Can't delete songs, playlists or other items ipod nano

Those instructions are for deleting songs from your iTunes library, not your iPod nano. NOTE: You don't want to delete songs from your iTunes library just to delete songs from your iPod, unless you actually want to delete the song permanently from your collection.

How you remove songs from the iPod depends on the method used to load songs on the nano? When you loaded the songs on the iPod, did you do it manually, by picking items in your library and adding (drag and drop) them to the iPod in iTunes. Or did you set up automatic syncing?

Well, I loaded the songs into my iPod by dragging the contents of my iTunes playlists there. However, the job wasn't as good as it could have been, so I want to do it again. I want to make sure, for instance, that all the songs in my playlist show the same genre, etc, so that one playlist in my computer creates only only one playlist in my ipod. So, how do I delete the playlists that I have installed in my iPod?

If you want playlists on your computer to exactly match playlists on your iPod, a better way to do what you want is to set up automatic syncing.

Select the iPod in iTunes, either in the iTunes sidebar (if you have the sidebar visible) or by clicking on the iPod (device) button. You should see a row of "tabs" starting with Summary. Click on the Music tab there, next to Summary.

Check the box for Sync Music. Below that, choose to sync based on Select playlists, artists, albums, and genres. Below that (under Playlists), find the playlists in your iTunes library that you want sync automatically to your iPod, and checkmark them. You don't need to do anything under Artists, Genres, or Albums (although you can if desired). The capacity bar at the bottom indicates how much space your song selection will use.

After you finish creating your selection of songs, click the Apply button. This removes the iPod's existing content and syncs your selected playlists and songs (on the Music tab) to your iPod. Your selected playlists appear on your iPod, exactly as they appear in your iTunes library.

Going forward, when you want to update the songs on any playlist on the iPod, just update them (the playlists) in your iTunes library (not on the iPod) by adding and removing songs. The next time you connect the iPod (or click the Sync button), iTunes syncs those same changes to your iPod automatically.

Kenichi Watanabe wrote:

If you want playlists on your computer to exactly match playlists on your iPod, a better way to do what you want is to set up automatic syncing.

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No, that's not what I want. I want to control iPod's library. I don't want anything there that I haven't consciously made an effort to put here. That means, to start at any rate, that I only want half-a-dozen or so playlists there.

XXXXX

I thought you said

so that one playlist in my computer creates only only one playlist in my ipod.

In any case, if it's not your existing playlists (in your iTunes library) that you want on the iPod, create new playlists (in your iTunes library). You can name them to begin with "iPod - " so that they appear grouped together on the list of playlists. For example

iPod - Favorites

iPod - Exercise

iPod - Jazz

Etc.

(Or you can start the names with the same symbol, such as an underscore _ .)

Put EXACTLY the songs you want on the iPod on those playlists; you control "consciously" what goes on those playlists. There is no difference (in terms of song selection) from loading the iPod manually... Instead of manually updating the iPod directly, you are manually updating the playlists, which iTunes syncs to the iPod automatically.

When you are done creating the "iPod" playlists in your iTunes library, do what I said in the last reply to select those playlists for automatic syncing, on the Music tab.

Here's why doing it this way is MUCH better. It's how the iPod/iTunes system is optimally designed to be used, with automatic syncing. You can update the playlists at any time, even when the iPod is not connected. Playlists update instantly; it takes a few seconds (to a few minutes) per change to update the iPod directly. When you connect the iPod, ALL changes to playlists are made automatically, in one consolidated update. This reduces the occurrencce of data corruption. And finally, if you ever need to do a Restore (or even if you get a new iPod), you don't need to reload the iPod manually, which could take hours and a really good memory. Instead, you just go to the Music tab again, select the same "iPod" playlists, and click Apply. Everything is back to the way it was before, with a few mouse clicks.

Kenichi Watanabe wrote:

I thought you said

so that one playlist in my computer creates only only one playlist in my ipod.

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Yes, I did say that. It just shows how difficult it is to avoid ever being misunderstood. Without going into why I said what I said and the way I said it, I was referring to something that happened to me the last time I tried to download only six or so playlists. One of them contained about 210 songs, but none of the others contained more more than, say, 25 songs. The problem is, these six playlists in my iTunes library ended up as fragments in my iPod. The 200+ playlist ended up as three songs in place, five in another, etc. That's why I said that I wanted one iTunes playlist to create only ONE iPod playlist. I want my iPod to continuously play all of the songs in the playlist I created. In other words, when I click on my long playlist, I'm prepared to listen to it until the moon comes up.

Niku

XXXXXX

In any case, if it's not your existing playlists (in your iTunes library) that you want on the iPod, create new playlists (in your iTunes library). You can name them to begin with "iPod - " so that they appear grouped together on the list of playlists. For example

iPod - Favorites

iPod - Exercise

iPod - Jazz

Etc.

(Or you can start the names with the same symbol, such as an underscore _ .)

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Okay, it seems to me that the easiest thing to do would be to duplicate the playlists I'm interested in downloading to my iPod. Then, I'll rename the duplicate files as you have sugested.

Niku

XXXXXXX

Put EXACTLY the songs you want on the iPod on those playlists; you control "consciously" what goes on those playlists. There is no difference (in terms of song selection) from loading the iPod manually... Instead of manually updating the iPod directly, you are manually updating the playlists, which iTunes syncs to the iPod automatically.

When you are done creating the "iPod" playlists in your iTunes library, do what I said in the last reply to select those playlists for automatic syncing, on the Music tab.

Here's why doing it this way is MUCH better. It's how the iPod/iTunes system is optimally designed to be used, with automatic syncing. You can update the playlists at any time, even when the iPod is not connected. Playlists update instantly; it takes a few seconds (to a few minutes) per change to update the iPod directly. When you connect the iPod, ALL changes to playlists are made automatically, in one consolidated update. This reduces the occurrencce of data corruption. And finally, if you ever need to do a Restore (or even if you get a new iPod), you don't need to reload the iPod manually, which could take hours and a really good memory. Instead, you just go to the Music tab again, select the same "iPod" playlists, and click Apply. Everything is back to the way it was before, with a few mouse clicks.

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Well, you might be right, but I'll have to think about it. I guess my two main considerations are (1) I don't want there to be any chance of losing any files from my iTunes library. (2) I don't want anything to be downloaded into my iPod unless I specifically ask for it to be done. I don't want any clutter. I'm not really interested in automatic updates. The singer of the songs in my 200+ song file died in 1985, so I don't expect any more changes there. The other song files were the result of quite a bit of research to determine which files to save. I have files on Dangdut, Tango, Waltz, Bossa Nova, and the same applies there. However, I am going to be downloading some single pieces that are important to me. That's it. I don't think I'll be adding much more. I also have Classical music and music you've never heard of, such as Dangdut and Qasida, but the core of my iPOD collection will be as described above. If I want to listen to something else, It will be in my iTunes' library.

Well, this is enough for today. Tomorrow I'll start emptying my iPod of the mess it now has and downloading my six renamed playlists.

Niku

(1) You are just creating playlists in your iTunes library. There is no way you can lose songs when adding them to or removing them from playlists. You only lose songs if you delete them from your main iTunes music library, not from playlists. When you remove a song from a playlist, it remains in your iTunes library.

(2) As I said, you control exactly what goes on those playlists, just like if you were manually updating your iPod, one song at a time. If you then select ONLY those playlist on the Music tab, that is precisely what you get on the iPod. Nothing more, nothing less.

But you have the option and flexibility of adding other playlists to your iPod. For example, the Recently Added playlist is a "smart" playlist that has items added to your iTunes library during the last two weeks; adding this playlist to the sync (temporarily) adds new songs to your iPod, then removes them from the iPod, automatically. You can add any new songs you like to one of your "permanent" iPod playlists. If you have a playlist (or genre) with Holiday songs, you can checkmark it on the Music tab between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Using automatic syncing makes managing your iPod easier and more fun.

It sounds like these playlists themselves, not just the songs on the playlists, are valuable to you. That is precisely why you should create the playlists in your iTunes library. You create and maintain the playlists in your iTunes library. You let iTunes sync the playlists to your iPod.

If you lose your iPod or it breaks (or needs to be Restored), you don't lose your playlists, because they are still in your iTunes library. You can just sync those same playlists to another iPod. If you have two iPod, or if you get an iPhone or iPad, you can sync those same playlists to that second device. If you get a new computer, you can move your iTunes library, and start syncing your iPod from that new computer.

Kenichi Watanabe wrote:

(1) You are just creating playlists in your iTunes library. There is no way you can lose songs when adding them to or removing them from playlists. You only lose songs if you delete them from your main iTunes music library, not from playlists. When you remove a song from a playlist, it remains in your iTunes library.

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That is very clear, and it sounds good to me.

Niku

XXXXXXX

(2) As I said, you control exactly what goes on those playlists, just like if you were manually updating your iPod, one song at a time. If you then select ONLY those playlist on the Music tab, that is precisely what you get on the iPod. Nothing more, nothing less.

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That also sounds good; however, I have to ask,"Why, then, did songs I did not want get downloaded to my iPod?" I only dragged those six playlists to the iPod icon, but many other songs got downloaded to my iPod. How many, I don't know, but many that I had absolutely no interest in downloading.

Niku

XXXXXX

But you have the option and flexibility of adding other playlists to your iPod.

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Yes, that is clear.

Niku

XXXX

I am curious about how the iPod "decides" where to put songs. As I've already mentioned, the playlists I downloaded were broken up by the iPod when they were transferred to my iPod. I thought that maybe the iPod also uses criteria such as "genre," etc., so I've gone back and made all of the songs as identical as I can. For example, there were three songs out of the 210 that were not in the MP3 format, so I converted them to MP3. I also changed the "genre" to "Pop" on all of the songs even though some of them are actually "jazz". Other than that, I can't see anything that would call for placing them in different files. The names of the songs are diffferent, of course, and the file sizes, times, and bpm, etc, do vary from song to song, but I can't see any reason why they shouldn't all stay in the same playlist as they were in the iTunes library.. Well, we'll see tomorrow.

Niku

Message was edited by: Niku

I have to ask,"Why, then, did songs I did not want get downloaded to my iPod?" I only dragged those six playlists to the iPod icon, but many other songs got downloaded to my iPod.

If you dragged items to the iPod manually to load, then you were not using automatic syncing (setting up the Music tab). So, what I described previously does not apply. (When setting up the Music tab for automatic syncing, make sure the checkbox for Automatically fill free space with songs is NOT checked.)

I don't know why more songs (than were on those dragged playlists) got loaded on the iPod. Is it possible that they were already on the iPod? When you first set up an iPod with an iTunes library (connect it for the first time or immediately after a Restore), iTunes may initially load a random selection of songs for you, depending on the options you selected during the setup process. Maybe those extra songs were on the iPod already, when you did the drag and drop with those six playlists.

I am curious about how the iPod "decides" where to put songs. As I've already mentioned, the playlists I downloaded were broken up by the iPod when they were transferred to my iPod.

Again, you did not use automatic syncing before... So, I'm not sure what happened. Did you drag the playlist to the iPod, or the songs on the playlist? If you drag a playlist to the iPod, the playlist should appear on the iPod. If you did a Select All in the playlist to select all the songs, and dragged the songs to the iPod, then the songs will load on the iPod without the playlist. You can still browse the songs by artist, album, and genre, but the playlist will not be there.

For automatic syncing, the playlists you select on the Music tab will appear as playlists on the iPod. And iTunes will keep them "in sync" with the iTunes library. It does not matter if the genre or file type or other attributes are the same or not. When you select a playlist on the iPod, the songs should be the same as that same playlist in your iTunes library.