SUNYNP Student Computer Help Desk

Before you do anything, make sure automatic updating of the iTunes library is disabled. This is very important to ensure that you do not update your iPod automatically and lose the songs that are on there.

To Turn off automatic updating:

1. Upon connecting your iPod to your PC, press & hold Shift + Ctrl. This will stop the iPod from auto synchronizing and your iPod will appear in the source list. [This process will take anything between 3 and 30 seconds depending on the performance of your PC.]
2. Then you can right click on the iPod icon in the Source Menu and select iPod Options, then check the Manually manage songs and playlists box. You can now manage your library without losing any songs on the iPod.

Uou are now ready To Begin:
The first two things I will show you are softwares which are proven to work in easily managing the music on your iPod

1. Sharepod
-Free software

Here's how you get started.

Firstly, Download sharepod here ~ http://www.sturm.net.nz/website.php?Section=iPod+Programs&Page=Sh...

Then,

a) Hook Up your iPod to your pc via usb/firewire

b) The iPod drive appears in My Computer when you have the iPod plugged in to your PC.

c) Once you see the iPod's drive, copy the SharePod.exe onto it. Open the SharePod.exe and after a few seconds the main window will appear. If a window appears saying you need to download a file for SharePod to run, simply follow the instructions.

d) When the main window opens, it displays a list of playlists on your iPod. Double-click on a playlist to view its songs. You can either select songs or playlists to copy to your PC.

e) If you want to copy all songs on the iPod to your PC, select the playlist and hit the 'Copy to PC' button at the top of the screen. It will ask you where you want the music to go (eg. c:/music) and how you want the music to be formatted (eg Artist/Album/Song.mp3). Once you have set both of these hit the Transfer button and sharepod transfer your desired music to the location which you have selected.

f) From there, simply import your songs into iTunes in the usual manner of File -> Import.


2. Copypod
-Free to try, $19.90 to buy
It has a wonderful iTunes interface and is incredibly easy to use. The only downside is that you only get a 14 day trial and after that you have to pay. But it is great if you only plan on backing up once.

A flash demo with screenshots which shows you how yo use it can be found here ~ http://www.copypod.net/demo.php
The Free trial download can be found here ~ http://www.copypod.net/download.php


Others To Try
Mac OS and Windows compatible:

iPodRip Free to try, $15 to buy
iPodRip supports recovering your songs and playlists, playback of audio files and much more. iPodRip is compatible with Mac OS X 10.2 and later, and Windows XP and 2000. iPodRip is shareware and will run without limitation for 10 sessions before registration is required.
homepage: http://www.thelittleappfactory.com/application.php?app=iPodRip

PodUtil Free to try, GBP 8 to buy
PodUtil is a shareware utility for copying songs from your iPod to your computer. PodUtil is compatible with Mac OS X and 9.x, and Windows XP and 2000.
homepage: http://www.kennettnet.co.uk/software/podutil.php

iPod Music Liberator Free to try, $24.99 to buy
The iPod Music Liberator is a full-featured music-management utility that allows you to copy music from your iPod to a Mac or PC. It supports Mac OS X and Windows XP, 2000, NT and 98.
homepage: www.zeleksoftware.com/products.htm

iPod Access Free to try, GBP 9.20 to buy
iPod Access allows you to copy music from your iPod to a Mac or PC. It supports Mac OS X 10.1 or later and Windows XP or 2000.
homepage: http://www.drewfindley.com/findleydesigns/ipodaccess/

Mac OS only:

PodWorks Free to try, $8 to buy
PodWorks allows you to copy songs from any Mac iPod to any Mac running OS X 10.2 or later. A free trial version (30 day time limit, 250 song copy limit) is available.
homepage: http://www.scifihifi.com/podworks/

Windows PC only:

Xplay Free to try, $29.95 to buy
XPlay provides a powerful Explorer-integrated drag-and-drop interface that makes transferring music to and from the iPod quick and simple. XPlay enables Windows users to use both Windows- and Mac-formatted iPods. XPlay requires Windows XP, 2000, ME or 98SE.
homepage: http://www.mediafour.com/products/xplay/

iPod Agent Free to try, $15 to buy
iPod Agent is a utility for managing contacts, appointments, mail, notes, tasks, RSS feeds, weather and more. It is not a music manager but works alongside iTunes to enable you to transfer songs from your iPod to a PC. iPod Agent requires Windows XP, 2000, or 98 and Microsoft .NET Framework 1.1.
homepage: http://www.ipodsoft.com/index.php?/software/ipodagent

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Special thanks to http://forums.afterdawn.com/thread_view.cfm/250743 who provided this tutorial.