Has a virus or hard
drive crash wiped out your entire music and video collection? What a massive loss... imported CD's, ripped DVD's, downloaded files from the Internet and most importantly,
all that money you've spent in the iTunes Store!
Is it all really gone? Maybe not. Your music and movie files are still on your iPod, iPad or iPhone right?
Let's get it all back. Here's how to rip media off your iPod, iPad or iPhone and save it back to your computer.
Requirements:
Any iPod, iPad or iPhone
A computer with iTunes
installed and enough hard drive space to recover all the media
from your iPod/iPhone
NERD
NOTE: The name iPod was proposed by Vinnie Chieco, a freelance copywriter, who (with others) was called by Apple to figure out how to introduce the new player to the public. After Chieco saw a prototype, he thought of the movie 2001: A Space Odyssey and the phrase "Open the pod bay door, Hal!", which refers to the white EVA Pods of the Discovery One spaceship.
The Easy Way
iTunes won't let you, but there are other non-Apple applications that will let you easily "rip" music off your iPod, iPad or iPhone.
If you are the type of person who likes to buy software in a box with a manual, then a couple good programs to try are Pod Rescue () or the much cheaper Tune
Transfer ().
But who wants to wait for shipping? If you need an instant download solution, then try one of Xilisoft's Magic apps. They are all great programs, cost under $20 and can be downloaded and installed on your computer in a matter of moments.
Want a free solution? No problem. However please keep in mind that the "cheap way" is also the "hard way." The following procedures won't be very easy for the average
user. If you aren't super savvy with computers, then please try
option #1.
There are 2 free ways to rip media off your iPod, iPad or iPhone:
with a free helper application
using advanced search techniques
free "ripping" options
Option #1: With
a Helper Application
Depending on what app you use, the exact steps below will vary. In general, the "ripping" procedure for copying
files off your iPod or iPhone will go like this:
Download a free or trial version of a "ripping" program
(see below) and install it on your computer. There are many free or shareware applications for both Mac and PC
that will copy content off your iPod or iPhone.
Here are a few free or trial version applications:
Make a new folder somewhere on
your computer that will have enough hard drive space
to hold all the music and video files from your iPod/iPhone.
Using the ripping
application, copy the media off your
iPod, iPad or iPhone and put it all into that folder.
It's a good idea to archive your
media at this point. Burn all your music and movies onto CDs,
DVD-ROMs, or copy them onto an external USB hard drive.
Drag that folder into the main
iTunes window. Your files will then import into iTunes.
This make take several minutes depending on the amount
of media you are restoring and your computer's processing power.
Without
a Helper Application:
Here's a way to quickly get files
off a PC iPod without any extra software.
Plug your iPod or iPhone into your computer.
From the Desktop, go to My Computer and
find the iPod (usually designated by a drive letter.
i e. E: or F:)
Open the damn thing.
Go to Tools > Folder Options > View (the tab) > scroll
to Show Hidden Files and Folders and click it.
Click OK.
Go back to your iPod folder/drive, there you will find a new folder called iPod_Control
Open it.
The Music folder in it will have a bunch of folders named F00,
F01 and so on. THEY HAVE YOUR MP3s AND VIDEOS. Look through the folders to find your
stuff.
You
can also use the Search utility in Windows and search
for a particular audio file on your iPod. Just make sure
you specify to search in Hidden Files or Folders.
There, a solution that requires no extra software, just
a few extra brain cells.
Why Apple prevents you from
easily copying files off your iPod, iPad or iPhone:
Copying files off your iPod, iPad or iPhone can be used for good or evil. Of course, ripping
media off your iPod is an excellent last resort when you've lost it from your computer. However, being able to copy files off your iPod/iPhone also
makes it very easy to steal thousands songs and videos in a matter of minutes. With ultra-fast USB 2.0 speeds, stealing an entire iTunes library
could take as little as 5 minutes. Worse yet, someone could easily share all this media on the Internet using BitTorrent.
To help appease the music and movie industries,
Apple disabled the ability to easily copy media off your iPod, iPad or iPhone.
NERD
NOTE: Macs can read both Mac
and PC disks (including iPods). So both Mac and PC iPods can
be used on Mac computers.
That's It!
Congratulations! You are done. Go buy yourself a drink... and feel free to buy us one too. These articles don't write themselves. Show us some love and drop a PayPal dollar in our MethodShop.com Beer Fund.
If you are low on cash, you can say thanks by following us on Twitter, fanning us on Facebook, subscribing to our RSS feed or joining our weekly mailing list. We totally appreciate your support.
Copy
Music Off Your iPod Has a virus or hard drive crash wiped out your entire music
collection on your computer? No problem. Here's how to copy music off
your iPod and back onto your computer.
Erase
Your iPod Is your iPod acting funny? There are a number of things that
can be wrong with it, but this super fixsolution will
cure most problems.
Do
Not Disconnect Won't Go Away Are
you trying to eject your iPod from your computer but the "Do Not
Disconnect" won't go away? Don't worry, this is a common problem
with a fairly easy solution.
VIP
iPod Repair & Mod Service If
you need some TLC for your iPod ASAP, contact us for our special
VIP repair service. We offer general or complex repair services as
well as many customization options.
Has a virus or hard
drive crash wiped out your entire music and video collection? What a massive loss... imported CD's, 
NERD
NOTE: The name iPod was proposed by Vinnie Chieco, a freelance copywriter, who (with others) was called by Apple to figure out how to introduce the new player to the public. After Chieco saw a prototype, he thought of the movie 2001: A Space Odyssey and the phrase "Open the pod bay door, Hal!", which refers to the white EVA Pods of the Discovery One spaceship.
) or the much cheaper 
).
The Cheaper Way (but it ain't easy)
Option #1: With
a Helper Application
Depending on what app you use, the exact steps below will vary. In general, the "ripping" procedure for copying
files off your iPod or iPhone will go like this:
Drag that folder into the main
iTunes window. Your files will then import into iTunes.
This make take several minutes depending on the amount
of media you are restoring and your computer's processing power. 
Why Apple prevents you from
easily copying files off your iPod, iPad or iPhone:
Has a virus or hard drive crash wiped out your entire music
collection on your computer? No problem. Here's how to copy music off
your iPod and back onto your computer. 
Is your iPod acting funny? There are a number of things that
can be wrong with it, but this super fix solution will
cure most problems.
Are
you trying to eject your iPod from your computer but the "Do Not
Disconnect" won't go away? Don't worry, this is a common problem
with a fairly easy solution.
If
you need some TLC for your iPod ASAP, contact us for our special
VIP repair service. We offer general or complex repair services as
well as many customization options.
