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iPod exporting software

T

Totalshock

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Mar 20, 2003
428
1,773
Tarana (to locals...)
Hi all,

Does anyone know of a good tool for exporting all the MP3s/AACs from their iPod to iTunes, retaining the ID3 tags (star ratings, etc.)?

I've reached a point with my Powerbook where I think it would be beneficial to wipe it clean and start anew, because things just aren't working. I tried to reinstall the OS over top of itself, but now it refuses to work with any kind of network connection. (Guess that "retain network settings" option didn't work... and now I can't get any kind of network connection on the PB...)

So, after I back up (hopefully) all of my important files, I'm going to try to restore it to factory settings and go from there.

So if anyone does know of a tool that will get my songs off my iPod into my newly-restored iTunes -- preferably with the tags intact -- it would be much appreciated.

Alternately, if anyone knows how to make OS X pick up network settings when it refuses to change them (or even show AirPort or battery on the menu bar), that would be an even better solution, but I'm afraid I've lost hope.

Gotta say this has been an eye-opener for a pseudo-new switcher. I never got Windows anywhere near this fouled up... and I don't even know how this happened. The last thing I did before the sky fell on my PowerBook was remove mlMac from my system, because it was crashing and causing it to lag.

<sigh> Help?
 
An update

Well, nevermind on that. I decided to try to use my iPod to salvage some of the documents and applications off the Powerboook. And of course it decided to sync with iTunes. Which of course now has a completely blank database. Which of course means that it appears that my iPod has been completely wiped clean, it would appear.

Anyone know if there's any way to get all those songs back, or are they disappeared into the ether, and it's a lifetime worth of re-importing songs for me?
 
Sorry to dissapoint you, but those songs have gone on to a better place now...:eek: But of course, since you didn't have any illegally downloaded songs :p you should be able to reimport them all.
 
Originally posted by Billicus
Sorry to dissapoint you, but those songs have gone on to a better place now...:eek: But of course, since you didn't have any illegally downloaded songs :p you should be able to reimport them all.
Click to expand...

I'm not dead yet! The songs were still on my HD, I have discovered. Just not in the iTunes Library. So I've copied them all onto the iPod, in FW Disk Mode, and will still have them all when I do my restore.

Small solace, really, but it's better than losing several weeks of ripping tunes.

Thanks.
 
I would definitely suggest using ipod access version 1.2. It did the job and was easy to use. Get it on versiontracker.
 
None of the iPod software export programs are perfect. I've tried all of them, including one called Xpod. They all copy only about 90% of the songs and leave behind some. The only way you are going to preserve the songs is copy them from the computer to the iPod directly, and treat the iPod as an external hard drive You won't be able to listen to the songs on the hard drive that you copy this way, but once you are done, you'll be able to copy them back to your computer. The other option is to get a $120 Firewire hard drive for backup purposes. That's a lot safer option since the iPod was designed to be more a music player than a backup hard drive.

Get any of the Western Digital drives listed here:

http://www.aicmicro.com/ProductList.asp?Catsub=1805

and download Carbon Copy Cloner from:

http://www.bombich.com/

to do your backup.
 
Getting your music from your iPod back onto your computer after exporting the music from iTunes to your iPod is easy...

>iPod.iTunes
>it's shareware...(bennetsaysargh)

The hell with that.

>what about PodWorks? (tjwett)

>Xpod (gopher)

The hell with those.

Download me. I'm only 32K.

It's free, as well. This installs two scripts for iTunes, which allow direct copying of burned iPod music to your desktop (or to a selected folder).
 
Or you can use the #1 Mac tool, ResEdit. I don't have my ipod with me at the moment, so bare with me.

In ResEdit, Go to File->Get Folder/File info. Now open the ipod, you should see a new folder, I can't remember what its called, maybe "Music" or "Data"??? Just look around, I remember it wasn't to hard to find. Then un-click the box that says "invisible". Then Do it again, but to the folder inside that one called "Music". Now inside the music folder,there are a bunch folders (01,02,03 ect), they are each invisible, so make them all visible. Then drag all those songs into your hard drive. Now they arn't organized YET, but stick them into iTunes, and have itunes automatically keep your library organized.

That should do it, I don't have my ipod with me, but if anyone tests this can you conform it works?
 
iPodRip is definitely one of the top applications for this. It's free still so grab a copy (even though it's expiring). The other alternative is PodWorks, which has some nice things about it and is generally well reviewed. So versiontracker has both of these appz as 5star so give them a go. MacUpdate also has seen good reviews for each.
 
Originally posted by mmmdreg
iPodRip is definitely one of the top applications for this. It's free still so grab a copy (even though it's expiring). The other alternative is PodWorks, which has some nice things about it and is generally well reviewed. So versiontracker has both of these appz as 5star so give them a go. MacUpdate also has seen good reviews for each.
Click to expand...

If it is so good, why is it beta then?
 
There are a lot of great apps that will do what you need and you can find them at VersionTracker

now that you synced and moved them back via data mp3, this may not help you now, but will help others in the future...

TERMINAL!!!!
If you are comfortable enough in terminal then just select the iPod volume and ls -a (so you can see the hidden files) then you can go into your iPod's music storage and copy it back to your hard drive.

FYI, I saved myself from the autosycn by changing my iPod preferences in iTunes to manually (lower right corner of iTunes when iPod plugged in, first button on the left)
 
Originally posted by Horrortaxi
Perhaps it's new. Everything has to go through beta. It's a testing phase.
Click to expand...
I know, but then again, since it is in testing phase I wouldn't want to trust my music to a guinea pig program.
 
ResEdit is the king

Originally posted by Vlade
Or you can use the #1 Mac tool, ResEdit. I don't have my ipod with me at the moment, so bare with me.
Click to expand...

ResEdit is the single best App to have on your computer. Been using it for seven years and counting!:D
 
Terminal is another option

This is what I did when I upgraded my TiBook to a 60g 7200 rpm.
1) deauthorized the songs purchased via iTunes Music Store
2) I have about 4 g of songs, which I synched with iPod
3) Make a backup of ITunes Library files ( *.xml) ( This is to preserve the playlists)
3) re-install Mac OS X, don't launch ITunes yet.
4) Open Terminal, navigates to Music Directory in iPod, copy entire directory to some location in Home.
5) Launch iTunes, say yes to scan ur home directory for music.
6) Now, to get ur playlists, quit iTunes and copy the backp Itunes Libary files from step 3.
7) Relaunch iTunes, everything is back again.

Ofcourse, you should be comfortable with Terminal, but a simple cp command is not that hard to learn :)

Edit : I am writing this on a Winpc at work, so i can't verify the Libray file names. (I think there are 2 files, both u have to copy). Also, the directory in ur iPod is named Music i guess.
 
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