How many PC are authorized to play music from my account?

Posted by george on August 12, 2011 No comments

To see how many computers are currently authorized to play music purchased with your iTunes Store account:

  1. Open iTunes.
  2. Click iTunes Store in the Source list.
  3. If you’re not signed in to the store, click the Account button and enter your Apple ID and password.
  4. When the iTunes Store opens, click the Account button (your Apple ID appears on the button), enter your password, then click View Account.

The Apple Account Information page that appears shows you how many computers are currently authorized.

 

Do you think you have used up multiple authorizations with one computer? Try this:
One computer using multiple iTunes Store authorizations.

One PC using multiple iTunes Store authorizations

Posted by george on August 11, 2011 1 comment

First you should check to see how many authorizations are currently being used by following the steps in How many computers are authorized to play music from my account?

If the number there is higher than the number of computers that you have authorized, it is possible that one or more of your computers is using multiple authorizations.

To fix this:

  1. Open iTunes.
  2. From the Store menu, choose Deauthorize Computer.
  3. Enter your account name and password.
  4. Click OK. A message appears reading “This computer has been successfully deauthorized.”
  5. Click OK.
  6. Repeat steps 2 through 5 above. If you see the same message reading: “This computer has been successfully deauthorized,” then your computer was using multiple authorizations.

Repeat steps 2 through 5 above until you see a message reading “This computer was not authorized. To authorize this computer, play a song or video you have purchased using this account.”

If you have multiple computers, you can repeat this process on your other computers until the number of Computer Authorizations on your Apple Account Information page accurately reflects the number of computers you have authorized to play music from your iTunes Store account.

To avoid running into this in the future, make sure to deauthorize your computer before you make any major change to it or have it serviced. Also, make sure you remember to deauthorize your computer before you sell it or give it away.

Note: If you no longer have access to a computer that is using one of your authorizations, you can deauthorize all of the computers associated with your account by following the steps at the bottom of About iTunes Store authorization and deauthorization.

How to determine your iPod’s disk format

Posted by george on August 10, 2011 1 comment

Checking your iPod disk format

To determine if your iPod has been restored for Macintosh or Windows, do this:

  1. On your iPod, select Settings > About. If you’re using an older iPod with older iPod software (such as iPod Software 1.x), select Settings from the main menu.
  2. Scroll down to the bottom of the screen.

If your iPod disk is configured for Macintosh, the serial number is the last item you’ll see listed in the About screen. If the disk is configured for Windows, the last item you’ll see is “Format: Windows.”

You cannot use an iPod whose disk is configured for Macintosh on a Windows-compatible computer. However, you can restore the iPod disk to use it with a Windows-compatible computer. To do this, see “Restoring iPod to factory settings.” While a Windows formatted iPod may work on a Mac, Apple supports this configuration only with iPod shuffle.

About the iPod nano disk format

When you connect iPod nano to a Macintosh computer for the first time, you’ll see this dialog:

This is because iPod nano comes preformatted for Windows (FAT32 file system). The first time you connect to a Macintosh, iPod nano will “reformat” itself to work with a Mac (HFS+ file system). This only occurs the first time you connect iPod nano to your Mac, and if you’ve never connected it to another computer.

Note: There are a few situations when iPod nano won’t be optimized for Mac OS:

  • If you connect iPod nano to a Windows PC the very first time you use it and then connect iPod nano to your Mac.
  • If you open iTunes for the first time before you connect iPod nano for the first time, but you do not agree to the iTunes Software License Agreement.

In both cases, you will not see the “Optimizing” dialog, and iPod nano will not be optimized for Mac OS. If this happens to you, you can optimize iPod nano for Mac OS by simply using iPod Updater to restore iPod nano on your Mac.

Products Affected
iPod, iPod mini, iPod nano

Restoring iPod to factory settings

Posted by george on August 9, 2011 1 comment

It’s important to understand the difference between updating and restoring. Updating simply installs the software that controls iPod and does not affect the songs and files stored on iPod’s disk. Restoring erases the iPod’s disk and restores iPod to its original factory condition.

Warning: Because restoring erases all the songs and files on iPod, back up any files you’ve saved on the iPod disk. All of your songs, videos, podcasts, audiobooks, and games can be loaded back to your iPod provided that you have them stored in your iTunes Library. If you use the Nike + iPod Sport Kit, see this post for more information.

Note: See this post if you need to restore an iPod shuffle.

How to restore iPod

  1. Verify that you have an active Internet connection, because you may need to download new versions of the iTunes and iPod Software.
  2. Download and install the latest version of iTunes if necessary.
  3. Open iTunes. Connect your iPod to your computer using the USB or FireWire cable that came with your iPod.
  4. After a few moments, your iPod will appear in the Source panel in iTunes.
  5. Select your iPod in the Source panel. You will see information about your iPod appear in the Summary tab of the main iTunes window.
  6. Click Restore.
  7. If you are using a Mac, you will be asked to enter an administrator’s name and password.
  8. A progress bar will appear on the computer screen, indicating that stage one of the restore process has begun. When this stage is done, iTunes will present one of two messages with instructions specific to the iPod model you are restoring.
    • Disconnect iPod and connect it to iPod Power Adapter (typically applies to older iPod models).
    • Leave iPod connected to computer to complete restore (typically applies newer iPod models).
  9. During stage two of the restore process, the iPod displays an Apple logo as well as a progress bar at the bottom of the display. It is critical that the iPod remain connected to the computer or iPod power adapter during this stage.
    Note: The progress bar may be difficult to see, because the backlight on the iPod display may be off.
  10. After stage two of the restore process is complete, the iTunes Setup Assistant window will appear. It will ask you to name your iPod and choose your syncing preferences, as it did when you connected your iPod for the first time.

Products Affected
iPod, iPod mini, iPod nano, iPod classic, iPod classic 160GB (Late 2009)

Restoring iPod shuffle to factory settings

Posted by george on August 8, 2011 No comments

This article includes information for iPod shuffle. If you’re looking for help with other iPods, click here.

Before Starting

It is important to understand the difference between “update” and “restore.” Update does not affect your settings or songs, it simply installs updated software that controls iPod shuffle. Restore erases the disk and restores iPod shuffle to its original factory condition with updated software. If you only need to update iPod shuffle, this should be done on the computer where music is normally synced. Updating on another computer will result in all songs being removed from iPod shuffle.

Warning: Because Restore erases all songs and files on iPod shuffle, make sure to back up any files you’ve saved on iPod shuffle. Your songs, podcasts, and audiobooks can be synced back to your iPod shuffle if the items are part of your iTunes library.

How to restore iPod shuffle

  1. Ensure that you have an active Internet connection as new versions of iTunes and iPod Software may need to be downloaded to your computer.
  2. Download and install the latest version of iTunes if you do not already have it installed.
  3. Open iTunes, and then connect iPod shuffle to your computer.
  4. After a few moments, iPod shuffle will appear in the Devices section on the left side of the Tunes window.
  5. Select iPod shuffle under Devices and you will see information about it appear in the main iTunes window under the Summary tab/button for iPod shuffle (3rd and 4th generation) or the Settings tab/button for iPod shuffle (1st or 2nd generation).
  6. The Version section tells you whether iPod shuffle is up to date or needs a newer version of the software.
  7. Click the Restore button. You will be presented with one or more restore options that may prompt iTunes to automatically download the latest iPod Software. The 4-possible restore options are:
    • Restore Option 1: Restore – Restores with same iPod Software version already on iPod.
    • Restore Option 2: Use Same Version – Restores with same iPod Software version already on iPod even though a newer version is available.
    • Restore Option 3: Use Newest Version – Restores with the latest iPod Software currently on your computer.
    • Restore Option 4: Restore and Update – Restores after downloading the latest iPod Software on your computer.
  8. If you are using a Mac, a message will appear prompting you to enter an administrator’s name and password.
  9. A progress indicator will appear on the computer screen indicating that the restore process has started. Do not disconnect iPod shuffle during the restore process.
  10. After the restore process is complete, the iPod shuffle’s status light will flash orange continuously. The iPod Setup Assistant window will appear asking you to name your iPod and choose your syncing preferences as you did when you connected your iPod shuffle for the first time.