798 Songs, 2.6 Days, 3.6 GB... and counting

The Ultimate Shuffle
This weekend I converted Lago’s old computer into an iTunes jukebox for the Lounge. Not only was it an “old computer” sitting in the closet not being used, I mean it was running Windows 98 with a 16 GB hard drive, 95 MB RAM and a 600 Mhz processor. Can you believe they make video iPods with 80 GB drives!

First, I pulled all Lago’s old files onto a CD and then I upgraded the operating system to Windows XP (iTunes will not run on Windows 98). Next, I downloaded and installed all the Windows updates from the last 4-5 years, about 20 of them. The copy of Windows XP was a version I had gotten back in 2001 for my old computer, which is now defunct. Once all the updates were done I installed the latest version of iTunes. Although I doubt I needed it, I also installed an old version of Roxio Easy Media Creator. And as far as programs go, that was it. Next I needed to load the iTunes music. I had to do this via CD instead of DVD since Lago’s old computer can only read CDs. I burned about 4-5 data CDs of iTunes from my computer and Lago’s laptop and loaded them into the “jukebox.” I connected the “jukebox” right into the stereo receiver using a stereo mini-to-RCA cord. We gave it a test run last night. It was pretty cool playing on shuffle and having any song pop up. This morning I added a data CD’s worth of jazz and then created a playlist for jazz only. That gave me a playlist of 123 songs (12.4 hours) of some of the greatest music ever recorded. Then I added another data CD’s worth of some Billy Joel, Dave Matthews Band and others topping our new iTunes jukebox with a grand total of 798 songs, or 2.6 days, or 3.6 GB worth of music. It’s playing now, and just went from U2 to Miles Davis to Grateful Dead to Grover Washington Jr. to Red Hot Chili Peppers.

We have a workhorse Sony 5-disc CD player in the Lounge that I’ve had since 1994. Instead of popping CDs in and pressing shuffle, I’ll fire up the jukebox for the ultimate shuffle.

I’ve wanted to take an old computer and do this for some time now, mostly so I wouldn’t have to burn CDs of my iTunes except if I wanted to play them in the car or use them in a mix CD.

As much as I like the ease of being able to purchase and download almost anything, the thing I like most about CDs, DVDs and even the old vinyl LPs, you can put them on your shelf – something you can’t do with iTunes or Napster. That’s what I really love about “owning” the CDs. You have them sitting there on your shelf, and as long as they’re factory produced they’ll last a lifetime. Unlike a computer drive or burnable CD, which has a life expectancy of roughly five years, give or take. Oh well, it’s the digital age right? And I just “recycled” an old computer into a digital home jukebox. I suppose I could have saved the time and effort and bought a new video iPod, but where’s the fun in that?


As you can see from the photo, the home jukebox is quite a bit larger than Lago’s 4 GB iPod.