iPad query for all you experts.

gramps

gramps

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I have my iPad sync'd with iTunes on my laptop, all works fine.

The wife has an iPod with various music etc already installed and I have just bought her an iPad. When I now connect her iPod to iTunes it offers to 'Erase and Sync' with my material or do nothing.

How can I transfer everything from her iPod to her new iPad?

TIA
 
The only reason the iPod would say that is if it has been connected to a different computer.
 
Hope said:
The only reason the iPod would say that is if it has been connected to a different computer.
Click to expand...

Probably true as I now have a different laptop to the one originally used to 'fuel' her iPod ... any way around that or does Apple want you to buy everything again whenever you change your PC?
 
You certainly wouldn't need to buy everything again as you have bought it once. The way around it is to have copied the entire iTunes folder from one machine to the other, essentially tricking it into not knowing you've changed your machine.
 
Welcome to iTunes - and it's why I hate it with a passion. I think you can trick it by creating a new account on the machine and installing an empty iTunes on there. From memory (when I was doing this for my daughters some years ago) it prompts you to copy the iTunes library from the iPod to the computer. You can then sync with the iPad through that account.

Don't hold me to that, but from memory that's how it works...
 
Unfortunately creating a new account didn't work, it still says that the iPod is sync'd to another copy of iTunes and all I can do is wipe it :annoyed:
 
If you only have the music on the ipod, you can easily transfer it from the ipod to your computer, and then add it back to itunes.

If you have purchased music thats DRM protected, you will need to log into the account it was bought from to use it. If it's a new computer, there is no way round erasing and syncing, but it's easy to add the music to the new itunes.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Actually it did work, having connected the iPod to a new account and rejected the 'wipe' option I connected her iPad intending to start from scratch but it sync'd with what iTunes had obviously read from her iPod - interestingly it also copied all the 'apps' from my account!
 
I love it when a plan comes together ;) :D
 
neil_g said:
what i mean is that you cant take an iDevice with content and sync it back to an empty iTunes?
Click to expand...

Well not sure about that.
What I did was register another account from my iTunes in my wife's name and when registered it was empty.
I connected her iPod to it and it said it was associated with another iTunes and I could either wipe and sync or I could cancel.
I cancelled so as not to lose her content and then plugged the iPad in - low and behold there was the content from her iPod, which sync'd perfectly AND it sync'd MY apps from MY account ... which it wasn't logged into ... all sync'd and useable on her new iPad :shrug:
 
Glad it worked out :)

With ipods, you can literally just copy the music out of the hidden data files on the Ipod, as if it was a normal USB drive. Unhide them, and add them to itunes :), any DRM protected tracks, just log into itunes using the same details you bought any tracks, and activate the account on the new PC/Itunes/etc.
 
neil_g said:
i had a look at the folder structure on the ipod once, if i remember its a bit of a mess? random folder and file names etc?
Click to expand...

They use F number folders with random 4 letter track names. However, all the song metadata is still present so when you import it to itunes everything will appear as normal. - (Providing all your music has metadata tags etc, the only things that might not work are the occasional self-recorded/streamed music, or torrented album.)

Once you've done that, I always consolidate the library, this copies the tracks to the itunes folder, but also names them according to the metadata tags, so you then have that folder correctly organized by artist, album, and song title.

I do it every time I reinstall or change computer. Doesn't happen very often, but I have over 5000 tracks, and last time only had one album I needed to manually rename.
 
someguy201 said:
With ipods, you can literally just copy the music out of the hidden data files on the Ipod, as if it was a normal USB drive.
Click to expand...

Are we talking standard iPad linked to iTunes or are we talking jailbroken?
If normal, how do you navigate to the 'hidden data files'?
 
someguy201 said:
They use F number folders with random 4 letter track names. However, all the song metadata is still present so when you import it to itunes everything will appear as normal. - (Providing all your music has metadata tags etc, the only things that might not work are the occasional self-recorded/streamed music, or torrented album.)

Once you've done that, I always consolidate the library, this copies the tracks to the itunes folder, but also names them according to the metadata tags, so you then have that folder correctly organized by artist, album, and song title.

I do it every time I reinstall or change computer. Doesn't happen very often, but I have over 5000 tracks, and last time only had one album I needed to manually rename.
Click to expand...

thats handy to know, i always used to just copy the databases/xml and music files to the new computer then edit the xml if the paths have changed and then resync.
 
gramps said:
Are we talking standard iPad linked to iTunes or are we talking jailbroken?
If normal, how do you navigate to the 'hidden data files'?
Click to expand...

I think the same method works on a normal iPad, as the files should be still stored in a similar location to Ipods and Iphones. I'm not sure exactly as I don't have an ipad, and haven't checked on one.

You will need to unhide hidden files/folders in the folder options in control panel.

On my Ipod:

Computer > Ipod > Ipod Control > Music

The music folder will be full of folders named like F01, F02 etc

On an Iphone, it's something like:

Media > iTunes_Control > Music

Ipad should be similar to this, but I'm not sure of the exact location.
 
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