how to transfer music from laptop to ipad

Sync it.

Sounds like you need to read the manual:

iPad 2 User Guide (For iOS 4.3 Software)

Click on ur iPad and click the syc button, and it will transfer your music over, if that fails make sure on your iPad information tab that you havent ticked the manually manage music, if u have ticked it just simply drag the songs u selected to you iPad,

OK. I manually dragged my music. I am now ready for vacation. Thanks for the help.

If you have iTunes installed on the computer, you have to make sure it is the current version.

Just run iTunes and go to "File > Check for Update" to check whether your iTunes is the latest one. Then, use USB cable to connect iPad with computer as well.

After iTunes recognize your iTunes, just hit "iPad" tab under the "DEVICE" section of the iTunes sidebar. On the right screen, you can see a new window to list you all categories of iPad. Just hit "Music" tab. Check the box next to "Sync Music" and click the circle next to "Entire music library" or "Selected playlists, artists and genres." Click the boxes next to specific artists, playlists and genres if you want to sync specific music to your iPad.

Now, you may press the "Apply" button in the bottom-right corner of the main iTunes screen, followed by "Sync" in the same area to transfer the music to your iPad.

For more related articles you can see these: "How to transfer files from Computer to iPad 2" and "How to transfer music files from Mac to iPad"

Should this work with regular iPad too? Sorry for the ignorance, it's my first iPad.

Hello, you can use iPhone Transfer, a wonderful tool for iOS from RecoveryAndroid. Connect your iPad to computer and run the program, then you can select music and transfer music from computer to iPad without difficulty.

Hope this can help.

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<Edited by Host>

I think it's safe to say the OP and other rrspondants have already figured out how to go about doing this after over 3 years!