 11:59:29 dridout [Reply | View]
Hi i would suggest resetting your ipod. you need to go to start then programs then ipod and ipod updater and click on the file ipod update 2005-03-23. (the date at the end maybe different)
when you open that it will give you two options, if you restore the ipod it'll remove everything on the ipod but when you try it again, it should work. it worked for me
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My shuffle won't play.
2006-01-19 21:27:59 misschmidt [Reply | View]
I don't know if anyone was having the same problem I was..but here goes.
I connected my Ipod and downloaded the software, much like you did in following the instructions. However, I will admit I got a little lazy on reading it all the way through. ITunes told me that it wasn't safe to disconnect, as there was another application sharing music with it (ITunes and Warez P2P). And being the idiot that I am..I disconnected it anyway.
I was pissed when nothing seemed to work on this little gadget..wondering what I had done wrong, I did what any normal person would do. I Googled the problem and found this site.
Eventually I turned up at Apple's Ipod Help Center thingy online. Anyway, I finally got it to work, it said that if the IPod was disconnecting (whoops) you need to download the latest IPod software, and open it. It won't open on its own if you have Windows, so go to the Start Menu and open it yourself. Anyway, it should automatically update your Ipod's software. From there click Restore to restore your Ipod's original settings. And Voila! your Ipod should be playing music now..mine does. =)
Also, I was wondering why the battery light wouldn't come on after 5 hours of charging, turns out that you can only check the battery when your IPod is off. Obviously I would have known this if I had read the manual throughly. So, if you're a lazy sloth like myself, here is how I fixed my problem, and I hope it will help you too.
So, we learned to always make sure you have the latest software for Ipod..you must click the Ipod Software manually through your Start Menu...You can only check the battery when Ipod is off...You Should Read Directions (and not be lazy, like myself)...anddd there was another one..but I forgot? -
My shuffle won't play.
2006-01-16 17:07:11 xenogenesis [Reply | View]
Make sure the box next to each song in your playlist is checked. Otherwise, you'll get a solid green light and no sound (because you've indicated to ipod that there's nothing in your playlist you want to play). -
My shuffle won't play.
2006-01-08 19:24:53 stanner [Reply | View]
I am having the same Issue any advice out there? -
My shuffle won't play.
2006-01-27 20:36:49 corydaro [Reply | View]
this is making me angry, i got my shuffle 2 days ago and ahve been trying to get it to work for the past 2 days. i go onto my computer, put the songs on the shuffle (pressing the autofill button) and the boxes beside the songs are checked, but no sound comes from the headphones.
its seems ive tried everything but obviously not, can someone out there help me or tell me what im doing wrong? -
My shuffle won't play.
2006-03-02 12:02:13 dridout [Reply | View]
Hi, i would try restoring your ipod.what you need to do is go to start then programs then ipod and ipod updater and click on the file ipod update 2005-03-23. (the date at the end maybe different)
when you open that it will give you two options, if you restore the ipod it'll remove everything on the ipod but when you try it again, it should work. it worked for me
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Problem with Audio Books
2006-01-05 14:47:51 Lobdell [Reply | View]
I find that when listening to audio books, if I pause the audio book it will restart in the same spot, but if I shut off my IPOD and turn it on later the audio book won't always play in the same spot where I left off. This is a random occurence, as sometimes when I shut off and turn back on, it's fine, but other times it starts in a completely different track. I have also noticed
this happens with songs too. Does anyone else have this same problem, where their IPOD doesn't always start where it left off when it's turned off and on? Originally I though maybe when I turned it on, I accidentally went to shuffle mode so that's why, but then I made a concious effort to make sure I only went one click and it did the same thing. -
Problem with Audio Books
2006-02-02 06:22:37 rppoulin70 [Reply | View]
I, too, had this problem, and found a simple solution: Avoid Audible Format 4. For some reason (probably related to its new bookmark system), format 4 will jump around, even if you take steps like pausing and shutting off the Shuffle quickly. But format 3 has fewer issues. In fact, in iTunes, I often queue up the exact place I want to resume a format 3 audiobook, then I sync up. When I turn on the iPod and push play, I'm right where I wanted to be. Not always, but much more often than not, and in the very few instances of jump, I'm not as far ahead or behind as format 4 will put me. But where format 3 really comes in handy is in its shut off. Turn off the iPod Shuffle with format 3 and you'll start up where you left it. You can't beat that.
There is a setback to format 3, however, and that's its reduced lack of sound quality. It's just not as rich as format 4. But then again, you won't be searching all over the place to find where you left off, and you'll save loads of MBs. So give it a try.
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No sound
2006-01-04 15:05:29 harperguy34 [Reply | View]
i got a ipod for christmas and it shows the songs in the ipod but there is no sound comeing out what do i do i have been trying for hours to get it to work help
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my iPod wont work
2006-01-03 16:05:17 too10boy [Reply | View]
Ineed help my green light keeps on everytime i use i want to know how to listen to music again
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My ipod shuffle won't play
2006-01-02 11:59:05 Raiderally2010 [Reply | View]
yep same problem here! my ipod wont play! all i see is that green light and nothin else. it won't respond! my itunes says that it is in there but it wont play. help!!!!!
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my ipod shuffle wont play
2005-12-29 17:49:00 joeipodshuffle [Reply | View]
I got my iPod Shuffle for christmas but with no luck have i gotten it to work, i have done everything by the book and the computer reads it and itunes shows that its there... i even can put music on it but it just will not play... no sound, no plinking light when its paused,p nothing, what do i do?
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my ipod shuffle wont play
2005-12-31 04:15:54 ShufTrub [Reply | View]
I have the same problem, Christmass present - suffle with no sound in headphones.
PC+itunes show music files are on the shuffle ...
Stand alone no sound in the headphones.
Green Light is all the time when not connected to the PC(+switched to play).
What is wrong? -
my ipod shuffle wont play
2006-01-14 11:18:49 xenogenesis [Reply | View]
Make sure that the boxes next to the songs that you've copied onto your ipod are checked. Checking the boxes tells the ipod to only select from those songs. If none of them are checked, nothing will play. I had exactly the same problem and that was the fix. -
my ipod shuffle wont play
2006-01-01 01:11:29 osterriech [Reply | View]
i am having the exact same problems!! xmas prezzie, no sound but always green light. Computer and iTunes recognises it. i intend on taking my ipod to a store to ask them what to do, but if you have found a solution to thie problem please let me no!! if i find out, i will let you no. -
my ipod shuffle wont play
2006-01-01 01:11:26 osterriech [Reply | View]
i am having the exact same problems!! xmas prezzie, no sound but always green light. Computer and iTunes recognises it. i intend on taking my ipod to a store to ask them what to do, but if you have found a solution to thie problem please let me no!! if i find out, i will let you no.
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my ipod shuffle wont play
2005-12-25 18:43:41 samgotups07 [Reply | View]
ok so i got my ipod today and i downladed the songs i wanted with itunes and everything.... it was telling me how much memory was being taken out and everything... but i took it out of the computer and it wouldnt play... no sound coming from the ipod... i did turn up the volume and everything... really frustrating. is there something i am doing wrong?? whats wrong with it? -
my ipod shuffle wont play
2007-11-12 15:56:50 SweetUmmmz3 [Reply | View]
hey did u figure this thing out? -
my ipod shuffle wont play
2007-11-12 15:56:46 SweetUmmmz3 [Reply | View]
hey did u figure this thing out? -
my ipod shuffle wont play
2005-12-26 08:16:42 ssherwood [Reply | View]
I also received an Ipod recently and have the same problem. Have you managed to get your to play? -
my ipod shuffle wont play
2006-04-19 12:15:54 JavaCooper [Reply | View]
i have the exact same problem, and i returned it to the store and they sent me a new one, same exact thing happens still. crap. -
my ipod shuffle wont play
2005-12-26 13:58:55 pramz201 [Reply | View]
When i first got the shuffle, I was able to import songs from a cd into the ipod almost inmediately. I went on to listen from the shuffle with the headphones. I then proceeded to import many I have downloaded many songs from different cd's and it filled the library with all the songs I wanted. But when i went to move them to the ipod I get a message "the ipod can not be updated the disk can not be read to or written to"
Please help
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music from other sites
2005-08-23 14:06:29 newipod [Reply | View]
I am thinking about buying the ipod shuffle for my husband, but he already already has a lot of songs on his computer that he has downloaded from other sites. Will he be able to put these songs on the ipod shuffle or must he download them from itunes?