Things that - don't really work. . . iTunes

One of the things I have missed in the Down Size is Music.  I have a large collection of CDs, and though I CAN pop them into a Boom-Box, seems there should be a more compact / robust way.

So, I started looking at iPods.

We selected a iPod Mini - mostly due to it being based on Flash.  After having a friend show me the ropes, I brought it home and wanted to start transferring my music to it.  Via the rather cryptic Apple instructions, 'All' I needed to do was install iTunes and my life would be great!

Well, it is not.

I have never really used Apple products, mostly because I worked in the PC industry and also because the PC's did what I needed just fine for a lower cost.  So I was rather excited about the prospects of stepping over to the Other Side.  Well, I am not so excited any more.

iTunes is terrible.  It is big, slow, and easly confused.

We have stored our music files on an external HDD, with the idea of transferring songs as we wanted into the iPod.  Just today I have been spending most of the time with iTunes as it tried to figure out that the external HDD was no longer drive D, but E (I know, this is really a Windows issue).  iTunes answer - add all the music AGAIN from Drive E.  No way to tell it the 'library' was now on E, the great Manage Libraries menu item just talks about converting the files in some way...

So now I have my Library updated with Drive E, but wait.  It still has the old drive D items!  And when I try to manage my music, it says 'Can not locate this song, would you like iTunes to such for it?'  Actually, No - I just want to TELL YOU THE WHOLE LIBRARY has moved!

So, I started down the idea of deleting the ones not locatable - seeing as iTunes was great about marking them.  However, there is NO WAY TO SORT on the marked music...

Ok, 20 minutes and I am giving up.  (plus perhaps 4 hours while iTunes updated with the music on Drive E)

This is not the 1st time I have struggled with iTunes (in fact, we needed to simply Download and Install it twice), it is just a poor program.  And I am very very disappointed.

Now before you all start getting on my case, remember:  My prior life I was a Systems Programmer.  I know how to work around Computers.  And before the rest of you get into my face about 'you need to remember, Apple products are for the Rest of us, it just works'.  Well, this just does not work, sorry.

So, right now I am going to walk away.  But soon, very soon I am going to look for a replacement.  After all, all I want to do is move MY music between CDs and the iPod.  And maybe while I am at it, I will perhaps just get a Car Audio radio with a USB port, move my music to a Flash drive and get ride of  all the iSTUFF!

Wow, perhaps Windows Media Player would work!