CopyMusic from another iPod onto your PC - Windows XP

So, your friend has an ipod with lots of nice music on it, and you want to copy it to your hard drive. How do you transfer music from the ipod to your PC without iTunes erasing your music or their music? Use Sharepod and the following guide and useful tips.

N.B. For Sharepod to work, you need to have Microsoft .Net Framework 2.0 installed (and the versions below this), available to download from the links in this article. Sharepod does not currently work with iPod touch or iTunes 8 - you will need to downgrade to iTunes 7 (I am using iTunes 7.7). Sharepod and iTunes cannot be open at the same time! Make sure iTunes is closed before you open Sharepod!

Also, if you wish to transfer music or videos bought from the iTunes store. you will have to authorise your pc to play it, since you didn't buy it. I don't have this problem . . .


This guide is written for Windows XP users. I am using Windows XP SP3, but this should still apply for SP2.

1) Download Sharepod - click save and save it to your desktop. This will save a .zip file. Do not choose open or run or extract it yet! (Firefox users > make sure the default setting is 'Always ask me where to save files' in the general Tab of the options menu).

2) Plug in your iPod (not your friend's one). If iTunes doesn't open, open it now and wait for it to load. Open the summary page for your ipod by clicking on the ipod under devices on the left. Uncheck 'open Itunes automatically' or 'Open iTunes when iPod is connected'. Eject your iPod, and disconnect it. Close iTunes and wait fro it to save your library.

3) Plug your friend's ipod/other ipod into the USB port. Wait for Windows to recognise it as an iPod and install the hardware. When you see the 'Your hardware is installed and ready to use' balloon pop up, go to My Computer and check that you can see the ipod listed on screen.

4) Make sure you have WinRAR installed on your PC. Go to Start > All programs > WinRAR. If it is not installed, download from here and install it. If it is already installed, proceed to the next step.

5) Open the Sharepod.zip folder on your desktop by double clicking on it - WinRar will open. Click once on the SharePod.exe file, and then click on Extract To. Select your ipod device and OK it. Sharepod will be installed on the ipod.

6) Go back to My Computer, double click on your ipod device and then open sharepod by double clicking on the ipod device icon. If everything is fine, Sharepod should open. If it encounters and error before it even opens, make sure you have followed all steps carefully and read the advice at the top of this article! N.B. Sharepod and iTunes cannot be open at the same time! Make sure iTunes is closed before you open Sharepod!

7) To copy all music from the ipod to your pc, click one song, and then press 'Ctrl' + 'A' to select it all. Click 'Copy to Pc'.

Now, here is the clever bit. Assuming that you will want to import all this music into iTunes, and that you will have some duplicate items already on your PC and in our iTune library, set the destination folder (for the muic to be saved in ) in your iTunes music folder, usually located as

C:\Documents and Settings\\My Documents\My Music\iTunes.

Create a new folder called 'Sharepod', and then OK it to copy the music across. Sharepod is pretty fast, but depending on the speed of your pc, you may have to wait a while. I have copied 6GB in 18 mins, and 7GB in 25 mins.

N.B. You may receive notification that some songs didn't copy - this is probably because they have very long file names. Shorten them, and Sharepod can copy the files for you. (This is because there is a limit on the field names when copying the files and naming them in Windows).

8) When the copy is complete, Close Sharepod and eject and disconnect your ipod (This time from 'safely Remove Hardware' icon in the taskbar.

9) Open iTunes. Now, we need to import all the music into your library, so select File > Add folder to Library.

Select My Documents > My Music > Sharepod (or My Computer > C > Documents and Settings > > My Documents > My Music > Sharepod) and import everything. wait for iTunes to import everything, and download album artwork etc.

Then on the 'recently added' automatic playlist, select all the music you have just added (the majority of it!) and copy to a new playlist, just for reference. I call this playlist Sharepod, or the name of my friend who lent me their ipod.

Now, go to all music, (The Music tab underneath Library) and then go View > Show Duplicates. Delete every duplicate from the music you added if you have any, from your friends' library, and AS IT IS SAVED IN YOUR ITUNES MUSIC FOLDER, itunes should ask you if you want to delete these files from your PC as well!! say yes, and it means you won't use valuable disk space with two copies of the same song/music, as well as meaning that each song is only listed once in your itunes library!

That's it, you now have Copied music from another ipod and imported it into iTunes!
The below section of the guide offers more information on removing duplicates from your library and PC if it was imported to iTunes from a folder not in the iTunes my Music folder.
---


If, however, you didn't copy the music to a folder within iTunes, and have added it all to your library and have duplicates of the same song, and wish to delete the duplicates from your librabry AND PC easily and quickly, do not fear! There is a simple way to right your wrongs!

First, you need to delete all the music your imported, so you can move it into the iTunes folder. This means that you won't have to relocate each file when Itunes says it can't find it.

Now, just deleting the playlist of all the music you imported won't delete all the music from your library - instead you need to do something clever. In the Music Pane, next to the header 'Name' (the grey bar with the titles of each colon in, such as album, artist e.t.c), Rish click and select 'Date added'. Click 'Date Added' to sort all the music, and then delete all music added on today's date i.e. the date you imported all the Sharepod music!

Then, copy the folder Sahrepod (where you saved all the music too) and Move it to My Documents > My Music > Sharepod (or My Computer > C > Documents and Settings > > My Documents > My Music > Sharepod).

Once this is done, follow Step 9 again!

:D