For iPods, It's Easier to Upgrade
There's no other major item most of us own that is as confusing, unpredictable and unreliable as our personal computers. Everybody has questions about them, and we aim to help.
Here are a few questions about computers I've received recently from people like you, and my answers. I have edited and restated the questions a bit, for readability. This week my mailbox contained questions about using the iPod with older versions of Windows, setting up Outlook for multiple users and where to find inexpensive memory cards.
If you have a question, send it to me at
mossberg@wsj.com, and I may select it to be answered here in Mossberg's Mailbox.
Because of the volume of e-mail I receive, I can't routinely answer individual questions by e-mail, or consult on individual problems or purchasing decisions. I read all questions I receive and select three each week to answer in the column.
Q: I received an Apple iPod for Christmas, but discovered it only works with Windows 2000 or XP, while our computers run Windows 98SE and Windows ME. Is there any way I can use the iPod with my PCs, short of upgrading them to Windows XP?
A: Yes, but with caveats and limitations. The iPod itself can be used with Windows 98SE and ME, with the right software and hardware. But its companion program, iTunes, requires Windows 2000 or Windows XP. You can get around this to some extent by using a third-party iPod synchronization program instead of iTunes. There are several such programs, but my favorite, one I have tested and used, is XPlay, from Mediafour Corp. It costs $29.95, works with Windows 98SE and ME, and can be obtained from
www.mediafour.com.However, there are some drawbacks to this approach. First of all, while XPlay and other utilities will let you transfer music you already own to the iPod if the music is in the right format, they won't let you buy new music from Apple. You can only access Apple's iTunes music store from within the iTunes program, which only works on Windows 2000 or XP.
Secondly, when you use XPlay on an older version of Windows, you won't be able to connect the iPod to the computers via the USB port, which is the most common way to connect an iPod to a Windows computer. Instead, you'll have to use a FireWire (or 1394) port, which your computers probably lack. So you'd have to add a FireWire card, which is costly and a hassle.
Q: How do I set up Outlook Express to enable my wife and me to each have our own names as the sender of an e-mail?
A: Outlook Express has a feature called "Identities," which allows multiple people sharing a computer to have separate e-mail names, folders of e-mails, and address books. You and your wife can each have your own identity, and you can switch between them.
To set up a new identity in Outlook Express, just go to the File menu and select "Identities" and then the "Add New Identity..." line. To switch identities, select "Switch Identity" from the File menu.
Q: I just read your camera column of last week, and wonder where you found a 256-megabyte memory card for under $30. I just bought an Olympus digital camera and paid about $150 for a 256-MB card.
A: Well, I was referring to the most common kind of memory card, the SD card. The prices I used were from CompUSA's Web site. They were selling a 256-MB Kingston-brand SD card for $22.99, after a $10 rebate.
By buying an Olympus, you tied yourself to a much less widely used format, the xD card, which costs more. Still, you were grossly overcharged. As I write this, CompUSA's Web site lists a 256-MB Olympus-brand xD card for $59.99.
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Because of the volume of e-mail I receive, I can't routinely answer individual questions by e-mail, or consult on individual problems or purchasing decisions. I read all questions I receive and select three each week to answer in the column.
iPod如何与旧版Windows兼容
在我们大多数人拥有的大件电器中，再没有什么比个人电脑更令人费解、更变幻莫测的了。每个人或许都有些关于电脑的问题，而《莫博士信箱》将为您提供帮助。
本周我将回答读者有关iPod与旧版Windows兼容以及为Outlook Express设置多个身份等问题。
问：我在圣诞节得到了一个苹果(Apple)iPod，但是我发现它只能与Windows 2000或XP兼容，而我们的电脑安装的是Windows 98SE和Windows ME。在不将电脑升级到XP的情况下，有什么方法可以让我在我的电脑上使用iPod吗？
答：有，但是存在一些局限。如果软件和硬件没问题，iPod本身是可以在Windows 98SE和ME上使用的。但是它的配套软件iTunes要求电脑安装Windows 2000或Windows XP操作系统。你可以用第三方提供的iPod同步软件替代iTunes来解决这一问题。这样的软件有好几种，但是我最喜欢的一个是我曾经测试并使用过的XPlay，该产品由Mediafour Corp.出品，售价29.95美元，可以与Windows 98SE和ME兼容，你可以从
www.mediafour.com网站上下载。
但是，这种方法存在缺陷。首先，尽管XPlay和其他软件能够让你把现有的格式正确的音乐转移到iPod上面，但是你无法通过这些软件向苹果购买新的音乐。你只能通过iTunes程序才能进入苹果的iTunes音乐商店，而iTunes程序只能在Windows 2000和XP上运行。
其次，当你在旧版Windows上使用XPlay时，你无法通过USB端口将iPod与电脑连接，USB端口是连接iPod与Windows电脑的一种最常用方法。因此你将不得不使用FireWire(即1394)端口，而你的电脑很可能没有这种端口。你将不得不增加一个FireWire卡，这不仅费钱而且还很麻烦。
问：我如何对Outlook Express进行设置，好让我的妻子和我各有一个邮件发送者姓名。
答：Outlook Express有一个名为“身份”的功能，它能够让多个人在一台电脑上使用不同的邮件姓名、文件夹和地址簿。你和你的妻子可以各自拥有一个身份，并可以在两者之间进行切换。
在Outlook Express建立一个新的身份，你只需要到“档案”菜单中选择“身份”，然后选择“新增身份...”即可。在“档案”菜单中选择“切换身份”即可实现不同发件人之间的转换。
问；我读过你写的关于相机的专栏，我很奇怪你在哪里找到价格低于30美元的256兆存储卡。我刚买了一个Olympus数码相机，其256兆存储卡花了我大概150美元。
答：我所指的是最常用的SD存储卡。其价格来自CompUSA的网站。在该网站上，256兆Kingston品牌的SD卡售价在扣除10美元折扣后为22.99美元。
关于你购买的Olympus，你只能使用应用范围窄很多的xD存储卡，这种存储卡价格较高。但你还是被狠狠的宰了一笔。在我写这篇文章时，CompUSA网站上256兆Olympus品牌的xD存储卡售价为59.99美元。
