scoob_dood

Now this should probably be in muppets, read on ...

Yesterday I decided to re-build my Windows XP machine as it was getting sluggish and needed a spring clean - so I backed up all my files onto the second HD (I have 2x 80Gb), pictures, music, documents etc.

When I re-installed WIndows, I chose to install onto the first disk, wiped the partition, and within 30 mins was ready to rock and roll ...

Imagine my horror when I realised I'd wiped the wrong disk

SO, as luck would have it I had only copied the the majority of my files from disk1 to disk2 which meant I had all my original files on disk1 .... except my 20gb music collection ...

SO - I am now looking for the right software to extract my much loved and long collected collection from iPod back to my PC, does anyone have any experience or suggestions? I am currently pulling my hair out and preying that the iPod is ok (there's no reason for it not to be ... but the way things are going!)

If anyone is under any illusion that this is some protracted attempt to mass pirate iPods, you are more than welcome to pop round and see just how crazy this is making me!

ANy help, much appreciated ...

- Jon

BlkKnight

do your USB ports work? - try another device

angrynorth

I know there are programes for the Mac such as iPod Access and El iPodo to get tracks off so I imagine there will be some for the PC too. Have you been over to www.ipodlounge.com ? They usually have good suggestions. Good Luck

scoob_dood

Cheers - just scouring iPod lounge now, I also have a MacMini, so may consider restoring the music that now.

- Jon

JackClark

Just plug in the ipod and search the drive letter it apears as for .mp3 or whatever you have one there. Copy them to your hard drive somewhere then get iTunes to import them sorting them out into albums. Finding a utility would be easier, but you can do it manualy.

Markus

iPodLounge does have something on there for you. think there is a little app called ehPod (or something like that) that will allow you to copy music FROM your iPod to your PC, which is exactly what you want to do. Am sure there are other utils on there too.

I personally use Podworks on the Mac and it's great. I like to make sure I've got a backup of my music as most of it is burnt from CD's I have back in the UK, and thus getting them re-ripped would be a mite difficult

scoob_dood

I thought someone had mentioned Podworks ... but it seems not.

Edited because I am clearly suffering from severe stupidity, thanks Markus

For those who are Mac orientated, Podworks seems like a very good tool. It costs about a fiver, and seems to be coping well with my previously described dilemma - although it seems to have highlighted some kind of fragmentation or disc error issue with the iPod ... it never rains, but it pours!

Podworks - http://www.scifihifi.com/podworks/

- Jon

Markus

Glad you like podworks I did not think it'd be much use to you as I thought you were based on a PC.

If you've got disk problems then get all the music copied from the ipod, then fire up Disk Utility and let it check out the disk. Personally I'd repair any errors on it, then use the latest iPod Updater to restore it back to factory default, then copy all the music back onto it.

scoob_dood

That's the plan, once I have the music copied over I want to start frm scratch with the iPod too. I was PC based, but recently bought a Mac Mini, and the only software I've found that works well is Podworks.

Thanks

Jon

Markus

Excellent

Here's an extra tip for you. Select a play list and use the 'save' command to save it. If you ever need to rebuild iTunes you can use the 'open' command to read the playlist back in and it will, if it can find the songs in the same location, recreate your playlists.

Now, I never knew this could be done until a while ago. I had removed my playlists from iPod and iTunes whilst rebuilding things, and wanted to get them back in. Thankfully I'd saved them out, but did not realise you could import them back in (does kind of make sense I know, but it's usually the very simple things you don't try first).

Import, and volia, playlists in iTunes, then copied them over to the iPod, lovely