Updating ipod on fresh Windows install without losing data?

Hey guys.
I have an 80gb iPod Classic, and my iTunes had about 72gb worth of data in the playlist. Recently I had to reformat my system drive and do a fresh Windows install, and as such my iTunes playlist obviously got wiped. If I readd everything that was on my iPod into the playlist, will iTunes try to wipe my iPod and transfer everything over again, or will it recognize that the files are exactly the same and only copy the new files over that weren't originally on it?

If your iPod 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 your iPod without the risk of accidentally erasing it. Check the "manually manage music and videos" box in Summary then press the Apply button. Once the iPod is in manual mode you can add to it without losing any content but you will have to drag it from the library yourself: Managing content manually on iPod and iPhone
However once you are safely connected you can copy content from the iPod to iTunes. 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)
SharePod Windows Only (iPhone and iPod Touch compatible)
iPod2PC Windows Only
iDump Windows Only
iPodRip Mac & Windows
YamiPod Mac and Windows
iPod Music Liberator Mac & Windows
Floola Mac & Windows
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)
If you have any iTunes Music Store purchases the transfer of purchased content only 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: Back up your iTunes library by copying to an external hard drive

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How to put music from ipod PC after itunes re-install without losing data

I bought an external hard drive to transfer my music and iTunes from my pc to that to free up space. I didnt read the directions on iTunes site before copying and pasting which i thought would work.
Did it work? kind of but i couldnt see my music in the library.
stupidly i uninstalled and deleted everything off my computer. I then re-installed iTunes and now it wont recognise my ipod and wants to erase all my music before it can be synced.
this is not accaptable, i dont have the time or patience to burn all my cds back onto my pc.
How can this problem be rectified?
I would be extremely grateful to anyone who can solve my predicament.

You don't have to re-burn everything.
You have two options:
1) Use a new blank library and drag all the files from your exHD into itunes. This will lose playcounts & ratings, but if you don't care about them, it's the fastest way to get itunes back.
2) Find an older post from forum regular, Zevoneer. It will have all you need to know about getting your ipod stuff back into itunes.

How can i sync my ipod touch to another library without losing whats already on it, how can i sync my ipod touch to another library without losing whats already on it?, how can i sync my ipod touch to another library without losing whats already on it?

How can I sync my ipod to a new computer without losing what's already onit? Can it be done?

You can't. Sort of.
No. Not really. But kind of. See below.
See this:
http://support.apple.com/kb/TA44535?viewlocale=en_US#faq5
Question: I have a computer at home and one at work. Can I update my iPod music collection from more than one computer?
Answer: Yes. When you first connect iPod to your computer, iPod recognizes that computer as its "home" computer. Each time you connect, iPod automatically downloads the music library stored on it. When you connect iPod to a different computer, iTunes will inform you that iPod is linked to a different iTunes library and will ask whether you wish to erase iPod's contents and sync with the new computer's library. If you will be connecting to multiple computers frequently, configure your iPod to manually manage music. This will allow you to selectively drag songs, albums, or playlists from the second computer to your iPod without compromising the existing music.
Synchronization generally occurs only in one direction, from your computer to your iPod. This means you typically cannot transfer music, automatically or manually, from your iPod to a computer, and you cannot use iPod to copy a music library from one computer to another. An exception to this is the transfer purchases feature which allows you to restore purchased iTunes content to your computer from your iPod. Additionally, if you legally are allowed to copy music or other media files, you can configure your iPod as a storage drive to move media files.

How can I sync my ipod without losing data?

I bought my ipod around half a year ago and had it synced and everything to my Mac for school. The school took my computer for summer and i backed up the files onto my external harddrive. But i have bought songs and apps on my ipod touch which is no longer connected to any itunes library.
How can i sync this ipod with a itunes library without losing everything on my ipod??
(note: the computer i am using now is a windows, with an itunes library that also has music bought on it)
Message was edited by: Aperson1234

Tough spot if you want Apple only SW, no idea where you can get where you want without some decent 3rd party SW, which as a rule outshines Apple's SW by light years.

Sync my ipod to a new computer without losing songs currently on ipod

I had my itunes and ipod set up on a computer. Then I got a new computer and I had to reinstall itunes on that computer. But, I cant sync my iPod to my new computer because it will erase all the songs that are on it from my old computer, and replace them with the songs in my new library. I have been adding songs manually and that worked for a little but now my iPod is full and I can't take any songs off because my iPod isn't synced to my new itunes. Is there any way I can sync my ipod to my new itunes without losing all my old songs?

Put the songs currently on your iPod back into iTunes.
If you are using 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.
For all other non purchased music (your own CDs etc) try this method which works on some Windows PCs.
Enable your iPod for disk use.
See: iPod Disk Use.
Open iTunes and select edit/preferences/advanced/general. Put a check mark in the box marked "copy files to iTunes music folder when adding to library" and also "keep iTunes music folder organized", then click 'ok'.
Connect the iPod whilst holding down the shift/ctrl keys to prevent any auto sync, and if you see the dialogue window asking if you want to sync to this itunes library, click 'no'.
Then go to file/add folder, open 'my computer', select your iPod and click 'ok'.
The music files should transfer to your iTunes.
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Music from iPod to computer (using option 2). This a manual method using "hidden folders" and although it works, it can be messy.
Much easier ways are to use one of the many 3rd party programs that copy music from the iPod to the computer.
One of the most recommended is Yamipod. This is a free program that transfers music and playlists etc from iPod back to the computer. However, it does not transfer playcounts/ratings etc.
Another free program is Pod Player.
Then you can sync your iPod with iTunes as before.

How can i transfer my ipod to my new itunes without losing all music

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Welcome to the discussion,
Create a new user in windows to keep your iTunes library separate and log in. Make sure your new computer is authorized in iTunes. Disable autosync in itunes, connect your ipod, right click on it in the device list and choose backup.
This will save data, pictures and settings to itunes. See what's included in this backup here: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1766
Transfer your purchases the same way to copy all apps and bought media from the Store to your computer.
Set up at least one contact and event on your computer to be able the merge your calendars and contacts after your ipod got wiped during the first sync.
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Restoring: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1414
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How can I synch my ipod to a new computer without losing all my content, purchased and my old copied albums? My PC and backup died in the same week and now I am told I could lose all my content if I synch?

how can I synch my ipod to a new computer without losing all my content, purchased and my old copied albums?
My PC and backup died in the same week and now I am told I could lose all my content if I synch?
I have new purchases on my new laptop but too paranoid to synch the ipod incase I lose the thousands of tunes I copied over from my old collections.

See these 2 Links...
Syncing to a New Computer...
https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-3141
Recovering your iTunes library from your iPod or iOS device
https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-3991

How do I sync an app from my iPod Touch to iPad 1 without losing its data?

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How do I put ipod classic contents onto iTunes without losing what's already on either?

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https://discussions.apple.com/thread/2452022?start=0&tstart=0
B-rock

HT1296 I bought a new computer and I want to sync my iPod Touch with the new computer without losing data.

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https://discussions.apple.com/thread/2452022?start=0&tstart=0
B-rock

Partition ext hard drive without losing data

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Stress Test wrote:
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Updating ipod on fresh Windows install without losing data?

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