15.6 Windows Woes with MusicMatch Jukebox

If you've decided to stick with MusicMatch Jukebox as your music collection's headquarters (rather than Apple's iTunes program), you may occasionally run into problems unique to this software.

15.6.1 iPod Doesn't Show Up

It can be frustrating: You know the iPod is plugged into the PC because you did it yourself, yet it refuses to show its face in the Portable Device Manager (Portables Plus) window (Section 2.5.2). If that's your problem, check for the following before grasping at straws (or your hair).

• Check the basics. In many cases, just quitting and reopening MusicMatch Jukebox Plus, unplugging and then replugging the iPod's computer cable, or restarting Windows can clear up the problem.

• The iPod software plug-in is missing. Exit MusicMatch Jukebox. If you're running the iPod for Windows 1.0 software (the version that came with the 2002 models), follow this path :

  At the desktop, open the My Computer C: drive Program Files iPod Bin folder. Make sure you see the files called iPodDB.dll, iPodSongInfo.dll, iPodSrv.exe, and ipodwatcher.exe.

In the 2003 iPod 2.0 software, look in the My Computer C: drive Program Files )iPod Bin folder for these files: iPod20DeviceLog.txt, iPodService.exe, and iPod Manager.exe.

Finally, check in My Computer C: drive Program Files Music Match MusicMatch Jukebox Plugins Portables and make sure you have a folder called Apple or Apple_2 with the PortDev.dll and unmatch.dll files inside. As Microsoft veterans know, Windows is very particular about its DLL files.

If you're missing any of these files, reinstall the iPod desktop software from the CD that came with your iPod, or from the MusicMatch Web site (do a search for iPod software ).

• A bad FireWire/USB 2.0 cable or connector. Try a different FireWire port on the PC, and make sure the iPod's FireWire port is unobstructed. If your cable is bent or crimped, it may not be working properly. Replace it with an Apple-approved FireWire cable.

  If you're syncing your 2003-or-later iPod with a USB 2.0 cable, make sure you have the correct, undamaged cable firmly plugged into both iPod and PC.

  Note, too, that Apple released the USB 2.0 software for PCs as a separate download in June 2003; it wasn't on the CD with the first batch of 2003 iPods. So if you've never downloaded the update, your PC may not have the software it needs to use USB 2.0 with the iPod. Check Apple's Web site for the software update.

• The FireWire/USB 2.0 card you have is incompatible. Make sure the card you're using with your PC is certified to work with Windows and has the Windows Hardware Quality Labs (WHQL) certificate of approval.

• Other hardware plugged into the chain may be butting in. If you've got several devices strung together along the FireWire or USB line, try unplugging everything but the iPod.

• The iPod is frozen. Section 15.1.1 Reset it as described on Section 15.1.2.

• The iPod's hard drive is damaged and unable to communicate. Performing the software restore procedure described on Section 15.8 might help. If the iPod doesn't respond to a reset, you may have to try the "forced FireWire mode" procedure described on Section 15.1.3.

• The battery has run down . If the iPod won't turn on, or if you see the Low Battery icon (or a low-battery message), plug the iPod into the AC adapter and let the iPod gather some power for an hour or so before reconnecting it to the PC.

15.6.2 Error Reinstalling the iPod 1.0 Software

If you're merrily reinstalling your iPod software, only to encounter a "Could not find file" alert box, don't panic. For some reason, the installer program couldn't complete the job.

If at first you don't succeed, choose Start Settings Control Panel Add/Remove Programs. Double-click Add/Remove Programs, and on the list of programs, click "iPod for Windows." Remove the program and any shared files.

Once you've gotten rid of the incomplete version of the iPod software, reinstall the components again. You can find them on the MusicMatch Web site (search for iPod software ).

15.6.3 "Missing Theme" Message

Nobody wants to see an error message right after installing a new program, but you may get an error that says "Missing theme.ini" the first time you open MusicMatch Jukebox. The program is telling you that the special iPod skin for MusicMatch Jukebox didn't make the trip in one piece. Download and install a new copy from http://techsupp.musicmatch.com/techtools/Apple_iPod_ENU.mmz.

15.6.4 Songs Don't Automatically Update

In the MusicMatch Portable Device Manager window, with the iPod attached, click Options. Then click the Synchronization tab and make sure the "Automatically Synchronize on device connection" option is turned on.

15.6.5 Sync Seems to Work, but No Songs Transfer

You've probably chosen "Selected playlist synchronization" in the Synchronizations tab of the iPod Options box (Section 2.6.2.2) ”but have not checkmarked any items in the list to synchronize. The iPod is doing just what you told it to do: Synchronize nothing.

To fix it, click Options in the Portable Device Manager window (Section 2.5.2.1), go to the Synchronize tab, and turn on some of the playlists in the list.

15.6.6 MusicMatch Doesn't Automatically Open when iPod Connects

Click the Options button on the MusicMatch Portables Plus box (Section 2.6.2.2), and then click the iPod tab. In the Settings panel, turn on "Automatically Launch MusicMatch Jukebox on device connection."

If you have a 2003 or later iPod model, you can get to the same checkbox a little faster by clicking the tiny white iPod icon in the Windows system tray. The resulting iPod Manager box offers the same option.

15.6.7 Synchronizing Takes Forever

Some of the bells and whistles you can apply to your digital audio tracks can increase the time it takes to get those same tunes shuttled over to the iPod. For example, two things known to slow song-transferring considerably are Volume Leveling (Section 5.6.4) and the resampling feature (page 140).

If you prefer speed to song improvements, click the iPod icon in the Portable Device Manager window and then click Options (or right-click the iPod icon and choose Options on the shortcut menu).

Then, in the Options window, click the Audio tab and turn off "Apply volume leveling" and "Resample rates."

15.6.8 The iPod Always Says "Do Not Disconnect"

If you've turned on "Enable FireWire disk use" in MusicMatch Jukebox Preferences (Section 9-4), you'll always see "Do Not Disconnect" on the iPod until you manually unmount the iPod from the PC. Enabling it as a FireWire disk makes the iPod seem like any other external hard drive to Windows, and you have to separate the two correctly ”or both may complain.

To eject the iPod correctly, see Section 11.5.

It's also possible that the iPod's hard drive is simply caught in a loop, even if you haven't enabled it for use as a FireWire disk. If you've tried ejecting it correctly, but the iPod is still spinning its wheels, reset it as described on Section 15.1.1. If the iPod restarts OK, try ejecting it.

15.6.9 Blue Screen of Death

Squabbling among Windows device drivers can cause a system crash, so if your iPod was working just dandy before you installed a new program on your PC, there may be a conflict between something in the iPod software and something in the software you just installed.

For example, in Windows 2000, there's a conflict between the iPod software and the software drivers for the Easy CD Creator 5 Take Two backup program ”in fact, it's a Screen of Blue conflict. A technical note on the MusicMatch site recommends uninstalling the Take Two software and its drivers to avoid the problem.

15.6.10 Error Message About Some Other Player

MusicMatch Jukebox Plus works with a number of different portable MP3 players. Because each device uses its own plug-in software, they could all be jockeying for position when you plug in the iPod and MusicMatch Jukebox Plus starts up. The version of the program that came with the iPod works only with the iPod. If you (or someone else who uses the computer) were playing around with another player, it probably installed software that conflicts with the iPod.

If you suspect this situation, quit MusicMatch Jukebox. Open My Computer C: drive Program Files MUSICMATCH MUSICMATCH Jukebox Plugins )Portables. (This is where all your plug-ins hang out.)

When you've found it, drag all the folders to the Recycle Bin except the ones called Apple or Apple_2. Restart the PC.

Once you've landed back on your desktop, open MusicMatch Jukebox Plus. Check whether you can now see your iPod, and send it some music.

15.6.11 Songs Ripped with MusicMatch Don't Sound Very Good

A huge number of hardware manufacturers make computers that run Windows, and a huge number of manufacturers make CD/DVD drives for them.

Some combinations of PC, disc drive, and Windows versions work better than others, and some produce MP3 files that sound better than others. Clicks, pops, jumpy playback, and songs that sound like they're being played at the wrong speed can be symptoms of a CD drive that isn't quite in tune with Windows.

To help compensate, MusicMatch Jukebox lets you adjust some settings for better sound quality. Choose View Settings Recorder, and on the right side of the Recorder settings panel, click Advanced.

On the right side of the Advanced Settings box are the Digital Audio Extraction (DAE) settings, which give you some control over how your ripped music sounds. For example:

• DAE Speed. The speed is factory set to MAX, but if your freshly ripped music sounds a bit on the chipmunky side, try lowering the setting to one of the numbered speeds (4,3,2,1). Of course, the slower the speed you pick here, the longer it will take each track to convert when you're ripping tunes.

• Multipass. The CD drive normally makes one pass when encoding a track, but sometimes, once isn't enough to get good quality tracks out of certain drives. Using the pull-down menu to turn on multipass lets the program read each song track more than once for better audio results. (Recording music takes a little bit longer, so bring a magazine.)

• Block Size. If your tracks sound wobbly and jittery, try increasing the number in this box. The factory setting is 20, and you can go up to 100 in your quest for better-sounding songs.

• Overlap. If you're hearing snaps , crackles, and pops in your recorded audio files (and the CD is in unscathed condition), increasing the Overlap value can even out and improve the recording. It starts out set to 3, but you can move it up to 10 in pursuit of smoother sound.

• Max Mismatches. If you have a CD that just doesn't want to record, try increasing this value, which starts at 0 and goes up to 255. The higher the number, the greater your chances for getting that track to record. (Strive to find a balance, since higher numbers introduce a greater possibility for a corrupted or bad-sounding recording.)