2. Run iTunes for the First Time  BEFORE YOU BEGIN 1 Download and Install iTunes
 SEE ALSO 4 Connect Your iPod for the First Time 12 Import Your Existing Digital Music Collection into iTunes
Running iTunes for the first time is a little more complicated than any subsequent time you use it. This one-time process sets up iTunes by asking you a few questions about how you want to use iTunes; the options you're given can have some subtle but surprising consequences, so it pays to know what you're clicking during this procedure.  NOTE The options for organizing your music discussed in this task can be controlled in the Advanced pane of the iTunes Preferences window, if at any time you change your mind about them.
Apple has designed iTunes to be a total music management system, controlling every mile of the music-enjoyment process, from the purchasing or importing of new songs to the sharing of songs with others or transferring it to other devices. The entire process is governed not by definitive filenames and folder names , but by the contents of the info tags on each song in the database. This comprehensive design can be at odds with the way you expect digital music software to behave. One specific example is iTunes' capability to organize the filenames of your music files for you. With this option enabled, every name change you make to the info tags on songs within iTunes is automatically reflected in the filenames on the corresponding digital music files, which iTunes changes to keep up with your commands. If you have an existing collection of MP3 files, and you allow iTunes to import them all into its library during this setup process, you might be caught by surprise to find that all your music files have been duplicated , renamed , and automatically filed into folders corresponding to the artists and albums in your library. Many unsuspecting first-time iTunes' users have been taken aback by this behavior or have been infuriated to find that all their carefully named and organized files have been copied into new folders and renamed (even if the original files were untouched). Yet if you take the time beforehand to ensure that iTunes doesn't do this to youor, even better, to understand the intent of iTunes' design so that its reorganizing efforts are more of a benefit than an affrontyou'll be a lot happier in the long run. See 12 Import Your Existing Digital Music Collection into iTunes after following this procedure if you've already got a digital music collection. 2. Run iTunes for the First Time 
| 1. | Launch iTunes  In Windows , navigate to iTunes in the All Programs submenu of the Start menu and select it to launch the application. In Mac OS X, click the iTunes icon in the Dock, or double-click the icon in the Applications folder. | | 2. | Accept the Software License Agreement
Instead of the iTunes' window, which is what you'll see for every subsequent launch of the application, for this setup process you'll first see a window displaying the Software License Agreement. Read this document thoroughly if you want to be familiar with the rules of using iTunes; because it's a piece of software specifically designed to work with copyrighted materials that may or may not be used legally, it's a good idea to be familiar with what you're agreeing to. You have several options: Save lets you save the Agreement to a file for later perusal, Print (if available) sends the agreement straight to your printer, and Decline quits iTunes. Only if you click Agree will iTunes proceed with the setup screens.
From this point on, you can abort the initial setup process by clicking Cancel ; if you do, iTunes will start normally. However, the next time you launch iTunes, you are prompted again to go through this setup process.
| | 3. | Automatically Import Existing Digital Music Files iTunes can scour your hard drive looking for digital music files in MP3, AAC, or unprotected WMA format, and add them automatically to its library. If you've got an existing collection of music, you can leave the Add MP3 and AAC Files check box enabled and let iTunes import these files automatically. However, bear in mind that iTunes will find music files all throughout the system, not just where you like to keep your music; you might end up with the internal soundtracks from your video games imported into iTunes. If you disable this option, refer to 12 Import Your Existing Digital Music Collection into iTunes to bring your music into iTunes' Library in a more controlled manner. You can change your mind about how your music is organized at a later time as well; see 67 Consolidate Your Music Library for more information. NOTE If you leave the Add MP3 and AAC Files and Add WMA Files check boxes enabled, iTunes copies the music files to the iTunes, iTunes Music folder inside your Music or My Music folderit doesn't move them. This approach ensures that your original music files remain untouched. However, it also means your disk space is suddenly taken up with two copies of every song you own. Be sure that you have plenty of disk space before proceeding; also, be sure to delete your unwanted original files when you're satisfied with the way iTunes has imported them! The Add WMA Files option (which exists only on the Windows version, and is only available if you have Windows Media Player 9 Series or later installedvisit http://www.windowsmedia.com if you don't) works similarly to the Add MP3 and AAC Files option, except that when iTunes finds a WMA file, it converts it to AAC on-the-fly as it imports it, leaving the original WMA file untouched. iTunes cannot import protected WMA files , meaning purchased music files you might have obtained from a competing online digital music store. If you have a lot of these files, you might have to convert them to an unprotected format using a sneaky and painstaking method similar to the one described in 56 Create an MP3 CD from Purchased AAC Music . When you've made your selection about the music files you want iTunes to automatically import, click Next . | | 4. | Allow iTunes to Keep Your iTunes Music Folder Organized
The following setup screen gives you the option to allow iTunes to rename files and folders within the iTunes Music folder. This special folder is where iTunes keeps all the music it imports, as well as the songs it imported in the previous step (if you chose to let it do so). If you choose No, I'll change the file and folder names myself in this screen, changes you make to song titles, artist names, and album names within iTunes are not reflected in the file structure of the iTunes Music folder. However, if you choose Yes, keep my iTunes Music folder organized, every time you make such a change, iTunes automatically makes the same change in the names of the files in the iTunes Music folder. This means that if you ever have a need to navigate into that folder to pull out the bare music filesfor example, to copy them to another system or send them through emailyou can be sure that the files are named exactly the way you expect. Each file's name reflects the disc number (if that info tag is set), track number, and song title, and is organized into a folder for the album, within a folder for the artist. This behavior can be turned off later in the Advanced pane of the iTunes Preferences window (see 12 Import Your Existing Digital Music Collection into iTunes ).
| | 5. | Start with the iTunes Music Store
The final choice you're given is whether to start iTunes this very first time by opening the iTunes Music Store , or by going straight to your music library. Choose the option that's best for you; this is most likely to be the second because you'll likely prefer to browse your music collection rather than jump straight into buying more music. It's the best way to get acquainted with iTunes, after all.
Click Finish to complete the setup process and arrive at the iTunes' window. If you chose to have iTunes search your hard disk for existing music files in Step 3, this search process takes place now; it may take a minute or two, so be patient while iTunes works. When the process is complete, all your existing music appears in iTunes' song listing pane.
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