Let's say you have one computer and two iPods. It's easy enough to synchronize both iPods with just one computer, as long as both iPod users are happy accessing the same music library or the same set of playlists. But that can get hard to manage, especially if you're manually updating the iPod or adding new music that you'd like to keep separate.

To get the most life out of your battery, don't let it discharge fully--that is, don't run it until it's dead. However little you use your iPod, recharge it fully at least once every three weeks to prevent the battery from going flat. If you go on vacation for a month, you should take your iPod with you and recharge it during that time. (But you were going to take your iPod with you on vacation anyway, weren't you?)

It's a known fact that all Apple iPods scratch fairly easily. Take a look at any iPod (front and back), and you'll notice a series of tiny scratches and smudges. In general, these blemishes give the iPod a more used--and in some minds, charming--look, and while an iPod loses a certain amount of luster, it doesn't affect its overall usability.

You've probably noticed that when you're searching for songs, there's a category in the Browse menu called Composers. This category is primarily useful for classical music because these songs may be tagged with the name of the recording artist rather than that of the composer. For example, an album of the Fargo Philharmonic playing Beethoven's Ninth Symphony might list the Fargo Philharmonic as the artist and Beethoven as the composer. By using the Composers category, you can easily find works by your favorite composer: Bach, Beethoven, Brahms, and so on.

Everything you might want to know about your iPod's battery (including its life expectancy) can be found on the iPod Battery Website. If your iPod battery has died or no longer holds a charge, you have several options.

If you choose NOT to manually manage your music then your iPod is in Automatic Update mode: after you synchronise your iPod with your computer any modifications to tracks and playlists you have made in iTunes will be precisely copied onto your iPod. When in this Automatic Update mode, you cannot change the tracks on your iPod while your iPod is attached - the tracks in the song list when you are looking at the songs on your iPod appear greyed-out:

If a sad iPod icon or an exclamation point and folder icon appears on your iPod's screen, or if you get a clicking sound or hard drive whirring, it is usually the sign of a hard drive problem and you have the power to do something about it now.

Is your iPod in a very bad way? Is it not being recognised by iTunes? Maybe it is displaying the dreaded "folder" or "sad iPod" icons? If you have tried all the solutions listed above with no success then this "Super Fix" solution will cure most problems.

All Apple products are guaranteed against defects in materials and workmanship for one year (see the Apple Service FAQ). To obtain service you should contact your nearest Apple Authorised Service Provider (click here and search for "Find Service"), or else take your iPod to your nearest Apple retail store (see the front page of this website for a list of locations).

If you want to transfer music to your iPod, you use iTunes. But that if you want to get your music back off your iPod? In general, you cannot transfer songs back from your iPod to your computer (an exception to this rule is the "Transfer Purchases" feature in iTunes which allows you to transfer your iTunes purchases from your iPod to iTunes on your computer - see the section "Transfer music from your iPod to your computer" on the iTunes page).