Copying tunes from iPod to iTunes

[Mala]

I loaded a whole 49-lesson language course on to my new iPod Mini, and then it occurred to me that I didn't need them all there. So I tried to wipe 1-7 and 18-49.

But I wasn't wiping them from the iPod but from iTunes.

So now I want to delete them from the iPod, *but* add them back to iTunes. But it won't let me do it. I double-clicked the iPod icon in iTunes to open a new window. Then I highlighted the tunes I want to take off the Pod and put in the tunes, and dragged them. Nope. Option-dragged. Nope. Ctrl-dragged. Nope. Etc.

How do I do this? Load a tune from the iPod on to the computer?

The other thing - if you want to add one tune with an album with 17 songs, but not the other 16, is there any way of unchecking *all* the checkboxes at the same time, or do you have to go click, click, bloody click through all 16?

 

[slipper]

there was a plug-in which allowed you to download a music library from an iPod to your iTunes and i recently tried it but i assume apple put an end to it because i tried it recently and it didnt work. you cant normally do it because of copyright laws.

 

[tombo]

OK,

the easy one out of the way: to 'un-check' all the songs you apple-click (cmnd-click) one of the boxes.
- Also you can find such tricks in the shortcuts menu in help I believe.

The first problem is a bit more tricky.

You have to bear in mind that Apple make it as hard as possible for someone to steal music. ie they want to stop kids going to each other's houses with their iPods and swapping all their music around. So you "can't" take music off an iPod and put it onto a machine- you can't drag it off the iPod, like you tried.

The solution is either to be a bit handy with the Terminal, which can 'see' the music files in your iPod (they are hidden to the Finder). Or to find an application which has a better interface which can do this.
Try www.versiontracker.com and search for 'browser' and 'iPod' or 'iPod' and 'copy' .. anything along these lines.
Many programs are shareware.. so, uh, you have to pay for them..

if you can't find anything, just post again and I or some of the other, much more capable Rumorers will help.

 

[munkle]

Theoretically you can't transfer a song from iPod to iTunes but check out versiontracker or macupdate for third party apps that will allow this. Personally I recommend PodWorks. It's shareware but a great app.

 

[Mala]

While it's kind of Apple to be my conscience in this way, I don't, for some reason, appreciate it.

I could, of course, wipe the unwanted tracks from the iPod Mini, wipe the whole lot from iTunes then reload them from the CD - but it'll take an age to do it, and i thought the whole point of this groovy wired world was that we don't have to hunch over machines for hours.

Remember when the record companies were shrieking in anguish when people were taping LPs onto cassettes - "It'll be the death of the industry! Jail them!"

I'll try PodWorks, though not until I'm a little more familiar with the iPod. Thanks for the suggestion, munkle.

 

[sparky76]

iPodRip on versiontracker is v good

 

[munkle]

While it's kind of Apple to be my conscience in this way, I don't, for some reason, appreciate it.

Think it has more to do with the music industry than Apple but I agree, it is annoying.

And just so you know, you can use your iPod as an external hard drive by dragging files to the iPod icon, this applies to music as well (you won't be able to listen to it though). Just to add more value to your pod!

 

[mj_1903]

I don't mind Apple's restrictions at all, it is in their best interests and they did get a great deal to start the iTMS based on the fact that the iPod was quite secure. The more iPod's the merrier.

If you want, try iPodRip via my website below. You get 10 free unrestricted uses, so feel free not to buy it at all.

 

[annk]

I had a similiar problem - wanted to put language files back into iTunes from my iPod after having erased them by mistake from iTunes. I used the utility you can get here: http://www.crispsofties.com/i2i_x/ipod2itunes.sit

It occurs to me that you could also - as a last resort - record them back onto your Mac's harddisc by "playing" them back and recording live with Wire Tap or something similiar.

To be honest I don't know about the legal issues, but I'm assuming that when you are in legal possession of a sound file, you are allowed to transfer it to/play it on a medium that suits you as long as you're still in the sphere of private use. This varies of course somewhat from country to country.

 

[Mala]

Oh, in the end I just wiped them off the iPod too; I'll put them back into iTunes (bleaghhh, 50 half-hour soundfiles....) and then onto the iPod as I need them.

Thanks for all the help.