Moving songs from iPod (classic and touch) to pc

[fd3]

Old pc died, New pc, new iTunes, empty no songs.
Loads of music on iPods, would like to copy over.
I have tried getting the hidden files off the classic and getting iTunes to add these, but it doesn’t do anything with them (maybe there’s too much content).  I also tried banshee, which does find the music, but does not identify the iPod when I connect it.
Either way, stumped as to how to proceed next and how to get tunes off the iPod touch.
Hints, suggestions and recommended 3rd party software welcome.

[Mr Larrington]

I have in the past copied the whole directory tree off an iPod onto a PC using nothing more sophisticated than Windows Explorer, then used mp3tag's "Convert tag to filename" function to reorganise it nicely into /artist/year - album/disc-track title structure and importing it into iTunes.  Obviously this requires that the Stuffs on the iPod be properly tagged according to a logical system.

[PaulF]

I’ve done this in the past to a Mac. A quick Google found iExplorer which claims to do the same thing. I haven’t used it so can’t vouch for it though.

What was the problem with your old PC? If the hard disk is OK it might be possible to retrieve the data from it which can then be imported into iTunes

[Mr Larrington]

iPod Classic stores the actual tunes in a directory tree structured thus:

/iPod_Control/Music/Fnn/xxxx.mp3

where nn = 00-49 and xxxx are four random capital letters.

Plug in your iPod, and if iTunes starts shut it down again.  In File Explorer, make sure you have the "Show hidden files, folders and drives" option checked, then navigate to the iPod (which should be showing up as an external disk in File Explorer,) right-click the iPod_Control folder, select "Properties", uncheck the "Hidden" box and click "OK".  You can then copy the Music folder, and everything in it, onto the PC.  Which can take a while

You should then be able to import the music files directly into iTunes.  If you have the option in iTunes set to organise your library it should copy them into a nicely organised folder structure in the place of your choosing or, as noted above, you can use mp3tag (free from https://www.mp3tag.de/en/download.html) to move the files prior to importing them.

Dunno about iPod Touch, but I expect it behaves in a similar manner.

[Kim]

iPod Classic stores the actual tunes in a directory tree structured thus:

/iPod_Control/Music/Fnn/xxxx.mp3

where nn = 00-49 and xxxx are four random capital letters.

This is the sort of thing that happens when you let electrical engineers design software.


Of course it may be deliberate obfuscation on the part of the Mega-Global Fruit Co.  They want you to commit to the Steveware iTunes library model, and keeping the file hierarchy sane runs counter to that (and encourages people to copy files around).

[fd3]

iPod Classic stores the actual tunes in a directory tree structured thus:
...

You should then be able to import the music files directly into iTunes.

Cheers mr L, that’s what I had tried, but for some reason I try to import and nothing happens.  I shall try MP3 tag.
I think the touch work differently from what I have gleaned online, but there’s only about one or two albums I want from the touch, so not too much of an issue.