Downloading Itunes again onto new computer, protecting current library

Hi, first of all my apologies if I'm posting in the wrong forum. Please let me know if I am, and where I should post my question/problem.
First of all I'm quite new to Itunes and the Ipod. I received an Ipod Nano 3rd generation as a gift several months ago. On my old computer (Dell Desktop, Windows XP), I had downloaded Itunes, had no trouble keeping my library and syncing the Ipod each time I needed to, or whenever I charged my Ipod. I also had my Ipod registered on my Itunes. My problem is I don't have access to my old computer any longer. I recently had to abruptly change computers. I'm currently using Toshiba laptop and Windows XP. Can I download Itunes again onto this new computer and register my Ipod again? If I do this, how can I ensure I don't lose my current library. I have less than 500 songs at present, but I don't want to lose all the music I paid for. But I don't want to mess anything up by registering my Ipod again. Am I making sense? I'm going to need to charge my Ipod soon, so if anyone has any ideas to help me, I'd appreciate it. Also, I didn't have any way to backup my Itunes library by burning to disc. Eventually, I'll be acquiring another laptop, a Dell laptop that will be using Windows Xp also. Sorry if this is confusing. I'm confused myself, lol!

*Can I download Itunes again onto this new computer and register my Ipod again*
Yes you can download the iTunes program onto your new computer, you don't need to register the iPod over again to use it on another computer.
*how can I ensure I don't lose my current library*
If your iPod is set to sync automatically you'll get a message that it is linked to a different library and asking if you want to link to this one and replace all your songs etc, press "Cancel". Pressing "Erase and Sync" will irretrievably remove all the songs from your iPod. When your iPod appears in the iTunes source list change the update setting to manual, that will let you use our iPod without the risk of accidentally erasing it: Managing content manually on iPod and iPhone
*Also, I didn't have any way to backup my Itunes library by burning to disc.*
Once you are safely connected there are a few things you can do to restore your iTunes from the iPod. If you have any iTunes Music Store purchases the transfer of purchased content from the iPod to authorised computers was introduced with iTunes 7. You'll find details in this article: Copying iTunes Store purchases from your iPod or iPhone to a computer
The transfer of content from sources such as songs imported from CD is designed by default to be one way from iTunes to iPod. However there are a number of third party utilities that you can use to retrieve the music files and playlists from your iPod. You'll find that they have varying degrees of functionality and some will transfer movies, videos, photos, podcasts and games as well. Have a look at the web pages and documentation, this is just a small selection of what's available, they are generally quite straightforward. You can read reviews and comparisons of some of them here:
Wired News - Rescue Your Stranded Tunes
Comparison of iPod managers
TuneJack Windows Only (iPhone and iPod Touch compatible)
iPod2PC Windows Only
iDump Windows Only
SharePod Windows Only
iPodRip Mac & Windows
YamiPod Mac and Windows
Music Rescue Mac & Windows
Floola Mac & Windows
iGadget Mac & Windows (iPhone and iPod Touch compatible)
iRepo Mac & Windows (iPhone and iPod Touch compatible)
iPod Access Mac & Windows (iPhone and iPod Touch compatible)
TouchCopy Mac & Windows (iPhone and iPod Touch compatible - Windows version only)
There's also a manual method of copying songs from your iPod to a Mac or PC. The procedure is a bit involved and won't recover playlists but if you're interested it's available on page 2 at this link: Copying Content from your iPod to your Computer - The Definitive Guide
Whichever of these retrieval methods you choose, keep your iPod in manual mode until you have reloaded your iTunes and you are happy with your playlists etc then it will be safe to return it auto-sync. I would also advise that you get yourself an external hard drive and back your stuff up, relying on an iPod as your sole backup is not a good idea and external drives are comparatively inexpensive these days, you can get loads of storage for a reasonable outlay.

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