+thanks,is there a way to limit song searches to DRM free songs?+
Yes. The easiest way would be to do your online shopping at stores that *only sell DRM-free songs!* That includes amazon.com and audiolunchbox.com. The sell in MP3 format, which is fully compatible with both an iPod and a Creative. And no DRM in sight.
There are other stores that sell a mix of DRM and DRM-free songs, and if you shop at one of them you will need to be very attentive. That includes the iTunes Music Store, walmart.com, and the Zune Marketplace. For example, in the iTunes Music Store you would watch for the Plus sign which indicates DRM-free.