How to get music off your iPod

Thursday, August 18. 2005

How to get music off your iPod

iPods fly the Apple spirit better than most Apple products, in that they look great, but can be very frustrating. One of the most ridiculous things about them is how they must be bound to one computer. An iPod will piss you off in some of the following ways...

If you're on holidays and you buy an album, you can't put it on your iPod without losing the other 3 gigs of music.
If you tend to use two computers, you should play it safe and only ever connect your computer to one of them.
If you buy a Tune through iTunes, only you are allowed listen to it
The default behaviour of iTunes is to lash your whole music collection into .aac format

Please note this list is not exhaustive, I've only been using my sisters iPod properly for 2 weeks or so. Anyways, the real nuisance was that I had heaps of music in work, and heaps at home, and I simply wanted to get a bit of both onto the player. Is that possible? Yes. Are you supposed to do it? No. Do Apple make it easy for you? No.

And here it is, I can't believe I am about to write a guide on how to retrieve music you own from an iPod you own. The next guy see gushing over their iPod is getting a slap, its all some people understand

Step 1: Kill the iTunes Services

Since installing iTunes, you have been running 2 extra services whether you know it or not. They are called iTunesHelper.exe and iPodService.exe. Basically these guys make sure that when your iPod gets connected that iTunes is in charge. So before you connect your iPod, kill these two. For those less technical, press Ctrl-Alt-Delete, then click Task Manager.

Step 2: Connect your iPod

If you performed step one properly , your iPod should simply appear as a USB Mass Storage Device. Goto My Computer, and open it. It will be assigned a drive letter like E: or F:. You are now browsing your iPod. But you can't see much.

Step 3: View the Hidden Files

When you are browsing your iPod, click Tools->Folder Options and set it to view hidden files.

Step4: Find your music

Your music will be in F:\iPod Contol\Music\ where F: is the drive your iPod appeared at. It will appear all over the shop, in that there are heaps of fodlers called strange names with no ordering. This is the way its supposed to be.

Copy it all over

Simply copy this entire (Music) to your hard drive. Don't worry about it being unorganised. When you next start iTunes, click File->Add Folder to Library and tell it where all your new found music is. iTunes will make sense of the folder structure and display all the music correctly. And voila, the music you own has come from your iPod to your harddrive.

I know I know...

Yes, you can buy applications to do this, but if I spent 300 dollars on an iPod, I wouldn't be in the humour of shelling out more money for read write access. I also know GtkPod will do this very easily on Linux. But not everyone uses Linux. If you're reading this and thinking "Thank God I bought an iRiver", well, you're right.

Posted by Des Traynor in Usability at 11:13 | Comments (135) | Trackbacks (0)

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Damn, I never realised iPods gave that much grief. Are Creative Zens, iRivers, etc, as much hassle? Was planning on getting one or other mp3 player sooner or later, hopefully won't have to jump through hoops for the damn thing. Good how-to btw.

#1 Dave Cahill (Homepage) on 2005-08-18 20:17 (Reply)

I would highly recommend the iRiver. I know three, (four now actually) people with iRivers, and they work splendidly.

#1.1 Des (Homepage) on 2005-08-19 06:27 (Reply)

i tried to do as you said, but get error message- "cannot copy-parameter is incorrect" , for lots of the songs.
any suggestions??
thanks

#1.1.1 schuby (Homepage) on 2007-03-30 16:31 (Reply)

wow thanks alot i just rebooted my cpu because i accedentaly deleted the sound card well the program and well.... thanks dont know what i would do without ya =) deffenentally like this better than those programs u download >,)

#1.2 adam west on 2006-03-17 00:15 (Reply)

I tried this today and succesfully retrived my music off of my ipod. I was estatic. My old computer had all my songs on a hard drive that died one day. I am having trouble with the last step of these directions. I saved all my songs off the ipod to my external hard drive. When I navigate to this drive I see all the folders with scrambled names and the files are good because I tested them. Now when I am in itunes I complete the add new folder to library task and nothing happens. I can't even add the files seperatley. Please help me understand what I am doing wrong. I want to navigate the songs through itunes.

Thank you so much,
Audrey

#1.3 Audrey on 2008-01-05 17:41 (Reply)

Could you help me? i did a system restore on my computer and my itunes is gone. i tried to download itunes 7.5 and when i treid to install it it said that the older version of apple software couldn't be removed. how do i remove it because when i go to add/delete programs and try to delete it my files for apple software is missing. i can't find the files

#1.4 Marcus Nunley on 2008-02-18 11:04 (Reply)

ok y not just refresh ur computer/laptop its probably the only way thats wat happend 2 me and i refreshed my computer and it worked so it might be risky but it works

#1.4.1 jess on 2008-03-29 23:38 (Reply)

Damn that is retarded. My girlfriend has an iRiver and that just works as a USB mass storage device when conected.

Really don't see the draw of the iPod, I'm far too happy with my PMA430.

#2 niall (Homepage) on 2005-08-19 02:56 (Reply)

That seems like an aweful lot of bother for no good reason TBH.

I had a similar situation when I bought my iPod, I had music at home and music at work. What did I do? Told itunes to burn a datacd with my entire library on it, stuck in the CD at home, dragged and dropped the cd icon in itunes to the library icon in itunes, attached my iPod and hey presto, done! no process killing, no farting around and it only took a few mouse clicks!

Also, when you buy music on iTunes it is your music and you can have up to 5 authorised computers at any time and iTunes actually advise that you burn an audio CD for backup (that takes one mouse click) so I am not really seeing a problem. However, if you really want to "unlock" them I suggest Hymn (http://www.hymn-project.org/).

#3 Bart (Homepage) on 2005-08-19 04:34 (Reply)

It is a lot of bother for no reason.

Bart, with any other mp3 player on the market I can move from place to place effortlessly, there is zero difficulty. No burning required. Incidentally, to localise my entire collection would take just over 3 dvds, why should I have to do this?

I realise burning a cd will fix it once, but thats a band aid over a bullet hole. It doesn't change cases such as when I am on holiday, or for that matter away from my computer with a cd I want to listen to.

I think its ridiculous how Apple heads just accept that they are locked to one computer, Dave can take his iRiver over to my computer if he wanted a song from me, I can't do the same. There is a simple usability task that the iPod fundamentally fails on.

#3.1 Des (Homepage) on 2005-08-19 06:25 (Reply)

Well I don't see a problem. I keep my music backed up on CDs anyhow because I learend a long time ago that Hard disks are not to be trusted!

For me the iPod caused no problems at all and in fact, iTunes is such a nice product that I am exceptionally happy with both my iPod, iTunes and the integration between the two. My experience has been that it just works!

#3.1.1 Bart (Homepage) on 2005-08-19 06:59 (Reply)

This is so typical of MAC fans. Not seeing problem where there is one.

You are just accepting that you can't do certain things, and in fact you are almost praising Apple for it.

There are things that the iPod just can't do, that other products such as the iRiver can. Maybe so far in your iPod life you have never been in a case where you wished you could connect your iPod to more than one computer, but if you're telling me that you think you'll always be the same, then you're joking.

You back your data up onto CDs, thats great. Everyone should do that. That would be about 16 mp3 cds for me. So, if I lose my hard drive, I have to load on 16 cds (3 dvds) worth of stuff back on to a new harddrive (or follow the above hacks). If I had an iRiver, I'd simply plug it in, and copy the music across.

Which of those two cases is easier/more usable?
Answer: The case where I have an iRiver.

#3.1.1.1 Des (Homepage) on 2005-08-19 07:28 (Reply)

Well hi
I also own an iRiver - an 890 model. I wish I could just copy my music off it as easy as some people here like Des, but unfortunately that's not the case.
Can someone here please tell me how they get their music off their iRivers? It's not letting me transfer it across. Is there something I'm doing wrong?
Please advise,
thanx.

#3.1.1.1.1 cal on 2005-11-26 23:48 (Reply)

Hi cal,
The 890 iRiver is a flash ram based player, and as such won't be mounted as an external harddrive. You need a utility called iRiver manager which you can download off the iRiver site (you also got it on CD with your iRiver), and that should take care of everything for you.

Regards,
Des

#3.1.1.1.1.1 Des (Homepage) on 2005-11-29 08:45 (Reply)

:This is so typical of MAC fans. Not seeing problem
:where there is one.

Actually we're Mac fans - though I do like Media Access Control addresses, but not so keen on Migration Authorisation Codes, and definitely not Mid air Collisions.

:You are just accepting that you can't do certain
:things, and in fact you are almost praising Apple
:for it.

There are people that just buy iPod because it's Apple, sure, but I did research and bought what I wanted, needed and understood. I knew from the start the 'limitations' of the iPod but it works in my lifestyle. It's like my pocket radio won't receive and play DAB broadcasts, but I don't want it to. So what? I'm accepting in and praising the manufacturer for producing a product that does what I want it to. If it doesn't do what you want it to, don't buy it. And don't complain if you can't be bothered to do your research first and then find yourself 'locked' - iPod/iTunes integration is not a secret.

Thanks for the stereotypical approach to computer users / MP3 player owners of one or other 'type' though.

#3.1.1.1.2 Andy Merrett (Homepage) on 2006-10-30 12:22 (Reply)

Wow Andy, I wasn't really sure what your point was, but then you corrected my capitalisation, and BAM, it was all clear.

Read access to an MP3 player you own is hardly a luxury in this day and age. It's not like having an FM radio or Wireless sharing, it's something you expect.

I don't know what your last comment is supposed to mean, what is my "steretypical" approach to computer users? Am I stereotyping them by presuming they want this information?(they do)

#3.1.1.1.2.1 Des Traynor (Homepage) on 2006-10-30 13:00 (Reply)

one, you can drag music from anyone's computer onto your iPod. this is true of any music you buy anywhere. you have to disable the sync command in your settings, then you are the authority on what is added to your iPod. but i do agree that it is your music, and you shouldn't be confined to your selected computers to buy a song. but you can buy that song in mp3 and import it into an iPod from anywhere you want. the problem i agree with you on is that it's unidirectional.

#3.1.1.1.3 Lou on 2008-01-06 02:24 (Reply)

WEll, just for the record buddy, Macs -> Ipods are a looot easier to handle than windows -> ipod. Ipods were simply made for macs.

Macs can just upload the music straight without doing any of that. There are a plethora of free (yes: free) programs to upload from your ipod to your mac. And all you have to do is hook up your ipod, open up the program, click "connect" and voila. ~15 mins later, all the music is on your mac. And any ipod can connect to any mac.

It's really smart servicing really. It's why the apple industry is pretty much taking over the technological scene.

#3.1.1.1.4 Anonymous on 2008-04-17 16:22 (Reply)

But you're connecting your iPod to your iComputer using iSfotware to download iTunes, in fairness I'd be fairly surprised if it didn't iWork

#3.1.1.2 David McNally (Homepage) on 2005-08-19 07:29 (Reply)

cds cost money, this is free and very simple. Not to mention the fact it takes less time than burning 1,000 + songs onto cds.

#3.2 sleepyjon on 2006-10-01 01:17 (Reply)

I'd like to start by saying Des I can't believe you just made a post about your iPod, for shame

Oh and I'd did finish reading it thinking "Thank God I bought an iRiver", just the other day I updated its firmware adding a little more functionality, nothing major just added ability to adjust playback speed, set stop time for recording from the radio and a few other tweaks. I never wanted an iPod but now I've got another reason

#4 David McNally (Homepage) on 2005-08-19 04:54 (Reply)

On the point of AAC:

At any given bit-rate, AAC provides better quality than MP3 compression. In quality stakes, it is a superior format.

Here's a comparison of the two formats done by one damn picky person:
http://members.chello.nl/~m.heijligers/ipod/Compression/compression.html

#5 David Barrett (Homepage) on 2005-08-19 05:13 (Reply)

It is a big restriction to only allow the ipod to be connected to a single itunes application. Over the past while I've bought an ishuffle, ipod mini, a normal ipod, and an Archos Jukebox. The jukebox acted as an external harddrive, and I could just drag and drop any music and play it. I had this feature in 2002. Now with my new ipod, I dont have it.

#6 Andrew (Homepage) on 2005-08-19 06:52 (Reply)

A better way:

http://www.engadget.com/entry/7166385640773718/

Caveat: to do this for free, you may need to format your iPod as FAT32. If you're using it with a PC as a portable hard-drive, this is probably a good idea anyway.

#7 David Barrett (Homepage) on 2005-08-19 16:27 (Reply)

Eh, thats certainly a trickier way , and requires 3rd party software. But it works out better in the long run I guess. It depends on how frequently you want to read/write from your iPod I guess.

In other news, I watched an episode of Family Guy on my friends iRiver yesterday. He just copied it over from his hard drive. Impressive.

#8 Des (Homepage) on 2005-08-20 07:09 (Reply)

I just followed the instructions and it worked like a charm.. it wasn't hard at all...

Although I really wish I'd have purchased an iRiver as I didn't realize that there isn't the possibility of listening to the radio on my iPod :o(... but it sure is cute! :S

#9 Cheri on 2005-09-12 18:56 (Reply)

thanks for the advice i have had 3 mp3players in the last year a philips, a creative zen touch and an ipod. I have to say the ipod is the worst. I got it cos of the colour screen (bad move). I have been trying for ages to get music off my ipod so i can create comperlatin cds. Thanks for the tip

#10 Ricky on 2005-10-05 11:24 (Reply)

By going into ipod options in iTunes and clicking on 'update iPod manually' you should not have a problem between different computers, and you wont need to worry about ending processes in task manager either. You can set your itunes preferences to encode in mp3 so you never have to worry about aac, you can burn your itunes purchases to cd then rip them into mp3 files (time intensive i know). Basically all problems can be overcome, every player has its pros and cons even iRiver (for example, photos on an iriver are crap quality as they make no resolution change between computer and player, whereas photos on even an ipod nano are fantastically clear)
Itunes is an excellent piece of software, much easier and more efficient to use then creative software, sony software or windows media player and thats a fact, also ipods are so damn user friendly and well put together, On saying that though i dont see why iriver or someone cant look at all mp3 players and basically come up with the perfect one, no reason why not!

#11 Mick on 2005-12-13 08:30 (Reply)

I am sure Apple have many patent lawyers that say exactly "why not"

.

But tell me this, using all your tricks and tips, can you easily get music you own off an iPod you own onto a computer *you own*.

I amn't exactly sure what fact you have to show that iTunes is more "efficient".

I will, and have already, conceded the fact that the iPod looks great and it's clickwheel interface is superior to anything any of its rivals have.

Thanks for reading Mick, I apologise for the slight in your comment appearing, its necessary to keep spam out.

Des

#12 Des (Homepage) on 2005-12-13 08:52 (Reply)

How do i copy my music from Windown Media Player on to my I Pod
MY Bob Marley is on my window Media Player 10 but like to copy it to my new I Pod what do I do

#13 Brian martin (Homepage) on 2005-12-25 10:11 (Reply)

In iTunes, select
File->Import

And select the location of all your Marley music. That should do it.
Then you can drag and drop it onto your iPod

#13.1 Des Traynor (Homepage) on 2005-12-27 10:37 (Reply)

I removed the 2 .exe files but still do not see the IPos as a mass storage debvice - where to next?

#14 Ros on 2005-12-26 17:11 (Reply)

OK, I am stupid, it does work. Sorry! Thanks for the VERY useful info.

#15 Ros Johnston on 2005-12-26 17:15 (Reply)

Thank you very much! This helped out a lot. It's so easy, too! It's way better than downloading some program to my computer that will probably give me bugs anyways.

#16 Brooke (Homepage) on 2005-12-28 21:52 (Reply)

Hi Des, I am trying to decide which MP3 player to get, I have a lot of friends who are living in the, dreaded or not, iworld... Am I able to get music from their itunes programs with my ipod? the clickwheel simplicity has me... but having said that, the iriver does seem to have much less "issues" with it. Cheers for the seemingly excellent tips

#17 Troy on 2006-01-04 21:16 (Reply)

Hi Troy,
Basically the way an iPod works, everytime you connect it to a new computer, you have to empty its contents. For example, say you have an iPod full of Rap music, and your friend has a load of rock music on his iTunes. The only way to get the both styles of music on your iPod would be to first copy your Rap music onto his computer (using this guide). It is fundamental that you do not let iTunes realise you have connected an iPod at this point. So basically , you copy the rap onto his computer, then connect your iPod properly (i.e. the way Apple want you to). iTunes will then tell you that you must erase all the music off your iPod before you can put any music onto it. You erase the contents, and then you can copy over the rap and rock, and have it all on your iPod.

The real sickener is that if you meet a third friend who has all your favourite dance tunes, then you have to go and follow this procedure again. If you had an iRiver, or a Creative, you'd simply plug it in, copy the music over, plug it out and leave.

Thats why I think iPods are really poxy. They have the best interface, but come with the most baggage.

Thanks for reading,

Des

#18 Des Traynor (Homepage) on 2006-01-05 08:25 (Reply)

See iPods do not support Piracy! That's what this "bagage" is.

The idea of the iPod is that you take YOUR music with you, it is literally an extension of your computer. What you are describing is effectively stealing music off people and the iPod does not try to support that, that is why the music industry like apple and why iTunes is doing so well.

#18.1 Bart B (Homepage) on 2006-01-05 09:16 (Reply)

Yeah, Bart. Apple really are the best thing ever. OMG!

Q: Have they succeeded in stopping piracy with this bullshit?
A: No.

Q: Have they impeded the usability of the product?
A: Yes.

The baggage I was referring to is the exact case explained in my blog. If you have music on more than one computer, you are into a world of pain. Sure you can go burn them to dvds and then gush about how great that was, but you have to realise that it makes life harder.

"iPods do not support piracy" Seriously man, for fucks sake. As if Creative's or iRivers come with a fucking jolly rodger flag attached. By your logic an external hard drive "supports piracy".

#18.1.1 Des Traynor (Homepage) on 2006-01-05 18:55 (Reply)

Oh dear, I think you've gotten the wrong end of the stick there!

Apple played what I consider a very smart game. They courted the music industry while still standing up for user's rights. FairPlay is just that, fair play. It is because Apple DID implement a DRM that the iTunes Store came to be, and came to be a success with the music industry.

The iPod is designed for a certain way of doing things, it is designed to be an extension of your computer, not of your computers, just of your computer. If that is not a realistic scenario then the iPod is not for you.

IMO I think it's not an issue because you should never trust just a computer with your music anyhow, you should have CD/DVD backups anyhow so for me this whole thing does not arrise.

#18.1.2 Bart B (Homepage) on 2006-01-06 04:07 (Reply)

Well you said clearly, "Apple do not support piracy" in a way that implied other similar products do support piracy.

The DRM on iTunes is irrelevant to what I am saying. It isn't DRM that stops you from taking music from 2 computers. Its the iPod.

Say if I have my music backed up, and somehow my harddrive gets corrupted... Any other music player, I just drag and drop my music back over, at USB 2.0, Pretty quick, very little hassle. With an iPod, I go searching the net and find an article like this, cause Lord Knows Apple don't want you to do this.

The amount of emails I have gotten (23) saying "Thanks Des, great guide, helped me out a lot" or something similar, is surely a sign that Apple are missing something. Who knows, maybe I am instructing these people to pirate music, We'll just presume their goal is illegal until they say otherwise.

#18.1.2.1 Des Traynor (Homepage) on 2006-01-06 09:50 (Reply)

Ok, when I was young, we used to do this with cassette tapes. You'd go to a friend's house, and copy some of their CDs or Records onto a tape and take it with you. There was never any opposition to this, and it was considered "fair use". You'd even sometimes make a tape-to-tape copy on a dual deck.

None of these cassette tapes had any street value, unlike the original CDs or records. The tapes were lossy copies of the CDs or records.

Mp3's or aac files are just like cassette tapes - they are lossy "digital analogies"

All the copyright crap on the ipod does is encourage people to copy the music on each other's hard drives, so that they don't have to go through this process. With portable disk drives and USB drives, it would be easier to take songs from your friend's house home and put them on your drive and then copy them. Thus defeating the puropse.

The whole model is as dumb as the Serial Copy Management System and the "Music CDs".
Simply put, the iPod has no advantages over the iRiver. The iRiver has the best over all features, and once you get used to it, the iRiver file browser is much easier to navigate than the ipod. The sound quality on my h120 blows away the ipod; I've seen the philips and samsung players, and they are excellent also. Both of my iRiver units have record capabilities, which is great for lectures or meetings, or when I want to record radio programs without having to tie up my computer. I've even tied my iRiver into my car radio, and can record from it while on the road.

Most mp3 players use a disk-drive type interface; the ipod is way behind the times!

#18.1.3 neil schubert on 2007-02-03 03:07 (Reply)

I have an iPod Video and just got a new computer and this worked like a charm. Thank god i found this site cause i was actually about to go out and spend money on a program that did this. Great Walkthrough!

#19 Kyle on 2006-03-14 19:44 (Reply)

Glad you like it Kyle, best of luck with the new purchase.

Des

#20 Des Traynor (Homepage) on 2006-03-15 08:08 (Reply)

Well this info is the best, I just did and viola! I have got my music back. I definently think that this information should be spread far and wide to all us ipod users. After having one computer crash unexpectedly one day, Im glad I found this blog.

#21 Anthony on 2006-04-09 10:44 (Reply)

What about if your iPod is formatted for Mac but now you have a PC laptop? This is the case for me. I don't know what to do. All of my music is on my iPod. Please help.

#22 Esco on 2006-07-16 00:14 (Reply)

If your iPod is formatted for the Mac, then obviously this guide is not much use to you.

Read this guide here...
http://www.engadget.com/2004/11/02/how-to-get-music-off-your-ipod/

Half way through they mention mac specific software called iLinkPod, which will do it for you. So you need to find a mac, get the music, burn a DVD / CD with the music on it, then bring that CD/DVD to your PC laptop, and voila, you are back where you started.

You gotta love apple.

#22.1 Des Traynor (Homepage) on 2006-07-16 09:35 (Reply)

First, I'd like to say great guide, really saved my A$$ after my hard drive puked!
Second, to everyone still preaching ipod, The three differences I’ve seen is, it stops piracy, it allows you on itunes, and back your music up on cd/dvd... and I feel I MUST comment.

First, it does not stop piracy; it just makes it a small nuisance. But the real problem in piracy is P2P software, where you download the music from someone else. It is quite easy to open that new mp3 file in itunes, and boom, its on your ipod. The music industry did not use millions upon millions because of friend’s sharing their new CDs…

Second, I saw something about being able to update an ipod manually. Well, I don’t know about you, but I really don’t feel like MANNUALLY updating 1300+songs.. just to get a song from my friend, that takes a while.

And last of all, backing it up. You say this like it is a one time simple solution. First of all, you are spending YOUR MONEY to make sure you KEEP you OWN music. Second, it is not the 1 time solution it sounds like. Scenario: you back up your music Friday. Then Sunday you get on your download site, and start downloading music. You spend 4 hours making a great new play list of new songs. And Wed. you download a computer virus that destroys your hard drive.. You now lost all those songs, (and the money you paid for them) unless you use this guide or a program. On an IRiver, or other device, it's no big deal. But with this you have to fight for your music.
How often do you want to 'back up' your music, every time you download a song? I never did, and since I didn’t get a chance to update mine 1 night, I lost about 4 hours of downloading songs.

This is just another of many problems with ipod. (Another pet peeve of mine is that it pauses whenever you get a loose connection in the headphones (cuz the default ear buds jack is a hair bigger) and they have given no way to turn it off) These are just ways for Apple to monopolize the ipod by making sure only their software works. Stopping piracy is their shield from people realizing that they are monopolizing on that too..

Also, Des, is their any way to put it into the original song format, as i use to have it organized in 'my music' folder under rap, rock, country.. in case i ever wanted to use another program... so can you (easily) set it back without listening to every individual song?
thx, Drew

#23 Drew on 2006-07-20 22:59 (Reply)

Hi Drew,
Glad this helped you. In short, I don't think there is an easy way to get it back to the way it was. At least, I don't know how anyways. I think Apple discards all that information when it imports the songs, and stores things its own way.

There might be some commercial software that does it, but I doubt it.

Best of luck,
Des

#23.1 Des Traynor (Homepage) on 2006-07-21 06:04 (Reply)

where the fuck is how to take music OFF the damn ipod!!?

#24 Shayna (Homepage) on 2006-07-24 18:49 (Reply)

Well if you followed the guide you'd see how to copy the music. So I don't understand your question.

If its simply how do I remove/erase all the music from my iPod, just hook it up to a PC with iTunes installed, and it'll insist on deleting it all.

#24.1 Des Traynor (Homepage) on 2006-07-25 04:45 (Reply)

I'm getting "file cannot be imported, an unknown error has occurred"

#25 Keith on 2006-07-28 15:05 (Reply)

okay - I can get them one FILE at a time but the FOLDER import seems to do nothing. One FILE at a time will take me 3 days...Help?

#26 Keith on 2006-07-28 15:14 (Reply)

Sorry - I got them - even though you can see the files and folders you still have to unhide them...Thanks a million!

#26.1 Keith Coley on 2006-07-31 13:46 (Reply)

No problem Keith, sorry I didn't reply to you, I didn't notice the comments arriving.

#26.1.1 Des Traynor (Homepage) on 2006-07-31 17:24 (Reply)

Okay, I had the same problem as Dude and Help Me. I tried Longfingers and nothing happened. It said there was a script error. I got my iPod from some guy off craigslist, and like Lucy, want to keep some of the songs and delete the rest. Is there anything more I can do? Am I missing something here? Could he have used a Mac with iTunes or whatever? I really don't want to delete some of these songs, because it would be great to have them.

#26.1.1.1 Jolly Roger on 2007-11-27 13:06 (Reply)

I got stuck on the same step. How exactly do you get them from the music folder on the C drive onto itunes??

#26.1.2 Anonymous on 2006-08-04 22:54 (Reply)

Select all the hiddens folders , as seen in the last picture. You can select all using the mouse, or click *Edit*->*Select ALL*, then click Copy (Edit->Copy), then goto your hard drive C:, to any location you like, and then Paste. (Edit->Paste).

At this point all the music will be copied onto your hard drive. Then you goto iTunes, and import the folder that you just copied all the music onto.

Hope that helps

Des

#26.1.2.1 Des Traynor (Homepage) on 2006-08-07 12:54 (Reply)

Give yourself a pat on the back Des. This worked a treat and the steps are easy to follow. I was dicking around with third party programs and got nowhere. Thanks a lot.

#27 Christian on 2006-08-04 05:06 (Reply)

I recently sold my iPod mini, and purchased a brand-new iPod nano. How can I delete all of my music from my mini - so I can ship it empty - while still keeping it on my PC so when I install my new nano that I can move those songs to it?

Please copy your reply to michaelswenk@yahoo.com.

Thanks!

#28 Michael Wenk on 2006-08-15 07:22 (Reply)

Do a factory restore on your iPod. That will erase the hard disk, and it will be as new.

http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=60983

This comment has been emailed as requested.

Des

#29 Des (Homepage) on 2006-08-15 08:44 (Reply)

is there a program somwhere i can get to take music off my ipod and put it in someone elses computer?

#30 ddb on 2006-08-24 16:51 (Reply)

Yes. There are many programs, but the easiest and cheapest way to do it is to follow this guide. i.e. connect your iPod to your friends computer, and copy the files over as instructed.

#30.1 Des Traynor (Homepage) on 2006-08-25 06:45 (Reply)

I have an older ipod that im trying to get the music off and put on to a new computer. I did everything thing above, but it still asks if i want to reformat the J drive (one that appears for ipod). This ipod is from a buddies brother, could it be that he put the music on through a mac? Because im trying to put on windows. Let me know if there is anything i can do that will help. Thanks

#31 Tony on 2006-09-06 10:57 (Reply)

Looks like this problem just went away with the new iTunes 7: http://www.apple.com/itunes/sync/transfer.html

#32 Bart B (Homepage) on 2006-09-12 16:27 (Reply)

Bart I am impressed!!!

Not with Apple, nothing particularily impressive about implementing "copy" on a usb drive.

I am impressed that you've finally admitted that there was a problem. The fact that this is comment number 53 on this post, or the fact that only Saturday I receieved my 30th email regarding this issue, should have been proof of that, but I guess problems don't exist until Apple fix them.

Funnily enough, people will still use this guide, I am pretty confident of that.

#32.1 Des Traynor (Homepage) on 2006-09-12 19:10 (Reply)

i thought this was very helpfull. I use two computers. I download from variouse sights using two computers, a small laptop and a bigger normal computer. I consolidate them using a mornory stick onto the main computer. I have noticed that when I down loaded i tunes 7, files were removed from my music and went into the recyle bin.

Is it possible itunes did this automatically? your advise helped me but I am still confused as to why files were being removed?

#33 pete on 2006-10-03 12:20 (Reply)

Can anyone help me with this problem i have a friend ipod and want to get all her songs on my ipod is this possible?

#34 Jennifer on 2006-10-04 19:03 (Reply)

Hi Jennifer,
The easiest way is to ask your friend to connect your iPod to her computer, but be warned
1) What you are attempting is illegal if you don't own the same music that she owns

2) When she connects your iPod to her computer, you'll lose whatever is on your iPod.

Des

#34.1 Des Traynor (Homepage) on 2006-10-11 18:19 (Reply)

Awesome stuff man, thanks! you saved me a couple of hours of searching, appreciate it!

#35 Rav on 2006-10-11 17:01 (Reply)

so is there a way to add music to your ipod without itunes?

#36 smr on 2006-10-18 13:03 (Reply)

Not that I know, I'm sure its possible, but it'd be pretty tricky. iTunes uses a fairly fucked up foldering system.

#36.1 Des Traynor (Homepage) on 2006-10-19 03:56 (Reply)

WOW, this has helped greatly, thank you so much. obviously the people against your process have not been in such a problem. I was trying to get all of my music from a desktop computer to my new laptop. With a jump drive i had to import each song individually that would take months. With cds i would be sitting here burning and ripping til forever. This process took only 15 minutes and now i have all of my songs on two computers. tahnks again.

#37 Colin on 2006-10-18 14:10 (Reply)

Hi Colin,

You realise there is an easier way to do what you just did, copy your music folder from one machine to the other. If you take the entire thing you'll get not just your music but also your iTunes metadata so all your playlists and songratings and everything follow you over. I did this less than a week ago to get all my music from my desktop to my laptop, not even the slightest problem. I'm not sure where iTunes hides on Windows but on a Mac you just copy the folder called 'Music' in your home folder from one machine to the other.

Bart.

#37.1 Bart B (Homepage) on 2006-10-18 18:58 (Reply)

This was brilliant advice, I like my Ipod but otherwise...Apple sucks!

#38 Miklos73 (Homepage) on 2006-10-22 02:00 (Reply)

Hi Des,
Many thanks for your help with this, but I seem to be struggling. I followed all the steps, but when I got to Step 3, viewing the hidden folders, there weren't actually any songs in the folders, ie, when I clicked on 'F32' or whatever they are called, they were empty folders, even though I had asked to view all hidden folders. But not to worry, I went ahead and copied all the folders, then just dumped them in my C drive - it's taking 40 minutes to do so, is this normal?

I've spent several hours researching this, and have tried ephpod, but a I have a 5G Video iPod, that wsn't compatible. I'm so completely frustrated, it doesn't seem to be working for me, I feel incredibly dense that I'm struggling with this!

Any further help, asap, would be muchly appreciated, thanks so much.

Katherine.

#39 Katherine on 2006-10-29 14:02 (Reply)

Hi Katerine,
40 minutes is a bit slow for 5 gigabytes of music (if your iPod is full), it's possible however that its also using a USB 1 (which is slower than USB 2.0). I wouldn't worry in either case, if its taking that long, its usually a sign that it is copying a lot of stuff over, which most likely is your music collection.

If none of this works, You can give the iPod Folder software a try, its apparently pretty good, although I've never used it myself. (http://www.longfingers.com/ipodfolder/ )

Des

#39.1 Des Traynor (Homepage) on 2006-10-30 12:56 (Reply)

Does this process work for mac too?

#40 Tony on 2006-11-09 12:05 (Reply)

No.

#40.1 Des Traynor (Homepage) on 2006-11-20 19:13 (Reply)

is there a way to get back the itunes services after you kill them?

#41 nile on 2006-11-20 14:15 (Reply)

Yeah, just restart iTunes

#41.1 Des Traynor (Homepage) on 2006-11-20 19:16 (Reply)

How about restarting the iTunes process?

#42 Kerry Katona on 2006-11-24 21:25 (Reply)

how do u get music off the ipod

#43 Father shwarts on 2006-12-02 21:30 (Reply)

WOW!!

I just have to thank the creater of this site. I am not joking it has saved ym life! well, it saved all my music, so yeh, it saved my life

. My pc got stolen, i was left with only my ipod.. and 25 gigs of music on it. I claimed the laptop on insurance, got a better one, and still have all my music. This guide is a genuine lifesaver. Thank you!

-wilso

#44 wilso on 2006-12-13 04:10 (Reply)

Thank you sooooo much for this site -- I now feel liberated from the clutches of iPod

#45 DACO on 2006-12-26 10:29 (Reply)

pretty good... some song names didnt switch back and still had the 4 letter names... annoying but better than nothing

#46 will on 2007-01-03 18:04 (Reply)

So I have found the "ipodservice.exe in the process tab on task manager, but was unable to locate the "ituneshelper.exe" in the same list. So, I ran a file search and came up with three files of the same name, but one of them being an ".exe" file.

ITUNESHELPER.EXE-0A1B0F2C.pf

location: C:\WINDOWS\Prefetch

if this is the file that I need to "end process", then what do I do if it is not found on that task manager/process list?? Should I just delete it?? or if I do delete it, will it be there again when I restart iTunes??
My final question revolves around the the fact that, when I does end process on the other file (iPodservice.exe), a warning comes up asking me if I really want to, because the ending of the process may cause certain things not to run properly. Is it telling me what I already know is about to happen (which is I will finally be able to rid myself of what it is there to do?) or is it gonna @#^$& other stuff up???

#47 theguywithaquestion on 2007-01-31 08:19 (Reply)

theguywithaquestion,
short answer is, I don't know. I could look it up, but tbh I wrote this guide a long time ago, and it's been a total pain in the ass to maintain ever since.

The product I recommend you use is iPodFolder.

(http://www.longfingers.com/ipodfolder/ )

#47.1 Des Traynor (Homepage) on 2007-01-31 12:54 (Reply)

hey this is a great guide but you have to go add FOLDER to library. i dont know if adding it a file worked but whatever. anyways thanks it helped alot.

#48 josh on 2007-02-07 17:02 (Reply)

thanks for the tip - just a pointer for XP users, rather than use Task Manager it is better to use Service Management as follows:
1) find "My Computer" and select "Manage".
2) In the management console left panel expand "Computer Management (local)-> Services and Applications-> Services".
3) In the right panel look for "iPod Service", right click on it and select "Stop".
4) Now plug in the iPod and copy the files.
5) Then click right click on "iPod Service" again and click "Start".

This is better because it ensures all processes are shut down cleanly and allows you to re-start them as normal. (Im not sure but you might have to be logged on with administrative privelages to do this).

#49 dice on 2007-02-14 05:43 (Reply)

YOUR THE BEST :o))

#50 JOEL on 2007-02-25 13:17 (Reply)

ummm I still have no idea how to take the music off my Ipod and get new music on it.. I tried to follow the steps that you have given but it's not working the same way your steps are.. If you could email me and help me I would really appreciate it..
thank you Tricia

#51 TRICIA on 2007-03-29 09:56 (Reply)

Some of you having problems with Des' great instructions may have some luck with yamipod, it's software for getting music to and from your ipod that works with Windows, Mac & Linux. You can get it at: http://www.yamipod.com/

#52 Bart B (Homepage) on 2007-03-30 18:40 (Reply)

My ipod screen broke so is it possible to take the music off the ipod and put it into another music program cause i am not buyin a new ipod im just gonna get a new mp3 player?

#53 tu on 2007-04-12 14:28 (Reply)

Yeah, if you follow this guide, you can copy the music to your hard drive. However, it may be difficult to keep all song details (band album etc).

#53.1 Des Traynor (Homepage) on 2007-04-12 16:40 (Reply)

thanks alot for showing us how to do this

i recently had to format my computer due to a sweep in viruses and now all my songs are gone on my comp so i had to find a way to transfer them back
i had no idea apple would screw everyone over like this

i just dont get it the ipod is undoubtedly the best selling mp3 player on the market and yet it is apparent that it isnt the best piece of harware out there

#54 Anonymous on 2007-05-18 14:42 (Reply)

Two challenges:

1. I have all my music in iTunes file on my computer but my Ipod was stolen. What happens when I connect my new Ipod? Will it capture the music in my iTunes file?

2. can you load more than 1 iTunes file on a computer? I have another Ipod with music on it but the computer with the matching iTunes file was destroyed. How do I create a new iTunes music file on the same computer as above?

Thanks

#55 Michael on 2007-05-22 17:02 (Reply)

1. When you connect your new iPod, all your old music will get copied over.

2. I'm not sure.

#55.1 Des Traynor (Homepage) on 2007-05-24 11:23 (Reply)

My Suggestions for 2 would be to use the instructions here to get the music off your second iPod. Then simply add it to your existing iTunes libary (File -> Add to Libary ...). Then sync your iPod and hey-presto, you're done.

#55.2 Bart B (Homepage) on 2007-05-25 04:05 (Reply)

I copy all of my songs but can't get itunes to recognize my music. I was wondering if you knew what i should do.

#56 sam on 2007-07-07 12:04 (Reply)

you didnt tell me how 2 do thast

#57 Anonymous on 2007-07-13 13:46 (Reply)

Apple does have a lot to learn but they are trying to do well by the music industry.

Goodonya for this post just what i needed .. cpu crashed and had to reformat thought i lost 40gigs of music.

#58 Zartage on 2007-07-26 07:41 (Reply)

Well, my 250GB external stopped working. I've got a 320GB external now because of my warranty. The problem was I kept putting off backing my files onto dvd's. Turns out was too late to do so. I was very upset about all my music as it is very rare to get some of the music collections and would take an incredible ammount of time as there was about 35GB. So I'd just like to say thank you so much for posting this up. Feel more relieved as now I can back up all the stuff. Only problem now is the file names, hoping Apple will soon come to their senses that this is a huge problem that should be an obvious feature. Guessing not obvious enough. Anyhow just would like to express my grattitude. Thanks again !
- Alex

#59 Alex on 2007-08-03 02:18 (Reply)

thank you so much, i inherited my cousins old ipod and only wanted half the music on it and couldnt access it cause of the registration thing. i was nearly brought to tears and you saved me, lifesaver

#60 lucy on 2007-08-14 13:29 (Reply)

thanks man! i got a new ipod as a gift (its my nature not to look a free £230 mp3 in the mouth) so i wanted to take the music off my manually controlled ipod and put it onto the new one rather that downloading/ripping/borrowing cds from friends etc etc to get all my tracks back

great guide, easy to follow

10/10

#61 Blore (Homepage) on 2007-09-15 10:56 (Reply)

thanks for this.

#62 dixy on 2007-09-24 08:25 (Reply)

Will backing up this way also back up purchased music from itunes? Because i once tried using a program called ephpod, and it worked disastrously. It somehow got rid of all my album artwork,deleted all my videos,and prevented me from using itunes at all.I hope using your method i won't be harming myself in the long run.

#63 Roland on 2007-09-29 20:17 (Reply)

Thank god. im so relieved that i did that because i have 30 gigs of music.

#64 Cole on 2007-10-03 17:57 (Reply)

IPODS SUCK

Thanks for the article as i was pretty close to losing the lot just so i could use my everyday computer.

pull your head in Apple. fucks sake.

#65 frank on 2007-10-12 04:40 (Reply)

Just used this how - to, amd found it to be a godsend. It is nice to know that someone acknowledges that there are idiots (me!) out there who do not know an awful lot about computers, and are not that interested either. No downloads and plain english. thank you very much.

#66 ben on 2007-10-16 08:40 (Reply)

how do i find windows task mamager?

#67 john on 2007-10-16 12:30 (Reply)

There is an easier way. You can get a program called YamiPod from yamipod.com. It will allow you to copy out any and everything you want with file tag info and file names attached in a variety of user specified formats. It is an executable file which can be stored directly on the ipod itself as well as run off the ipod. I have found it very useful. Hope this helps.

#68 Craig on 2007-10-19 01:27 (Reply)

I got the music off of my Ipod, which is what I wanted because all of my music on my PC was lost forever.
BUT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I cannot get Itunes to put it back on my Ipod!!!!!!!
I go to File> add folder and NOTHING happens!!!
Help!!!
I might as well be dead without my Ipod.

#69 Dude on 2007-10-27 09:28 (Reply)

Dude - I am having the exact same problem. I got the folder onto my desktop from my iPod (although it's translucent, even after selecting show hidden files). When I go to File > Add Folder to library, and I click on the folder I pulled from my iPod, it doesn't do anything.

Could this be because I have an iPod Classic? I wish I would have known all about this crap before buying the iPod. Sigh

Please help Des (if you can!). Thanks!
Monica
(Help me!)

#69.1 HELP ME! :( on 2007-11-21 22:03 (Reply)

Try this
http://www.longfingers.com/ipodfolder/

#69.1.1 Des on 2007-11-23 14:25 (Reply)

You need to select all the "translucent" folders, right click and uncheck the "hidden file" checkbox in the dialog that appears.

Making these folders unhidden is necessary for iTunes to be able to see them for the import.

#69.1.2 Valmorian on 2008-04-14 09:30 (Reply)

Find the Windows Task Manager by pressing "Ctrl--Alt" and then "Delete" all at once

#70 Jacob on 2007-11-04 08:24 (Reply)

thanks man

It was a pain in the ass trying to figure how to get the music of my ipod.
This is much easier and much cheaper.

#71 Anonymous on 2007-11-18 19:10 (Reply)

Does this work for every Ipod. I am currently out of the country and would like to move my music from my Ipod to a pc but am worried about it clearing out what is already there.

#72 Tam on 2007-12-02 05:23 (Reply)

i didnt know ipods were that much trouble O.O
i got one for christmas and i accidently added all playlists on my desktop and i have absolutely NO idea how to get it off so i guess they can cause alot of stress sometimes

#73 AudreyHilton on 2007-12-27 21:06 (Reply)

Thank you so much!!!!! I was going crazy trying to figure out what to do! I know some people burn the data, but not every one of us thinks about burning cd's every time one gets new songs!!! Thanks you saved my music!!!

and a whole lot of work!

#74 Sandy on 2008-01-16 06:56 (Reply)

i got the folders all ready and all my music is in a folder called Ipod Music

but when i go
add folder to library>
Ipod Music>
Okay

nothing happens

#75 sam on 2008-01-26 19:20 (Reply)

Umm i have an ipod and my sister does to. we both share itunes and she deleted all of my songs! i still have them on my ipod but will the process you suggested work to put all of my ipod songs back onto my computer?

#76 Ilijana (Homepage) on 2008-02-04 20:56 (Reply)

Hi.. I ended the processes you suggested and now itunes wont recognise my ipod! its so frustrating.
I managed to delete all the songs and now I cant get any new ones back on.
I connect my ipod and its recharging but I cant see anything happening in itunes.
sigh..
please help me!!!! im going crazy!!!

#77 Candice on 2008-02-07 04:24 (Reply)

Yeah, same deal. My external just broke so I was happy to hear that I could get music off my iPod, but now my iPod cannot be read by iTunes. I realize I probably should have had the foresight of knowing this would happen, but since it has, is there any way for this to no longer be an issue?

Also, is this an issue if I decide to use another application for listening to music that's compatible with iPods? I'm thinking about switching to Foobar which can be compatible with iPods given you download a component.

I realize this article is over two years old, but yeah.

#77.1 Tim on 2008-04-11 12:27 (Reply)

Thank You for your help

#78 Carrington on 2008-02-25 12:20 (Reply)

well with my iriver i have put songs onto it and there on my iriver but they dont work and i cant delete them of it because there hidden

#79 mitch on 2008-03-19 03:03 (Reply)

Thanks so much bro... helped out very much.. Kudos.

#80 Jay on 2008-03-19 22:07 (Reply)

After days of searching for instructions for taking songs off my ipod, i finally found an explanation easy enough to understand! thank you for sharing your knowledge of these little pieces of junk...i wish i never got this thing! i followed the your step by step directions and it worked great!

#81 Danielle on 2008-03-22 15:47 (Reply)

okay so i went to cancel the two processes but he itunes service wouldnt let me cancel that process

#82 Leah on 2008-03-25 18:02 (Reply)

I tired this, but stuck on step #3, if anyone has vista and can help me please.

#83 Shelley MacDonald on 2008-04-02 19:46 (Reply)

Thanks for the tip. I just bought an iPod for twenty bucks and it had 3.5 gigs of music on it. now it's on my HDD. Thanks a bunch.

#84 Joe on 2008-04-05 12:57 (Reply)

Thanks dude.. the kill process tree is the crux of the problem. top man.

#85 Aide O on 2008-04-09 07:31 (Reply)

i had good songs on my ipod but i got itunes and all of a sudden i pluged my ipod in and it erased ALL my songs and now i cant get them back on 2 my ipod.i dont know what 2 do now and i want my old songs back,but i cant get them back.Can u please help????

#86 shaundine yazzie (Homepage) on 2008-04-12 23:03 (Reply)

Well done...I can't believe I missed this as I have changed my computer and hard drive several times since I bought my ipod, having to download some trial software or the other just to retreive my music.

A very big, belated THANKS!!!!!!

#87 imazzy kelly on 2008-04-18 16:15 (Reply)

AWESOME! i've had music on my ipod for over a year i hadn't been able to get onto my new computer... you're lifesaver!

#88 hannah (Homepage) on 2008-04-24 12:28 (Reply)

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About:

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This website is the online diary of me, Des Traynor, a User Experience Researcher in Dublin, Ireland. I work with Contrast.

I usually write on 5 topics:

I update about 3-4 times per month. Be sure to subscribe so you don't miss this good stuff. If this is your first time here, check out the archives.

My official homepage provides more information about who I am, and what I research. You can contact me at destraynor [at] gmail [dot] com

How to get music off your iPod

destraynor

Thursday, August 18. 2005

How to get music off your iPod

Step 1: Kill the iTunes Services

Step 2: Connect your iPod

Step 3: View the Hidden Files

Step4: Find your music

Copy it all over

I know I know...

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