iPod help...

[Basher]

I am sure this has been covered before, and that if I searched Google I could find something, but I am hoping someone on here has some personal experience or advice.

Problem: iPod is currently loaded with songs from a computer I no longer use, and I want to be able to add more music from a new computer without having to reload everything. In a perfect world, I would like to continue using iTunes, but I know that may not be possible.

Solution: ? I understand there are some third-party apps out there to manage music on an iPod. Will any allow you to re-establish your library on iTunes?

Any advice or help would be aprreciated.

[bouche]

This is the only link I know of.

http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=300173

I don't think that'll help though unless you have access to the original pc.

[Basher]

Was just poking around and found that article. I also found an article on about.com that mentioned CopyTrans (http://www.copytrans.net), which made this program sound really easy to use. For $20, it just might be worth a try, and seems a LOT easier than the procedure documented by Apple.

[AD]

if you can access your ipod on a computer without itunes, and you have disk access enabled, you should be able to show hidden system files which will give you access to all the folders the itunes crazily groups your music in on the ipod. you can select all the files and move them to a hard-drive or DVD or whatever. the file names will be messed up but if you let itunes organize your collection it will put everything back to normal when you import the folders back into itunes (ie it uses the id3 info to tell it where to organize the tunes to).

this has worked for me in the past, however i was using older versions of both the ipod and itunes, so no guarantees obviously.

[ollie]

iPods sure are wicked user friendly.

[\/\/illy]

I've used a product called CopyPod that allowed me to extract all my MP3s off my iPod without using iTunes.

[mattm]

Same as AD says. You can just copy all the files onto the hard drive then use a program like ID3Tagit which has a function letting you do ID3 Tag -> filename to get all the file names back

[Basher]

Yeah, but CopyTrans looks like it does the whole procedure for you. Guess nobody here has used that program?

[bouche]

CopyTrans used to be CopyPod.

Download it here: http://www.sendspace.com/file/3mzpog

CopyTrans (formerly CopyPod) is the ultimate backup & recovery tool for your iPod. It enables to easily transfer your iPod's music library to your PC without losing ratings and playlists and other personal data. Whether you need to send your iPod for repair, retrieve your music because of a computer / hard drive crash, or just to backup to a different drive, CopyTrans will create an iPod copy effortlessly.

CopyTrans Suite contains all the tools you need to take full control of your iPod:

* CopyTrans to copy your iPod songs, playlists, ratings and more to your computer and even repopulate an empty iTunes library

* CopyTrans Photo to recover your beloved iPod photos from your iPod and save them on the computer

* iLibs to manage multiple iTunes libraries, iPods and of course multiple iTunes users comfortably

* iCloner to create a full backup of your iPod in case it crashes, gets lost or stolen to restore later on back to your iPod

* SyncGuardian (formerly PodTools),given to you for free, to switch your iPod between manual and automatic update mode easily

Key Features

Full backup of your iPod

-Recovering/Backup of your music with CopyTrans is so simple, it only takes one click!

Saves/Restores music playlists and personal information

- All personal information saved! - CopyTrans saves playlists, ratings, playcounts, date last played, album covers, ...

- XML file generation - keeps record of your personal information for future iTunes imports.

- iPod copy

Import playlists and personal information back into iTunes

- Have an empty iTunes music library? No Problem, CopyTrans will fill it up with your iPod music in one click! importing playlists and personal information. Click here to view the demo

Retrieve iPod missing songs

- Rebuild/repair iPod database (repair/rebuild iTunesDB file)!

Playlist order conserved

- Took hours to organise your playlist songs in a specific order? No worries, CopyTrans will backup your songs to iTunes in the exact same order, no messing around!

Incremental iPod backup

- Incremental iPod backup makes it easier to backup and is also faster - CopyTrans's unique incremental iPod backup allows to add the latest iPod changes into iTunes or a specific folder. This ensures that the backed up music (iPod copy) is always up-to-date and that already backed up songs are not copied again.

User friendly and customizable interface

- Includes sorting display of Title, Album, Artist, Rating, Playlist, Size, Date added, Date modified, Play count, Last played song. You can even customize the dynamic view listing to use CopyTrans exactly the way you want it.

Full compatibility with all existing iPods

- CopyTrans supports iPod 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th generation iPods, iPod Photo, iPod mini, iPod shuffle and the iPod U2 special edition.

[Basher]

BTW, I used CopyTrans over the weekend, and it was a breeze. So easy to use, and worked perfectly. If you are moving your iPod to a new computer, I highly recommend it.