Syncing to a portable media player using Windows Media Player 11



Windows Media Player 11 can sync media files to a portable media player; in other words, it can copy files to and from the player as you wish. It can sync to a huge variety of portable media players (but, importantly, it won’t work with iPods), including any that match to the standards set forth in the PlaysForSure initiative.

To sync a device, simply plug it in and start Media Player 11. If the sync option is set to automatic, Media Player 11 will copy your entire library to your portable media player. To prevent this from happening, click the arrow under the Sync button on the toolbar, point to the portable media player, click Advanced Options, and clear the check box labeled Start sync when device connects.

You may then decide what syncs to your device by creating a sync list. To do this, click the Sync button. Notice that the right side of the window has changed to display a sync list, as shown in Figure 1.

FIGURE 1: Note the sync list on the right.



Drag items from your media library to the sync list. These items will be copied to your portable media player when you are ready. When you have completed the list, click the Start Sync button and Windows Media Player will perform the copying operation.

Automatic syncing is useful when you just want to plug a device in and ensure that your entire library is available when you take your media player and hit the road, but smaller capacity media players, those which won’t fit your entire library, make automatic syncing inconvenient. If you do have automatic sync turned on when you connect a device which can’t contain your entire library, Media Player 11 will prioritize your library based on several criteria.

First, it will copy songs from playlists that you have created. Then, it will include music that has a rating of five stars. Next, it syncs music that you have added to your library, by online purchase or by ripping from CD, in the past month. Following that, it syncs music that you have played in the last month. It continues down a line of criteria, eventually including pictures and video, until your player is full.