I have a 2GB IPOD with only 385 songs on it. I downloaded 2 CD's to iTunes but when I try and sync the IPOD I'm getting an error message indicating there isn't enough space. I thought a 2GB would hold at least 500 songs.

It all depends on the bitrate of the MP3s or AACs. A 128kbps MP3 of a 3 minute song is about 3mb. But a 192kbps version of the same song is 5.5mb, and a 320kbps version is 7.2mb. Apple Lossless for the same track is nearly 11mb.

And... album art adds to that whatever the size of the image is. Some can be as little as 30kb, but I've seen album art that's bgiger than the MP3, from a file size standpoint.

So, the 500 songs is all relative. I have a cheap iGb mp3 player that'll hold nearly 400 MP3s at 128kbps. At 192... I can get about 180 on it.

The figures that Apple used to use when saying how many songs coud fit onto any particular iPod were based on a 4 minute song at a Bit Rate of 128Kbps and that's the bit rate that songs sold by iTunes used to be in. However, now the iTunes Store sells songs at 256Kbps (as do many other MP3 stores) - which means that each song now uses twice as much storage space than before.

So if your songs have a bit rate of higher than 128Kbps, and/or they are all longer than four minutes each, that's why 385 songs is filling up your iPod. You can check how much space is being used when the iPod is connected to iTunes Library. Look on the Device panes for the capacity bar at the bottom of the window. How much space is being used by Music?

The solution is either:

• Use iTunes to make 128Kbps versions to go onto your iPod - or,
• Sync the iPod using Playlists and then choosing which Playlists you want on it. Smart Playlists may be the answer - you can set Smart Playlists up so that they automatically add and remove songs from your iPod, so that there is a constant change of songs (according to the rules you set)