Be Excellent To Each Other

Does anybody have any recommendations for good, free ipod recovery software?

Unfortunately a database file on the ipod has become corrupted. The music is all still on there and I can get to it through windows explorerer. But through itunes, and on the ipod itself no music shows up.

I'd like to rescue what is on there if possible. Especially some playlists I made. Unfortunately I never used the sync feature of itunes, instead preferring to manuall manage my music (a hangover from the day when I first got the ipod and only had a small hdd in the computer).

It's a 20gb colour/photo. About 4ish years old I guess.

Googling currently showing lots of conflicting advice, and lots of software that needs paying for

Thanks.

Do you mean you want to get everything off of yor ipod?

If that's what you are asking you have to make sure that your computer is set to show hidden files and then set your ipod to 'disc mode'.

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1363

You can get your music off of there that way, but all the song titles will be numbers Once you put it back into iTunes though, they all show again. This is the only way I know to do it, unfortunately, and it worked when my smelly PC messed everything up. There is probably a better way than my way, though.

I see you say you CAN get to it through Windows explorer now that I re-read your post, and so youa re almost certainly asking something else.

So ignore the above and I will shut up.

Well, I only want bits of it, not neccessarily all of it - otherwise I would have done just that (and the files in all the funny named folders still have the tags correct).

A few hundred songs, and playlists particularly are what I'm after. Thanks for the suggestion anyway

What I'd really like is something that would scan what is already on the ipod and rebuild the database that it uses to locate and play the files contained on it.

EDIT: I see your second post. Thanks anyway.

iTunes can't rebuild it's own database? That's a bit pap isn't it?

Yeah, it is a bit pants. I think they count on most people actually 'sync'ing rather than adding and deleting music from the ipod itself (through itunes) like I have been doing.

Progress report: Using a copy of Redchair's Anapod Explorer that a 'friend lent to me' I have recovered all the songs. Yay.

The playlists, however, look to be gone. As does a lot of the other info (compilation settings, play count). Boo.

EDIT:

Actually, it's a mess. Some things playing, other not. The thing is freezing and occasionally forgetting everything that's on there - but this time it comes back with a simple reset.

I think I'm going to have to give up and wipe it completely and start afresh. I don't think there's a lot of life left in it, if any

Glad I picked up a jesusphone on friday then

This Apple product was a pile of crap.

Good thing I gave them more money then!

I've had gadgets that were used a hell of a lot less and broke a lot sooner. I certainly feel I've had my moneys worth out of it, so far from a piece of crap.

Agreed. My Apple products have been used to death and lasted a lot longer than other shonky crap I've bought from Creative et al.

my creative zen touch is erm, 4 years old now. still 'bulletproof' and on a full charge, the battery lasts all day (and most of the next)

I have the model that replaced (the Xtra), it's solid as a rock still.

I guess I was unlucky, then. With both of them.

iTunes is perfectly happy to rebuild its database. What it can't do is rebuild the database of external hardware.