My hard drive crashed - can I transfer songs from iPod back into iTunes?

My computer's hardrive crashed and I had to replace the entire hardrive. (Grrrrrr!) I lost the folder that contained all of my music. I re-downloaded iTunes onto my computer with the new hard drive but now my library is empty. All my songs are still in my iPod...
Is it possible to do a "reverse" transfer. In other words, put the songs from my iPod back into my iTunes. If so - HOW?
I'm afraid to hook up my iPod to my computer because I don't want the automatic upgrade to start and then my iPod will be empty too.
Please send help!
Dell Computer Windows XP 2003 iPod Photo
Dell Windows XP
Dell Windows XP

As iPod is set to update automatically take care when connecting back to your computer and an empty iTunes. When you connect you will get a message that your iPod is linked to a different library and asking if you want to link to this one and replace all your songs etc, press *No*. Pressing "Yes" will irretrievably remove all songs from your iPod. Your iPod should appear in the iTunes source list from where you can change the update setting to manual and use your iPod without the risk of accidentally erasing it.
You can also use a keyboard command to prevent your iPod auto-syncing with iTunes. While connecting the iPod to the computer on Windows hold down the Shift + Ctrl keys (on a Mac hold down the Option and Command (⌥ and ⌘) keys). This will stop the iPod from auto-syncing with iTunes and the iPod will appear in the source list. Wait until you are sure the iPod has mounted, and that it will not auto sync and then you can let the keys go. This may take between 20 to 30 seconds depending on your computer. Then go to Preferences>iPod and check the "Manually manage songs and playlists" box: Managing Your Songs Manually
You can't sync or drag your music back directly from an iPod to iTunes, the transfer of music is designed by default to be one way from iTunes to iPod. However there is a manual method of accessing the iPod's hard drive and copying songs but not playlists back to iTunes on Windows posted in this thread: MacMuse - iPod to iTunes
If you prefer something more automated then there are a number of third party utilities that you can use to retrieve the music files and playlists from your iPod, this is just a selection. Have a look at the web pages and documentation for these, they are generally quite straightforward.
iPod Access Mac and Windows Versions
YamiPod Mac and Windows Versions
PodUtil Mac and Windows Versions
iPodCopy Mac and Windows Versions
PodPlayer Windows Only
iGadget Windows Only
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 again. I would also advise that you get yourself an external hard drive and back your stuff up in case you have problems again. External drives are quite cheap these days and you can get loads of storage for quite a small outlay.

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HT203167 lost my hard drive how can i get songs from ipod back to new computer

I lost my hard drive and want to get my music back on my new computer. How can I get songs from my ipod to my computer? I am afraid to sync it and losing what is on my ipod. Any help would be appreciated.

It has always been very basic to always maintain a backup copy of your computer for this very occasion.
Use your backup copy to put everything back.
If for some reason you have failed to maintain a backup, not good, then you can transfer itunes purchases from your ipod: File>Transfer Purchases

Computer crashed, can I load songs from ipod back to itunes?

My computer recently got a worm and I had to reload the factory settings. All of the music in my itunes was lost. I have all the songs on my ipod still but want to put them back on my computer. My itunes library is currently empty. I know if I plug the ipod in, itunes library will wipe all the songs off my ipod. What do I do???

Copying from iPod to Computer threads...
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=5044027&#5044027
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=893334&tstart=0
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=797432&#797432
Also these useful internet articles...
http://www.engadget.com/2004/11/02/how-to-get-music-off-your-ipod/
http://playlistmag.com/secrets/2006/12/twowaystreet20/index.php
http://playlistmag.com/help/2005/01/2waystreet/
Patrick

Hard disk failure, replaced; how to get songs from iPod back into iTunes

Hard disk failure, replaced with new hard drive etc;
How do I get all songs from iPod back into iTunes?
(mix of CD sourced and iTunes shop sourced)

I can't believe there's no answer to this. Apple wants to charge customers for support but this has got to be happening thousands of times a day what with Windows OS reinstalls being what they are-numerous! Please let me know if/when you get a reply, thx!

Can I transfer songs from Ipod back to new hard drive?

My hard drive recently completely crashed, got it replaced but couldn't recover any data. When I re-installed Itunes the library was obviously empty but I'm wondering if there is anyway I can get the songs from the Ipod back into the library without starting completely over? I tried opening the device to possibly copy and paste files but can only access the photo files. When I connect Ipod to the computer I only get the option to Erase and Sync, and I really really don't want to have to do that if there is some other way

check this post by Zevoneer.
JGG

Old Hard drive crashed, need to transfer music from iPod to new computer

Hello. My old hard drive crashed and I bought a new computer. Unfortunately I did not back up any files from my old computer and lost all files including iTunes music. All I have is the music from my iPod. I would like some help or if anyone knows anything about how to transfer the music from my iPod to my new computer. I guess my new computer is not the original authentic one in the itunes system and will not let me exchange music from my iPod to new computer. I would appreciate help if anyone has ideas. Thank bunches.

Connect your iPod to your computer. If it is set to update 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. Your iPod should appear in the iTunes source list from where you can change the update setting to manual and use your iPod without the risk of accidentally erasing it. Also when using most of the utilities listed below your iPod needs to be enabled for disc use, changing to manual update will do this by default. Check the "manually manage music and videos" box in Summary then press the Apply button: Managing content manually on iPod
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 to a computer
The transfer of content from other 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 of some of them here: Wired News - Rescue Your Stranded Tunes
TuneJack Windows Only
iPod2PC Windows Only
iGadget Windows Only
iDump Windows Only
SharePod Windows Only
iPodRip Mac & Windows
YamiPod Mac and Windows
Music Rescue Mac & Windows
iPodCopy Mac and Windows
iRepo Mac & Windows (iPhone and iPod Touch compatible)
iPod Access Mac & Windows (iPhone and iPod Touch compatible)
There is also a manual method of accessing the iPod's hard drive and copying songs back to iTunes on Windows or a Mac. The procedure is a bit involved and won't recover playlists but if you're interested it's available at this link: Two-way Street: Moving Music Off the iPod
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.

How to get songs from iPod back into iTunes library?

My computer recently crashed and all my files were deleted, so now i have all my songs on my iPod but not on my iTunes, how can i put my songs back into my library without my whole iPod being erased?

Recover media from iPod
See this post from forum regular Zevoneer for options on moving your iPod data back to your computer.
tt2

Trying to put songs from ipod back in itunes.

Hello. So I saw a topic on this but can't find it. Somebody talked about a web application that would allow you to put the songs on your ipod back into itunes. Basically I'm retiring my ipod now that I have an iphone and want to get the songs from my ipod into itunes so I can put them on my iphone. Any help would be great!
Happy holidays.
-M

Hey guys. I used this page (below) and it worked perfectly. Just keep in mind that it won't notify you of duplicate tracks so if it is already in itunes and you put your ipod back on you could have two of the same tracks. Otherwise it worked great and was easy with no third party software.
http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/how-to-move-music-from-your-ipod-to-your-pc-in-5-ea sy-steps/
Have fun.
-Mike

Can i transfer music from ipod back to pc after hard drive scrubbed?

i have a lot of music loaded. but our hard drive was scrubbed and the library from which this music came was erased.
i re-installed itunes, and at first looked for a way to transfer the music from the ipod back onto the computer.
couldn't figure that out. then tried loading a new cd into itunes so that it could be added to ipod. the software displayed this message:
The ipod "Kim Smith's (my wife)ipod" is linked to another itunes music library. do you want to change the link to this itunes music library & REPLACE ALL EXISTING SONGS & PLAYLISTS ON THIS IPOD WITH THOSE FROM THIS LIBRARY? (my caps.)
I assume that yes means that the 200 or so albums currently on the ipod would be erased and replaced by the one album i tried to upload.
i need a way to add new music to that which is already on the ipod, and to transfer those 200 albums on to the computer so that i can delete the christina aguilera album that my wife snuck on to the ipod.
has anyone had a similar experience?
thx for any help here.

Do not click "yes". (Assuming Windows) Connect your iPod to your computer, and go into My Computer where it should appear as a disk. Enable hidden files if not already enabled. Open the grayed-out folder "iPod_Control" and then its subdirectory "Music". Your songs shouuld be in the "F##" folders. Just copy them to your computer. Alternatively, use a third party application like Yamipod. Once the files are on your computer, add them to your iPod library, and then you can click "yes" on that message. It should transfer all your songs to the iPod.
Tom

Itunes got erased, can i transfer from Ipod back into itunes?

Greetings,
I did an update to my Apple and all of my itunes and iphoto got erased. The songs are still listed but there are exclamations next to each song and they wont play. I didnt have it backed up in time machine because i didnt realize i had to (im a new mac owner and currently in the process of hooking up my time machine). However, I still have every song and picture still on my IPOD Classic. Is there anyway to transfer them from the ipod back into my computer, or are they erased from my computer for good? Any assistance is greatly appreciated!

Be very careful when connecting an iPod full of music to an empty iTunes library.There is very real risk of permanently losing all the music.
To prevent auto sync, before you connect the iPod go to iTunes/preferences and select "devices", then select "disable automatic syncing for iPhones and iPods".
An alternative method is to connect the iPod whilst holding down the 'Command + Option' keys and do not let them go until your iPod appears in iTunes.
If you see a message that your iPod is associated with a different library and asks if you want to link to a new one, make sure you press "Cancel".
If you should click on "Erase and Sync" will erase all the content currently on your iPod and it will be replaced with the content of the iTunes library you just connected to.
When you've pressed cancel your iPod should appear in the iTunes source list under "devices" and allow you to change the update setting to manage the iPod content manually, and that will let you use your iPod for the time being without the risk of accidentally erasing the contents.
Then do any of the following to transfer your music from iPod back to the computer/iTunes.
For iTunes version 7 or later, then you can transfer purchased iTunes store music from the iPod to an authorized computer by using the "file/transfer purchases from iPod" menu. Note that the maximum of 5 authorized computers applies here.
Find out how to do that here.
How to copy iTunes purchases from an iPod or iPhone to a computer.
For all other non purchased content (your own CDs etc), check out the instructions/suggestions here.
Try iPodDisk. This is a program designed to transfer music from iPod to computer.
Similar programs are Expod, Yamipod, Senuti and Music Rescue.
If you want to retrieve playlists, iPodRip has the feature enabling you to reconstruct them.
If you copied photos to your iPod using the full resolution option, enable disk use, open your iPod in "my computer" in Windows or Finder on a Mac, open the photos folder then open the "full resolution" folder and drag the photos out of that folder to your desktop. For enabling disk use look here.
Disk Use.
If you only copied the photos as thumbnails, you can't do this so you'll need a program such as this one.
iPod Photo Copy. (Windows only)
iPod Photo Liberator. (both Mac and Windows versions available)
Photos as thumbnails won't be of the original quality when copied back to your computer.

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How do I transfer songs from a 2010 iPod Shuffle to an iTunes library on a new MacBook Air laptop?

The following user tip is worth checking through:
Recovering your iTunes library from your iPod or iOS device

How can I transfer songs from Ipod to Itunes library?

I recently lost my entire Itunes library but still had songs on my Ipod. Now when I try to rebuild my library by transferring songs FROM my Ipod TO the Itunes library, I am unable to. There are a million help subjects of how to transfer your songs from the library to the ipod but none about how to transfer them back and I can't figure it out. Please help!

Connect your iPod to your computer. If it is set to update 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. Check the "manually manage music and videos" box in Summary then press the Apply button. Also when using most of the utilities listed below your iPod needs to be enabled for disc use, changing to manual update will do this by default: Managing content manually on iPod
Once you are safely connected there are a few things you can do to restore your iTunes from the iPod. The transfer of content 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
iPodCopy Mac and 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)
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
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.

IMac Hard Drive Crashed - Need to get music from iPod to new hard drive

The 250GB hard drive on my iMac crashed - totally fried. It's been replaced and the operating system and software reinstalled. The problem - I have 22GB of music on my iPod (5G, 60GB) that I'd like to get back onto the computer. All music is legal - ripped from my library of 500+ CD's. The iPod is already set to manual updates and for use as a disc drive.
Someone please tell me there's a way to do this without having to rip all 500 CD's again...

Check this link for lots of solutions for that:
http://www.ilounge.com/index.php/ipod-software-mac-osx
If they are songs you purchased plug your iPod in and in iTunes select "File > Transfer Purchased Music From iPod".

Old imac hard drive crashed... how to put ipod tunes into new imac's itunes

I'm sure this is something that's been revisited a number of times already... My "old" imac (2 years old -- yes I'm ****** but let's not go there) hard drive ceased living. I literally lost everything (had all data backed up, whew!).
Anyway, how can I put my itunes library, which is on my ipod, onto my new itunes on my new imac?
Thanks in advance for your help, Craig

You can't do this using regular Apple software (it's designed to work in one direction only). However if you Google "transfer from ipod to itunes" several helpful links come up with utilities you can download to do this.
But if you have protected music on your iPod, do remember to "authorise"" your new HD first.

How can I transfer songs from iPod on to new iTunes account?

My old laptop shut down, forcing me to buy a new macbook. I do not want to have to copy all my CDs and whatnot to my new laptop again. Without having to transfer the mp3 files on my hard drive to my new mac, is there any way I can sign into my old account (even if the iTunes library is empty) and transfer my IPod library to the new iTunes?

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT2519
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4527

My hard drive crashed - can I transfer songs from iPod back into iTunes?

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