How to Transfer Songs on an iPod to your Computer

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By studentdoctor
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TuneAid: Get it, Love it

Your iPod is supposed to act like a mirror between the iTunes library and the iPod library. If you have lost the music on your computer, and have iTunes automatically sync your iPod then you will lose all of your songs when iTunes opens. TuneAid is a program that allows you to transfer songs from your iPod back to your computer.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

iPod with iTunes
TuneAid software

Step 1

Open the TuneAid software. It will look similar to iTunes, with a few differences. Your playlists will be on the left, and the two buttons we need most are at the top: the Copy to iTunes button and the Copy to Folder button.
Step 2

Plug your iPod into the computer and wait for the view to refresh. If iTunes opens, close it as soon as your computer allows. You don't want iTunes to take over and stop your progress.
Step 3

In TuneAid, select the playlist that has the same name as your iPod device (iPod touch, iPod Nano, etc.). Once selected, you will see that you can further select which songs to transfer based on genre, artist, or album, but to select all tracks, just leave those on all. Click Copy to iTunes to copy them into the iTunes music folder, or click Copy to Folder to move them to any folder of your choosing.

Tips & Warnings

Make sure you have enough disk space. If you are trying to move a full 32GB iPod to your hard disk, you'll need 32GB of free space.
Do not allow iTunes to clear your iPod. This would mean your music is gone for good. If iTunes opens, try to check the Manually Manage Music and Videos box on the device as soon as possible. For more information on that, see my other eHow articles.

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