iTunes: Copy music from another iPod to your library

UPDATED 25.04.10:  Application available

Given the interest in this topic I decided to code a small windows application to automate the tasks outlined below. This can be found here for those interested.

PLEASE NOTE:  UPDATED 01.04.2010 TO WORK WITH iTUNES 9.1

Decided to add some additional detail in response to queries (and also original posting from 2007 on WinXP probably not all that relevant anymore…!)

I also assume this will work for the iPhone / iPad but haven’t tried  –  if someone wants to have a go and confirm it would be useful.

In a hypothetical situation where your PC/Mac gets wiped and you still have all of your tunes on your iPod what do you do?

I have had numerous problems with the “IT Nazis” who look after my firms laptops etc. everytime it goes in for repairs the ***** wipe all of my iTunes off!

Here’s how to get round it…

Video walkthrough
Full walkthrough (start to finish) [download]

Text instructions

1 ) Disable Apple-related services  (changed since 2007 post  –  Apple had implemented a ‘fix’ where iTunes would load on default as soon as iPod plugged in and disabled it displaying in MyComputer):

• Apple Mobile Device
• Bonjour Service
• iPod Service

To do this right-click on MyComputer –> Manage  in order to load up “Computer Management”

Once in Computer Management, show the services related to the Computer by selecting the option from the menu on the left:

Then, for all three services detailed above –> right-click –> “Stop”

NB:  You will want to restart these services after the music files have been copied across the the PC (step 7), or else iTunes will not load correctly!

2 ) Plug the iPod into the USB in the usual way (making sure that the “autoupdate” funtion within iTunes is disabled)

3 ) Go to “MyComputer” and select the iPod as if it were an external drive

4 ) Select “Tools”–>”Folder Options” from the menus
If this is not immediately obvious or does not display then press the “Alt” key on your keyboard and the menus should appear

5 ) Within the pop-up box which apperas, go to the tab “View” and select the below highlighted option:

6 ) You should now see some folders appear within the iPod which were not previously visible…

7 ) Go into “iPod Control” and then copy all of the folders with the music to the desktop somewhere.

8 ) For the files now on your PC, select all the folders and go to “File”–>”Properties” and uncheck “hidden” in attributes. Click “OK” and then select the following:

9 ) Using iTunes, go to “File”–>”Add Folders” and select the folders with the music in. iTunes will now add all of the music and tracknames etc. automatically.

*Disclaimer*

Although you may use this to illegally copy music from a friends iPod etc. I have deliberately created a situation where this may be performed legally. I do not in any way condone “stealing” music…