How to Transfer iPod Music to a New Computer Without the Old

Apple intentionally makes it difficult to transfer music from your iPod to a new computer to prevent copyright issues. If you are attempting to transfer music from your iPod to a Windows Explorer computer, the music files will not appear to be in the "iPod" drive on your desktop. They are there, but the folder is hidden. To expose it, you must first change your preferences in the computer's Control Panel.

Things You'll Need

• USB cable

Instructions

1. On your desktop, create a new folder where you will save your iPod music. To do this, right-click in an empty space on your computer's desktop and select "New Folder."

2. Insert your USB cable into the bottom of the iPod and connect the other end of the cable to the computer's USB port.

3. If the iTunes software launches automatically, close it down.

4. On your desktop, select the "Start" button and then select "Control Panel."

5. Select "Appearance and Personalization." Next, choose "Folder options." Select the "View" tab. Under the "Advanced" heading, select the options "Show hidden files, folders and drives." Click "OK" to save your options.

6. Click on the "Start" menu again and select "My Computer."

7. Locate the drive that represents your iPod. Right-click on that drive, and select "Open" from the drop-down menu.

8. Locate the "iPod_Control" folder. Double-click on it and locate the "Music" folder. Right-click on the "Music" folder, and select "Copy" from the drop-down menu.

9. Go back to the new folder you created in step 1. Right-click on that folder and select "Paste." Your music will be copied to your new computer.

Tips & Warnings

• The file names in the iPod_Control folder may be unrecognizable. To make copying difficult, your iPod reassigns the files random names unrelated to the artist or song title. The files still contain ID3 tags, however, and importing them back into iTunes or Windows Media Player will help you identify each track. You may need to rename the files. To do so, right-click on each file name and select "Rename." Then enter the correct title.

References

• Engadget: How to Get Music, Video and Photos Off Your iPod or iPhone (Windows)
• Microsoft: Show Hidden Files (WIndows 7)