So I got this wacky thing over Thanksgiving. A present from Lady Chance.
I got most of my stuff transferred over and have been happily exploring the possibilities. Woot.
Today my system crashes. When I get it back it can’t recognize my library. When I point it at it there’s no ratings (I spent a hell of a long time entering them) nor any of my playlists. Urgh.
Is there a means to transfer the info from the iPod to the iTunes?
This happened to me a few weeks back. I think it is a bug in iTunes – download the latest version from Apple if you haven’t already. I don’t know if that particular issue has been addressed but it was pretty annoying when it happened. I had to reload everything onto my iPod (25+ gigs worth!) and then rebuild all of my playlists. I’m thankful that my library was still intact because I did not want to have to go and repopulate every bloody album with album art and recategorize everything. (Although the problem was entirely iTunes’ fault, I really should have created my playlists in my library first, instead of creating them directly on the iPod. I have since done so.)
There are third-party programs which will do this. Check out iLounge’s tutorial.
Sorry, just realized that I didn’t actually answer your question, and slightly misread the problem. The answer to the question is yes and no. There are programs out there that will allow you to “backup” your iPod. It does not, strictly speaking, rebuild your iTunes library from it, but you can copy the backed-up iPod data to your iTunes library folder and it will show up. The downside is that the filenames will be unrecognizable if the songs do not have ID3 tag information in them, as the programs that back-up your iPod attempt to rebuild the proper filenames from the ID3 tags.
I used a program called CopyPod, which is a shareware program. I used this the first (and so far only) time I lost my iTunes library, and it worked great. Another app that looks great is Anapod Explorer, which seems to be an all-in-one solution to safeguarding iTunes and your iPod against problems like this. It’s commercial, but it’s not too expensive.
Slight hijack here, but it’s a similar problem that others might wonder about…
I had about 80 songs I bought from iTunes along with about 800 from my CD collection. Then my computer died.
When I get a new computer and download iTunes again, will I be able to recover my purchased songs through my user account?
Or am I just screwed?
Pretty much. Apple does not allow you to redownload already-purchased media (http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=93050).
Try this:
To reset iPod mini, iPod mini (Second Generation), iPod photo, and iPod (Click Wheel)
Toggle the Hold switch on and off. (Slide it to Hold, then turn it off again.)
Press and hold the Menu and Select buttons until the Apple logo appears, about 6 to 10 seconds. You may need to repeat this step.
Tip: If you are having difficulty resetting your iPod, set it on a flat surface. Make sure the finger pressing the Select button is not touching any part of the click wheel. Also make sure that you are pressing the Menu button toward the outside of the click wheel, and not near the center.
If the above steps did not work, try connecting iPod to a power adapter and plug the power adapter into an electrical outlet, or connect iPod to your computer. Make sure the computer is turned on and isn’t set to go to sleep.
Resetting iPod (with dock connector)
Most problems with iPod can be solved by resetting it.
To reset iPod:
1 Connect iPod to a power outlet using the iPod Power Adapter.
2 Toggle the Hold switch on and off (set it to Hold, then turn it off again).
3 Press and hold the Play/Pause and Menu buttons for at least 5 seconds, until the
Apple logo appears.
If Your iPod Won’t Turn On or Respond
• Make sure the Hold switch is off.
• If you’re using the iPod Remote, make sure the remote’s Hold switch is off.
• If that doesn’t work, connect iPod to the iPod Power Adapter and connect the
adapter to a working electrical outlet. Your iPod battery may need to be recharged.
• If that doesn’t work, your iPod may need to be reset (see above).
Resetting iPod (with out dock connector)
If that doesn’t work, your iPod may need to be reset.While the iPod
is connected to power, press and hold the Play and Menu buttons
for at least 5 seconds, until the Apple logo appears.
Resetting iPod mini
Most problems with iPod mini can be solved by resetting iPod mini.
To reset iPod mini:
1 Connect iPod mini to a power outlet using the iPod Power Adapter.
2 Toggle the Hold switch on and off (set it to Hold, then turn it off again).
3 Press and hold the Menu and Select buttons for at least 6 seconds, until the
Apple logo appears.
If Your iPod mini Won’t Turn On or Respond
• Make sure the Hold switch is off.
• If you’re using the iPod Remote, make sure the remote’s Hold switch is off.
• If that doesn’t work, connect iPod mini to the power adapter and connect the
adapter to a working electrical outlet. Your battery may need to be recharged.
• If that doesn’t work, your iPod mini may need to be reset (see above).
That’s what they say, but if you ask them nicely, they will allow you to download the stuff again.
However, I doubt they will make that allowance twice, so make sure you back the stuff up this time!
Right. They don’t like to do this because they have to pay for the songs again, but they will let you do it, if you ask nice (and don’t do it often).
JC, you might want to google “ipod hacks” as there’s tons of workarounds for your situation. (Or, you might just decide that you can’t live without installing Doom on your iPod! ;))