Formatting PC Hard Drive
Hi, I have a 3G 20Gb Ipod and it's not even close to full but i'm thinking about formatting my PC soon and was wondering how my ipod will react and how I can best keep all my songs.
If I format and then plug my ipod in with all the songs on the ipod but none on the PC (long process putting tracks from CD onto the HD) will I be able to copy them back onto the HD from the Ipod or will it just read that the tracks are no longer on the PC and wipe them from the ipod.
Is it possible to copy across all my songs in aac format onto the ipod, as in using it as an external hard disk, and then after formatting copy them back onto the PC if their is space on the ipod to do this?
I dont have mp3's all my tracks are legitimate and copied from the music cd's and as such I dont want to spend the hours it takes copying them across to my PC if it can be done a faster way. I could burn the aac tracks onto a cd and then copy them back across but surely this is just the same technique as above except the above method is faster due to the firewire and more reliable as cd's can get scratched etc
Thanks for the info.
[1171 byte] By [
Qball] at [2007-11-9 20:23:55]
# 1 Re: Formatting PC Hard Drive
If you are using auto-sync and you format your HD and reconnect your iPod, it will wipe out the songs on your iPod as it syncs with your PC since there would be no songs on your PC. If you aren't using auto-sync on your iPod, it won't do anything. You'd just have to then be sure you never turn on auto-sync.
But, to do what you really want to do, you have a few choices.
1) Be sure to turn off auto-sync on your iPod and then go ahead and format your PC and reinstall everything. Then, connect your iPod and use a 3rd party program (pardon the plug, but something like my own iPod Agent) to copy the songs off your iPod and onto your PC somewhere. Then, run iTunes and import the songs into iTunes that you just copied off your iPod. Then, you would be free to auto-sync again if you want.
2) Do the same as #1 above except you don't have to actually use a 3rd party appliation. You can manually copy the song files off your iPod youself using just Windows Explorer. Be sure you have to option in Windows Explorer to view hidden folders and files. Then, use it to browse the harddrive of your iPod. Then, go to the iPod_Control\Music folder on your iPod. In there will be several folders named "F00, F01, F02, etc". These "F" folders contain all the music files. You can simply copy the songs from these folders onto your PC.
3) You could do as you indicated and copy the songs from your PC to your iPod using it as a simple external harddrive. Then, after you format your PC, just copy them back to your PC.
If you have the space available on your iPod to do #3, I'd probably actually recommend that approach. It's a bit more work but I'd personally feel safer having two copies of all my songs on my iPod and one of those copies being in a place on the iPod where the iPod software won't accidently decide to delete it. :)
Shadow at 2007-11-15 17:01:52 >
# 2 Re: Formatting PC Hard Drive
i reformatted my hard drive a month ago and had the same dilemma. i didn't really give it much thought, thinking i could use a program like PodUtil to transfer my mp3s from my iPod to my reformatted HD. wrong. all the programs wouldn't work for me, for one reason or another. i ended up transferring all of the mp3s manually (through the iPod_control folder) and renaming them one by one.
very tedious.
since you said your iPod's not even close to full, to be sure that you won't have to rename each mp3 as i had to do, why not copy your entire mp3 folder to your iPod (as data files), since it can serve as an external HD?
my two cents.
orbit at 2007-11-15 17:02:52 >
# 3 Re: Formatting PC Hard Drive
Dam, i just formatted my pc, and my opod was on auto-sync...does that mean there is no way for my songs not to be deleted next time i plug in my ipod?
DrDoom at 2007-11-15 17:03:50 >
# 4 Re: Formatting PC Hard Drive
You know, I think I was a bit incorrect in what I said above.
After you format your computer and reinstall everything, your computer will be "like new". When you connect your iPod, iTunes will detect it and think it's a new iPod and will first ask if you want it to auto sync with that iPod. This happens to me every day when I connect my iPod to my computer at work. My iPod is set to auto sync at home but when I connect it to my work computer it asks if I want to auto sync with it. Just be sure to say "no" to this prompt. Or, you can copy the songs off your iPod before you even install iTunes that way it won't be there to even attempt to delete songs off your iPod.
Shadow at 2007-11-15 17:04:56 >
# 5 Re: Formatting PC Hard Drive
ok thanks
DrDoom at 2007-11-15 17:05:59 >
# 6 Re: Formatting PC Hard Drive
Originally posted by orbit
i ended up transferring all of the mp3s manually (through the iPod_control folder) and renaming them one by one.
I know this is hindsight, but why didn't you just use a program like mp3 Book Helper to do the filenaming for you? The tags are still intact on the iPod mp3 files, right?
# 7 Re: Formatting PC Hard Drive
oh well. too late. i'll keep that in mind, though. :p
orbit at 2007-11-15 17:08:02 >
