HELP!!! problems with itunes and windows media

Question

I just got an ipod nano 3rd gen and am trying to download music onto it. I know that you have to download itunes, but i have no idea how. The instruction manual said that a set up window should pop up the first time i plug my ipod into the computer, which did not happen. also, i have lots of music on windows media that i got off CDs and from other sites. is there any way to transfer this music onto my ipod? the computer itself recognizes the ipod but windows media does not.

Answer 1

There was a mix of different WMA bit rates all ripped from CDs using WinAmp. I ripped each song at two different qualities and used jazz, rock, rap, and symphonic. After the conversion the songs were loaded onto the students' iPods having no knowledge which version was which. Each student got two versions of each of the files. Some got a converted and a AAC ripped from the CD. Some got two converted songs of different qualities. They were required to play the songs using their earbuds and at home on their computer. When the student had both a ripped version and a converted version s/he identified the ripped version as the better one almost 70% of the time. When they had two converted versions they identified the higher quality as the better one at about the same rate.
Interestingly, but not unexpected, using just Apple's stock earbuds we were much less successful at identifying the converted tracks. And, I might add, those of us who were best at identifying the unconverted files were also those who were not satisfied with Apple's buds.