Ten quid to get my own music back

Anyone who does not backup their important files is just asking for trouble. It does not matter what player you use or where you buy your music. back it up or risk losing it. It is no one elses fault but your own when your HD fails. And HDs do fail.

Can someone explain why some of the above posts are dated Dec 07?

AT adds: Yeah. We use open source software.

You know what they say.... data you dont have backed up is data you dont want to keep.

Reminds me of the time my misses wanted to charge her iTouch whilst I was logged on to her computer using my account (XP). It somehow managed to sync her music files out of existence. Not good Apple. So it seems the same restrictions apply even on the same computer.

Personally I've used winamp and anapod for the last 2 years since I got a laptop, my music is backed up on a USB HDD and I needed to be able to use both my laptop and desktop to put new stuff on my ipod depending on where I am in the world.

Winamp has never failed yet and anapod is great for dragging and dropping.

Newsflash: This is what happens when you buy a product for fashion instead of function.

You paid for it, so quit crying, and take your Steve job in the ass like a good sheep. baa aaa aaa aaa....

The few dozen comments already stated list how you can easily and freely access music from your iPod. I remember doing something similar on my 1st gen iPod 6 years back.

Could you add a tag to designate articles you have written. I want to make sure next time I have a question I can -TAG in my search and not receive any advice you may have. 

Assuming you're using Windows, the music is kept in hidden folders on the iPod. Tell windows to show hidden files and folders and you will be able to recover them.

Of course, this only helps for MP3s as AACs can't be copied without triggering DRM.

Also, you have to do this on a computer without iTunes installed (or at least you have to ignore iTune's request to delete your iPod, just leave it up, don't allow or cancel it), or else iTunes will hide your iPod.

Connect iPod, click File > Upload purchased music from this iPod.

Done.

Next time, perhaps click the 'help' menu if you're stuck before shelling out for your music again!

It would seem to make sense to be able to move songs from your iPod back to your computer, but how does Apple know that it's really YOUR computer and you are not giving your entire library to a friend? Or what if someone stole your iPod because they know that they can load up the contents with the push of a button?

Just like other critical information on your computer, you should be backing up your iTunes library on a regular basis.

...it's design intent. Apple has not the slightest inclination to provide any facility for it's customers to recover content they've already paid for. The requirement for you to have to re-buy them is completely intentional...further, the typical Apple buyer (read: witless idjit bent on wanton consumerism with an irrepressible urge to conform) will praise Apple for allowing them the opportunity to buy the same content again. Because Apple never does anything wrong...and it's flock never thinks independently (welcome to the collective).

Yes apple sucks, and all protection schemes (including this lame one) are always defeated.
1.) Copy all music files off the iPod with their funny names and stupid directories (they're on there in hidden directories).
2.) mp3tag.de download/install
3.) use mp3tag to fix the funny files/dirs (assuming all files have valid tags) you now have all your files named and located for you.

Enjoy

I also have an Ipod Nano...and I also have lost my music from the hard disk.But... If you install I-tunes and you let your software to syncronise automatically..it will erase your music... better leave that thing manually...not auto like newbs.Try using total commander, check the "show hidden files and folders" option and enter on the nano driver.You will see your music folder there.Beware that the titles are coded with letters but in winamp you will see the ID3 tag...so..with that the entire name of the song.
Also i must specify I'm an romanian guy so i do no trust the good for all things software.Better check out myself if I can recover it.If I were you I would use the latest version of winamp to transfer the music to Iphone... so it will not aut sync and erase your music.
Good Bye and head up... sh**T happens all the time...

That is a long going problem, its just funny you haven't been in this kind of situation before.

Moreover, try not to use iTunes (except if you spill your money at the store). There are many surrogate progs that do the same job, and even better. For example, some of them reside on the iPod so that they don't have to be installed on a computer. Thusly you can use Your own "iTunes" proggy with setting and all on any PC :)

Try
http://www.floola.com/modules/wiwimod/

or

http://www.ephpod.com/

What are you going on about!?! If you want to get the music off your ipod just plug it in, open it in explorer, enable view hidden folders, copy the "music" folder onto your desktop and then drag it from the desktop into itunes. It couldn't be easier, it costs nothing and it doesn't need any additional software!

One more reason not to have an eyepod then, smugly of course which makes a nice change for the non-fruity thinking man eh!

*there are alternatives*

If you use winamp with the ipod plugin you'll be able to retreive all you music off the ipod again.
I dont own that sub standard hardware, but this is common knowledge.
Better yet why not buy an mp3 player that can accurately reproduce sound, and comes with software that allows you to do this.

As long as the music does not contain DRM, there is another easy way to get your music back. Open the Ipod folder in Explorer - choose to do a search on the drive - in search options select Music, then let it do its search. Once done, simply select all tracks, and copy them back to your machine.

It would have been free with SharePod!

http://sharepod.sturm.net.nz/

I bought a bunch of CDs from the store, then they burned in a house fire. The store made me buy them all again!! I can't believe they didn't have a 'restore' feature....

A 'Design Fault' is defined as when a device fails to properly function as its designers intended. In this case, the IPod Nano performs exactly as its designers intended. Leaving out a restore function may be considered a 'Fault' but it is certainly not a 'Design Fault'.

You might go to http://www.fadingred.org/senuti/ and get this app. (OS X only) and it will pull all our music from your iPod. Don't know what's available for Windows but there just mount the iPod and you can see the files.



Buying an iPod made by Apple is a bit like restricting yourself to a hoover from Hoover.

There are other products out there for less -- and they have simple drag and drop file transfer instead of the vile mess that is iTunes.

Personally (if I wanted to look like a Wally walking around with headphones on) I'd buy a Sandisk or other that has add-in SD cards. But all my computer savvy mates have iRiver players.

There are many FREE open source programs for Linux that down the job. It is called gtkpod, and rhythmbox.

Both work to send music to the ipod and retrieve it from the ipod in Linux.

You could have just backed up your itunes library to DVD.. works like a charm

iTunes has a backup function. Furthermore, you can register the new computer under your existing iTunes Store account. And finally, Apple often helps people catch up with music they've previously purchased. But just do your backups in the first place. Cheers.

... to use the free utility Ephpod to do this. 

Another way would be to follow the manual approach of copying off the hidden randomly named xxxx.mp3 files off the nano's filesystem, and reimport them into iTunes. The import process looks at the ID3 tags and sorts the files appropriately.

** This works for first gen Nano's anyway, later versions Im not sure of.

sharepod is free and works flawlessly.

http://www.sturm.net.nz/website.php?Section=iPod+Programs&Page=SharePod

in winamp 5.52, plug your ipod --> in open the media library and go to your ipod(under portables) --> select the tracks you want --> right click --> copy to local media.

this will put the files in c:\music my default and will name the files in accordance to the metatags used.

could have saved yourself 10 quid.

Maybe i'm a little late saying this, but all you have to do is use your ipod as a Hard Drive, show hidden files, then browse to your hidden Ipod_Control folder located on your ipod and copy all the files in there, next, just drag those files in iTunes and the trick is done, no need for any software, unless this is just too hard to do.

Feel free to modify, edit, reformulate my comment in any way to make the general public understand.

SomeoneCool

I'm sure this is on purpose so that people cant copy music as easily using an iPod as the storage medium between PCs.

To appease their record label masters.

Of course there are other ways they could do this.

Mr Dennis,
I am sure you have heard of that phrase "Backup" perhaps in hindsight if you had an adequate backup strategy you would not have so much apple hate. I have to ask, if you had a Zune would it have been very different? or perhaps if you had not had another device at all you would still flame apple for not providing you with a backup strategy.

If you have the latest version of the apple OSX software on a mac computer you could have taken advantage of that magnificent application called Time Machine, perhaps you would like to read up about it, then you would work out how backups work!!!

Ahh but then again you probably use Windoze, which provides ummmm... what software for backup?

Yep I totally agree but guess what? its to stop people giving away their music by downloading it from one machine to another. I had to pay out for the same application too but not before I loss'ed a load of photos during the process. Now i understand that the greedy music companies insisted that you cant copy your fav tunes to another machine but your photos etc? whats that all about? come on apple get your finger out.

how did you fall for "ipod2computer"? did you see their website?

how about some nice free software like iPodDisk http://sourceforge.net/projects/ipoddisk/
or ephpod if you're on windows http://www.ephpod.com/

you paid for for this "functionality". Live with it.



Why not take this opportunity to throw away your iPod and select any number of superior mp3 players which do not limit access and control of your files? 

For the life of me, I can't understand how you could not know about this problem before purchasing your iPod, unless you're one of the several million suckers out there that purchase iPods purely on aesthetics and trendiness.

Dear sir, please educate thyself.

They probably want you to buy all your music again. (I'm not buying from Itunes ever again.)

Hopefully some day we will have a digital distribution service like Valve's Steam service for games but one that does music. That way we can download it as many times as we want, to whatever device we want and just need to have your user name and password to do it.

Theres software to do this for you, both win + mac. Should have googled for it. Don't moan because you had to pay because you didn't look hard enough

The trick here is why? Orginial iPods worked just fine and you could load back, then the music labels started getting pushy and such things are a no no as someone might use it to pirate music.

Blame Apple? yes you can. Don't forget to also Blame Apple to make the Music Industry realize people want downloaded music. if it wasn't for Apple there still wouldn't be any major online music service. Every other one who has tried it has failed miserably. At least until Amazon.

iPods have always been like this, presumably to stop illegal distribution. Try Ephpod. It's free, though a bit confusing to use.

Nothing new, the sad thing is the cult of mac says "Though shalt not complain"
I've been stiffed twice like that (funny how Steam never shaft you and they deal in 100x more data)

flog the junk and save for pacemaker.net, still a bit raw but stunning potential, got mine yesterday... heheee

You do know that there is a Backup to Disc function in iTunes. Before Time Machine, I used it quite often. I think it sucks that you cannot do it after the fact, but it is there and only you can be blamed for not using it.

It would be wrong and mean to point out that you can restore off a Zune? Thought so.

I don't get it.... You can get Senuti for free for macs....

http://www.fadingred.org/senuti/

Not from ipod2computer... Is this a case of a bogus company making money off of Freeware?