Ipod music back onto PC

[32VfromHell]

Okay, i think i ran into this issue before, but im looking for *free* software that allows me to transfer songs (and their full names and file extensions) from my ipod BACK onto my computer, whose music folder got the axe along with the OS with my new system upgrade.

Thanks to Cruz, i got looking into Anapod, but the trial version doesnt allow transfers from ipod to the computer, but its the software that i need. Anyone have any alternative "itunes emulators" that allow me to pull the songs out?

[exlude]

Anapod full version works pretty well, but it's not free.

I had a similar problem and spent a good deal of time looking for freeware, but was disatisfied with everything I found.

[White_lightning]

why cant you just use itunes to move it back? i havent messed with it enough but assume it has the ability?

[Tangstang]

Why don't you just find a keycode or whatever is needed for your 'anapod'? That's what I usually do in similiar situations.

[D]

I have a program called Sharepod. It's super simple. I can e-mail it to you if you'd like.

[AbecX]

[QUOTE=White_lightning]why cant you just use itunes to move it back? i havent messed with it enough but assume it has the ability?[/QUOTE]
You cant with the itunes software, it only allows uploading, no downloading. You can mount the ipod as a remote drive, but the music is uploaded randomly and has different names so you'd have to copy and rename them all. The reason they do not allow you to download from your ipod ( using itunes )is because Apple wanted to appease the RIAA to make it 'look' like their device was anti piracy. RIAA fully believes that everyone was going to take ipods to friends houses and just dump their mp3 collection.

[sonicblue]

try IPodCopy. i downloaded it a while back. you get a free trial version.

[Hunt4m3x]

vpod

[Osiris]

[QUOTE=AbecX]You cant with the itunes software, it only allows uploading, no downloading. You can mount the ipod as a remote drive, but the music is uploaded randomly and has different names so you'd have to copy and rename them all. The reason they do not allow you to download from your ipod ( using itunes )is because Apple wanted to appease the RIAA to make it 'look' like their device was anti piracy. RIAA fully believes that everyone was going to take ipods to friends houses and just dump their mp3 collection.[/QUOTE]

Good god I'm so sick of hearing about RIAA. They don't even us wanting to use the mp3 players in the first place.

[usmcluke]

[QUOTE=White_lightning]why cant you just use itunes to move it back? i havent messed with it enough but assume it has the ability?[/QUOTE]
This kind of goes back to the Zune vs IPOD thread. One of the ways that Apple tries to control the way you use your music. But hey I don't know what the fuck I am talking about.

[Lason]

[QUOTE=AbecX]You cant with the itunes software, it only allows uploading, no downloading. You can mount the ipod as a remote drive, but the music is uploaded randomly and has different names so you'd have to copy and rename them all. The reason they do not allow you to download from your ipod ( using itunes )is because Apple wanted to appease the RIAA to make it 'look' like their device was anti piracy. RIAA fully believes that everyone was going to take ipods to friends houses and just dump their mp3 collection.[/QUOTE]


I remember hearing about people going to electonics stores, hooking up their iPods to display computers and copying software to their ipod then going home and uploading it to their personal computers. I thought it was pretty smart myself. Some of these programs are just plain overpriced. *cough cough* windows OS *cough cough*

[mind]

whenever someone here quits or gets fired, i take my usb hard drive to their computer and copy their itunes folder.

ipod hater by the way.

sorry i have no usefull info to contribute to this thread.

[ozzeran]

[QUOTE=mind]whenever someone here quits or gets fired, i take my usb hard drive to their computer and copy their itunes folder.

ipod hater by the way.

sorry i have no usefull info to contribute to this thread.[/QUOTE]

lol

[32VfromHell]

[QUOTE=sonicblue]try IPodCopy. i downloaded it a while back. you get a free trial version.[/QUOTE]


it would kick ass if Ipodcopy's trial version allowed you to transfer more than 40 songs =(

[32VfromHell]

and as far as i know, Vpod doesnt have the feature to upload files FROM your ipod to your PC.

[32VfromHell]

fuck yes, sharepod is working...

[jakesford]

[QUOTE=usmcblown4.6]This kind of goes back to the Zune vs IPOD thread. One of the ways that Apple tries to control the way you use your music. But hey I don't know what the fuck I am talking about.[/QUOTE]

Not a big fan of the Zune yet... Maybe after some hacks it could be a little better. Personally I wouldn't even consider the zune until gen2 is released. Wait for the "bugs" to be worked out. :o

[usmcluke]

[QUOTE=jakesford]Not a big fan of the Zune yet... Maybe after some hacks it could be a little better. Personally I wouldn't even consider the zune until gen2 is released. Wait for the "bugs" to be worked out. :o[/QUOTE]
That I agree with. Rumor mill at MS is that there will be a firmware upgrade to make the wireless actually useful. You never know though. I have the Zen Vision M and bought my wife the Zen Vision W or some crap like that.

[DarkWolf]

[QUOTE=AbecX]You can mount the ipod as a remote drive, but the music is uploaded randomly and has different names so you'd have to copy and rename them all. [/QUOTE]

This is how I do it. It's actually really easy, just browse to your iPod and turn on "Show Hidden Files & Folders" in your folder's View options.

In iTunes, go to Edit > Preferences > Advanced, note the music folder location (and set a new one if you want), and make sure "Keep iTunes Music folder organized" is checked, as well as "Copy files to iTunes Music folder when adding to library".

Then, on the iPod go to X:\iPod_Control\Music (X is whatever drive letter your iPod comes up as)

You'll see a bunch of randomly generated folders. From here, just right-click > Search on the Music folder, and put in *.mp3 in the search field. Once it's done, select all > copy, and paste them all into your iTunes music folder.

Now, browse to the itunes music folder, select all, and drag them onto iTunes. iTunes will start adding them to the library, and will automatically rename the files, and place them in folders/subfolders for Artist\Album, based on the id3 tags. And, if I remember correctly, it will remove the randomly named mp3's while it's doing this, so you don't even have to go back in and delete them after it's done.

I've also done this more specifically, by searching for a particular artist, album, genre, or comment. Search will read that information from the id3 tags, and display just the files on the iPod that match what you're searching for.

There's definitely easier ways to do this, but this isn't terribly difficult if you're even remotely familiar with Windows Explorer. And it saves you from having to install yet another piece of software, if you're like me and prefer keeping your windows install clean, installing only software that does something you can't just use a native tool for.

[DarkWolf]

[QUOTE=usmcblown4.6]This kind of goes back to the Zune vs IPOD thread. One of the ways that Apple tries to control the way you use your music. But hey I don't know what the fuck I am talking about.[/QUOTE]

Considering you have to hack your registry to get the Zune to even show up as a mass storage device (external hdd)... you fail to equate this to Microsoft trying to control the way you use your music, how exactly?

At least the iPod shows up by default as an external hdd, viewing the hidden music folder on it is trivial.

As of iTunes 7 (released around 2 months before Zune), both iPod and Zune offer reverse syncing of music purchased from their respective stores. Though as I understand it, Zune allows reverse syncing of all songs, so kudos to them for that (then again, there's already been tons of ways to do it with iPod, just not through iTunes... yet)

Perhaps iTunes 7.0.3 will include that (7.0.2 also came out before Zune), as that's really the only reason 3rd party apps like anapod, ephpod, vpod, sharepod, ml_ipod, etc even exist (well, that and for people who don't like using iTunes, naturally)

[32VfromHell]

okay, now i need to figure out how to delete my itunes library, all keyed into trying to find my old files. I loaded my new songs now, and i have about 3000 trillion duplicate files, and its a pain in the ass. I would rather just clear the library completely, rather than just having 10000 (!) icons next to half my files...

[DarkWolf]

C:\Documents and Settings\<username>[username]\My Documents\My Music\iTunes

Delete iTunes Music Library.xml

I'm not sure if you need to also delete iTunes Library.itl, I think that one holds your iTunes settings, but not entirely positive.

[edit] fixed a goof on the path, and

</username>outstanding sir. thank you!

No problem :)

[32VfromHell]

outstanding sir. thank you!

[Mustangman_2000]

i use ephod and it works great.

and it's free or at least it was for me.