CNET How To
Switch from iPod to Zune
Skill Level BASIC
Donald Bell: Zune HD is one of the year's coolest gadgets and one of the best alternatives to the iPod we've seen. But so many have people invested in their iTunes media collections, switching from an iPod to a Zune can seem like a daunting task, so here is the few tips to make things run smoothly. First let's tackle your music collection. When you download and installed the Zune software from zune.net, the installer will automatically seek out all the music files stored on your PC's My Music Folder.
In the majority of cases, this is where your iTune music collection is stored. So any compactable AAC and Mp3 files should get sucked right in. Now, if you still have some protected AAC files, you purchase through iTunes you have to upgrade them to a DRM-free version in order for the Zune software to play them. To see what songs might be affected launch the iTune store and click on the iTunes plus link in the top right, if you have songs to upgrade, iTune will list them here and give you a chance to buy the unrestricted versions.
Of course if you don't feel like giving Apple any more cash, you also have the painstaking option of burning songs to CD and then ripping them back into your computer using the Zune software. If your iTunes collection is stored somewhere other than your my music folder or even on an external drive, you can add the location to the Zune software by diving into the software settings, then select collection. Click the add folder button next to music and locate your music folder. The same trick also works for videos, pictures and podcasts.
Okay, so one of the big stumbling box or the iTune to Zune switch is the playlist alignment. iTunes doesn't make it easy to export them and Zune doesn't go out of the way to rescue them. So the best solution I found is that light little free application you can download from code.msdn.microsoft.com/itunestozune. You open it up; give the location if your iTunes library file and your Zune music folder and all your playlist should show up with an option to convert them to Zune. If you're being into the iTune smart playlist feature, Zune has a similar feature called auto playlist where you can automatically generate dynamic playlists based around certain criteria.
Then there is podcasts, there is a good chance that Zune already pulled in your podcasts when it loaded the music from your iTunes folder, but don't take that to mean that you're subscribed. Look in the podcast section of your music library and if your podcast show up, take the extra step of selecting them and hitting subscribe button. If your podcasts don't show up or you want to subscribe to more podcasts, you can search them in the podcast directory of the Zune marketplace.
Now for the bad news, those movies TV shows and audio books you purchased through iTunes, those aren't coming with you. Blame Apple or Hollywood or the writer skill, but there is nothing you can do about it. Fortunately, this is usually the kind of content that you'll use once and never revisit, but it still those things that you have leave it behind that said, if you're getting you audio book through a service Audible, you can load those on to the Zune HD by using Audibles owned standalone software which you can grab from audible.com. so there you go some tips on making the switch from iPod to Zune. For cnet.com, I'm Donald Bell.
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