Multiple iPods, One Computer - Question

I currently have a Classic 160GB and I'm looking into getting a Nano or iTouch soon. I have the ability to use more than one computer or more than one account to sync them both that way, but I was wondering about a different method not mentioned in this [article|http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=300432].
If my Classic 160GB is set to sync automatically when it is hooked up, syncing all checked items, as it does now; And then I set a new iTouch to let me manage it manually, can't I use the same library file and not worry about iTunes making multiple copies of things when it 'manages my music folders'?
It seems to me this would be an ideal solution if possible, because managing 8-32GB of space which will most likely be mostly videos, is not a hard thing. If I can have one iPod "manually managed" and one "automatically managed" by the same iTunes on the same computer, please let me know!
And if so, Apple should add that as a fourth method in that article.

iTunes will recognize each iPod as unique. You can manage each one differently, as you wish.
I would suggest you consider "Sync selected playlists" for your Touch. I find that you get all the benefits of syncing (playcounts, ratings and last played get synced) with most of the control for manually managing your music. It can be as simple as setting up a smart playlist that limits the amount of music to a size the Touch can handle to more complex, multiple playlists set ups. I have a playlist that selects 1000 songs, a few special playlists and then playlists of recently purchased albums (no, Chris, I don't make a playlist for every album). I also have a playlist for video. I find this is much less work than manually managing. But, to each their own.
Best of luck and enjoy your Touch.

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Multiple user accounts, multiple Ipods, One computer, One Itunes library

Here's my problem, I have my main music library on my Mac Mini (Intel 1.5 solo) its too big to fit on the hard drive with everything else, so I added a Mini pal drive. This has my music, photos and all the other junk I cant fit on the mini's hard drive. I want to create multiple accounts so my kids can each have their own, but we all have Ipods that we want connected to our own accounts. I want to keep all the music in one library, and share it accross all the accounts. I dont want to have to log on when my kids want a song from my library. Itunes dosent seam to like the library being on the seperate drive. Mabe I am just dooing something wrong.
Ps: I'm running Itunes 7.3 on all my machines

Apple really doesn't quite do multi-user well yet, at least as far as the iPod goes (IMHO.)
We've taken your approach. 3 users with iTunes for each pointing to a single library on an external storage device. That way there's no problem with having to go to other libraries to import (and not question about 'copying files'... big waste of space.)
Our problem is having multiple iPods plugged into the same machine. I'm about to buy one of the new models for wife and daughter, but I'm not sure how we all can be plugged in (as I'm sure will happen.)
Right now, when I plug in just my own Nano, it appears in iTunes for each of the other users. In fact I sometimes can't even eject because iTunes for another user thinks the iPod its attached to it.
To expand this thread, anyone have pointers on use of multiple iPods on the same machine with multiple users? The existing links to Apple support articles are not relevant.

Multiple iPods - One computer - How do I separate libraries?

I have an Ipod and my Two sons have thier own Ipods. When I hook up I get all of their songs on my ipod.
How do I set up Separate Ipod accounts and have my Ipod go to mine only and not theirs?

When the iPods belong to different people, there are basically three ways of using multiple iPods on a computer and these involve:
a) Sharing a single iTunes library
b) Creating Multiple Libraries in a single user account
c) Creating multiple user accounts.
Note: When you are sharing an iTunes library, you don't have to set each iPod to update in the same manner, you can mix and match from the options below as each iPod has it's own update settings
Sharing a Library and/or User Account
If you want to share the one library, you can set either or all of the iPods so that they only get updated with only certain playlists (you can update from more than one if you wish): Loading songs onto iPod automatically - Windows
Choosing the update option "Sync Music - Selected playlists" allows you to create a playlist specifically for the iPod and drag the tracks you want into it. If you tire of the list and want to change it, you just add or remove the songs you don't want. The ones you take out out remain in the library to be used some other time if you choose. You can read more about playlists at these links:
iTunes: Creating playlists of your favorite songs
How to create a Smart Playlist with iTunes
Or you can choose to update any or all of the iPods manually and just drag whatever content you want to them: Managing content manually on iPod
Loading the iPod shuffle differs slightly but it can still be used with the others, for details have a look at this page: Loading songs onto iPod shuffle - Windows
Multiple Libraries
It's also possible to have multiple libraries in a single account. To create or access a second (or more) library, hold down the Option key (or Shift key in Windows) when launching iTunes 7. In the resulting dialogue you will get the option to create a new library or navigate to the other Library.
Note: You can only have one Library open at a time and iTunes will default to the last library opened if you don't use the keyboard command to choose one. This can prove tricky when using multiple iPods, if you don't use the keyboard command you can risk syncing to the wrong library: Using multiple iTunes libraries -Windows
Separate User Accounts
Another option is to create a separate User account for each person on your PC or Mac. Different accounts by definition would give you completely separate libraries. Each account has it's own iTunes folder, Library and iTunes Music folder and you load it with CDs etc just as you did with your original one. The iPod can be set to update however the owner chooses, sync all, manual or sync specific playlists
I don't use Windows so I can't give you a step by step on that one, however I can point you to another web page which should help you out. You can read about Windows user accounts here: Using Windows XP User Accounts

Multiple ipods, one computer: HELP!!

We have bought two ipod nanos for our family. I had used the CD to download one, and then used the 2nd CD that came with the 2nd ipod to download the 2nd nano. before installing the 2nd ipod, the computer required me to uninstall the first one. Did I even need to install the software for the 2nd ipod if I had already installed the software for the first one? How do you get two ipods set up on one computer?!?!

ITunes can handle many iPods! The only downside of sharing the same iTunes music library, is if both persons have dramatically different musical tastes, they may become frustrated when they have to listen to the other person's music.
This is one of the reasons to use playlists, you can configure each person's iPod nano to sync up to specific playlists of music that each specific person likes to listen to, this way two people get dramatically different content on their iPods without having to manually move music back and forth to their iPods!
To configure the iPods, attach an iPod to the computer, select preferences and select the iPod tab. In the music subtab, select the specific playlists you want the iPod to draw its music from. Repeat for the second iPod and choose the appropriate playlists for that person's taste.
If you are also going to display photos on your nano, realize that the iPod loads music first, photos second. If the music playlists exceed the capacity of the nano, it will only load music. To help control this, you can put size limits on your larger playlists to make sure that there is still room on your nano for photos...
welcome to the power of iTunes & iPod!

Multiple IPODs/one computer/one ITUNES

I had an IPOD mini and received a new IPOD 30 gig video IPOD. I loaded the new software and have been enjoying the new IPOD since. Today I attempted to load some songs on my mini which I plan to use for when running and other situations where the smaller size would be advantageous and the video isn't necessary. However my ITUNES will not show the mini when I plug it in. The firmware updates on the mini but the ITUNES continues to say that no IPOD is connected. How can I get my ITUNES to recognize my two IPODS on my one computer?

This article still doesn't explain how you get itunes to recognize the right ipod. My son updated his sister's nano playlist on her nano last night, and then plugged in his 20gb ipod next, and the itunes thought it still had the nano. Now when we started up the computer this morning and plugged in the ipod 20gb, the itunes sees it as "Sarah's nano" and won't let more than the nano size of a playlist load onto the 20gb. Can you help me figure out how to make the itunes recognize the 20gb ipod for what it is?

Multiple Ipods, one computer and itunes

I am interesting in buying an ipod, however, my wife already has one. Can we hook both of our ipods up to the same computer and music library?? What are our options? Thanks a lot.

By default, when you connect an iPod, iPod nano, or iPod mini to your computer, iTunes automatically copies the songs and playlists in your iTunes library to your iPod, and deletes songs from your iPod that aren't in your library.
You can also set up iTunes to automatically copy only certain songs or playlists, or to allow you to copy songs manually which you will want to do in this situation.
To copy songs manually from your iTunes library to your iPod, iPod nano, or iPod mini, first connect your iPod to your computer. When it appears in the Source list, choose iTunes > Preferences and click the iPod button. Click the Music button and select "Manually manage songs and playlists." Then drag songs from your library or playlist to iPod in the Source list.

Multiple ipods, one computer with multiple user accounts - Vista

My daughter just got a new ipod for Christmas, and she has her own login on our family computer using Vista. So she has her own folders for documents, pictures, etc. I installed iTunes under her login thinking that it would pull songs from her the folders in her account, and allow her to log into her iTunes account. It pulled every song on the computer into iTunes. When I plug in her ipod I have an option of syncing it and pulling every song on to it. Bad user experience.
My request is simple. How can my daughter have her own login for itunes that is tied to her iTunes account, pulls music from her files when she is logged in on the family computer?

Hello David Macintyre, Welcome to discussions.
If your daughter has a majority of iTunes Store purchased content on her iPod. She can transfer all these purchases back into iTunes via the following informational link below.
This will then allow her to sync back and forth from the iPod. You will also need to ensure she is authorized on this account. There is a link below that covers this as well.
Copying iTunes Store purchases from your iPod or iPhone to a computer
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1848
About iTunes Store authorization and deauthorization
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1420

Multiple iPods - One Computer

Hi - I just picked up 2 2G Nanos. When I put in the first one, I registered it by putting in the serial number - no problem. It also downloaded the latest iTunes/QuickTime and iPod software (1.1.1(?) - with the volume control). This is Ronnie's iPod.
I switched user accounts and plugged in the other nano - the software kept referring to the new one as "Ronnie's iPod", even though I had never registered it. It also said that the unit was already in use on another account and should be disconnected first. Finally, it said that "Ronnie's iPod" was "linked" and did I want to change the link and reset/reload the new one.
I tried to reinstall the iTunes software, but it asked me if I wanted to uninstall the existing install.
All of the docs I've found so far seem to indicate that it should just work. Help!
How do I get these to coexist under different names.
BTW - This particular pc has only USB 1.1 ports (I haven't put 2.0 ports in yet)
Thanx for any help
-Ronnie
Windows XP

hiya!
just checking. when you switched user accounts did you quit itunes first?
iPod for Windows: Fast user switching in Windows XP is not supported
(it's sometimes safest to switch off Fast User Switching altogether in your "User accounts" control panel.)
love, b

Multiple users and multiple ipods, - one computer PLEASE HELP!!

I have 1 computer, three users with three different ipods. I want my two daughters to be able to share the music and movies I buy on their own ipods. That's possible and legal, right?
It has always worked in the past and now I am getting a message when I try to sync daughters ipods that says "this computer is no longer authorized to play purchased items that are on ipod "RB's ipod". Then basically authorize this or you 42 items that were purchased will be removed.
Then I do the authorization. Then it says, this computer is already authorized, 1 computer out of 5 computers authorized. But then it asks me to authorize it again with same "this computer is no longer authorized..." warning. And it will not sync her ipod until I authorize it.
I finally did "don't authorize" just to sync her new songs and it erased all her old movies and songs. They are still in the library but won't sync anymore.
PS...I've never had a different account or different computer and it always has worked in the past.
Anyone have an trouble shooting tips?? THANKS!!

Thanks, Diane. I did try report a problem twice and never heard from anyone. Meanwhile I have deauthorized computer, quit itunes, rebooted and opened itunes and reauthorized. No help. Also have read many other posts and nothing in them worked.
What do you think about this - Go to control panel and uninstall iTunes and any other things with "Apple" in them (including Quicktime).
Then go back to the apple site and re-install iTunes. See if that works.
Just not sure how to open Control Panel to unistall itunes. I do think this might be due to upgrading to itunes 9.2.
(Then once I solve this, need to solve fact that during all this, I chose don't authorize on my daughters computer, lost a lot of her music and her ipod froze as well. Reset, restore, nothing is working to get her ipod back)
Thanks for your help!

Multiple iPods on one computer question

Hello,
I know this question has been asked already and I've read all the help topics about multiple iPods.
I've tried twice to use two iPods on one computer and it was not as easy as described. I'm just wondering if I'm doing something wrong.
The first time I tried was on a PC running XP with two iPod minis. I had seperate user accounts and it kept erasing all the songs in one account.
The other situation was on a different PC running XP Pro with a shuffle and a 30gig photo.
I had my 30gig for about a year and as soon as I plugged in my shuffle it didn't recognize it and the next time I plugged in my 30 gig photo it froze and I had to end up doing the hard reset for it.
Tomorrow I am about to try a PC running XP with a shuffle, nano, and a video iPod.
I've read the two ways to do it and am going to try the specific playlist option.
I'm worried that as soon as I plug in the second iPod it will freeze and I won't be able to even get to the "iPod Option" Button in iTunes.
The computer is not mine nor are the music devices. I'm doing it for a friend who doesn't understand computers that well. All devices are new, never used.
Is it as easy as the process sounds?
Also the last time I tried multiple iPods was at least two iTunes updates ago.
Thanks for any help,
Chris
PC and iMac Intel Windows XP Pro

Hello!
Let me explain this in detail for you:
The Do Not Disconnect screen
It is normal for your iPod to say this message to you when you connect it to your computer.
When you need to disconnect it from your computer, you'll first need to eject it.
There are a few ways to eject your iPod; through iTunes, the Safely Remove Hardware program, and "My Computer".
Through iTunes
Ejecting your iPod via iTunes depends on what setting your iPod is on for.
Connect your iPod. Go into Edit> preferences> iPod. See what setting your iPod is on; "automatic" or "manual".
Automatic
If you aren't restoring, or updating your iPod, iTunes should automatically eject your iPod from iTunes. If it doesn't, then right-click the name of your iPod in iTunes, and make sure that the "enable for disk use" is un-checked.
Manual
If you need to eject your iPod from iTunes if the setting is "manual", click the little arrow that's next to the name of your iPod in the left source list in iTunes.
Through the "Safely Remove Hardware" program
Look at the bottom-right corner of your screen, and there's the system tray icons there. If the "Safely Remove Hardware" icon is there, click on it, select your iPod, and click "stop".
Through "My Computer"
Go to "My Computer".
Find your iPod's listing there (it's typically "E:" or "F:").
Right-click it, click on "eject".
For additional information about ejecting your iPod, check this Apple Support articles about it.
Safely disconnecting your iPod
About the "Do Not Disconnect" and "OK to Disconnect" screens on iPod
Any more questions? I'll be glad to try to help you again.
~~Kylene

Syncing Multiple iPhones to one computer question

Hello,
I am an iPhone owner, and I have always used my PC to sync the phone with iTunes. A friend of mine also owns an iPhone, however he doesn't have access to a computer with iTunes and was hoping to use mine. He's made several purchases between apps and music with the phone, and we want to sync some of his music from the iTunes library on my PC without causing him to lose the stuff already stored on his device. Is it possible to do this? When we tried before it looked like it was going to delete his purchases from the phone since they were not purchased with my account, which is the one I sign in to in my iTunes.
Thanks in advance.

Itunes content ( apps/music/pics/etc) can be synced with only one computer.
If you sync to a different one, it will erase the itunes content from the iphone and replace with content from the new computer.

Multiple iPods, same computer....HELP

I know this question has probably been answered, but I have tried other things and nothing works.
I have Windows XP, and I have my own account on it and my own iPod(4th gen, click wheel) and my sister has her own account and her own mini iPod. Our music is shared in the shared music folder on the computer.
Problem is, how do we use multiple iPods on the same computer. I am having trouble because whenever I/we plug in our iPod to the computer, it does not load to iTunes and instead just shows up as something in the E drive. How can I make it recognize each iPod individually without hassle?
Also, is there a way to not have everyone log out to update my iPod? I get a prompt that says everyone must log out before accessing iTunes. Any help would be great...thanks!

There are basically two methods for managing multiple iPods on one computer. See here:
Method 1 - Create different Windows users accounts for each iPod on this computer.
Method 2 - Create a playlist in iTunes for each iPod.
To make Method 2 work, connect one of your iPods, and click on it in the left-source panel.
Under the "Music" tab, and set your option for a specific playlist(s) under the "Sync Music" option.
Do the same with your other iPod; not connected at the same time as the other one, though.
For more details on this matter, check out Apple's Support article about it:
How to manage multiple iPods using one computer
I hope that helps you.
-Kylene

Managing multiple iPods using iTunes question

My wife and I both have our own iPod Nano's. Of course, we don't always share the same taste in music. I know we can make our own playlists, but is there a way to customize iTunes so that it only puts her songs on her iPod and only puts my songs on my iPod.
Also, is any solution someone posts good for a Mac or a PC - my wife's coworker who has a PC has asked the same question since she has multiple iPods at her home.

For reference for future users that are reading this thread for help. I have tested this with our different iPods.
There are 3 methods one can use at http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=300432
Method 2 will work in that you can create a playlist or playlists [in iTunes] and can select which playlists go to and show up on different iPods. However, please note when using Method 2 that you won't save any iPod space on any iPod as all the music from iTunes will still be placed on all the iPods. It is convenient in that you can have only your playlists show up on your iPod [or show up on different iPods as Playlists that go to each iPod can be selected for each iPod (when) inserted].
This is complicated to explain, but when you select Sync Music to an iPod (which you'll want to do for all iPods since it's all about getting music to the iPod) you'll get to select which Playlists show up on individual iPods [that is currently connected to the computer] but in a nutshell all the music will be on all the iPods (the music is just hidden away from sight but still uses up the same amount of memory on each iPod).
This makes my head hurt thinking about it. But you should avoid method 2 if you need to save space on a specific iPod. If you have plenty of space on all your iPods and only want to see different playlists on each of them, then method 2 is fine. My thinking is that method 2 is fine until your different iPods start to fill up with music, then you should go to method 1 or 3 at the link http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=300432
I hope this didn't confuse anyone more than it's confused me and if what I've posted is incorrect, then someone please amend my post with clarification.

Problem with 2 iPods one computer

My grandson is using my computer for his iPod. I just got my own iPod and followed the instructions on how to use multiple iPods with one computer using Method 3. http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1495 I was able to put some of music on my iPod but then my grandson wasn't able to find his own library. Obviously I did something wrong so we ended up deleting my library and I need to start over. Does anyone have any advice on how I can prevent this problem from happening again?

LizaBJ wrote:
Thank you for the reply. I would really prefer two libraries rather than just playlists especially since Apple says it can be done.
Why?

2 ipods one computer

i have one computer with two ipods to plug into it...only my ipod will plug in...the other persons ipod wont work and cannot creat a separate playlist from mine and cannot get music to download onto it....i have different music i want on mine and we cant seem to get two separate ipod tune musics for the two separate accounts.....we have tried everything we know how to do and tried to load both ipods on the computer with no luck. how might i go about being able to have 2 ipod accounts on one computer. we have different log-on names for the actual computer and tried to do it seperately that way but it didnt work. if someone could please help me figure this problem out it would be greatly appriciated!

Hi nmbst23, and Welcome to Apple Discussions!
You have posted in the Feedback About New Discussions forum.
You may have missed this notice:
PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE POSTING HERE
If your question concerns a hardware or software technical issue, PLEASE DO NOT POST IN THIS FORUM — instead, go to the Apple Discussions Homepage, select an appropriate product category and follow the links until you reach the correct forum for your post, then click the POST NEW TOPIC link.
You should post your question in one of the iPod Forums.
Good Luck!
ali b

Multiple iPods, One Computer - Question

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