iPodding With WinME

Guide to iPod and Windows ME Michael Hobot's Guide To iPods With Win98

This is based on my personal experience and I have a fully functional iPod.

*Keep in mind that I have the 4G iPod, USB 1.1, and Windows Me, but I think everything should be about the same for all iPods though. 

  1. Formatting to a Windows iPod
    1. Take your Mac-Formatted iPod (all new iPods come Mac-Formatted, even the hp's) and go to a friend’s Windows XP computer.
    2. Insert the iPod CD into their computer.
    3. In My Computer, double click the CD drive, then “Program Files,” then “Apple,” then “iPodUpdater,” then click “setup.exe.”

                                                               i.      If you cannot find it, you may have a different CD, look around the CD for iPodUpdater (it will be on there).

    1. Install and run iPodUpdater.
    2. Plug in your iPod using any USB (you don’t really need USB 2.0) or FireWire port.
    3. Wait a few seconds for the system to recognize the iPod, and then click “Restore” in iPodUpdater.  You will be warned that this erases everything on the iPod.  Continue.
    4. Wait for the restoration to finish, and don’t worry if the computer hangs a little, just wait it out (shouldn’t take that long).
    5. When the Updater finishes, it will tell you to unplug the iPod and plug it into the wall for a “firmware flash”, so use the AC adapter and FireWire Cable to plug your iPod into the wall.  You now have a Windows iPod!
  1. Connecting to Your Computer
    1. Go home.
    2. Go to http://www.winamp.com and download and install Winamp 5.
    3. Go to https://sourceforge.net/project/showfiles.php?group_id=106528&package_id=114821&release_id=261814 and download and install the iPod plugin for Winamp 5.  (I find that it is the simplest way to transfer music to iPod, it never crashes, and it is integrates w/ everyone’s favorite mp3 player.  I tried ephPod and it was quite unstable with Windows ME, and realplayer, well, its realplayer.)
    4. Open “My Computer”
    5. Plug your iPod into your computer using any USB (once again, you don’t really need USB 2.0) or FireWire port.
    6. Watch the “My Computer” window for a new icon to appear that says “<letter>: Removable Drive.”  The letter of the new icon is your iPod’s drive letter.
    7. Run Winamp 5 and click on the main menu (upper left) go to “options”, then “preferences”.
    8. Under “General Preferences” in the left-hand pane, click “iPod Support.”
    9. In the right hand pane, select your iPod drive letter (make sure it is the right letter) and then click “format iPod.”
    10. Make sure that the drive letter is correct and click “yes.”
    11. Wait a few seconds for the iPod to be formatted.
    12. Exit Winamp.
  2. Disconnect
    1. In the lower left of your screen (the system tray), locate the green and gray icon, right-click it, and select to disconnect.
    2. Select your iPod drive letter and click stop.
    3. When you get confirmation that you can unplug on the computer (for me personally, the “Do Not Disconnect” on the iPod screen never disappears, I just wait maybe 30 seconds and unplug), unplug the iPod.
  3. Restart the computer.
  4. Adding Music (Yeah!)
    1. Run Winamp
    2. Click the main menu and then “Media Library.”
    3. Plug the iPod in. 
    4. Under “Devices” on the left hand side of the Media Library, “iPod” will appear.  Click it.
    5. You can drag and drop mp3’s in the right hand pane (I like to do a little at a time, maybe 100, so the computer doesn’t freeze up).
    6. When you are done adding your mp3’s, keep going.
  5. Disconnect (again)
    1. Exit Winamp.
    2. In the lower left of your screen (the system tray), locate the green and gray icon, right-click it, and select to disconnect.
    3. Select your iPod drive letter and click stop.
    4. When you get confirmation that you can unplug on the computer (for me personally, the “Do Not Disconnect” on the iPod screen never disappears, I just wait maybe 30 seconds and unplug), unplug the iPod.
  6. You can add and delete, even enter info for your songs right there in Winamp as described in Step 5.  Just remember to disconnect right and you should be set for life.  If you are having problems just surf over to the iPodLounge forums.  If all else fails, get XP.
  7. Disclaimer – I assume no responsibility for damage to anything, but all you should really have to do if your iPod gets screwed up is do step 1 again.
1 1