Multiple iPods with Multiple computers

I have two iPods and each syncs with a different machine. Each has a unique music library. What would happen if I switched iPods. i.e. plugging two different iPods into one machine? Will they somehow merge the libraries, or will iTunes just complain that I'm confused.
Thanks,

Have a look at this article: How To Use Multiple iPods with One Computer
Also, before you connect an iPod that is currently linked to a different library, read this one: Using iPod with Multiple computers

Similar Messages

ITunes content on iPod with 2 computers

I really do not understand what is going on with my iPod. I normally get iTunes store content on my Mac at home. However, today I did not do that and while at work on my PC downloaded a new TV show using iCloud. I then tried to put this TV show on my iPod touch but got the strangest error message. iTunes told me that this iPod was linked to another iTunes library (which it is, my Mac at home) and that if I wanted to transfer this content from my work computer, then I would have to link my iPod to this library. Doing so I am warned will wipe my iPod clean of all the other TV shows.
What is this error message all about? Why can't I transfer a show I bought from Apple onto my iPod using my work computer without wiping my iPod clean? Just exactly what is going on here?
Thank you for your help.

lllaass wrote:
You can only sync with one iTunes library. You get the message you received if you try to sync with another library.
You can manage music and videos among different libraries/computers by:
Using iPhone, iPad, or iPod with multiple computers
Thank you for the link. However, even if I follow the directions, and tell itunes that i will manage files manually, I still get the error message that my iPod is linked to another library and if I want to transfer over files from my second computer, Itunes will WIPE clean all the other content from my iPod.
VERY VERY frustrating. I cannot use my new iPod with two computers.
WHY?

Charging iPod with other computers

I'm planning on taking my iPod on a trip with me, but I don't want to take my computer. What's the procedure for charging the battery using friends' computers? I don't want to upload music or apps or photos or anything, I just want to charge the battery.

If they have iTunes on their computer it will tell you that your iPod is synced to another computer (assuming you are autosyncing) and ask if you want to sync with the new computer and erase everything on your iPod. Say no and the iPod will charge.
It would probably be easier to buy a wall charger.

Multiple computers, one ipod?

New ipod, probably old problem, appreciate help. Using ipod with two computers, each set to manual organization of music in itunes. Wish to get both computers on "same page" and then auto-sync b/c it is apparently a large annoyance to manual sync. Cannot manage to import (tried using flash drive) library from one computer to other one (so that I can then reverse the process and have two computers with same library).
Dell (notebook and desktop) Windows XP

Have a look at this article in the Apple Knowledge Base for some ideas on how to transfer songs from one computer to another. Let us know if it brings you any combination of joy and/or satisfaction.

IPod with Mac and windows

I currently have a 1st generation iPod Touch with the iTunes library on my macbook. I am using a windows xp system at the office which also had iTunes installed. Will I be able to sync the iPod with both computers or will this create an issue with the libraries?
Thanks ahead of time!
S

You can't sync can't sync iPod with multiple computers or libraries. If you want to connect and use an iPod on more than one computer or with more than one library you need to change the update preference in the iPod Summary tab to "Manually manage music and videos" and click Apply. The content of iTunes and the iPod are not syncronised in this mode so the two can be different:
Using iPod with Multiple computers
Managing content manually on iPod and iPhone
Syncing Music to iPod

Sync with two computers doesn't work anymore?

Hi there
I used to sync with my iPOD with both computers that I use. Work and Home. that's because I mostly buy music with this work computer cause it has MUCH faster connection than I have @ home.
About a week ago I purchased John Lennon songs. Before that I had to update to iTunes plus (7.0.3) so I did so. Then I though that I just sync with iPod so I can get those songs to home computer as well. This has worked to this day without any problems. It syncs only purchased music, videos and games but nothing else and that is fine for me.
This time it was different. When I connected my iPOD to my work computer it sayd that if I want to sync this iPOD with my work computer, it must be fully erased first. Well that's not a bad idea so I did it. Then I got home and updated my iTunes and tried to sync it with that too to get Lennon inside it but no... It said that I now how to erase my iPod in order to use it with my home computer. and transfer john Lennon songs into it. I was like what the ****... this was working fine before this new iTunes.
So. Am I now totally slaved to use only one computer with iPOD?
If this is a standard way to do it today, then I just have to use 3rd party software to do it or just burn them to CD... But this is not why I get this device... I wanted this to be easy as ****.. Not a prison.

You cannot "sync" with multiple computers, you need to use the iPod manually.
See this.
How to use an iPod with more than one computer.
Or are you trying to transfer iTunes purchases from iPod to iTunes?
You do this by using the file/transfer purchases menu in iTunes, but I think you'll still need the iPod set to manual.

Using my ipod with multiple computers: not the usual problem I think

I've searched the forum and various help documents but I couldn't find the answer to this.
I have a laptop at the office (work-related, so I don't have any of my music on it, just itunes) and my computer at home. Ideally I'd like to:
= keep my ipod automatically synced to my home computer
= be able to connect my ipod to my work laptop and play the music stored on it through itunes there, and also keep it charged and ready for the trip home.
It seems that the 'manually manage music and videos' setting travels with the ipod, rather than being stored on the computer's itunes installation. If I set it at work, so I can play music there, when I connect the ipod at home I have to reset it (and a few times when I did so the ipod started deleting everything because 'sync my music' was not checked, grrr).
I just want to set things up in a way so that when I connect my ipod at work it will let me play whatever songs I have there (without wanting to sync anything), and when I connect it at home it will automatically update it. It's simple enough, but I can't seem to figure out how to do it.
If I connect the ipod at work and press 'cancel' when the 'do you want to erase things' pops up, it doesn't try to change the settings, but at the same time it doesn't let me play music at all, everything is greyed out
does anybody have any idea? I don't want to resort to have to buy a usb power adapter just so that I can play my ipod at work without draining the battery...

B_Ram wrote:
Could it be because its an iPhone and not a true iPod???
i doubt it.
actually, syncing an iPod Touch (or iPhone) with multiple computers is not recommended @ all. click here to find out what Apple has to say about it.
all i can think of, i you really must do that, is this:
to prevent a sync when plugging in the iPod - hold down the option and the command ( on a PC that would be the shift and ctrl ) keys when plugging in the ipod - keep pressing the keys until the iPod is listed under the devices list in iTunes. now you should be able to do what you want.
however, you do so @ your own peril, as the article above outlined.
alternatively, consider a setup such as this.
good luck !
JGG

Multiple computers with iPod

Hello, I'm new to the forum, hope you folks can holp out. I am planning to purchase a new iPod video. I want to sync it with tunes and photos here at home on my iMac. In a few months I will be going overseas for at least a year and will be getting a laptop once I am there, not sure yet but most likely a pc. I will then want to load things from that new pc to my iPod, adding them to what will be there from my iMac. Can this be accomplished and how? Thanks!

Using iPod with Multiple Computers.
Since you're using two different operating systems, it would be best if you formatted the iPod for Windows, since that would allow it to be used on both a PC and a Mac.

Can I sync my ipod with multiple computers using home share?

Once I homeshare all my computers, can I sync my ipod with any of them? Or do I always have to sync using the same computer.

What kind of iPod do you have?
For most iPods you can click Manually manage music on the summary page in iTunes. Check out Apple's document -> Using iPad or iPod with multiple computers.
WTH.

Help with uploading photos to iPod from multiple computers

I uploaded photos from my computer at home quite easily. Then I plugged my iPod into my computer at work, went to the Photos tab in iTunes, and asked it to sync photos from My Photos on my computer. It proceeded to delete all the photos I had uploaded from home. How can I prevent it from deleting photos previously on the iPod?
Thanks.

You can't load photos from multiple computers. There's no manual mode for photos, just different ways to sync. Syncing on a different computer will erase what's there. You can read a bit more here: iTunes and iPod: Frequently asked questions (FAQ) about Photo Sync

How to sync with multiple computers?

I have my iTunes library on my MacBook and all of my Apple devices synced accordingly. My family also has an iMac, and I would like other family members to be able to sync from the iMac. I know I can use Home Sharing to allow the iMac to view/play the music when my Macbook is active on the network. I also know I can purchase iTunes Match so I can access the music when my MacBook is offline and edit the playlists. Yet, I would love to be able to set up the iMac so the iDevices could actually by synced with that computer as opposed to mine. How can I go about this?

Yes, you can sync your device with multiple computers. Only that one is set to AUTO SYNC whilst the rest is set to "MANUALLY MANAGE MUSIC".
Refer to this article:
Using iPhone, iPad, or iPod with multiple computers
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1202
However, issues may occur leading to data corruption or data loss if you regularly sync Contacts, Calendars, Notes, or bookmarks between multiple computers using iTunes and your iOS device. Syncing once to move your data to a new computer should not cause these issues.
Refer to this article:
iOS: Issues syncing content with multiple computers using iTunes
http://support.apple.com/kb/TS1474

Can I share one iTunes Library with multiple computers on a network?

Can I share one iTunes Library with multiple computers on a network?
note: one library universally shared, not Home Sharing (one library each, shared to each.)
I want to share one library stores on my server and access it through various local computers. When I buy a song from a computer (non-server), I want it to be added to the library (stored on server). I want it to auto copy to my server, for organization. I want to be able to sync my phone from any computer.
Most of this I can do, if i figure out how to use one universal library for all my computers.
Any ideas how I can do this?

eyeinit,
You can authorize your iTunes account on up to 5 computers at a time.
However, purchased music is downloaded to the first machine to download it, but these articles have more information on moving your music between authorized computers:
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=93063
This one is for moving all your music using an iPod as a storage drive
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=300173
Hope this helps,
Nathan C.

Installing os lion on multiple computers? Here's how...with a catch

Here is every bit of info i have gathered concerning this matter. For some reason it won't let me access the chat i had with a store representative but that doesn't matter. It IS long, but it is neccessary you get all the info. NOTE: the emails shown FIRST are actually the emails recieved and sent LAST Go down the page untill you see a block of white space with words saying "END OF EMAIL SECTION" and go up from there. IF you don't want the chunks of info, go to the first email you see below for the catch to the whole deal of putting it on multiple computers for free. Otherwise a summerized and refined steps list is shown below the "END OF EMAIL SECTION" notice. I do recommend you at LEAST look at the last email here (shown below). an explanation of the last email (shown below) is at the end of the post.
RESPONSE: by apple representative
On Jul 21, 2011, at 4:48 PM, [email protected] wrote:
Chris here again, from the iTunes Support team. I want to thank you for your quick response.
In this matter, I will quote you the terms and conditions of the mac app store that the Mac OS X Lion is bound by, Apps from the Mac App Store may be used on any Macs that you own or control for personal use. You may be asked for your Apple ID and password the first time you use an app. You won't have to provide them again unless you use the app on a different computer.
Since you are indicate that there will be no use or control and then no it would be a violation of the terms and condition, if there was some personal use well then it would meet the conditions If you have any further questions, please let me know and I would be more than happy to address them for you.
Sincerely,
Chris
iTunes Store/Mac App Store Customer Support
RESPONSE(by me)
what i mean is that the computers in question belong to family members and not to me. I would not use them.
RESPONSE: by apple representative
On Jul 21, 2011, at 4:18 PM, [email protected] wrote:
Chris here again, from the iTunes Support team. I want to thank you for your quick response.
Yes, you can do this for any computers you can actively control. I hope that I was of help to you today.
If you are not completely satisfied with your overall iTunes experience or I had not yet addressed all of your concerns, please reply back to me and let me know. Thank you very much for being part of the iTunes Store family,
Sincerely,
Chris
iTunes Store/Mac App Store Customer Support
Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to assist you. You may receive an AppleCare survey email; any feedback you provide would be greatly appreciated.
RESPONSE: by me
So i can do this for the members in my family?
On Jul 21, 2011, at 3:40 PM, [email protected] wrote:
RESPONSE: by apple representative
Chris here again, from the iTunes Support team. I want to thank you for your quick response.
First off any computer this applies too needs to have the Mac App store on it, to share the app that you purchased you will need to log into the account that you first purchased Mac OS X Lion on in the first place to and then redownload the app onto the new computer and install it. This applies to any app that you wish to share on another computer.
Apps from the Mac App Store may be used on any Macs that you own or control for personal use. You may be asked for your Apple ID and password the first time you use an app. You won't have to provide them again unless you use the app on a different computer or there is an update.
This does not apply to purchasing other apps as you can have multiple account on one compute, once again, the only exception would be if there was an update, then you will be require to provided the username and password of the account that the app in this case Mac OS X Lion was purchased on.
I hope that I have been able to clarify things for you. If you have any further questions, please let me know and I would be more than happy to address them for you.
Sincerely,
Chris
iTunes Store/Mac App Store Customer Support
Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to assist you. You may receive an AppleCare survey email; any feedback you provide would be greatly appreciated.
RESPONSE: by me
So wait. To download other apps I wouldn't have to be logged into the computer using the initial os lion accounts I'd? If I get lion and i log into the other computer and select install from the purchase history, after authorizing of course, I won't have to log into my account, the one initially used to buy and install lion, to buy and install other apps onto the other computer?
Sent from my iPod
RESPONSE: by apple representative
On Jul 21, 2011, at 12:53 PM, [email protected] wrote:
My name is Chris, and please accept my apologies for the delay in our reply. This is not the customary wait time for a reply from iTunes Store Customer Support, and your understanding is very much appreciated. If you require any further assistance after this message, just reply to this email; your response will come straight to my inbox and will be given top priority!
Moving forward, I understand that you would like to get some answers about installing OS X - Lion onto another computer. I can definitely appreciate how eager you are to get some answers to your questions. I would be happy to assist you today in this matter.
I do first need to mention that I was unable to open the link that you have provided and thus unable to address any concerns related to that discussion.
You can redownload any apps including Lion that you have purchased from the Mac App Store without incurring additional charges.
To learn how to redownload apps on the Mac App Store, please refer to the steps in this article:
Mac App Store: Backing up your app purchases
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4482
If you continue to have difficulty downloading any applications, please reply to let me know or consult this article:
Troubleshooting the Mac App Store
http://support.apple.com/kb/TS3624
So in summary, yes after you have initially downloaded it you can then goto another computer that you have access to and redownload it and install it there. That computer will have to be apart of your authorized computers which again is up to 5 authorized machines at one time per account. This is shared with iTunes so five maximum for both, as far as what I believe the store rep meant fur OS updates you would need to log into the account the OS was purchased to get upgrades.
Other than taking up one of the authorized computers this should have no other affect on your purchasing ability. If you have any issues with this or more questions, please let me know and I would be more than happy to address them for you.
Sincerely,
Chris
iTunes Store/Mac App Store Customer Support
Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to assist you. You may receive an AppleCare survey email; any feedback you provide would be greatly appreciated.
INITIAL EMAIL SENT: by me to apple representative
: So I had questions about os lion. Here is what an apple store representative told me.
https://storechat.apple.com/hc/6964264/?cmd=file&file=chatFrame&site=6964264&SV! chat-button-name=chat-us-consumer-sales-english-1&SV!chat-button-room=chat-us-co nsumer-sales-english-1&referrer=%28button%20dynamic-button:chat-us-consumer-sale s-english-1%28Help%20-%20Apple%20Store%20%28U.S.%29%29%29%20http%3A//store.apple .com/us/help%3Fmco%3DNzc1MjMwOQ&sessionkey=H4163946581421609647-4030035787087660 883K3438618
(note) for some reason this link doesn't work...
sorry for the gigantic link....
Basically, to download on multiple macs without buying 3 times I would :
1. buy and install on my mac
2. log into my account (the one i bought lion on)
3. authorize my account for use on my parent(s)' computer(s) (do i need to do this? didn't get this question answered)
4. either check purchase history for os lion or click buy now while logged into the account I initially bought it with and install on that computer
From what i've gathered from the store representative I've found that I need to use the account I got lion under for any further purchases on that computer. Is this true? If so does it affect iTunes at all (buying music and such)?
Are these steps valid and legal? There has been talk about doing it like this
https://discussions.apple.com/message/15676536#15676536
here is a discussion on the matter.
END OF EMAIL SECTION
HERE ARE THE SUMMERIZED STEPS:
1. go ahead and buy/download os lion on the account of your choice (make sure you know that this account needs to be used whenever you want to download os lion on multiple computers)
2. before going on, perhaps backing up the installer file upon completion of download would be good. This applies to people who have spotty internet as the installer file apparently disappears (self destructs) after installation but you can always re-download for free using the account initially used to install/buy/download.
3. Go to the computer you wish to install os lion on. Open up itunes then log into itunes using the same account that you used to purchase lion on. then go to the store tab at the top left of the screen (there should be an apple symbol, then iTunes in bold then there should be a tab further along the right side called store. and, under that, go to authorize this computer. If you do this and it says it's already authorized then thats good.
4. Open up the mac app store. Log into the account used to initially purchase lion. Go to purchase history and click install.
Now here is the catch. According to an email sent by an apple representative for the mac app store, there are limiations:
"This is what i had said before receiving the email: what i mean is that the computers in question belong to family members and not to me. I would not use them."
In this matter, I will quote you the terms and conditions of the mac app store that the Mac OS X Lion is bound by, Apps from the Mac App Store may be used on any Macs that you own or control for personal use. You may be asked for your Apple ID and password the first time you use an app. You won't have to provide them again unless you use the app on a different computer.
Since you are indicate that there will be no use or control and then no it would be a violation of the terms and condition, if there was some personal use well then it would meet the conditions If you have any further questions, please let me know and I would be more than happy to address them for you. Thank you very much for being part of the iTunes Store family, Dylan, and I hope you have a great day.
This means that if you are not using this method for personal use on your OWN computer it is a violation of terms of service. For example: there is a feature in OS lion that allows you to drag and drop files from one computer with lion to another computer with lion. If you were to do that so you could store files on another family members computer (and then proceed to access them now and then) it is ok.

yes you would have to log onto her computer using your own apple id if you want it to update (assuming your id was the one downloading lion) and no for the second question. The itunes Representative said it shouldn't have any impact on your purchasing ability.....
By the way, i don't think you're allowed to install lion on your friend's computer. Unless you are using it for yourself. As the rep said "if there was some personal use well then it would meet the conditions." so if you were to transfer, say, pictures for storage on your friend's computer then i think it'd be fine.

How to use iPhone with multiple computers on iTunes 11?

Both of my computers are Windows 7. I try to manage my music and videos on both iTunes. I used to be easy, like you just check the "Manually manage music and videos" square, and everything is fine... But after I update to iTunes 11, it just doesn't work. There is no resulting dialog box coming up where I can click "OK" after I checked square, and no matter I click "apply" below or "done" above, the iTunes asks to erase and sync with the iPhone. After it syncs, the "Manually manage music and videos" is checked. But if I move to another computer another iTunes, then it says I'm already syncing with one iTunes, and it needs to erase and sync with my iPhone again... and of course, the "Manually manage music and videos" is unchecked on this iTunes... If I try to check that on this one.. it's the same story happened before... Basically, there is just no way I can use one iPhone on two iTunes 11, is it?

Sync iPod/iPad/iPhone with two computers
Although it isn't possible to sync an Apple device with two different libraries it is possible to sync with the same logical library from multiple computers. Each library has an internal ID and when iTunes connects to your iPod/iPad/iPhone it compares the local ID with the one the device normally syncs with. If they are the same you can go ahead and sync...
I have my library cloned to a small 1Tb USB drive which I can take between home & work. At either location I use SyncToy 2.1 to update the local copy with the external drive. Mac users should be able to find similar tools. I can open either of the local libraries or the one on the external drive and update the media content of my iPhone. The slight exception is Photos which normally connects to a specific folder on a specific machine, although that can easily be remapped to the current library if you create a "Photos" folder inside the iTunes Media folder so that syncing the iTunes folders keeps this up to date as well. I periodically sweep my library for new files & orphans with iTunes Folder Watch just in case I make changes at one location but then overwrite the library with a newer copy from the other. Again Mac users should be able to find similar tools.
As long as your media is organised within an iTunes Music or Tunes Media folder, in turn held inside the main iTunes folder that has your library files (whether or not you let iTunes keep the media folder organised) each library can access items at the same relative path from the library folder so the library can be at different drives/paths on different machines. This solution ensures I always have adequate backups of my library and I can update my devices whenever I can connect to the same build of iTunes.
When working with an iPhone earlier builds of iTunes would remove any file not physically present in the local library, even if there was an entry for it, making manual management practically redundant on the iPhone. This behaviour has been changed but it will still only permit manual management with a library that has the correct internal ID. If you don't want to sync your library between machines on a regular basis just copy the iTunes Library.itl file from the current "home" machine to any other you want to use, then clean out the library entires and import the local content you have on that box.
tt2

Multiple family mbrs, multiple ipods, multiple accnts, multiple computers

I have a family of 6, we each have various ipods (iphone, ipod, nano, shuffle, etc), and we have multiple computers -- some Mac and some PC.
We need to understand what factors impact the ability to put a particular track on one or more devices, manage a given device from one or more accounts on one or more computers, and share, as allowed, between devices, people, iTunes libraries, iTunes store accounts, for both purchaed tracks and MP3 files that we might already own, etc...
I'm looking for a simple and concise description of all of the factors. Any pointers?
If the iTunes world were simple we could simply each have our own music -- stored in one or more places in one or more accounts, on one or more computers. We would be able to share what we like, and put whatever subset we like on whichever device, manage any device from any account on any computer, etc... Of course this could be subject to licenses, but it should at least be possible to get a statement of what license restrictions exist.
Can anyone suggest any references for this? I assumed it was simple, but anyone who has recently plugged a "guest" iPod into another computer will know this is not the case after having been rewarded with the choice of wiping all content off of the iPod, or somehow transferring the content to the friend / family member (with no clear indication of whether this also comprises transferring the content away from the original user, nor how, if possible, to undo such a move later, etc...)
I have seen an article relating to using multiple ipods with one computer, but it does not address all of the issues -- for example using one ipod with multiple computers, etc...
Thanks in advance.

Let's see if we summarise the main points that will help you decide on a strategy:
+ An iPod can automatically sync (one-way transfer from iTunes to iPod) with just one iTunes library.
+ An iPod (but not an iPhone) in manual mode can accept tracks from multiple libraries.
+ iTunes can transfer (copy) purchases from an iPod into the library if authorised for the account used to purchase them.
+ Networks, memory sticks, portable hard drives, CD-R, DVD-D and iPod to PC transfer programs can be used to move other content between your libraries.
+ The new "home sharing" feature probably has some relevance too, but I've not explored just what the capabilities are.
+ For each account, DRM puchases can be authorised on up to 5 computers at any one time.
+ For each computer, up to 5 accounts may be authorised on it at any one time.
+ Each iPod may hold DRM content from up to 5 different accounts.
+ DRM content may be transfered to as many iPod's as you wish.
+ Most iTunes Store content is no longer subject to DRM, the main exceptions being Movies & Games/Applications.
+ iPods can be formated for use with either Mac or Windows. You can manage content on a Windows formatted iPod with either system, but the reverse is not the case. Firmware updates & restores must take place on the native system.
+ An undocumented/unsupported feature is that if you clone a library (make a complete copy of the iTunes library files and media content) and place this on another machine, an iPod "synced" to the original library will also see any clone as its "home" library. Once cloned you don't have to keep all the content available in each locataion. For regular iPods if syncable content cannot be found corresponding files on the device will be left alone (not updated or deleted).
+ The main database file of an iTunes library can only be opened by one process - multiple users on the same computer or over a network will lead to problems. Always close iTunes before switching profiles.
+ The media content folders can be simultaneously accessed by multiple accounts.
+ Automatic syncing has a number of advantages. You can update tag info. in iTunes knowing that when updated the iPod will recieve all the updates. Using playlists you can manage the content that will go on an iPod without having it connected. Ratings & playcounts can sync in both directions. All the content required to restore your iPod is in one location.
+ Manual management allows you to add content from whichever library you are connected to.
+ iTunes does not keep track of files moved or updated by other programs or instances of iTunes. If you share content folders then it is best to avoid the *Keep iTunes Media folder organised* option. When you update content on one machine, e.g. change a capitalisation or correct a spelling, other libraries will only notice the change if they access the file in some way, e.g. by playing it.
I'm sure there's more that I can't think of just now but that's a start.
*Personal Case history:*
Our family has an iPhone, a Nano, 3 Classics (old & new) and a 5th gen. I started by making most of the purchases on my account, putting the children's gift cards onto my store account for example, but two now have their own accounts. I manage most of the music in one main library that sits on a network. One child has a separate library which started as clone of the original and then had content that he dislikes removed... This means I can update his iPod at either his machine or mine although if I add any of his music I have to remember to update both libraries. When he uses iTunes on his computer he only sees the rock/blues/metal that he likes whereas the main library has everybodys content lumped together.
All the iPods are set to sync automatically using the method two (Sync with selected playlists) from the Apple support document How to use multiple iPods with one computer, although I have a slight twist. Rather than regular playlists I set the grouping field to indicate which users should receive which tracks and create smart playlists based on the content of this field.
e.g.
"Alice's Tracks" is "Playlist is Music" + "Grouping contains Alice" + "Kind contains audio"
"Bob's Videos" is "Playlist is Music" + "Grouping contains Bob" + "Kind does not contain audio"
Tracks that both Alice & Bob want on their iPods have the grouping set to "Alice/Bob"
etc.
This way each of us gets a different selection of content to suit our tastes and the capacity of our iPods. An advantage of using the grouping field is that it is stored in file tags (for non-wav audio files anyway) so that it is relatively easy to recreate the playlists should the iTunes library get trashed. Also useful if you move files about manually as playlist membership is preserved when you delete & re-import the tracks.
However you choose to do things you should also create a backup. My main library gets synced to a portable hard drive using SyncToy 2.1 (Windows) which I sometimes take to work and sync there, giving me three complete copies of my library at any one time and I can update any iPod from any instance of the library. An occasional scan of the contnet folders with iTunes Folder Watch helps me catch up if, for example, a podcast has download at one location but the library is overwritten with a newer version from the other.
Hope that's given you some useful food for thought...
tt2

Multiple iPods with Multiple computers

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