How do I manually transfer from iPod to my new computer?

Question

I have thousands of songs on my iPod. I want them on my new laptop. I cannot sync them bc the copy of iTunes I downloaded came with a built-in, 100% undesired library. I can't do it by choosing the iPod and selecting "export library." I also cannot do it by opening the library on my laptop and selecting import. When I went to an Apple Store, the guy told me to download Music Recovery. This has not been any more helpful. I have noticed ab out 4 other 3rd party software producte mentioned in discussions here. Do I really need to download each of these and try it out? Isn't this one of the most basic things people need to do with their iPod? Is there any reason for it to be so difficult?

Answer 1

If you laptop was new and you downloaded iTunes from the Apple site, there should be no tracks in the library.
Anyway here are some ways of copying tracks from your iPod to your PC
Copy from iPod to PC
It is important not to allow your iPod to sync with an empty library. If it is set to synchronise automatically you will get a message saying your iPod is linked to a different library and asking if you want to sync – it is important to press cancel as syncing with an empty library erases all music from your iPod.
You can also prevent auto sync by holding down shift & ctrl as you plug in your iPod and keeping the keys held down until the iPod appears in iTunes.
Once you are connected, you need to set your iPod to manage music manually.
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=61148
If you have an iPod with iTunes Store purchases on it, you can use it to copy your purchases to other authorized computers.
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?path=iTunesWin/7.3/en/2586win.html
However this is not allowed for other music.
This MacMuse tip tells you how to copy music from your iPod using Windows Explorer, but it is a bit fiddly:
http://discussions.apple.com/messageview.jspa?messageID=797432
Otherwise you can use third party software to manage the transfer, there are a variety of programs out there, some free and some that will copy ratings and counts as well as the music files. Here is a selection, check them out and see what suits you.
http://www.yamipod.com/main/modules/home/
http://www.floola.com/modules/wiwimod/index.php?page=WiwiHome
http://www.ipodsoft.com/site/pmwiki.php?n=igadget.Homepage
http://www.copytrans.net/
For a more complete list see:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparisonof_iPodmanagers
There is a useful background article on copying from your iPod here:
http://www.ilounge.com/index.php/articles/comments/copying-music-from-ipod-to-co mputer/