I've lost everything in itunes

[cdw1111]

 My laptop crashed last week and i lost everything photos,logins,itunes the lot(stupidly i've backed up nothing).Ive wiped my hard drive and started from scratch but i realise that if i plug my ipod in it will auto synch and wipe the thousands of tracks/albums i have on there.Looking on the AVforum i've found this post


For Windows:
1) connect iPod and hold Shift + Ctrl - this stops the auto sync
2) If your iPod doesn't appear in 'My Computer' then enable disk use for the iPod
3) Go to 'My Computer' and Double-click your iPod to open it
4) From the menu bar go to Tools > Folder Options…
5) Select the 'View' tab
6) scroll down and enable 'Show Hidden Files and Folders'
7) hit 'Apply' or 'OK'
Double-click on 'iPod_Control', then 'Music'
9) Copy the contents (Folders named F01, F02, etc.) to your HDD
10) open iTunes preferences and under the advanced pane, make sure that 'Keep iTunes Music folder organized' and, 'Copy files to iTunes Music folder when adding to library' are checked. The first option will fix up the filenames so that they appear normal, the second makes sure that the songs are somewhere safe that iTunes knows about.
11) Drag the Folders into the iTunes window to import your music

So 1,is this going to work.
    2,how do i enable disk use for ipod
    3,i have vista any differences?


I'am very nervous about trying this as it took forever to load all my music onto my ipod and i really don't want to do it again.I feel stupid about not backing up my files and even though i'am an engineer i'am really not computer oriented,anyone know a twelveyear old who knows an easier foolproof way.

[Graham C]

Should work.   If you open Itunes, you can turn off the auto sync option before plugging your ipod in anyway, I'd do this first if I were you.

Hope you get it sorted, I'd hate to lose all my music. 

[cdw1111]

All went well,until i didn't consolidate the library(got cocky playing poker at the same time)seemed so simple.
         Wiped the lot!!!!!! 1827 tracks gone forever
can still see them in itunes,but click on and "file not found"ipod now blank.
          off for a cry brb.

[relaedgc]

I also have this problem. Tell me what else I need to do that you forgot so I don't lose mine, please!

[Amatay]

There is a way around this i think but i cant remember. Google it

[cdw1111]

I also have this problem. Tell me what else I need to do that you forgot so I don't lose mine, please!

Make sure you consolidated library so you tracks lose the greyed out"!"next to the files in itunes,can't believe i didn't do this.Look on you tube it shows the whole process on there.ipod to pc transfer,why didn't i think of looking on there first FML.

[kinboshi]

I don't own an ipod (as I dislike itunes and the way it interfaces with a windows PC).

If I did, I'd use something like this:

http://www.redchairsoftware.com/anapod/

but there are probably others that might be better.  These allow you to move files to and from your ipod.

[Graham C]

Songbird allows you to do this too, it's pretty good.  I've got back into iTunes though, it's just so easy, even if it does file your music in a stupid format and restrict you from time to time.

[kinboshi]

Songbird allows you to do this too, it's pretty good.  I've got back into iTunes though, it's just so easy, even if it does file your music in a stupid format and restrict you from time to time.

How easy is it to move files from your ipod to your PC in itunes?

[Graham C]

I think it's a pain in the arse to do, but I don't often want to move music from my iPod to my computer.  I have all my mp3's in a folder that iTunes imports which I back up to an external hard drive.  Everything I'm likely to have on my iPod is either on my computer already or on my external hard drive (or both).

I don't use iTunes to get and arrange mp3's, just as a tool to upload to the iPod and a library.

[StuartHopkin]

Easiest way to do this is a program called Ipod Access, you can get it from download.com or a cracked version off a torrent site.

Shows all your songs as songs and allows you to copy them back on to your hard drive.

So annoying that apple purposefully try to stop you from doing this.

[Bongo]

(as I dislike itunes and the way it interfaces with a windows PC)

I hate the way itunes works on my mac too!

[Grier78]

(as I dislike itunes and the way it interfaces with a windows PC)

I hate the way itunes works on my mac too!

I despise iTunes and Quicktime, bloatware per excellance.