Playing iPod through iTunes without syncing - is this possible?

My iPod is sync'd with my laptop at home, but I would like to connect my iPod to my laptop at work and use it through iTunes. I don't want to sync them because I don't want to install 2,000 songs onto my work laptop. Is it possible to leave my iPod connected through USB and play the songs through iTunes? Currently when I try this all the songs display in my iTunes library but are greyed out and will not play.
IBM Thinkpad Windows XP

"Currently when I try this all the songs display in my iTunes library but are greyed out and will not play"
Grey text when you look at the content and lock symbol at the bottom of the screen simply shows that your iPod is set to automatically update. If you want to access your iPod directly, drag songs to it, play it through your iTunes, connect it to a second computer etc. you just need to change the update method to "Manually manage songs and videos" in the iPod Summary tab and click Apply. The text will change from grey to dark and the padlock will disappear: Managing content manually on iPod
One thing to be aware of with manually updating is that the iPod also has to be manually ejected before the "Do Not Disconnect" message will go away. Safely disconnect iPod

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Can't Play iPod through iTunes without Synching

Here's what I would like to do: Listen to my iPod (Classic, 120GB) on my work PC through iTunes while my iPod is connected and charging. Is this still possible? I used to do it, but now I can't.
iTunes 9.1.1.12/Windows XP Pro
I do NOT want to sync my iPod with my work computer. (I sync with my home computer.) I do NOT want to erase everything on my iPod and replace it with the 20 songs I have on my work computer. I DON'T want to copy my music from home to my work computer. I DON'T want to use the store or anything like that. I simply want to play the music stored on my iPod through my computer.
When I connect my iPod to my work computer and open iTunes, iTunes recognizes it and it appears in Devices on the left side of the screen, as it should.
On the Summary tab, I have Manually Manage Music and Videos SELECTED. These two options are selected and also grayed out: Sync Only Checked Songs and Videos and Enable Disk Use. I cannot get past this tabbed screen. What do I need to select or deselect to display and play the songs on my iPod - without erasing everything on it?

Try setting the iPod to sync manually.
(17651)

Playing iPod through iTunes

One of the primary reasons I purchased my iPod is that I have over 10 GB of music on my harddrive, which is only 40 GB, and about 100 CDs that I didn't have room to rip. I wanted to import them all to my iPod and then put the original files on an external drive for storage/backup and just plug my iPod into my computer when I wanted to play music through my speakers (via AirTunes). I've done this in the past with my iPod Mini, primarily at my parents' house through their Airtunes, which is wired throughout their house. It's been very handy. However, when I plug this into my computer at home, I find all the music is greyed out. I can't play it. Is this some new 'feature'? I'm seriously considering returning the iPod, since it's not looking like it will do what I needed it to do.

You would have to manually update. Then the songs will not be greyed out.
Manually Updating iPod
btabz

Cannot put music onto my 3GS through iTunes without syncing

Hello, I need some help D:
I have a 3GS and I can't seem to put music onto my phone through iTunes. I don't want to sync because I'll lose all my current songs, so is there any way to avoid syncing my music but still actually, you know, put music on my iPhone >.<

Your current songs should be on your computer. If you bought them from your iphone then just transfer them to your computer: File>Transfer Purchases, then sync.
iPhone User Guide (For iOS 4.2 and 4.3 Software)

Copying a video from my ipod to Itunes without syncing entire Ipod

I have 3 ipods on one computer. I want to copy a couple of videos to the Library but don't want my ipod to sync with all the library. I tried the manual thing and tried to look at the ipod as a hard drive through explorer but I don't see the videos. I don't want all the kids stuff but they want a couple of the movies that I put on mine. Can i do this? How?

iPod offers three ways to transfer music from your computer. You can select one of the following update modes from the iPod Preferences menu in iTunes:
Automatically update all songs and playlists. This is the default mode, in which your entire music library, including playlists, is automatically synced to your iPod. If the music library on your computer exceeds the iPod storage capacity, you are prompted to select a different update method.
Automatically update selected playlists only. With this option, iTunes automatically copies the playlists you have selected to iPod when you connect it to the computer.
Manually manage songs and playlists. You can also choose to transfer music to iPod manually. This allows you to drag and drop individual songs and playlists from iTunes to iPod.

HT2715 How can I get a playlist from my iPod to iTunes without syncing to my whole iTunes library?

iTunes on our computer has at least 2000 songs and I previously went through it and made a playlist of about 700 of songs that I like, so everytime I wanted to add the songs that I like onto another device I would not have to go through 2000 songs again. Sadly I directly put my playlist onto my phone which gave me all of my music but an extra useless playlist that included all of my songs, so I deleted it off my iPhone. This wasn't a problem until I reconnected it to my computer. Because I deleted the playlist off of my phone it also deleted it off of my itunes on my mac as well as deleting multiple random songs off of my phone. Luckily I have the playlist on my iPad and it would be great if I could find a way to get it from my iPad back onto my iTunes. PLEASE HELP ME!

iPod touch User Guide (For iOS 4.3 Software)

HT1947 Does anyone else have my problem with atv3? Plays films in iTunes without any problems but on music every time I use the remote app on my iPhone 3GS it stops playing after around 5 tracks in. Anyone having this problem?

Does anyone share my problem with atv3 I can play films through iTunes without any problems. When I start playing music using the remote app on my iPhone 3GS after around 5 tracks in it just stops playing and seems to lose my connection. Hoping this is human error on my part?

I think this is probably a sign that your network could be better than it is.
Intermittent problems are often a result of interference. Interference can be caused by other networks in the neighbourhood or from household electrical items.
You can download and install iStumbler (NetStumbler for windows users) to help you see which channels are used by neighbouring networks so that you can avoid them, but iStumbler will not see household items.
Refer to your router manual for instructions on changing your wifi channel or adjusting your multicast rate.
There are other types of problems that can affect networks, but this is by far the most common, hence worth mentioning first.

I have some content in my library that I do not want to sync with my ipod touch. The content has previously been synced and I want to remove it without deleting it from my itunes library. Is this possible?

I have some music content in my itunes library that I do not want to sync with my ipod touch. The content has previously been synced and I want to remove it without deleting it from my itunes library. Is this possible?

Hi Pez,
iTunes in the Cloud is not iCloud. Any songs that you have purchased but have not downloaded (or have deleted), go to iTunes in the cloud. The setting I mentioned will show all of your purchases in the various views in the Music app, whether they are on your device or not. If you turn that setting off, you will only see items that are actually on your device.
Glad to hear the second sync worked! But if they all start appearing again, make sure that setting is turned off
Cheers,
GB

Updated to iTunes 7 and can no longer play music off my iPod through iTunes

The title says it all. I can no longer play music from my iPod through iTunes now that I have upgraded. When I click on my iPod there is a little black lock beside where it shows the disk usage.
anyone have any ideas. I like some of the new features of this version of iTunes but it really seems to be a few steps backwards.

That little lock usually indicates that the iPod is set to autosync. In order to play iPod content through iTunes, you have to be on manual sync.

How are you able to sync 2 iOS decivies on my computer through iTunes without having the same apps, music, etc. on both?

How am i able to sync my iPod 4th GEN and my iPhone 4s on my computer through iTunes without having the same apps, music, etc. on both decivies?

You will need to setup separate user account s on the computer. That is the only true way to separate all data and info. User accounts show when the computer first starts up, then you choose yours. The screen to choose a user account may not appear if you only have one user account setup on the computer. On Mac, go to System Preferences>Accounts/Users and Groups>click plus at bottom left and follow prompts. Setup as administrator. PC...
Create a New User Account for Windows XP
From the Start menu, choose Control Panel.
Open User Accounts.
Select Create a new account and follow the instructions to complete the account setup process. Setup as Administrator
Once the new account is created, choose Log Off from the Start menu.
Log into the newly created user account.
Open iTunes and try syncing again.
Create a New User Account in Windows Vista
From the Start menu, choose Control Panel.
Open User Accounts. Then Manage another account or Add or Remove
Select Create a new account and follow the instructions to complete the account setup process. Choose Administrator in checkbox.
Once the new account is created, choose Start menu Log Off from account.
Log into the newly created user account.
Open iTunes and try syncing again.

Playing Music With My Ipod through itunes

I was wondering if i could plug my ipod into a different computer then the one i update my ipod with and play music through Itunes on there ?

Thank you.
So on the main pc, it has to be set to manual update.
Will this remove the music that's already on the ipod?
Will I then have to drag each playlist over to the ipod individually to get the new data to the ipod, or will I just click 'update' and have it still be semi automatic?
will the ipod still update play counts to itunes with this manual update?

I have problem with the newest itunes. i can't add lyric to my ipod through itunes. anyone know how to fix this?

i have problem with the newest itunes. i can't add lyric to my ipod through itunes. anyone know how to fix this?

On the iPod in Settings>Music do you have Lyrics and Podcast info ON

Strange song titles after transfering backup music to iPod through iTunes

Hi, i recently lost my iPod classic(80GB) which i have been using soly as a music player. Luckily i had made a backup before i lost it. I then baught a new iPod classic(160GB) and *transfered my backup to my new iPod through iTunes*. This workded fine, except that *alot of the songs titles have been changed to something like: AYFV, GGVE, YVOB etc* ( i transfered my backed up music directly to my connected iPod, not putting them in the iTunes Library first )
I have about 9000 songs on it, and i dont know how to find many of the songs i like and love. I remember most of my songs by its Tittle rather than Artist or Album. I have a Samsung Galaxy with SoundHound downloaded... but scrolling through 9000 songs to find the 'corrupted' titles and changing them kinda throws me off
Why has this happened? What can i do about it? How can i prevent this from happening in the future? Can i back up my playlists as well?

Most media files contain some form of tag which records details such as the title, track number, artist. etc. If you import such a file into iTunes then iTunes will read the tag data from it and list the data that it has found. For files which don't have a tag, typically those in .wav format but .mp3 files don't have to have tags, the only information iTunes has when it imports will be the filename.
Although the tag can record much of the metadata (data about data) of the file, certain information such as ratings, playcounts and playlist membership is stored in a database. There is a database for your local iTunes library and a database on the iPod. Putting the media files onto the iPod in their XXXX.<ext> format *is not enough* for them installed into the iPod's database. Despite your description above, if you were able to restore your iPod backup to a new device, then you must have backed up and then restored the whole drive, not just the Music folder. If you still have the whole image and a compatible device then you can do this again.
When iTunes places media on an iPod it uses the F00-FXX folders and XXXX.<ext> filenames in a scheme called a hash table. The details aren't important, but it is a way of efficiently relabelling files with much shorter filenames that won't clash with each other. As a by-product it also discourages casual piracy from the iPod's drive since you don't know which file is which.
If you only have the media files then, as you have seen, the best you can do is import them into iTunes. Those which have tags will be correctly reorganised. Those without will be given their current filenames as their track names and placed in the Unknown Artist\Unknown Album folder. I would suspect that most of these files will be in .wav format in which case you will have to listen to and rename them one at a time. If however there are files in .mp3 or .acc format then you may be able to build tags for them using MusicBrainz Picard Tagger. iTunes won't detect any updates you make with third party tools, but I have a script for that called UpdateTagInfo.
Given how easy it is for an iPod to be lost, stolen or damaged it should not be relied upon as the only place for your media. It makes much more sense to to maintain your library in iTunes on your computer, then sync that library to the device. Instead of backing up the device, which takes ages each time and limits you to replacing it with an identical device, back up the library.
*Fast backup for iTunes library (Windows Only)*
Grab SyncToy 2.1, a free tool from MS. This can be used to copy your entire iTunes library (& other important data folders) onto another hard drive or network share. You can then use SyncToy periodically to synchronise or echo your library to the backup. A preview will show which files need to be updated giving you a chance to spot unexpected changes and during the run only the new or updated files will be copied saving lots of time. And if your media is all organised below the main iTunes folder then you should also be able to open the backup library on any system running the same version of iTunes.
tt2

Playing iPod Touch on non-sync'd computer

With the iPod Nano (and doubtless others) I had to check the 'Manually Manage Music' box to be able to play the Nano on a foreign computer (e.g. at work). Is this necessary with the iPod Touch?
Assuming this is necessary, why has the iPod been designed that way? It's a bit annoying when I want to use automatic sync'ing.
Thanks!

With the iPod Nano (and doubtless others) I had to check the 'Manually Manage Music' box to be able to play the Nano on a foreign computer (e.g. at work). Is this necessary with the iPod Touch?
Yes.
Assuming this is necessary, why has the iPod been designed that way? It's a bit annoying when I want to use automatic sync'ing.
Because with auto sync the songs on the iPod will appear 'greyed out' when viewing through iTunes (automatic syncing between iTunes and the iPod needs no manual control). To make them appear bold and selectable/playable you need to select manual transfer.

"The iPod could not be synced because this computer is no longer authorised for purchased items"

Whenever I try to sync my iPod to iTunes, this error comes up:
"The iPod could not be synced because this computer is no longer authorised for purchased items that are on this iPod."
I have already tried every solution suggested here: iTunes repeatedly prompts to authorize computer to play iTunes Store purchases

I found the solution to this problem
the apple service helped me actually
the best and the esiest way is to solve this problem :
create a new account (as an administator recomended)
Bonjour servises must be enabled ( go to control panel > administartive tools> sevices> Bounjour services (change the category to large icons if you dont see administartive tools )
install itunes
sign in
authorize
SYNC
it must sync normally
but if the meesage pops up that points on a particular items that could not be synced ( to ur itunes because you are not authorized for this items ) REMOVE THEM
creating a new user account shows the items wich dont let you sync your iPhone
after you REMOVE those **** items that were not authorised , you can go to your old user account and SYNC it as old kind time
was having this problem 2 weeks , and nothing helped except this was. not deleting the SC Info folder, now copying apple folder to some other mobile divce folder
REMEMBER the problem is in your iPhone , it is about the items that are in your iPhone
Thanks to Apple service
for anyone who needs othe heple you r welcome to ask
will hepl you with a pleassure cause i know how I felt this days:)

Playing iPod through iTunes without syncing - is this possible?

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