Congratulations, you just received a shiny new iPod Nano, iPod Shuffle, iPod Touch or iPod Classic as a present from someone, someone who was willing to pony up the big bucks for a gift. Nothing to complain about. Except, of course, if you're not yet part of the iPod world, someone who has already figured out the basics of getting music on and off the device.

If that's you, we've got ya covered. This tutorial will show you how to get music onto your iPod from your computer using iTunes 11, then it'll also show you how to perform the reverse trick: get music off your iPod and onto your computer.

Why both? Sometimes you just want to grab songs off someone else's iPod, or off an old iPod of your own, and perhaps that device is no longer sync'd to your current computer.

Hi Dave, I have been following your newsletter for awhile now. Most of your topics are way over my head but very interesting. I mistakenly removed the iTunes folder from my Music Library. I still have my music intact, I can see all my tracks. Sadly, I have never backed up my iTunes so if I lose my tracks I'm out of quite a bit of money. I'm running Windows 7 Premium on my laptop and I have a portable hard drive. I have purchased a pack of DVD+RW discs to backup my music if that's what I need to do. But urgently, need to recover the iTunes Folder that should be in Music Library because I can't update iTunes software when notified. If you can help me or point me in the right direction, I would very much appreciate it.

I pulled my iTouch [ed note: "iPod Touch", actually] out of the drawer and when it was fully charged I realized that the time was off. In fact, not only was the time off, but it thought it was 1969. What the heck? How do I fix the date and time on my iTouch?

My son has just come home from his uncle's house with a new iPod. Very nice. Full of a wide variety of music, some of which I don't want him to listen to. He says "ya can't get rid of any songs without removing them all" but I don't believe him. Is there some way to remove a half-dozen of the worst songs without redoing everything on the iPod Touch?

I have a huge library of music, Dave, and want to be able to enjoy it on all my Apple devices, but am tired of having to pay for the biggest possible storage on each so that I have space. I've read about iTunes Music Match [ed: actually, it's called "iTunes Match"] and want to know if it'll solve my storage problem while still giving me access to all my tunes?

I have a bunch of bands and musicians I follow faithfully and when I see that there's a new CD coming out from one of them, I'd love to just have it show up on my iPod when it's released without having to think about it again. Yeah, I could wait until my friends tell me about the new Nine Inch Nails or P. Diddy release, but I want to be first in the digital line. Is this doable with iTunes?

Google has jumped into the cloud music fray with an interesting, though rather crude, offering of its own called Google Music, and I decided that it'd be darn helpful to have all of my almost 9000 songs available to me anywhere I was online, through just about any Web device.

Here's how I got started with Google Music...

Hi Dave. I want to buy a new ipod or mp3 player. which one you suggest? And which company you suggest?

I'm really enthused about the possibility of wireless sync on my iPhone with the release of the new version of iTunes and iOS 5 for my iPhone 4, but rather than just thrash around I am hoping you can tell me how to quickly set up this feature on my Mac?

I want to buy a few new CDs from my favorite artists, but the prices on the iTunes Store seem to be going up. I also want to share the music with my boyfriend and can't unless we have a shared account. Stinks. A friend told me I should buy my music from Amazon instead with its MP3 downloads. How does that work with iTunes, iPods and iPhones?

Hey Dave, between a Sony PSP 3006 and a Sony PSP GO, which one is the best?

I'm so psyched to get an Apple iPod after all this time, and now that I've figured out how to get some music on it, want to also put a movie on the device so I can try out watching it on the tiny screen during my commute. How do I add a movie to my iPod?? I'm on a PC running Windows 7 if that's important.

I know that if I had my iPod sync'd to a Mac system it'd be easy to manage my contacts, but I'm on a Windows system and, darn it, I would love to have a list of phone numbers on my iPod. I mean, the capability is there with the "Contacts" area. So how do I manage contacts, names and phone numbers on my iPod Nano if I'm using iTunes on my Windows PC?

I have a new iPod Touch which is awesome, but one thing has stumped me: how do I add photos to my iPod? My friends on Mac systems can somehow hook it up so that their newest albums in iPhoto are automatically copied across, but I don't have a Mac, I have a Toshiba running Windows Vista, so am I stuck?

Crazy frustrating. I have a laptop of my own and a desktop computer at work and when I went to my parents house to share some movies on their new AppleTV, it complained that I'd already authorized five computers with my account and wouldn't proceed. Sucks! How do I fix this?

My brother gave me his Apple iPod Nano because he's now just using his iPhone and it's sweet, but it's paired to his Mac. I have a Dell laptop running Windows 7, tho, and want to put my music on it. What's the easy way to reformat it and start from scratch with my iPod?

This is driving me crazy: I have a ton of music on my iPhone and listen to it instead of my iPod. Easier, less gadgets involved. Problem is, if I shake or jostle my iPhone then the iPod app decides I want to jump to the next song. I don't! Can I turn off shake to shuffle and if so, how??

Just got a new iPod Nano, but now I'm trying to figure out how to get music onto it without having to buy every single song from iTunes. I can't afford that! I have tons of CDs, how do I import a music CD into iTunes so I can copy it onto my iPod?

I found an iPod Touch that has been sitting in the closet for about a year and want to update the firmware operating system [ed note: it's actually called "iOS" now]. How do I update my Apple iPod Touch?

I have a nifty wireless wifi speaker setup in my office where we use AirPlay on our Apple devices to send music to the speakers from iPhones, iPads and our Mac computers. Works awesome and it's built around an old Airport Express, but I realized that anyone can find and access the speakers, not just people in my office. Is there a way to password protect the speakers?

I read about the addition of a new feature called AirPlay with the latest update to iOS, the operating system on my AppleTV unit (and my iPad, if I'm correct), but for the life of me, I can't find it nor can I figure out how to use it. Supposedly I can push audio directly from my computer or iPad to my AppleTV, but I'm lost. Can you help?

I just bought an iPhone 4 and am psyched about it, but I want to copy music from my iPod Nano onto it and am stuck. Is there a special cable or something I need? How do I copy music from an iPod onto an iPhone?

I have a new iPod Touch which is awesome, but one thing has stumped me: how do I add photos to my iPod? My friends on Mac systems can somehow hook it up so that their newest albums in iPhoto are automatically copied across, but I don't have a Mac, I have a Toshiba running Windows Vista, so am I stuck?

Crazy frustrating. I have a laptop of my own and a desktop computer at work and when I went to my parents house to share some movies on their new AppleTV, it complained that I'd already authorized five computers with my account and wouldn't proceed. Sucks! How do I fix this?

My brother gave me his Apple iPod Nano because he's now just using his iPhone and it's sweet, but it's paired to his Mac. I have a Dell laptop running Windows 7, tho, and want to put my music on it. What's the easy way to reformat it and start from scratch with my iPod?

This is driving me crazy: I have a ton of music on my iPhone and listen to it instead of my iPod. Easier, less gadgets involved. Problem is, if I shake or jostle my iPhone then the iPod app decides I want to jump to the next song. I don't! Can I turn off shake to shuffle and if so, how??

Just got a new iPod Nano, but now I'm trying to figure out how to get music onto it without having to buy every single song from iTunes. I can't afford that! I have tons of CDs, how do I import a music CD into iTunes so I can copy it onto my iPod?

I found an iPod Touch that has been sitting in the closet for about a year and want to update the firmware operating system [ed note: it's actually called "iOS" now]. How do I update my Apple iPod Touch?

I have a nifty wireless wifi speaker setup in my office where we use AirPlay on our Apple devices to send music to the speakers from iPhones, iPads and our Mac computers. Works awesome and it's built around an old Airport Express, but I realized that anyone can find and access the speakers, not just people in my office. Is there a way to password protect the speakers?

I read about the addition of a new feature called AirPlay with the latest update to iOS, the operating system on my AppleTV unit (and my iPad, if I'm correct), but for the life of me, I can't find it nor can I figure out how to use it. Supposedly I can push audio directly from my computer or iPad to my AppleTV, but I'm lost. Can you help?

I just bought an iPhone 4 and am psyched about it, but I want to copy music from my iPod Nano onto it and am stuck. Is there a special cable or something I need? How do I copy music from an iPod onto an iPhone?

How do I create menu folders [ed note: actually you're talking about app folders on your iPhone / iOS 4 home screen] on my iPhone 4?

Being the computer guru you are, I'm sure such a question won't tax your awesome technical problem solving savvy but here goes: How do I delete podcasts or music from my iPhone or iPod that I don't want anymore?

I hear that you've got a podcast you record weekly, Dave. How can I find and subscribe to it ( ed note: it's called the Boulder Open Podcast [iTunes link] ) in iTunes? I'd like to give it a shot and find out what you sound like too!

Our son traveled to NYC with my iPod Touch. I downloaded several apps for him. I'd like to delete them from the iPod for now, but maybe put them back on later since I paid for them. I'd also like to delete kids' programs, then put back on again when I see grandchildren. Is this possible? I'm thinking not possible, because when I downloaded free apps before, then deleted them when I purchased upgrades, they also disappeared from the Itunes list.

I don't have one of those fancy iPod Touch units, but my recent iPod Classic appears to have the ability for me to buy and install games on it. Problem is, when I go to the App Store, it's all iPhone / iPod Touch / iPad related and there's no link of any sort to iPod games. Do they still sell these games?

I want to give my daughter my old iPhone so she can use it as an iPod Touch sort of device and am concerned that she'll listen to material that doesn't meet my approval as a parent. What I'd like is to put some sort of limiter or lock on the phone so that any music that is marked as having explicit lyrics is skipped or prevented from playing. Possible?

We see tons of questions like this: "My iPod went through a huge wash, and the screen is black, when I hold the flashlight to it, it is seeable, but, it's very inconvenient to have a black screened iPod nano in the public." that ultimately boil down to: my iPod's busted, how can I get it fixed cheap?

I have a Nextar MA809 MP3 and Video player and want to know how to download music onto it, add my favorite movies, copy DVDs, etc. How do I find out?

Dave, I have two iPods and I want to give one to my almost 9 yo son, but some of MY songs are inappropriate. I have a folder specifically for him on my iPod, but how do i sync ONLY that folder to the iPod that I want to give him?

This is just weird. I've been using Aperture 3 on my iMac for quite a while and it's been going great, I love this program! Problem is, I just got an iPad and want to drop some photo projects onto it from Aperture on my iMac and when I click on "Sync Photos from Aperture" I get an error about the library not being visible and previews needing to be shared? But I can't figure out what needs to be tweaked for things to work!

I'm about to throw my Apple iPhone out the window, Dave, so help me out! I bought an audio book on CD-ROM from the local used bookstore, ripped all the tracks in iTunes, then set the files to "audiobook" format. Sync'd on the iPhone, they show up as audio books, but when I go to play it, the tracks are in shuffle mode, and there's no way to prevent it! How do I fix it??

A pal of mine who is a developer sent me a redemption code so I could check out his app on my new iPad. Problem is, I don't know how to redeem a redemption code and don't want to ask him. Suggestions?

In addition to having a ton of music on my Apple iPod, I also have a copy of it all on my laptop, which is great. Any time I want I can plug in my headphones and listen to it while working. Except there are some songs that I just don't want to show up when I'm in "shuffle" mode in iTunes. Can I mark them as not eligible for play during a shuffle?

I just got an Apple iPod Touch, which is super cool, but I have no idea how to get it to work with my Dell PC. I'm running Windows Vista and use Windows Media Player 10 (WMP10) for the music on my computer, but WMP doesn't seem to see my iPod. How do I proceed and get it to work??

I have an iPod shuffle and it's pretty neat, though of course I'd love to have a tiny screen on it. Problem is, a lot of the time the music that iTunes drops onto the iPod isn't what I want. I do aerobics, and there's nothing that's a buzzkill faster than a slow song in the middle of a workout!

I can see that there some sort of song tagging capability in the FM radio portion of my new Apple iPod Nano 5G device, but for the life of me, I can't figure it out, and the micro-documentation from Apple doesn't shed any light. Dave, how the heck does this work?

I've been contemplating buying a new iPod Nano since the FM receiver capability would help me listen to the TV programming at the gym while I work out. Before I take the plunge, though, can you show me how the FM radio features work on the 5th gen iPod Nano?

I've lost count of how many iPods I have here in the office, but it's at least a dozen of various sizes, shapes, and technologies, ranging from a first generation mini-hard drive unit with a firewire connector to the very latest Classic (that's an odd expression, isn't it?)

In addition, I'm a big fan of my Apple iPhone, which among many other great features, is a splendid iPod in its own right and currently stores 1716 of my favorite CD tracks quite neatly (49 artists, 146 CDs), along with tons of apps, my phone book, and enough games to even keep my kids quiet for ten minutes.

The problem with all of these devices is that when you're ready to skip to the next track because you just don't want to hear the one that came up in shuffle mode, or even just prefer to jump past certain songs, it's a pain in the booty to pull your iPod or iPhone out of your pack, bag or pocket, unlock it, and tap the right button to get to the next track.

Apple's addressed that with the slick new iPod shuffle's smart controller headphone cord (a double-tap advances to the next track) but for the millions of other iPods in the market, what's the smart solution?

Enter the Griffin Technology Navigate device...

I've signed up for a PlayStation Network account, using the helpful step by step directions you published yesterday (see: How to sign up for a PlayStation Network account for your PSP) and now I'm curious to learn how to download a movie or TV show. Can you show that too, please?

A buddy just showed me on his Sony PSP Slim that he can get to a network where you can watch movies, download games, and all sorts of cool stuff. He says it's the "PlayStation Network" and I want it! How do I get it on my PlayStation Portable, because when I look on the main menu it just ain't there.

I find myself in hotel rooms more often than the average person and it never fails that the music I want to listen to, the music on my computer or iPhone, is available if I want to use headphones or the cheesy little speakers on the devices, but if I want to have it sound good and fill the room? I'm outta luck.

If you work in an office - especially after hours - you might well have a similar desire for a nice little speaker system that you can keep neatly tucked in your desk drawer when everyone's around but pull out and enjoy when the coast is clear.

That's why I was glad to receive a review iLuv iSP100 portable speaker device. I've looked at others in this category, but the iLuv is advertised as having a different speaker technology that gives it better bass response and volume.

The results?

My sister put her Apple ipod nano in the washer, and now it only works when it is plugged into a computer. any advice?

I've read all your other Sony PSP articles fanatically, but I haven't found anything you've written about how to access the Skype service from the PSP. Can you show me how to connect with my Skype friends through my Sony PSP, please?

I got a great gift from my folks, an Apple iTunes gift card. Nice. And I have an iPod. What I don't have is any clue how to redeem an iTunes gift card. Help!

One of the reasons I bought the Sony PSP was so I could listen to some of the radio broadcasts available via the Internet from Switzerland, where I grew up. Can you explain how I can do that?

I've written about this before, about how to connect your Sony PSP to the Internet, but I think it's worth writing about again, detailing one of the most common questions people have with their Sony PSPs: how to connect them to the Internet.

I just bought my son a new Sony Playstation Portable and every time he starts it up to play a game we see the error message "No Memory Stick Duo found. A Memory Stick Duo is needed to save game data". What does it mean and why wasn't it included with our PSP?

(two questions in the same entry, conveniently enough)

hi dave i took my ipod to school and some kid opend my backpack and stole it. I was wondering if you can get a new one at the store you bought it at if ur under the year they give you once you buy it in case something happends to it. thanx

Q: Someone stole my Sony PSP and I'm so frustrated! It took me a year to save up enough money to buy it. Totally sucks! Can I get a replacement from Sony or Best Buy, or can you send me one?

Hi Dave, I was looking at your site on how to download music onto a mp3 player. I am buying one for my friend for her birthday and didn't want to get a really expensive one (she just wants it for when she runs) so I am looking at one other than iPod. I want to load it with music for her from cd's (I have a lot) but don't know how to do that. I have iTunes and I read how you can change the default to mp3...can I do that temporarily, then put it back for my ipod?

I recently purchased a new iPod; the Apple Nano 8GB, in silver. I don't use my iPod very often. But when I do...I do!! It is billed as the most popular music player in the world. I can understand why...

My iPhone is being very weird: when I plug it into my iMac the computer doesn't seem to recognize it any more. How do I fix it so I can be a happy iPhone user again?

A pal of mine was telling me how he'd had some problems with his Sony PSP and that as a result of a particularly bad moment to have his battery die, it was now "bricked". What does that mean?

Searched for a few things on your site and I hit pay dirt! Thank you. I'm am nonetheless uncertain on how to pick a MP3 player. I don't know what factors to take into consideration in order to guide my choice. What do you suggest? I'll use it mostly to listen to music on the train as I commute to work. I'm no tech wiz and one of the first things I'll need to master is how to download, so a complicated gizmo won't work out for me. So what should I consider : memory (how much is good?), size, weight, crash proof, compatibility with other technology that might be coming up, keys? As you can read, I have no clue!

I am a big fan of my Apple iPod, but I can't figure out how to have it automatically download the most recent podcast from the podcasts I subscribe to. I think there's something I can do in iTunes to get this to work, but I'm just not exactly sure how to proceed.

Before I buy a fancy new SDcard, can you tell me how many photos, TV episodes or songs will fit on a 512KB, 1GB and 2GB card for my Sony PSP?

omg~~~!!!!! help dave......i have gotten songs on to my sony psp and i dont have wireless internet... so when i go to play the song it says "WMA playback is not enabled. Go to [settings] > [system settings], and select [Enable WMA playback] to enable this feature.

So when i go there it lists the user agreement and i agreeded and it says the system will connect to the internet to enable WMA playback the only option is to say ok it goes to your network connections. . . .but i dont have wireless internet... so if i go to a cyber cafe will i be able toggle this setting so i can play music?

Every year I have a problem trying to figure out where to hide Christmas presents and this year I've finally decided to just leave them in a box in the trunk of my card. My only concern is the cold weather. Can cold mess up digital cameras, iPods, etc?

Hi there, i really need your help, i have a Sony player mp3/wma/rec 256M, but i don't have the driver, could you help me please?

Just read about Amazon's new online music store that features millions of songs for sale without any digital rights management junk. Yeah! My question, before I jump in, can I access the store on my Mac, and if so, can I then put the new music into iTunes and thence onto my iPod?

I dropped my sony psp, and now it doesn't work. I do have my numbers to see if it is still under warranty, but how do I go about contacting Sony to see how to fix it or send it into company?

I forgot the code to unlock the maximum volume limit on my iPod nano, is there some way to hack around it or otherwise get rid of it? I can't even hear my music when I'm on the bus!

My friend was showing me a copy of Windows XP running on his Sony PSP and I'm gr33n with envy! How do I download Winxp onto my own Sony Playstation Portable? For that matter, can I get a copy of Windows Vista for my PSP?

I've been using iTunes for a while on my computer and now have a pretty darn large music collection. Rather than have it all work with shuffle mode, I'm interested in learning about playlists, and particularly about smart playlists in iTunes. What can you tell me and what smart playlists do you have?

We have problems with our son and the Internet. He has a Sony PSP and has figured out how to get on line. Is there a way to remove the software on this PSP? or maybe a password we can set up so there is no avail. service for him. Thanks.

I know that you generally discourage people from downgrading the firmware on their Sony Playstation Portable (PSP) unit, but darn it, I want to do so anyway. Can you offer some tips, even if you have to include a disclaimer?

I've been reading through your site. I see a lot of problems with the Sony PSP music downloads. Why did Sony make this so difficult for the buyers of their product. Why not just get a class action lawsuit against Sony and I'm sure they will come up with an easier solution to fix thier psp transfers.

I just bought a new Apple iPod Shuffle second generation and before I plug it in, want to know how it's going to sync with my Mac and what I should expect. Is there any software I need to download, for example?

I got my hands on a tiny new Apple iPod Shuffle, 2nd generation, and it's amazingly cool, but I'm a bit baffled by what all the different flashing patterns mean. Is this some sort of Morse code or something? Help!

Hey Dave, what do you think about websites like pspblender and allpspgames? They claim to offer full version games for Sony PSP systems as downloads which are supported on all firmware versions including v2.81 and are legal. Are they for real or just trying to con people?

Do any of the following describe a problem you're having with your iPod? My iPod nano won't power on! My iPod mini won't shut down or is frozen! I can't get songs to transfer from iTunes to my iPod! My iPod doesn't show up in iTunes at all? My Apple earbuds or headphones don't work with my iPod shuffle? Or is something else wrong and you just figure it's time to send your baby, your formerly favorite gadget, in to service?

I have psp and my 2gb card will not format, what's wrong? How do I get my Sony PSP to format the memory stick, or can I use my PC card reader to do that?

So many games, so little time! What are the best games for the Microsoft Xbox 360, Dave? I don't want to drop $40-50 on some clunker, obviously!

Help! My kid sister sat on my Sony PSP and broke the screen. Is there any hope for me? I mean, isn't there somewhere I can get my PSP repaired or fixed other than Sony itself?

Now that I have downloaded PSP firmware version 2.8, and successfully updated my PSP (now showing the correct version when prompted), and having spent some considerable time finding a wireless hotspot, and getting access to it I have enabled the WMA playback option. However, any WMA files I download now seem to be protected by someting called DRM - a Windows security system.

I've been playing with my RCA Lyra RD-2312A Mp3 player and it's pretty good, but I'm intrigued by one thing: it apparently can record FM broadcasts right off the air? Cool. How do I do that, and, when I have a recording, how can I get that off the Lyra and onto my computer?

I just got a cool new RCA Lyra RD2312 Mp3 player and am really impressed with how small it is. My problem: I have a Mac and am basically clueless about how to get music out of my iTunes library and onto the little device. Can you help?

I'm thinking about buying an Apple iPod and was actually contemplating the Dell DJ until I read that Dell's discontinued their own brand of MP3 player. Now there's another device on the horizon, the Microsoft Zune. Darn. What can you tell me about the Zune, Dave? I mean, should I wait until Christmas and buy one, or just stick with a tried-and-true iPod?

I love my new RCA Lycos Mp3 player but am finding that listening to the same dozen songs over and over again is getting, dare i say it, boring. A friend turned me on to audio books and now I'm eager to listen to more, but I can't afford $25-$40 per book! Are there places I can get free or really cheap audio books?

I know this might have been answered before.. if so all I need is a link thank you. But I read your answer on transfering music to the Sony PSP and the music went on the PSP. But when I play it after about 15 seconds it'll stop and say file is corrupted. The music is in mp3 format. The PSP firmware version is 2.60. Please help. thank you.

Hi Dave, I have pokemon gold on gameboy color. I've had it for about 2 years now and recently it's been playing up. When i save the game it runs through the usual procedure of saving and says "save successful" BUT when I turn it on again the next time it doesn't have the "continue" option. only "new game" it's REALLY ANNOYING!

Also [I hope u dont mind me asking this too] but i have pokemon sapphire on gameboy advance and when it loads it says "internal battery has run dry, time based events will no-longer occur" which is also VERY annoying and I cannot complete the game because some pokemon only appear at night and it stays as permanent day time.

Please, please, please help me! I saw a question you answered earlier about how to: Convert WMA from Windows Media Player into MP3 files? Now, I know you know how to convert WMA files to MP3 files, but do you know how to convert MP3 files to WMA files? Please help me, you would be my hero! You are my last hope!

My son is really into what he calls "speed metal" and I call horrible loud noise. Even when his headphones are clamped to his head I can hear the guitars and singers screaming into the mic. I seem to recall that Apple added some system whereby I can limit the maximum volume on his iPod so he doesn't go deaf by the time he's 17, but I can't figure out how to do it. In the name of humanity, HELP!

I have a new Apple iPod that I've been playing with on my brother's PC, but now I want to pair it to my iMac. Every time I try to do that, though, it refuses to do anything and I'm ready to toss it out the window! Rather than do that, can you please tell me how to proceed? At this point I don't care if I lose the music on the iPod either, since I have it all on my Macintosh...

Dave, I follow all your steps on how to get to the Internet on my PSP, but every time I try it says no access point detected. What does that mean, and how do I solve it??

I've just bought a new Apple iPod Mini and am really excited about getting started loading my music onto it, but I can't figure out how to do so! Windows Media Player can synchronize music with the iPod, but the iPod itself doesn't then seem to know the music is there. HELP!

I just got my daughter a psp and I can't figure out how to use it. It has a game with it but I can't figure out how to get it to play.

Do I have to have a memory card for it?

I bought it from a friend that didn't want it anymore and I don't have the little booklet that comes with it. How can I get the booklet?

Can you please send me some info on how to get this thing to do something?

It does light up and it shows me the menu... but what else?

I'm considering getting a Sonos system, but I don't understand how it works with my computer and home stereo, and what I would need in terms of equipment to set it up. Can you give me some idea of what I'd need and how to make it work?

Now that I have a Sony Clié to play with, I'm wondering if it's possible to turn it into a music player so I don't also need to purchased an MP3 player? It's running PalmOS if that makes a difference.

Hi Dave!!! Yesterday i was updating my psp to the new firmware version but it suddenly ran out of power and turned off. Now when i turn it on there is no response, just the power indicator light on. What do i do???

I have a Sonos system all set up, and it’s really sweet. A couple of quick questions, however. I got a subscription to Rhapsody for Father’s Day – can the Sonos work with it? Also, can I set up my favorite free radio station to work with the Sonos?

I installed the Sonos player, which seems to be a sleek little unit, but I don't understand how to play my iTunes music through it. How can I play my songs and playlists?

Dave, help! How do I delete downloaded movies from my Sony PSP? More generally, how do I manage the files that I've put on the PSP without having to use my PC all the time?

Hey Dave, how do I turn off the little white light on the Sonos unit in my bedroom? I gotta say that the Sonos unit is awesome, but that white power light is driving me crazy at night!

I have a bit of a dilemma: I need to reformat a memory stick to be able to work with my Sony camera, a Sony Cyber-shot DSC-P200, but I don't have a clue how to do it. Can you help me out, Dave? Thanks!

I have my Sonos system all hooked up, and it's a really great system. I have iTunes, Rhapsody, and even that Hawaiian streaming Internet radio station you mentioned in one of your other Sonos articles. Here's the problem: I'm having a party to celebrate the beginning of summer, and I'd like to set it up so that every zone plays the same thing for the party. I can't figure it out. Help!

I bought a new RCA Lyra RD2312 MP3 player and have liked it overall (though don't tell my boyfriend I still have a bit of iPod Nano envy) I have found that on occasion it freezes up on me and when that happens, I don't really know what to do. I think I should be able to reboot the Lyra, but I don't know how to do that. Can you help out?

Dave, if i take a usb cable from a psp and a dsl cable and I cut them both in half and connect the usb to the dsl cable would that make my Internet work on my Sony PSP? I have firmware version 2.70.

i just got a new Sony PSP, way cool, and I found a great web site about hacking the PSP. On the site they say that it's totally legal, but is it? Should I do it? Oh, and what is homebrew?

Dave, I just wanted to know how many songs does a PSP 2G memory card hold? I want to buy a good one that holds a lot of music so I can listen to whatever I want on my Sony PSP when I'm out of the house.

I just got a new iPod Shuffle and it's definitely cool, but I really have no clue what all the lights mean on the unit. Can you illuminate?

Hey Dave! I just got a Toshiba Gigabeat F40 and I sort of figured out how to download music onto it and all but random pictures that were on my computer downloaded on to my mp3 too - I don't want those pictures in here! How do i delete them?

How do you download songs onto a BeatSounds EMP-ZII PLUS MP3 player? I just got it and i'm desperate to know since no one else will tell me. I have a windows xp comp. So please tell me how to download songs to my mp3!

I have a Rio Carbon MP3 player which I really like, but I'd like to reformat the memory in the device so I can wipe all my old music and start afresh. How do I do that?

I have to admit it, I'm new to the mp3 game, heck I didn't leave my room for a week when the Xbox 360 came out. I just got an iPod Nano and it came with a 25 dollar itunes card. I downloaded itunes and I haven't used it yet. The problem is that I also decided to download limewire. I haven't downloaded limewire yet ,but I want to know if it is illegal. If it isn't, could you help me decide if I should stick with itunes or get limewire? Thanks Dave.

Recently my PSP was stolen, I know who stole it but I also need proof. He only took the PSP console, battery, game and memory stick. I have also found out each PSP has their own individual ID and my question is, does the psp manual contain the PSP's ID code to the PSP it came with? If so then where would it be located?

Hi I'm having a problem with my Sony PSP and connecting it to the internet see I can get through everything but the WEP code. Is there a common WEP key? Are they all different? How would I be able to get mine? I searched everywhere but I still can't find it! HELP ME PLEASE!

I was reading the questions asked about the Sony PSP and i saw a lot of questions about firmware or something and that it has different kinds of number like 1.50 and 2 or greater ! Now my questions are what is firmware and what does it do and how do i know wich one is my sony psp?

How do i charge my Ipod when it's fully dead? My ipod died completely where it is showing a dead guy thing and i have a cord to connect into my computer. I plug it in and it doesn't do anything but show the dead thing over and over and i even have itunes on my computer!

How do I change the background on my Sony PSP version 1.5? Failing that, how can I change the background if I update my PSP to the latest firmware, version 2.60?

Hey Dave! I have a Sony PSP and was wondering if I buy a wireless base station how do you set it up and are there any programs that i have to install?

I really love my new Sony Playstation Portable (PSP) and while most of the games are kinda lame, there are enough good ones that it's a great companion on my daily commute. I bought a few UMD format movies, but I have a HUGE library of DVDs that I got for my home and I'd love to be able to copy some of them onto the PSP rather than have to buy UMDs. Is that even possible, and if so, how the heck do I do it, Dave? Help me, please!

Dave, help! How do I download the music already on my computer to my creative zen mp3 player?

I have a samsung yh-820, but i brought it off e-bay, about 5mnths ago, so i have no warranty and it's gone wrong. I turn it on and it says ' connect to pc and repair with recovery utility' only problem is that it isn't recognised by my computer. I've contacted the samsung company who were very unhelpful and suggested i try a new usb cord, but i know that it isn't the usb becuase it charges fine and this is on the same cord. And it constantly reloads when plugged in. I really don't know what to do, do i have a right to send it back to the seller or not or do i have to pay for repair. I would really appreciate help here if possible

I really enjoyed your pre-System call with Ken McCarthy (register to listen to the call or learn more about the conference) but I had a problem when trying to listen to it on my Creative Zen Microphoto MP3 player.

If I listen to the downloaded call on my PC it comes out fine, however if I transfer it to my Zen it plays real slow. Kind of like a 45rpm record being played at 33rpm. Any thoughts on what is causing this? I don't have this problem with other mp3 downloads except the ones from Ken which all seem to suffer the same problem.

I have a Samsung mp3 YH-820. I already transferred songs to it but i can't hear them. What can I do?

I've been looking at the Wolverine MVP as a possible iPod Video alternative that also has the ability to back up my photographs when I'm in the field: amazingly, it reads CompactFlash, SmartMedia Cards, Multimedia Cards, SD Memory Cards, Memory Sticks, Microdrives, xD Cards and Memory Stick Pro devices. My concern: does it work? Is it easy to use?

I have an RCA Lyra Mp3 player and an SD memory card for it, but I can't figure out how to format my Lexar SDcard so I can use it with the Lyra. Can you help me out?

I have a Logik MP3 player. How do I transfer a radio programme download from the internet to the machine. I have plugged it in the USB and it says ready, but then nothing happens. thanks a lot.

I have a new Apple iPod Video and have been really enjoying its music capabilities, but I'd also like to add some pictures to its photo album from my PC. But I'm darned if I can figure out how the heck to do that! There's nothing vaguely photo-related in iTunes and I'm stumped. Help!

I love my Sony PSP, but I cannot figure out how to get successfully connected to the Internet. I know it's a wifi system, I know I need to be able to see an access point, but I cannot get it all working. Help!

I saw that you're covering the Nintendo DS on AskDaveTaylor. Sweet! Now, can you help me? I just can't figure out how to get my Nintendo DS unit to connect to the Internet. I'm trying to get Tony Hawk's American Sk8land to work.

I'm psyched! The Nintendo DS is getting more and more cool features, but I'm amazed to hear rumors that it's going to actually have wireless Internet access and even let you download games from the Internet, totally unlike the Sony PSP, which blocks just about every cool Internet capability. Is the DS really going to allow this feature?

I have a bunch of WMA format audio files on my Mac and really want to put them on my RCA Lyra MP3 player but it only supports MP3 format. Somehow, I need to convert the audio from WMA to MP3. How?

hi. i was wondering.. I use a RCA Lyra mp3 player that i got from a friend for free. (USB cord included) and i was wondering how to download .mp3 songs onto the mp3 player. When i was reading your tip on how to do this i found that i didn't have a removable hard disk and im using windows XP so i was wondering whats wrong with my computer or where i need to look for the Removable Hard Disk. (and yes.. i'm not an idiot. the mp3 player is hooked up to the computer.) so if you would please help me. that would be awesome, thanks for your help.

I love my new Archos AV-700 portable media system. It can record video directly, has tons of disk space, is a music player, photo album and can show movies in a variety of formats. None of which are compatible with my DVD player, alas. So how the heck do I copy one of my movies onto the device?

I have a samsung YP910... the charge died and it will no longer charge from the USB port -- can you help?

Please can you help me as my new ipod nano will not turn off! I am holding down the play button as usual but there is no response, it's just stopped working. I only bought it at Christmas.

I'm confused. Can I use my older Memory Stick Duo devices with my Sony PSP, or do I need to go and buy new Memory Stick PRO Duos?

I don't know if something's wrong, but suddenly my PSP has a different background color than it did a few days ago. Do I have some sort of virus or something? How can I change it back to the green I liked so much?

Hi! I try to go online on my Sony PSP but it will not let me. It says that my wlan switch is off. How do I turn it on?

I'm not too sure what the differences are, but my brother asked me if the Sony PSP supports 802.11 "b" or "g" and I really don't know. He also asked if it can connect to a WPA-based network, or just a WEP network, and, again, I don't know. Do you?

Dave, I just got a little Lexar LDP-200 digital music player and have no clue how to add music to the device! It says it supports MP3, WMA and WMA DRM, but I don't know what they are. I just want to have something tiny to use as a music player while running. Help?

My question is: I am going to buy my husband the White Sony PSP, from Japan. I am not a technical wizard, so, I would like to know if there is a difference between the American version of the psp and the Japanese version. I tried reading what you have on your website, but i really don't catch what you are trying to say. Please Help Me!

I have a Sony PSP and have been trying to connect to the Internet with my wireless base station, but it keeps asking for a "WEP" and I don't have a clue what that is or how I get it. Help!

I'm looking to make a Sony PSP optimized website, but I want it so that it can only be viewed by the PSP and if viewed in a normal pc internet browser, you have a message saying "please visit us using your psp" or something along those lines. How do I do that?

I'm definitely going crazy here. I have a ton of CDs that I've ripped with Windows Media Player 10, but they're all apparently in WMA format, not the MP3 format that my new Sony Playstation Portable (PSP) needs for me to listen to them. I checked and there's no "save as" capability in WMP, so how the heck do I fix this problem?

I have bought a sony psp and I would like to get internet on it. I have a windows xp and my internet connection is a bt broadband basic, it runs at 2.2 Mbps. my sony psp has a system 2.00.is there any way to put inernet on it.

Ok I am about ready to throw my Sony PSP out the window. i have done everything your directions have said and i cannot get music to play on it. i know it stores it to my memory card because it uses up the memory. i made the music folder and dragged the mp3 files into it but it refuses to play on my PSP. i do not know what else to do. please help me..

You seem to be on top of all this stuff, Dave, so tell me: should I upgrade the firmware on my Sony Playstation Portable (PSP) to the latest 2.60 release from Sony, or should I stick with 1.50? I'm not entirely clear of the tradeoffs.

I need 2 know where is the best place to get a psp (playstation portable) for the cheapest price but still a good deal and how many song can a PSP hold? I live in miami FL

Dave, I received my Sony PSP about 6 months ago and I don't know how to do anything with it besides play games that I buy. I have like a memory card thing for it but I dont know what to use it for. I've heard that u can get the Internet on your PSP and dowlonad movies and music and pictures, but how?

I recently downloaded and installed the PSP 2.5 software update and it has an application called Location Free. What is it and how do I use it?

Here are some of the most common questions that are submitted to Ask Dave Taylor about the Sony PSP, in no particular order:

• Can I download games if my PSP is running firmware version 2.5?

• Can I back up to an earlier version of the PSP firmware?

• How do I download games like Pac-Man onto my PSP?

• Where can I find free games / music / videos / movies for my PSP?

• I downloaded MP3 files onto my PSP, but now I can't find them?

• How do I convert normal music to MP3 format for my PSP?

• How can I have my Sony PSP talk with my Windows 98 PC?

Where do I find the cable for downloading music onto the Sony PSP? Indeed, it appears that there are a lot of people talking about different cool accessories for the PSP: where are they finding all this stuff and what's a must-have?

I am trying to upload version 2.5 on my PSP. I went to network connection and did the first step. Next it came up with the screen asking my SSID and enscriptioon. I chose scan and it came up with:

wireless -- WEP -- 80%
belkin54g -- none -- 10%

Whenever I chose the wireless WEP one, it would ask me for my WEP key. Whats is a WEP key? How do I find out what my WEP key is?

When I chose the belkin54g connection (which would only come up in certain spots)it always had a weak connection and when I chose it it would still not connect. Whenever I would try to connect, the messages "A connection error has occurred. The access point was not detected" OR "A connection error has occurred.(80410D07)

Then when it said address settings I chose "Easy". Does that have to do anything with it. All I want to do is upgrade my PSP system. Can you please help me?

I have a huge library of DVDs that I'd like to be able to watch on my Sony PSP. Since I already own them, it seems really stupid for me to have to buy the "UMD" version of them. Is there any alternative, especially for us Mac users?

Hey Dave. I just upgraded from 1.5 to firmware version 2.0 on my Sony PSP device and now all the games I grabbed off the net don't work any more. That stinks. Is there a way I can roll back my unit to the 1.5 Sony PSP firmware?

I want to transfer music and movies to my Sony PSP, on my computer I'm using Suse Linux 9.2. What kind of program or software can I use? The problem is that my computer can't find the Sony PSP when I plug it in the USB port.

How do I get MP3 format files out of my iTunes player on my Macintosh? I want to know because I have a new Sony PSP unit and really want to copy some songs from my computer onto my PSP unit. Thanks!

Dear Dave, I have a PSP and I love it, but there is a problem: I am confused about .rar files or documents. What format is RAR and how do I unpack it? I've looked for downloads for my PSP but they are all in RAR format and I have no idea what to do with them once I download them. Please help!

Hey Dave, I got a Sony PSP and I was wondering how do I transfer a PDF document to a PSP?

I'm baffled: on my Sony PSP, when I try to connect to the network, it says that there are no access points detected. What shall I do?

How do I update my Sony PSP unit to the new 2.0 firmware release so that I get to use the Web browser, etc? I don't have a Wifi connection, so I need instructions that don't require wireless, too. Thanks!

Dave, I hooked up my Sony PSP to my Windows PC and, darn it, accidentally deleted everything on the memory stick. Now I'm stuck. How do I recreate everything?

Now that the Sony PSP has a Web browser along with its existing wireless capabilities, is there any way at all that it's possible to actually listen to my iTunes music library on my PSP, even though the library's actually on my Macintosh and I'm not even at home?

How do I get the Network Update feature on my Sony PSP to work? I've tried what Sony suggests but it never seems to like my wireless Wi-Fi connection, so I can't ever get to the network to look for any sort of update!

I just got a Sony PSP - darn neat gadget, I gotta say - and want to know what kind of cool software utilities people have written to help me use my PSP with my Windows PC or my daughter's Mac laptop?

I got a Sony PSP two days ago and when I got it, it said I had 30 MB. Now it says that I only have 900 KB (and this is after I deleted everything, my games and songs, so it should have a clear memory)?

I then tried putting MP3s on it but it won't accept any of the songs I drag into my music folder. It always says that I don't have enough memory (this is also when I deleted everything so my PSP has a clear memory)

Help!

Yo Dave, I want to download the new PSP 2.0 software so I can try out the kewl Web browser, but don't know where to start. Do I need a USB wire or is it a wireless download? My connection always says there is a DNS error cause my access point has a WEP key or something ilke that, and third, where do I go to download the software? Please help me ASAP!

I bought a PSP from the USA and the background colour in the menu is pink. Suddenly a week later the background changed its colour to green!!! Is there a problem with the PSP or is this normal??? Basically does it go through different colours throughout is gaming life??

I just bought a new Sony PSP and am having a heck of a time figuring out how to get it to work with my Windows XP PC. I know I can copy music and pictures onto the PSP, but I don't know how. Help?

I just bought my son a PSP and I have read the manual, and nothing helped with this problem. Problem being that he turns it on and it says Please Wait....only it stays there? Thinking it might be the memory card I took it out and tried again... same result... can you please help me out, he has to go back to his mothers in a week... Thank you for your time.

I play MVP Baseball for my Sony PSP. I've tried two different umd disks of the same game. When the other team does a substitute a box pops up informing you of the substitution. 90% of the time the game freezes and I have to restart all over again. should I clean the lens or should I call the technical support center for sony? I can't seem to find my manual at this time and I'm not having any luck on the internet. Can you help me please?

Dave, I just got a new Sony PSP and really want to download some of my favorite pictures from my Mac onto the unit. Is that possible, and if so, what do I need to do on the PSP and Mac to get it to work?

Dave, I keep seeing your site pop up on Google for Sony PSP searches, but I haven't yet been able to figure out: do you own one of these units? If so, what games do you think are the very best ones to buy? There aren't a ton out yet, but each one is so darn expensive...

I have a Sony PSP which I love, but while I've read your article about how to download music, I don't know where to get it from. Can you suggest a site or two where I can get PSP-compatible music files?

Dave, I have a Samsung YP-910GS hard drive mp3 player and it reciently stopped working. I tried to reload the firmware but when I connect it with USB the computer says unreckonized USB device. I know the hard drive is a 1.8" Toshiba, same as in the iPods, but it says the drive is an ATA drive? Is there a way I can check the disks for errors and repair it, if it is corrupted?

How do I change my regular music to mp3 so that I can download it into my psp? I also can't get pictures into the psp? I have the regular usb cable

Now that the Sony PSP is out they're now selling UMD movies. Most of the movies I already have in my DVD collection, however. Is there any way that I can copy my DVD movies to a memory stick duo for my Sony PSP? If so what all would I need (cables, software, etc....)?

Dave, Help! How do I download music from my HP Windows computer to a Sony PSP computer? The system says it is downloaded but the PSP says that there are no tracks available?

Dave, a friend just sent me mail telling me that Sony has licensed iTunes from Apple and today has announced that they've ported iTunes to the new Sony PSP unit. iTunes for PSP? Man, that'd be cool. Where can I find out more about it?