Is Backing Up My iPOD Possible?

[bowjest]

Hello, Everyone,

I'm a very new Mac user (about a week now) and I'm hoping there is a way to backup all the MP3s on my 60GB iPod Photo.

Under Windows I used Winamp periodically to prune off old stuff or copy off to my laptop for burning to DVD.

Is this possible on my MacBook Pro and if so, what tool should I use?

I've seen a couple of things that look interesting when I Googled for options, but they all referenced AAC files, which isn't my encoding method.

Any suggestions very much appreciated.

Thanks,

Bowjest

[ElDiabloConCaca]

Your iTunes library should be the backup of your iPod. The iPod is either a complete mirror or a perfect subset of your iTunes library, so backing up your iTunes library is, in essence, a backup of your iPod since you can always re-sync with iTunes.

If you have music on your iPod that is not in your iTunes library, then you're using your iPod in a fashion that it wasn't mean to be used in, and is counter-productive. Your iPod shouldn't contain anything that your computer doesn't contain -- the iPod is more of a "satellite" device that allows you to take music and videos from your computer with you on-the-go. It is not meant to be a storage device, meaning music should not be stored on the iPod if it's not stored on your computer as well.

[bowjest]

ElDiabloConCaca,

Thanks for your comments.

I use my iPod both at work and at home.

iTunes on a Windows machine (in my experience) is just dreadful. I was constantly battling duplicate entries, impractical breakdowns of what I had on the PC/iPod, and other problems, so I ditched it in favor of Winamp with the iPod plug-in.

This gave me a crystal clear breakdown of what I had (by artist, album or genre - my choice) and allowed me to add music both in the office and at home (and remove it as well). This is particularly useful because I listen to a lot of OTR and can pick and choose what I want during my lunch hour at work, download it, and then put it on my iPod.

So (just to be clear), if I plug my iPod into my MacBook Pro and do whatever synching I need to do, it will transfer the 40+GB of music and OTR files I have on my iPod to my Mac and I can then back these up to a DVD?

If this is not the case I guess I'll just have to go back to my Windows machine and spend a couple of days transfer data off the iPod and burning it to disk.

I'm a bit disappointed if that's the case.

Thanks,

Bowjest

[ElDiabloConCaca]

Originally Posted by bowjest

So (just to be clear), if I plug my iPod into my MacBook Pro and do whatever synching I need to do, it will transfer the 40+GB of music and OTR files I have on my iPod to my Mac and I can then back these up to a DVD?

No, it will do the reverse -- it will delete what's on the iPod and sync the iPod with the music and videos that are present on the MacBook Pro. An iPod can only be tethered to one computer at a time.

If this is not the case I guess I'll just have to go back to my Windows machine and spend a couple of days transfer data off the iPod and burning it to disk.

You can look for programs like Senuti or similar for the Mac that will allow to to copy from the iPod to the Mac. Be advised though that this is not Apple's intended use for the iPod, so using the iPod in the fashion you're using it in will inevitably have its share of headaches and frustrations.

[bowjest]

ElDiabloConCaCa,

Thanks, I'll try Senuti.

I have to very respectfully disagree that using my iPod as I have (loading data on it from more than one source with a tool other than iTunes) will inevitably lead to headaches. Quite the contrary - I've had it for a little over 4 years and except for the first few months, I've only ever used Winamp to administer it.

In my case (not typical, I know) this has been ideal. I listen to a *lot* of OTR (Old Time Radio) broadcasts and use the iPod both to hold what I'm currently listening to, but also to transport this to home or wherever where I can then burn this data to CD to send to my sister (the OTR I have I get from archive.org which is all copyright free, so no copyright infringement implied).

I guess it's just however the tool fits your needs.

Thanks again for your help. I'm extremely new to the Mac side of things, so I'm sure I'll learn more as I go.

Take care,

Bowjest

[ElDiabloConCaca]

I understand; perhaps I should have phrased it, "Using it in that manner will inevitably produce little to no support service from Apple."

Apple designed the iPod and the software such that the iPod is tethered to one computer, and the iPod holds some or all of the music/videos that exist in iTunes on said computer. I'm not saying using the iPod in one fashion or another is wrong, I'm just saying that using it a fashion other than the way it was designed is going to lead to some sort of conundrum or problem later down the road (as it is now), and the "fix" may not be as simple as it could be.

Your use of the iPod has worked fine, but you've had to resort to 3rd-party utilities to overcome the "limitations" imposed by Apple. Just be aware that you will have to continue to circumvent things and use 3rd-party utilities to continue using the iPod in this fashion, and, perhaps, Apple could one day release an iPod update that may render these 3rd-party workarounds useless, leaving you stranded until another fix comes along.

I'm not judging, I'm just warning you of the potential pitfalls ahead.

[bowjest]

ElDiabloConCaca,

Thanks, I understand what you mean now.

I hope my comments didn't come across as snide - I really didn't intend them to.

And you have a very valid point: it's all be well and good until now, when I've moved to a Mac environment and want to do things "The Mac Way". Now I'm finding that the system just doesn't work that way.

But that's ok. Once I've copied everything off and I'm secure in the knowledge I won't lose anything, I'm going to take a load of things off and then sync with my Mac going forward. Then iTunes can do its stuff (and I'm sure it must be much improved from when I first encountered it 4 years ago).

Thanks for your help and advice, it's very much appreciated.

I'm going to see if Senuti gets the job done for me and post back my findings.

Bowjest

[fryke]

If senuti doesn't fit the bill, there's also yamipod. -> http://www.yamipod.com/main/modules/home/