The following instructions were written for Floola for iPod but they’re mostly valid for Floola for Desktop too. If you feel something is missing please inform us by email and we’ll update documentation accordingly.

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Startup
  • I used Floola and now there are no songs shown on iPod

    This means you own an iPod that requires entering a string called fwid (more about it follows in this section). When no song is shown on iPod but everything looks fine in Floola then your fwid is definitely wrong. You’ve either not selected a correct iPod generation or entered a wrong fwid. Carefully read what the fwid is and find out exactly what generation iPod you own, then start Floola as described in My iPod generation is wrong in the About window.
  • I plug in my ipod and Floola says it is not

    You haven’t read the requirements installation instructions.
  • Couldn’t autodetect generation / what generation is my iPod?

    Simply select your iPod generation if the popupmenu. Which generation is my iPod?.
  • iPod wasn’t correctly setup

    You probably didn’t read the setup instructions. See requirements.
  • Preference file wasn’t found

    You probably didn’t read the setup instructions. See requirements.
  • I get an mhip, mhod or a firmware unsupported error

    You may have been using other 3rd party iPod managers. Some of them aren’t compatible with Floola. To fix this issue just run iTunes once with your iPod plugged. If it doesn’t work refer to repair section in this page.
  • I selected a wrong iPod generation / Generation is wrong in the About window

    Close Floola and reopen it holding ALT and CTRL (Control) keys. You’ll be able to manually set your iPod generation.
  • Application just starts and closes

    There’s probably an error loading the iPod. Hold CTRL (Control) and SHIFT keys just after launching and hold them till the error message popups.
  • What is the fwid? How do I get the it?

    fwid is a 16 characters long string needed on new iPod models


    Mac
    Connect your iPod
    From the apple menu (top left of screen) select About this Mac and click More Info
    (optional) Select Mini Profile in the View menubar
    In the left column select Hardware and then USB
    In the USB Device Tree you should see your iPod listed, select it
    the FWID is the Serial Number listed in the lower box


    Windows
    Under Windows FWID should be retrieved automatically.

    Otherwise (XP or newer only):
    Open the Control panel and got to Device manager
    Find your iPod in the list of devices (probably under hard drives) and double click it
    Go to Details tab and select Device Instance ID in the drop down box
    The FWID is the 16 digit number near the end of the string shown


    Linux
    Connect your iPod
    In terminal type sudo lsusb -v | grep -i Serial
    Look for your iPod device, the FWID should be the 16 character long string shown.
    • Usage FAQs
  • How do I copy songs/videos to PC?

    Select songs/videos you want to copy then press CTRL+SHIFT+C (APPLE+SHIFT+C under Mac). You can select multiple items by holding shift key while clicking.
  • How do I copy songs/videos to iPod?

    Press CTRL+SHIFT+A; you can drag&drop files you want to add to the window with the green arrow. Under mac you can just drag&drop files to Floola’s dock icon.
  • Floola is slow!

    Floola may result slow when your music and video database is very big or in case you’re connecting your iPod over an older and slower USB port. If you got more than 4000 items you may try the fast mode. Fast mode can be enabled under Preferences->Advanced. When enabled Floola will startup and shutdown slower but once started performance will be definitely better.
    When using fast mode remember to close Floola before unplugging iPod otherwise latest changes will be lost!.
  • How do I eject the iPod?

    Holding the SHIFT key while quitting Floola will eject the iPod. Don’t unplug the iPod as long as it shows the do not disconnect message.
  • How do I import a playlist

    Choose Playlist->Import… from menubar. Then just drag&drop the playlist (only .m3u, .pls are supported) you want to import. Files linked in playlist that do not exist are ignored. There’s no duplication check when importing playlists, this means that you might end up with duplicates if some of the songs you are importing already exists on iPod. If this is the case use the remove duplicate feature under Tools->Remove duplicates… in menubar.
    • Podcast
  • Can I add podcasts downloaded with Floola back to iTunes?

    Sure! Copy podcasts to the PC with Floola, then just drag them into iTunes. They will be recognized as podcasts and added directly in the podcast section
  • Can I mark episodes as not new?

    Yes, this is useful when you want to avoid some new episodes to be automatically downloaded. From the podcast window menubar choose Podcast->Mark as not new.
  • Invalid Podcast URL / Can’t add Podcast

    In some cases this error may popup when trying to add a podcast. If you’re sure the podcast url is correct change the http:// in front of url to feed://.
  • Podcast has no episode, it’s suggested to delete it…

    For podcasts added with iTunes Floola needs that at least one episode exists on iPod. It’s not mandatory but it’s suggested to delete the podcast and readd it in Floola ([i]Podcast->Manage[/i]).
  • Not all items to download are listed

    There might be an error adding the podcast, add it again holding ALT and CTRL (Control) keys. If there’s an error a message box will appear.
  • All my favorite episodes start/end with ads, how can I skip them?

    Select the episodes and press CTRL+SHIFT+I (APPLE+SHIFT+I under Mac) to edit them. Click the option tab and set the start and stop position fields. For the stop position note that you can also for also set negative values like -00:xx which indicates that the episode will stop playing xx seconds before end.
    • Videos
  • I can’t add any video

    Probably your iPod generation was wrongly detected. Open Help->About and verify that the iPod generation is correct. If not, close Floola and reopen it holding ALT and CTRL (Control key). You’ll be able to manually set your iPod generation.
  • All my videos are screwed up, only artwork are shown

    You forgot the TV out setting on. Just turn it off.
    • Photos
  • How do I add photos with Floola?

    Open the photo manage window choosing Photos… feature from the Manage menubar. Simply drag & dropp pictures or folders containing pictures to it (only jpg,pngs and gif are supported).
  • Can I create photo albums (playlists)?

    Sure, with Floola you can create photo albums, which work the same way playlists work for music/video tracks. From the Album menubar you can create, rename or delete photo albums which are listed in the left side of the photo manage window. To add photos to albums just drag & drop them from the preview window to the desidered album (note that pictures can’t be added twice to a photo album). You can remove a picture from a photo album choosing Remove from the Album menubar; this will not delete the photo from your library, but just remove it from the selected album.
  • Empty photo albums are deleted when closing Floola

    This is an intended behaviour, since iPods don’t like empty photo albums
  • Can I slideshow pictures?

    You can enter slideshow feature by double clicking (or pressing enter) on one or more selected pictures. If no pictures are selected, then all photos currently visible will be slideshown. In the slideshow window you can pause/resume slideshow by hitting space bar. You can go to next/previous picture using arrow keys (right/left). Pictures can be rotated using the R key shortcut (+90) or shift+R (-90). To exit a slideshow just hit ESC.
  • Can I synchronize a folder that contains photos?

    Floola can add photos contained in a folder the same way you do in iTunes. From the Synch->Synchronize folders you’ll be able to add/remove folders to be synchronized, then start thesynchronization process by pressing the Sync button or by choosing Sync->update from the menubar or Manage->Synchronize photo folders from the main window’s menubar.
    • Audiobooks
  • I’m not able to add my .m4b audiobooks, why?

    .m4b are protected audiobook files, these cannot be added to iPod with Floola.
  • My .mp3 audiobooks appear in the iPod’s music section, how do I change that?

    Select the audiobook(s) files and choose Item->Edit… from menubar, click on the Options tab and change the Song kind from Music to Audiobook.
    • iPod shuffle
  • Is there an Autofill feature in Floola?

    Yes, from Tools->Sync folders add folders containing files you want to be added, Floola will randomly fill the iPod shuffle with the specified amount of MB.
  • How to set playback order manually
    With Floola you can easily choose the playback order of your iPod.
    It should already be set, but check that song playback reorder is selected under preferences->advanced.



    Select all your songs.



    Now just move the songs in the order you would like them to play on shuffle by redragging songs in listbox.
    • iTunes
  • Can I still use iTunes if I use Floola?

    Yes.
    • Web download and converting formats
  • Web download (youtube, myspace)

    To use this feature you’ll need to have FFmpeg installed as described below

    You can easily download medias from the web and add them directly to iPod:
    from the Item->Add from web… press the Add URL… button and enter the link to the file you want to download. This can be a direct link to a supported media type (like .mp3, .m4v, .mp4…) or also a youtube or myspace page (for ex. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hmESuB45Kc4).

    Note:
    Adding youtube and myspace videos requires an iPod with video capabilities.

    Hint:
    Instead of pressing the Add URL… button you can also use the paste keyboard shortcuts: CTRL+V (under Windows and Linux), APPLE+V (under Mac). These same shortcuts can be used when the Add to iPod window is visible.
    Finally under Linux and mac you can drag&drop the url to download from your browser to the Web download window or to the green arrow in the Add to iPod window.
    • Some file types (videos and audio) are unfortunately not supported natively by the iPod. Incompatible formats like .ogg, wma, .wmv, .vob, .flv (and many others) need to be converted before transferring them to iPod. Floola can convert these files using an external tools called FFmpeg which needs to be downloaded separately.
  • FFmpeg automatic installation (Windows and Mac OS X)

    If FFmpeg is not installed on your system you can easily install it by opening the Convert section in preferences. Pressing the Install button will download the required files and install them properly for you.
    • If you really want to install/compile FFmpeg manually or you’re under linux please make sure to install/compile a recent version (>=SVN rev. 8638 older versions might not work!). It is not discussed how to compile or where to find FFmpeg binaries as it depends on your system setup, so please don’t ask.
  • FFmpeg manual installation (Windows)

    FFmpeg.exe has to be installed either in the same folder of Floola.exe or inside a folder called Floola in the same path of Floola.exe. FFmpeg package can be downloaded here.
  • FFmpeg manual installation (Mac OS X)

    FFmpeg executable has to be installed under /usr/local/bin. FFmpeg package can be downloaded here.
  • FFmpeg manual installation (Linux)

    FFmpeg executable has to be installed under /usr/local/bin. It has to be manually compiled with at least aac and h264 plugins. Linux users should refer to their distribution support forum (or google) for more information about how to manually build ffmpeg with these plugins.
    You might find the Preferences->Convert->debug mode useful to find out what went wrong in case of error.

    The following commands should compile ffmpeg as required (only if you’re using Ubuntu or Debian):
    sudo apt-get purge ffmpeg x264 libx264-dev
    sudo apt-get install build-essential subversion git-core checkinstall yasm texi2html libfaac-dev libfaad-dev libmp3lame-dev libtheora-dev libxvidcore4-dev libx264-dev
    cd
    svn checkout svn://svn.ffmpeg.org/ffmpeg/trunk ffmpeg
    cd ffmpeg
    ./configure –enable-gpl –enable-postproc –enable-pthreads –enable-libfaac –enable-libfaad –enable-libmp3lame –enable-libtheora –enable-libx264 –enable-libxvid

    make
    sudo make install
    • Linux
  • libstdc++.so.6: cannot open shared object file

    You’ll need to install libstdc++6 package. Under Ubuntu type [i]sudo apt-get install libstdc++6[/i] from terminal. Under Red Hat Enterprise Linux, Fedora, or CentOS type [i]yum install compat-libstdc++-33[/i] from terminal.
  • I’m running a x64 linux distro and Floola doesn’t work

    You’ll need to additionally install the following libraries: ia32libs, lib32gcc1, libc6i386, lib32asound2, lib32stdc++6.
    You also may want to refer to this article.
    • Windows
  • Progressbar isn’t accurate when copying

    If you’re not running Windows Vista you’ll need to install Robocopy get it microsoft.com (Windows XP and 2003 only).
  • I’m having troubles running Floola under Windows 7

    Right click on Floola.exe, choose Properties and switch off the run as admin option in the Compatibility tab.
    • Artwork
  • What’s the quickest way to add artwork to an album?

    Simply paste the artwork picture or the artwork file to clipboard, then select album in Floola and press CTRL+V (or APPLE+V under mac).
  • Save artwork and Rebuild artwork feature

    It might happen that the artwork database gets mixed up while using Floola.
    A simple way to backup the artwork database is to run the Save Artwork feature under Tools->Advanced->Artwork (default settings should work for most users). As soon as you find something wrong with artwork run Rebuild Artwork which will recreate the artwork database.

    What exactly do this 2 features?
    • Save artwork embeds images (copies/puts inside) into files. If the Store only one artwork per album advanced setting is selected then this will be done only for the first file in album (saves disk space and makes the entire process faster). Unless you specifically select the Rewrite existing artwork only files without artwork will be processed.

      NOTE: Don’t run this if your artwork database is already corrupted! You’ll end up copying wrong artwork inside files.
    • Rebuild artwork creates a new artwork database according only to artwork found inside files. That’s why it’s suggested to run the Save artwork feature from time to time.
      By default only one image is assigned to all files in an album saving some disk space on iPod.
    • Quicktime (Windows only)
  • Do I need Quicktime?

    It’s suggested to have Quicktime installed, this allows you to playback all kind of medias supported by your iPod, even media purchased on iTunes Music Store. Without it you’ll be able to playback only .mp3 files.
  • Quicktime alternative plugin

    Floola doesn’t support the Quicktime alternative plugin. You may experience errors and slow downs.
    • Repair iPod
  • Something is wrong with my iPod!

    Carefully read these instructions before proceeding!

    It may happen that your iPod music library becomes corrupted.

    Simptoms of this situation are:

    • when browsing iPod no songs are shown.
    • iTunes shows error on startup.
    • iTunes freezes when plugging iPod.
    If Floola shows an error on startup but iTunes doesn’t, you probably found a bug in Floola. Please report it by email.
    if iTunes is working there’s no need to repair!

    Once you’ve make sure there’s really something wrong with your music library, start Floola with your iPod unplugged and choose Tools->Advanced->Repair in menubar.

    From here on you’ll be asked to answer a very short number of questions and based on them the program will try repair as best as possible.

    If you’ve been using only Floola and/or iTunes before having problems:
    Answer Yes to the question: Was the problem caused by Floola?.
    Now you’ll be able to choose which database to restore:
    • the one that was on iPod before using the current version of Floola for the first time.
    • the latest one Floola though was working.
    Usually it’s suggested to first try the latter one, then if it didn’t work to start repair again and choose the first one.

    If you never used Floola or your problems began after using some other software:
    Aanswer No to the question: Was the problem caused by Floola?. The program will try to repair the music database getting song information out of files found on iPod, unfortunately this method won’t recover playlists, ratings, playcounts, podcasts, compilation tag and any other iTunes special information.

    If your iPod is not recognized when pluggin in and you problems were caused after using Floola::
    First you’ll need to enable Show hidden files and Folders.
    Inside your iPod there’s a hidden folder called iPod_Control. There you’ll find a folder called Floola which stores backups of your music library.
    Copy the file iPod_Control\Floola\latestworking to iPod_Control\iTunes.
    Finally rename the file you just copied (iPod_Control\iTunes\latestworking to iPod_Control\iTunes\iTunesDB).

    Note
    In some rare occasions repair function may not work, read http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=60983 to find out how to restore your iPod.

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