Ask A Geek

Q: I followed instructions on the iTunes website to use my iPod as an external hard drive to transfer my iTunes library from one computer to another. I must have done something wrong because iTunes is now blank on my old computer (won’t even come back if I restore) and my new computer is not letting me transfer the songs from my iPod. it will recognize it as if it is a CD or something, but wont let me save it in my library.

Q: How can I get iTunes to wake me up with a selected playlist?

Q: Yesterday my iTunes was about to download an album into my library, the purchase had been completed, when my computer froze. After ten minutes of nothing happening I shut it down manually and rebooted it today. The album is in my purchase history but the songs are not in my library, in downloads, or in purchased. How do I get the album?

Q: I am looking for a free music editor where I can take itunes tracks and edit bass and treble and things like that. Is there any such software?

Q: How come I keep getting a pop up asking me to choose an application that is asking where itunes is? I removed itunes so I can’t choose an application for it. My laptop is a mac os x ibook g4.

Q: When I install updates for a program (e.g. itunes) does the size of the updates build on top of the memory I already have for that program or does it replace the memory already there? What is normal size increase that should happen? Anything else I should know about this and what to do about it (e.g. delete old program files)?

Q: Why does my iTunes run so slow?

I am running windows vista on my 17″ hp pavilion dv9000 with 2GB of RAM. In my iTunes library I have less than 15 albums. I do not have many other applications open and my windows media player does not run slow where I have over 100 albums in it. But my iTunes does especially when I use cover flow. Why is this? Is this because its running on a PC and not a Mac or what?

Q: My computer has 2 separate drives. One for CD and one for DVD. How can I get iTunes to back up my music onto a DVD? With the older software I was able to change the drive that iTunes recognized. I can’t figure out how to do this with the new software.

A: I’d suggest you just burn off the music using a different software prorgam. If you don’t already have a program that can do this like Roxio then you can try a freeware application like CDBurnXP.

Just make sure you test your backup disks by verifying the music is stored correct after you finish the burn. You should also make sure you are aware of how the copy protection stuff work with your itunes purchases.

Q: I am trying to transfer folders from my iMac and iTunes to an SDHC card. How can I do it?

Q: Concerning iTunes and iPods, is there a filter to prevent songs in a saved playlist from being duplicated in another created/saved playlist?