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Some Questions

S

SoonToGetAMac

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Jan 27, 2003
255
0
California
Hopefully I will soon be getting an eMac or iMac, and I just had a few quick questions...
1) Right now I have the Linksys "BEFW11S4 V. 2" -- It is an 802.11b router with a 4 port switch. The router is in the same room as the to-be mac, and with my current PC I just use an ethernet connection from the router to the PC. If I want to do this on the Mac, what settings will I need to mess with?
2) If I get an iBook w/ Airport at a later time, what kind of configuration is needed to make it work with the 802.11b?
3) Right now I have been ripping all of my CDs at 160kbps with the directories as "Hard Drive\Artist\Album\" Does iTunes rip the tracks into the same type of directory structure (e.g. If I rip another They Might Be Giants CD, would it "mesh" with all of the MP3s from my PC) ?
These are the only 3 questions I can think of for now, but I had a good 3 or 4 more a few days ago, so I will post those once I remember...
Thanks for your time, even though I am sure these are common questions:(
 
1. check the linksys website for compatibility issues

2. what do u mean?

3. yes it's the same...and if you have them all tagged correctly, you can import the mp3s directly into itunes by dragging them into the library window and they will be automatically placed in the correct folder directories
 
by question #2 i mean if i get an ibook and install the airport card, will i be able to just select my wireless network...and its that simple?

sorry for the seemingly obvious question, but to change wireless networks on a windows machine (even with XP) is mildly complex.
 
Here's the image.
 

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1. yep, just plug it in.

2. Nothing. Airport is 802.11b. It will work just fine.

(You'll find network configuration on Macs almost completely painless - like everything else!)

3. iTunes builds its own directory structure under your user directory. It copies the files there. iPhoto does the same thing. I don't like it either. It should be possible to create aliases and have them in a different structure (I like the structure you suggest, BTW), but then I don't know how you'd get it into the list. Actually I haven't used iTunes much, but I've used iPhoto quite a bit. I don't care for a lot of stuff in the Users folder - in fact I don't like any deeply nested structures - but disk space is cheap these days. (Maybe it'd be possible to import it, then replace the copy with an alias afterwards?)
 
Incredible!

I can't believe this! :D To set up my DSL/router the first time on my XP box was a travestry. After getting the ethernet to work (this alone was a 12-hour job), the next night the ethernet just dies, and I think "great i got a DOA router" then i try a wireless connection and it works fine...but i didnt wanna waste the extra $100...so i plug the ethernet back in...now i am running fine, but just shows how bad XP has been for me.

"Just plug in the cable, and it works!" -- what a great concept! :cool:

I feel like a switch ad :rolleyes: , but this sounds so great I can't wait to get my mac...

** by the way, has anyone ordered through small dog or MacConnection for a mac...which one do you think is better?

thanks again for all your help :D :)
 
Re: Incredible!

Originally posted by SoonToGetAMac


** by the way, has anyone ordered through small dog or MacConnection for a mac...which one do you think is better?

thanks again for all your help :D :)
Click to expand...

NO, but I have ordered from General Cybernetics. Got better prices at the time and am very satisfied. Check them out http://www.generalcybernetics.com/apple

Also, pm Backtothemac about it. (He is GC sales manager). He's awesome and will work with you to get what you need for the lowest possible price.
 
story about airports....

you ever driven in a big city with your laptop on in the car?...check out your airport status.....i see wireless connections coming in from all over the place!!!....especially by college dorms
 
Re: Incredible!

Originally posted by SoonToGetAMac
I can't believe this! :D To set up my DSL/router the first time on my XP box was a travestry. After getting the ethernet to work (this alone was a 12-hour job), the next night the ethernet just dies, and I think "great i got a DOA router" then i try a wireless connection and it works fine...but i didnt wanna waste the extra $100...so i plug the ethernet back in...now i am running fine, but just shows how bad XP has been for me.

"Just plug in the cable, and it works!" -- what a great concept! :cool:

I feel like a switch ad :rolleyes: , but this sounds so great I can't wait to get my mac...

** by the way, has anyone ordered through small dog or MacConnection for a mac...which one do you think is better?

thanks again for all your help :D :)
Click to expand...

Yup, since your router acts as a DHCP server and Macs are set to DHCP by default, it's just plug and go!

Ahhh, but the AirPort is truly great!!!! It'll automatically detect your wireless network, show it in a dropdown of available networks, and then you can select to connect to it. After you have selected it once, it'll automatically connect to the network by default the next time you turn on your computer.

I still remember when I went to get my iBook configured at my school (Macs are not officially supported). The IT Help Desk guy looked warily at me, like, "oh, geez I don't know anything about Macs.". Then I show him the Airport dropdown where the school's network arleady was, and he was flabbergasted, he was like "wait, have you connected to the network already?!??". And then he was like "wait but I don't know where to copy the WEP key file on a Mac." (for encryption). And I was like "copy a file?!?!?, just try to connect, it'll prompt for the password, put in the WEP key for the password, make sure you have 'Add to Keychain' selected, and you're done!!" In no time I was all set up and have no problems connecting to both my school network and my home network (I have a D-Link wireless router).
Hopefully that kid at IT learned a valuable lesson about how Macs freakin' RULE!!!!
 
Re: Incredible!

Originally posted by SoonToGetAMac
I can't believe this! :D To set up my DSL/router the first time on my XP box was a travestry. After getting the ethernet to work (this alone was a 12-hour job), the next night the ethernet just dies, and I think "great i got a DOA router" then i try a wireless connection and it works fine...but i didnt wanna waste the extra $100...so i plug the ethernet back in...now i am running fine, but just shows how bad XP has been for me.

"Just plug in the cable, and it works!" -- what a great concept! :cool:

I feel like a switch ad :rolleyes: , but this sounds so great I can't wait to get my mac...

** by the way, has anyone ordered through small dog or MacConnection for a mac...which one do you think is better?

thanks again for all your help :D :)
Click to expand...

I wonder why you had so many problems. I built my g/f a PC for Xmas and it runs XP (which I'm not very familiar with). All I did was connect it to to my router and it was on line. I expected to have to do some basic configuring like I did w/my Win2k machine but that wasn't the case.


Lethal
 
Re: Re: Incredible!

Originally posted by LethalWolfe


I wonder why you had so many problems. I built my g/f a PC for Xmas and it runs XP (which I'm not very familiar with). All I did was connect it to to my router and it was on line. I expected to have to do some basic configuring like I did w/my Win2k machine but that wasn't the case.


Lethal
Click to expand...

Yeah...I think it may have been the Linksys router, which I have heard is not all that great.
 
Originally posted by cubist
3. iTunes builds its own directory structure under your user directory. It copies the files there. iPhoto does the same thing. I don't like it either. It should be possible to create aliases and have them in a different structure (I like the structure you suggest, BTW), but then I don't know how you'd get it into the list. Actually I haven't used iTunes much, but I've used iPhoto quite a bit. I don't care for a lot of stuff in the Users folder - in fact I don't like any deeply nested structures - but disk space is cheap these days. (Maybe it'd be possible to import it, then replace the copy with an alias afterwards?)
Click to expand...

I have an external FW drive exclusively for iTunes, with the following path: HardDrive/iTunesMusic/Artist/Album. i don't know what the problem you are having. I actually like the fact that unless I specify otherwise, my Music is in my Music folder: HardDrive/Users/Me/Music/iTunes/Artist/Album. No one can mess with my music that way.

yo can point itunes to a directory/drive that you want. After that it keeps track of everything. To copy your songs, just drag the music folder on to iTunes (assuming you connected to your windows machine, and want to copy the songs over), it will sync everything to place.
 
Originally posted by zarathustra


I have an external FW drive exclusively for iTunes, with the following path: HardDrive/iTunesMusic/Artist/Album. i don't know what the problem you are having. I actually like the fact that unless I specify otherwise, my Music is in my Music folder: HardDrive/Users/Me/Music/iTunes/Artist/Album. No one can mess with my music that way.

yo can point itunes to a directory/drive that you want. After that it keeps track of everything. To copy your songs, just drag the music folder on to iTunes (assuming you connected to your windows machine, and want to copy the songs over), it will sync everything to place.
Click to expand...

Okay, so you can tell iTunes if you want it to put the music into iTunes\Artist\Album, or have it put everything in one directory, etc.?
 
Originally posted by SoonToGetAMac


Okay, so you can tell iTunes if you want it to put the music into iTunes\Artist\Album, or have it put everything in one directory, etc.?
Click to expand...

you can tell itunes where to keep the folder containing the songs. It will ALWAYS sort them like this: iTunes Music/Artist/Album/Songs.
 

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Fantastic:D, that image was just what I was looking for. Do you folks think that it makes sense to re-rip my ~120 CDs on my (coming soon, I hope) Mac? I was planning on just copying them over, as I already have them at 160kbps.
 
Originally posted by zarathustra


you can tell itunes where to keep the folder containing the songs. It will ALWAYS sort them like this: iTunes Music/Artist/Album/Songs.
Click to expand...

But keep in mind that auto-organizing is an option in iTunes. For example, I prefer just to have all my songs (only about 400 or so) in one big flat directory.
 
Originally posted by lmalave


But keep in mind that auto-organizing is an option in iTunes. For example, I prefer just to have all my songs (only about 400 or so) in one big flat directory.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I did that for a while, but when I am trying to make a playlist just by finding files, it got annoying...thanks for the advise though
 
itunes doesn't specifically need the mp3s to be in the itunes music folder...i added a second hard drive to my machine ONLY for music...and so instead, the directory is /Volumes/Music and then appear the artist names, then album, then song

note...not many people know this, but if you rip various cds and don't want itunes to create a new album for one song for all these different artists, in the song info window, select "part of a compilation" and the album will be moved to a "compilations" folder where normally you would see the artists folders...just a little helper if you use toast or just for organization sake
 
One handy-dandy trick is this; if you don't have your iTunes library auto-managed by iTunes, like it's scattered around, or kept in a big directory... but you have the songs listed in iTunes... turn the option on, and use the "Consolidate Library" function under the Advanced menu. I found great use of this...

Of course, if you don't have the files in iTunes yet, you can do as they said: make sure iTunes is set to manage your library (in preferences), then just double-click them, or drag them to the iTunes window. Takes it a little while to copy a large library, but it's so simple...

I wouldn't say there's any reason to re-rip your songs, unless you'd like to do VBR, which iTunes supports in ripping. Otherwise, just import them.

:)
pnw
 
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