iTunes/iPod synchronization

[kpilotte]

I ran into this problem awhile ago and since then have been paranoid to try again. But I fear that one day I'll probably have to deal with it, so I figure I may as well figure out the answer...

At some point, I downloaded and installed a new version of iTunes and the iPod updater (I have a 3G 40 GB iPod and am on a Windows machine). After installing the new iTunes and the iPod update, when I connected my iPod and opened up iTunes, I found that my iPod preferences were gone and it synchronized my iTunes music library with my iPod library. I don't have a lot of free space on my computer so I tend to remove my music from the computer after I've put it on the iPod. Hence, I have the preference set within iTunes to do nothing unless I tell it to, and this is the preference that was reset (that you can't change without having your iPod connected and iTunes open, at which point it tries to synchronize my files by default). This ended up in me losing most of the music on my iPod and I've been slowly putting it back on...now using Anapod Explorer.

My question, though, is, if/when I need to update my iPod firmware again, is it going to require me to go through iTunes (as it did last time)? And if that's the case, is there a way to prevent it from auto-synchronizing and making me lose all my iPod files AGAIN?

Sorry for the long question, but thanks for any help out there..

~tk
PalmOne Tungsten C
3G 40GB iPod
toys are great

[jedk]

Yes, to stop Auto Sync hold Shift + Ctrl keys while the iPod is connecting.