Sunday, August 8, 2010

How to Back Up an iPod on Two Different Computers

Have multiple computers and want to back up your iPod on some of them? This simple guide will show you how, completely free. It also works great for copying your friends' music off their iPod too.


Steps

  1. 1
    Have the "View Hidden Files and Folders" option enabled. To view them go to my documents and then tools>folder options>view. Then click the "Show hidden files and folders" under the "Hidden files and folders" section. (You will not have to scroll down the list to see it)
  2. Plug the iPod into the computer that you wish to back it up on.2
    An Ipod correctly connected.
    An Ipod correctly connected.

  3. Open up a Windows Explorer Window, from the accessories folder of the programs listing.
    Open Windows Explorer.
    Open Windows Explorer.

  4. Navigate to the "My Computer" icon.
    The My Computer window.
    The My Computer window.

  5. Expand the folder, and find the drive that has the name of your iPod.
    Find your Ipod.
    Find your Ipod.

  6. 6
    Expand your iPod's folder, and find the folder: "iPod Control".
  7. 7
    Expand "iPod Control" and find the folder "Music".
  8. Look for a series of folders with strange names.
    Look for the folders.
    Look for the folders.
    .
  9. Select all of the files. Do this by going to: Edit>Select All>. Alternatively, you may hold the Control key and click all of the folders.
    Select the folders.
    Select the folders.

  10. Copy all of the folders, by going to Edit>Copy or by right clicking one of the selected folders and clicking copy. This will copy all of the folders.
    Copy them.
    Copy them.

  11. Paste the music in the desired folder by using Edit>Paste.
    Paste the folders.
    Paste the folders.

  12. 12
    Open each folder, and copy the MP3 files into the desired folder, or you can leave them where they are. The music will have non understandable names, like "EDCI" and "DLXE", 4 letter names are normal.
  13. Open the music up in the music player of your choice if you wish. Do this when all of the music has been extracted from the original iPod folders.
    Open the music in your player of choice.
    Open the music in your player of choice.
Tips:
  1. Most music player programs can decode the names into the original names, and artists.
  2. This works on both PCs and Macs, but these instructions are for PCs. Mac computers work similarly to this.
  3. The copying of the music takes some time.
  4. This can be used to copy friend's music.
  5. Get a good MP3-Tagger-Program e.g. mp3tag (freeware) and automatically rename the files if you want to use them on your PC
Warnings:
  1. Do not try and manually rename each song.
  2. Do NOT mess around with any other file(s) on the iPod
  3. Do not remove any songs from the list
NOTE:Remember it only works on ipods don't try it on iPhone... ENJOY!!!

Read more...