How to open iTunes on external HD + Nano with Catalina using old iTunes format??

[magentawave]

I installed Catalina on a hardly ever used mid 2012 Macbook Pro 15 that I just bought. I have iTunes installed on an EXTERNAL HD and when I connect that and my iPod Nano to this computer I can't figure out how the freaking heck to delete the podcasts I listened to on the Nano and update with new podcasts. I watched a bunch of Youtube videos and nothing specifically addresses this issue. It was easy to do this on my previous and now fried MBP's.

QUESTION...

Does anyone know how I can open iTunes and my Nano on an MBP with Catalina so iTunes will be in the same familiar old format that was in Mojave and High Sierra?

Thanks!

 

[Taz Mangus]

With Catalina, the iPod Nano should be listed under finder. Do you see it in the finder sidebar? If you do, select the iPod Nano and you should be able to update it.

 

[magentawave]

I can see the Nano in the finder but what to do after that is the part I don’t understand with Catalina. On my other computer with High Sierra (or Mojave?) you could click on the nano and see everything on the nano which made it easy to delete podcasts I already listened to. I don’t see any way to get there with Catalina though. Again, I’ve watched a lot of videos on YouTube and they all say you can see the device in the finder but they don’t explain how to proceed after that.

 

[Taz Mangus]

What happens when you click on the iPod Nano in the finder? Can you post a picture showing what is displayed when you select it in finder.

 

[magentawave]

I appreciate that you're sticking with me. Thank you.

This is what I see...

1 IMAGE: Desktop with External HD with iTunes and iPod Nano ("New iPod").

2 IMAGE: When I click "New iPod" on the desktop all that shows is the "Recordings" folder. (Those M4A files are from a voice memo app I use on my iPhone that are saved in iCloud.)

3 IMAGE: Nano has 16GB and only 1.19GB of space left. The "Recordings" folder comprises a very very small percentage of what's on the Nano. Yet, all I can see when I open it in the Finder are the voice memo recordings described in 2 above.

4 IMAGE: This is what I see after I click "MBP17's iPod." You can see that "New iPod" IS at the bottom of the list in the Finder but for some reason this Macbook Pro with Catalina lists it again but automatically renamed it "MBP17's iPod."


Not sure what this is about, but the only way to eject "New iPod" from the desktop now with Catalina is to force eject it every time even though all programs associated with it (Music, Podcasts) are closed.

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[Taz Mangus]

What I would suggest to do is give AppleCare a call at (800) 275-2273 and chat with an advisor. There won’t be a charge to speak with them.

 

[magentawave]

UPDATE: After scouring the internet, including Youtube, I tried everything I could to make the Music and Podcast apps that came with Catalina work with my old iPod Nano. The problem was that those apps won't let me create or delete playlists like you can do within iTunes. I also looked at iTunes alternatives but couldn't find much input on what works NOW and what doesn't. I called Apple and they confirmed what I had already found out. (Thanks for suggesting to call Apple.) The other problem was that Catalina was painfully slow on my mid 2012 Macbook Pro 15 with 16 GB of RAM and mechanical HD. So, I downgraded to Mojave and now I have iTunes back and the computer is running well and will get better if I replace the existing HD with a solid state drive.

I'm going to stick with my Nano for as long as I can. I have three of them and it's such a bummer that Apple stopped making such a cool little device.

Thanks again for your time.