First, make sure that iTunes is NOT installed…otherwise, it will wipe your iPod clean and leave you looking reaally stupid!

Then, with no iTunes, plug in your iPod.

Open My Computer and after a while the computer will recognise the iPod and display it as “Drive F” or similar.

Open this drive. At first, there will be a few folders with randomly named things inside them.

Ignore these. Unless you have done this previously, go to Control Panel, then (assuming you have XP - previous versions might be different) select “Appearance and Themes”.

Near the bottom right, there is a picture of a folder with a tick over it called “Folder Options”. Open it.

Select the “view” tab.

Under the second section called “Hidden Files and Folders”, select “show hidden files and folders”.

Click Apply then Ok.

Close folder options, and return to Drive F (your iPod).

This time, when you open it, there should be an extra folder slightly lighter in colour than the others called “iPod_Control”. This is a hidden folder.

Copy and paste this folder to anywhere on your Documents. This might take a while.

Move the folder to somewhere that you are happy with it staying and call it what you want, because deleting, moving or renaming it after the next step will mean you have to redo the next parts.

Only now install iTunes. Go to File > Add Folder to library. Browse across to your newly pasted folder and click ok or add or whatever.

Wait for all the tunes to be added. Wallah! you’re done! iTunes should now hold your entire previous library.

Cheers.
Joe

[tags]iPod, iTunes, copy, library, free, without program,[/tags]