Apple has created a winning combination with iTunes and the iPod-products that are both fun and easy to use. But even these well-designed feats of Apple software and hardware engineering can cause a few headaches from time to time (some of the new difficulties are due to changes wrought by Tiger). Here are some problems you're likely to encounter and how to fix them.

Imagine using your iPod and a regular old microphone to record studio-quality audio. Or sitting on a commuter train and playing Othello, Pong, Tetris, or Asteroids. All this and more is possible when you install Linux on your third-generation or earlier iPod. Best of all, one soft reset, and you're back in Apple's iPod operating system, listening to your tunes.

If you're a fan of classical music, then you've probably, at some point, become frustrated with iTunes and the iPod. Track information from the Web is inconsistent, pieces are difficult to tag and categorize, and imported songs don't flow seamlessly into one another. But you can have your Mozart and enjoy it, too, with these simple tips.

Your favorite band releases a live recording on its Web site, but iTunes can't play it. Your friend sends you a link to an irreverent political spoof, but QuickTime Player can't open it. With so many Windows-centric files floating around the Internet, it's easy for Mac users to feel left out. But with the right software-most of which is just a free download away-you can play almost any file your Windows-using friends throw at you.

With a color screen that displays your favorite pictures, the iPod photo is a beauty to behold. It's easy on the ears, too-the 40GB ($499) and 60GB ($599) models carry enough tunes to turn your life into a music video (see our review ). But look deeper: there's a lot more to the newest iPod. From powering business presentations to turning your TV into a digital picture frame, learn how to put the iPod photo to work.

The third-generation iPods and the iPod mini include a new Notes area that can hold 1,000 4Kb plain-text files. Packing your iPod with these files is a cinch: just create a plain-text document with Apple's TextEdit or Microsoft Word, and copy the file into the iPod's Notes folder.

According to Apple, a 15-inch aluminum PowerBook G4 will operate for nearly four and a half hours before putting itself to sleep. But that's like saying that a four-person tent can hold four people-it's technically possible but not usually realistic. I'll show you how to get the most life and performance out of your PowerBook or iBook battery, so you won't be stuck without juice when you really need it.

Life is turning Digital. In the last few years, the world of portable devices has changed to a great degree. Walkman used to be the most popular portable music player, but now It has been replaced by iPod, Zune, PSP, iPhone and other similar portable devices.

Most car manufacturers today offer an iPod connection as a standard option in their post 2006 vehicles. If you do not know whether you have this option just look at your radio deck in your car, the standard connection is an auxiliary input. This would be labeled as 'aux'. If you have this input you can purchase an auxiliary cable that would run from your iPod's headset connector to the auxiliary input on the radio deck. From there it's simply a matter of selecting the aux channel from the radio.

Maybe you just got an iPod as a gift. Of course, you open the box in a hurry and now you're looking for the iPod instructions but you can't find one. Your last resort would be to go online and find one fast. There are a lot of iPod instructions out there. Some are free and others are for sale.