Does your iPod appear as a drive in Windows?
The main requirement for Anapod is that Windows recognize your iPod as a drive. You know it is if, a few seconds after plugging in your iPod, a drive letter such as F: or G: appears under My Computer.

If your iPod is brand new, you need to initialize it. Use the Apple 'iPod Updater' bundled with the iPod and run its 'Restore' function. If you are running Windows 98 or ME, please see our special page on Windows 98/ME Support.

Close other iPod applications.
In general, because of the way the iPod works, it is good practice to not have multiple iPod applications running at once. Before connected to your iPod in Anapod, close other iPod apps, and disable any options that may 'auto-launch' other apps when you plug in your iPod. This includes the Apple 'iPod Manager'. You may need to go into Windows Task Manager and do an 'End Process' on 'iPodManager.exe'. You can leave 'iPodService.exe' running, though.

If you want to stop Apple 'iPod Manager' from automatically running every time Windows starts, edit your Registry using regedit.exe and remove the following value: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run\iPodManager

You may also want to stop iTunes from auto-launching whenever you plug in your iPod. To do this, open iTunes, and select the iPod in the left-hand Source window. Four buttons will then appear in the lower right-hand corner of the iTunes window. Click the left-most button with the iPod icon on it. This will bring up the iPod Preferences dialog. Uncheck the option labeled "Open iTunes when attached." You probably also want to prevent iTunes from trying to automatically synchronize your iPod when you connect by selecting the "Manually manage songs and playlists" option in the same Preferences dialog.

Download the Anapod Installer if you haven't already. Then simply double-click on the installer file to run the installation. At the end of installation, if the installer says you need to reboot, please do reboot before using Anapod.

Once installation is complete, you should see the Anapod Manager icon appear in the systray. It looks like an iPod tilted over to the right, its screen dark. If you don't see the icon, start Anapod Manager from the Start menu and check that 'anamgr.exe' appears in Windows Task Manager.

Physical Connection: Once Anapod is installed, it's time to physically plug in your iPod using the USB or Firewire cable, or your dock. Once connected, the display of your iPod should say "Do not disconnect".

Wait for Windows to Mount Your iPod: After plugging in your iPod, Windows should detect and mount your iPod as a drive within a few seconds. You'll know Windows has mounted your iPod when you see the Windows 'Safely Remove Hardware' icon (with the green arrow) appear in the systray.

Soft-Connection: Finally, right-click on the Anapod Manager icon and select "Connect iPod". Once the LCD display in the systray icon lights up, you're connected and ready to go.

Once you are soft-connected, you can launch the main Anapod Explorer window. You can either right-click again on the systray icon and select "Open Anapod Explorer" or double-click on the Anapod Explorer icon on your Desktop. You can also open a My Computer window and double-click on your device. Once you've opened the Anapod Explorer window, you're ready to start browsing around your iPod!

To transfer your first file, first open up a valid drop folder, such as "Audio Tracks". Then open up a second Explorer window and browse to your music files. To transfer, simply drag and drop a file onto the Anapod Explorer window. It's that simple.

After using Anapod, you should properly disconnect using the systray icon. Do NOT just yank your iPod out! This is good advice no matter what software you're using.

To disconnect, close all Anapod windows, then right-click on the systray icon and select "Disconnect iPod". Then Anapod will unmount the iPod from your PC. The "Do not disconnect." message should disappear from your iPod's LCD display, and you can unplug it and go.

At this point, you have just barely scratched the surface of what Anapod has to offer.

Thank you for using Anapod Explorer and enjoy!