Restoring ipod library to computer

Hello, I really hope someone out there can help me.
I used to store all my music and other files on an external hard drive but in the last month it decided to reformat itself or just delete everything for no reason whatsoever. I still have all my music on my ipod but obviously all the original files have been lost. I was just wondering if there was any way that I could copy all the music from my ipod back onto my computer without losing anything or messing my computer/ipod up?
Thanks.

1). If your iPod is set to update automatically you need to take care connecting to an empty iTunes. You can use a keyboard command to prevent your iPod auto-syncing with iTunes. While connecting the iPod to the computer on Windows with iTunes installed hold down the Shift + Ctrl keys together. 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: iTunes - Keyboard Shortcuts for Windows
2). When your iPod appears in the iTunes source list change the update setting to manual, that will let you continue to use your 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 and iPhone
3). Once you are connected and your iPod is safely in manual mode there are a few things you can do to restore your iTunes from the iPod. If you only want to copy your purchases to the computer that can be done using iTunes, you'll find details in this article: Copying iTunes Store purchases from your iPod or iPhone to a computer
For everything else (including purchases) 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. You can read reviews and comparisons of some of them here:
Wired News - Rescue Your Stranded Tunes
Comparison of iPod managers
A selection of iPod to iTunes utilities:
TuneJack Windows Only (iPhone and iPod Touch compatible)
SharePod Windows Only (iPhone and iPod Touch compatible)
iPod2PC Windows Only
iDump Windows Only
YamiPod Mac and Windows
iPod Music Liberator Mac & Windows
Floola Mac & Windows
iPodRip Mac & Windows (iPhone and iPod Touch compatible)
iPod Music Liberator Mac & Windows (iPhone and iPod Touch compatible)
Music Rescue Mac & Windows (iPhone and iPod Touch compatible)
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)
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
4). 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.

Similar Messages

Computer Crashed - How can I restore Ipod Library

My computer crashed and I needed to replace the hard drive. I have re dowloaded I tunes, but when I connect my Ipod it says my Ipod is connected to another PC. I had spent months setting up my Ipod and loading ALL my CD's onto it not to mention my purchases music/games/videos the thought of starting all again is killing me. Is there a simpler answer out there? Additionally I have since bought a laptop and ideally I would also like to have the information stored on both for when I am travelling, would this be possible too? Cheers for any help with this.

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 iTMS purchases the transfer of purchased content from the iPod to authorised computers was introduced with iTunes 7. A paragraph on it has been added to this article: Transfer iTunes Store purchases using iPod
The transfer of non iTMS content such as songs imported from CD 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 back to iTunes on Windows. The procedure is a bit involved, also it was written long before iTunes 7 so it requires a little adaptation as the iPod preferences are no longer in the location described. Also it won't transfer playlists or videos as far as I know. However if you're interested it's 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. 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 also 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
YamiPod Mac and Windows Versions
Music Rescue Mac & Windows
iPodCopy Mac and Windows Versions
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 in case you have problems again. 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 restore iTunes Library on computer from iCloud or other method after iTunes library suddenly becomes empty?

I just opened my iTunes on my laptop (which is considerably slow) and all of my music, apps, everything has been wiped for some reason ie. my library is completely empty. I'm not sure what caused this and I really don't care I just want my playlists, music, apps back so I can add more music and sync my iPhone with it again as normal.
I'm sure that all my music has been backed up to iCloud but I'm not sure how to access that from my computer and how to import it back into my library. I'm afraid to sync my phone and iPod now because I've read that this will wipe them completely again and they are the only places I can see my music/playlists so I don't want them to disappear from these devices also before I can restore everything on my laptop.
I logged into my apple ID again on my computer hoping that maybe my music would come up when iTunes was connected to my particular account but the library is still empty. Not really sure what to do and would appreciate any advice. Maybe I'm missing something really obvious here and if so could someone point it out, I won't be insulted! Thank you!

If your music is still in \Music\iTunes Music, I believe your library can be recovered by closing iTunes, then going to \iTunes and renaming iTunes Library.itl to something like iTunes Library.itl.old, then renaming the most recent previous library from your \Music\iTunes\Previous iTunes Libraries folder to Library.itl and moving it to \Music\iTunes. But I would recommend you post your question over in the iTunes for Windows forum go be sure as they would have more expertise on recovering your iTunes library.

Restore Ipod on another computer

I was at work today, when my iPod froze up on me. I tried the 5 R's and the first four didn't work, so I had to Restore. I downloaded iTunes on my work computer and restored it. I have all my songs saved on my computer at home, which is the computer I use to sync my iPod with. By me restoring my iPod on my work computer, am I only able to sync to my work computer. If so, will I need to go home and restore my iPod on my home computer so I can re-load all my songs?

You won't need to Restore.
Plug it in and it will ask if you want to sync to this library. Just click yes and it will load your songs from your home computer.
Note that this will remove the music you loaded from your work computer.

Restore ipod without a computer?

i wont bore you but my 160gb 6g ipod needs restoring. I have tried putting it into disk mode, but my computer does not notice it is plugged in. Ive tried many cables, and discharging + fullly charging the battery. Interestingly enough, when i run HDSMARTDATA in the diagnostics menu, it says temp:min is 51C , which is surely wrong. There must be a way of restoring it to factory settings without a computer, since there must be a lot of problems that can only be solved by this.
Thanks to anyone who tries to help

try using another computer to restore it then use your own computer to sync your ipod

Can't restore ipod on new computer`

I just got a new Imac. After I charged my Ipod for the first time on the new computer, It was full of gibberish when I turned it on. I tried to restore it, but I got an error message and it wouldn't continue. Tried that twice and came up with the same message. I took it into my local Apple store, and they restored it no problem. Then I plugged into my computer to sync and put the music back on, and it froze as it was loading music. Then it wouldn't recognize the Ipod, and again I couldn't restore. Plugged the ipod into my old mac, and it restored just fine. Then again plugged into my new mac and tried to put the music on, and same old story. Plugged it into my old mac and it is loading the music just fine. The problem has to be the new computer and/or itunes installed on it. What am I needing to do here??
IMAC IC2D 20" Mac OS X (10.4.9)
IMAC IC2D 20" Mac OS X (10.4.9)

Take the iMac and the iPod to the Apple Store.

HT1329 I have just uploaded a new operating system (windows 8.1) on to my computer but seem to have lost my itunes library. Can this be restored? Can I plug in my ipod and syncronise so that my ipod library transfers to my computer Itunes account?

I have just uploaded a new operating system (windows 8.1) on to my computer but seem to have lost my itunes library. Can this be restored? Can I plug in my ipod and syncronise so that my ipod library transfers to my computer Itunes account?

Have you failed to maintain a backup copy?
You should never update without making sure your backup copy of your computer is up to date.
You can transfer itunes purchases from an ipod to computer: File>Devices>Transfer Purchases

Is there a way to use ipod with new computer without erasing entire library

I'm not really tech-savvy, but I'm tossing my old computer and getting a new one - is there a way to use my ipod on my new computer without erasing my existing library? It won't let me make changes to my ipod and wants me to erase everything that is on there right now - HELP!

Connect your iPod to your computer. When you get the 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 iTunes enable it for disk use, this is required for most if not all the utilities listed below so they can access the files: Using your iPod as a storage drive
Once you are safely connected there are a few things you can do to restore your iTunes from the iPod. If you have any iTMS purchases the transfer of purchased content from the iPod to authorised computers was introduced with iTunes 7. A paragraph on it has been added to this article: Transfer iTunes Store purchases using iPod
The transfer of non iTMS content 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 also 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
iRepo Windows Only
iPodRip Mac & Windows
YamiPod Mac and Windows Versions
Music Rescue Mac & Windows
iPodCopy Mac and Windows Versions
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.

Itunes library won't load to ipod mini after ipod to new computer transfer

I got a new computer and was able to transfer my ipod music into itunes; however, now my ipod has gone blank and it will not load the songs from itunes back onto the ipod. The ipod shows up on itunes, but has no songs listed. It shows that it is empty with a lock next to it on the bottom of the itunes screen.
Please help!
sony vaio Windows XP

As you have all of your songs safely back in iTunes then try restoring your iPod, this will erase the hard drive, reload the software and put it back to default settings. Once the restore is complete it should connect to iTunes and give you a prompt you to automatically update your library onto the fresh installation: Restoring iPod to Factory Settings

My playlists on my computer have been deleted and I would like to restore them from my IPod. How can I copy from my ipod to my computer?

My playlists on my computer have been deleted and I would like to restore them from my I Pod. How can I copy my music from my iPod to my computer?

Recovering your iTunes library from your iPod or iOS device: Apple Support Communities

Can I use my iPod to restore iTunes library?

The hard drive on my MacBook Pro recently "died" and I am unable to recover any files from it. I had a new hard drive installed and want to know if there s there any way to use my iPod, which has all of my music and photos on it, to restore my iTunes library?
I am afraid to connect my iPod to my computer now, in case all of the files on my iPod disappear. Any instructions or advice would be greatly appreciated.

Hi, welcome to Apple Discussions.
*Recover media from iPod*
Check out this post from Zevoneer for options on moving your iPod data back to your computer.
http://discussions.apple.com/message.jspa?messageID=9935961#9935961
tt2

Can I use my iPod to restore iPhoto library?

The hard drive on my MacBook Pro recently "died" and I am unable to recover any files from it. I had a new hard drive installed and want to know if there s there any way to use my iPod, which has all of my photos on it, to restore my iPhoto library? I did transfer photo files from my iPod - a photo database and thumbs - but when i try to open using iPhoto i get a message that the files are unreadable?
I am afraid to connect my iPod to my computer now, in case all of the photos on my iPod disappear. Any instructions or advice would be greatly appreciated.

When you copied the pics to the iPod did you include the full sized pics? It is a deliberate decision you have to make when syncing with the Library. If you didn't then all that's on your iPod are tiny thumbnails.
Regards
TD

Connecting ipod to new computer and using itunes library

Can anybody help. Iam ready to throw my ipod in the bin. I recently bought a new computer and downloaded itunes onto it. When I connect my ipod it keeps saying the ipod is linked to another itunes library and it displays a new itunes library on the computer now with none of my old songs, but they are still on my ipod itself. I do not have my old computer either.
The new itunes library that comes up will let me download music onto it but wont let me sync it to the ipod so i cant put anymore tunes on it. Any ideas?

Connect your iPod to your new computer. When you get the 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. 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.

HT1212 i never connent the iPod to the computer . i still can not get to erase or restore the iPod

i never connent the ipod to the computer. my son change the passcode and forgot it .

Place the iOS device in Recovery Mode and then connect to your computer and restore via iTunes. The iPod will be erased.
iOS: Wrong passcode results in red disabled screen
If recovery mode does not work try DFU mode.
How to put iPod touch / iPhone into DFU mode « Karthik's scribblings
For how to restore:
iTunes: Restoring iOS software
To restore from backup see:
iOS: Back up and restore your iOS device with iCloud or iTunes
If you restore from iCloud backup the apps will be automatically downloaded. If you restore from iTunes backup the apps and music have to be in the iTunes library since synced media like apps and music are not included in the backup of the iOS device that iTunes makes.
You can redownload most iTunes purchases by:
Downloading past purchases from the App Store, iBookstore, and iTunes Store
If problem what happens or does not happen and when in the instructions? When you successfully get the iPod in recovery mode and connect to computer iTunes should say it found an iPod in recovery mode.

Can I restore iTunes library by help of iPod?

Hi,
I had iTunes library on a stationary computer which had a hard crash. Had the library synked to my iPod touch. Can I restore iTunes library to a new computer by help of the iPod? How?
Best regards,
Lovisa in Sweden

It has always been very basic to always maintain a backup copy of your computer.
Have you failed to do this?

Restoring ipod library to computer

Similar Messages

Maybe you are looking for