Transfering music from ipod to iphone4

[renmure]

Help for music numpties please.

I am more of a Radio 5 guy, but have been given a hand-me-down 3rd-hand ipod mini with 800-odd tunes on it, some of which I have heard of. Not sure how they got downloaded onto the ipod.

I believe my iPhone4 has an ipod feature thingy so would like to transfer all these tunes to my phone but unless I am missing something simple (quite possible!!) I can't see how to do it. I sort of assumed that I would run iTunes and it would sort of guide me through it but..

Is there an idiots guide to this or ... ?

/simple faction

[Shug]

Blame Apple for making it as tough as possible. You can't pull files from an iPod that isn't registered to your computer to share on your iPhone.

That's the official line anyway.

If it's an iPod mini, you should be able to switch it into file mode in iTunes and then navigate through some hidden folders to pull the tunes off and onto your PC and into your iTunes library - you could then sync them with your iPhone. Depends on whether the files were bought or just 'acquired' by the original owner as well. It's something I've not done in at least 3 years, so can't talk you through it from memory, but Google will be awash with guides if you search.

[graeme]

You can't copy straight from the iPod to the iPhone. You need to transfer via a PC or Mac. Sadly, Apple won't let you do this using the usual iTunes syncing methods. If you sync with iTunes on your PC/Mac it will wipe what's on the iPod and replace it with your own music from the PC (anti-piracy measures). However, there are third-party tools for doing what you want. I've never used any of them, so can't recommend one personally, but a quick Google search throws up this article:

http://www.engadget.com/2004/11/02/how- ... your-ipod/

which suggests http://www.ephpod.com/ for the PC or http://www.ilinkpod.com/ for the Mac, and has instructions for both.

Give that a go and post back if you get stuck.

[Corranga]

Just plugged my iPod into my PC to find out what the folder was called and it froze. Reminds me how crap Apple product reliability and support really is...

Anyway, assuming it isn't DRM bought from itunes or similar - rough instructions from memory...

Plug the iPod into your PC.
If it appears under My Computer great, if not, as Shug says, open iTunes and select Disc Mode - I think the option appears if you click on the iPod on the left menu bar.
Now open it as a drive via My Computer / Computer.
There is a (hidden) folder named iPod_Control on it
Inside this is a folder named Music
This contains LOADS of folders named things like F00, F18 etc
and each of these has a bunch of mp3 / m4a / etc files named random 4 letter names (AIGQ.mp3 etc)

Now, you want to copy this entire Music folder to your PC.

Next, install iTunes (if you don't have it already)
and in the options / preferences ensure you have the option named something like
"let iTunes manage my music"
and / or
"copy music to iTunes folder when importing"
there might be one about file naming too.

I think anyway - don't have iTunes at work to check.

Now, add the music folder to iTunes - this will take a while but it will also rename the randomly named files so they are named correctly on your PC, and group them properly in the artist/album/songs hierarchy.

Chris

[campbell]

Jim,

I have used iPod Rip to help with this kind of thing. It will help you get the tracks off the hand me down iPod. Put them in your Music folder on your PC (ie, wherever you told iTunes your music library would be...check this path in Edit > Preferences > Advanced tab.) and then get iTunes to import them which makes it "know" about them and will then show them on its display.

Then you can sync the tracks across to your iPhone as you require.

http://www.xilisoft.com/ipod-rip.html

Didn't read the blurb above in detail, so sorry if this conflicts or confuses...I found it pretty straightforward though and I'm not very "up" on apple stuff at all

Campbell

[Alistair]

Jim,

I have used iPod Rip to help with this kind of thing. It will help you get the tracks off the hand me down iPod. Put them in your Music folder on your PC (ie, wherever you told iTunes your music library would be...check this path in Edit > Preferences > Advanced tab.) and then get iTunes to import them which makes it "know" about them and will then show them on its display.

Then you can sync the tracks across to your iPhone as you require.

http://www.xilisoft.com/ipod-rip.html

Didn't read the blurb above in detail, so sorry if this conflicts or confuses...I found it pretty straightforward though and I'm not very "up" on apple stuff at all

Campbell

iPod Rip does the trick - DRM excepted

Cheers

[Mikie711]

Another couple of ipod ripping software is copypod which works really well and ipod copy which I haven't used. Copy pod will do both, rip the tunes off your iPod and copy them to your phone . Haven't used it in a while but IIRC it will copy everything regardless of where it came from.

Chris, by a decent computer before going into an apple slagging rant.

[Shug]

Chris, by a decent computer before going into an apple slagging rant.

Steady. Hardly a rant.

[Mikie711]

Chris, by a decent computer before going into an apple slagging rant.

Steady. Hardly a rant.

Fair point Shug, but it gets a bit tiresome every time someone mentions iPod or Iphone all the Apple bashers come crawling out. Jim asked a how to question not a what do you think question. That and the solution is real easy and straight forward you just can't use iTunes for doing it, which was never designed to do that sort of thing anyway.

[Shug]

Chris, by a decent computer before going into an apple slagging rant.

Steady. Hardly a rant.

Fair point Shug, but it gets a bit tiresome every time someone mentions iPod or Iphone all the Apple bashers come crawling out. Jim asked a how to question not a what do you think question. That and the solution is real easy and straight forward you just can't use iTunes for doing it, which was never designed to do that sort of thing anyway.

Similarly, it's tiresome when Apple fans get het up over an opinion - it's only that and people are entitled to them and to express them. I don't always agree with Chris, but in this case, his comment isn't a million miles off the mark in my experience of dealing with them. Your experience may vary.

Anyway, looks like Jim has a variety of options to try out so lets just leave it there.

[Corranga]

Fair point Shug, but it gets a bit tiresome every time someone mentions iPod or Iphone all the Apple bashers come crawling out. Jim asked a how to question not a what do you think question. That and the solution is real easy and straight forward you just can't use iTunes for doing it, which was never designed to do that sort of thing anyway.

If you read my post, you'd find that actually I was answering the question. I genuinly picked up my 120gb iPod classic to see what the folder was called, popped it onto the Belkin dock connected to my work PC, and hey presto! My iPod froze. I'm sure we are all allowed to get a little annoyed when the devices we own fail right?

As for not being able to use iTunes, my solution shows you how you can use iTunes and some basic windows commands (ie copy and paste)!

Actually, thinking about it, can't you just point iTunes to the hidden Music folder on the other iPod (in disc mode) and let it copy everything into your music library directly? (maybe not)

Chris

[Mikie711]

No it won't do it, it won't copy back anything to a library. One way only. Copypod and the like solve this problem, they weren't constrained by the music industry like iTunes was/is.

With the right bit of software it is still easy to do however, still a pain needing "another" program to manage this though even on a mac.

Edit: that and you still can't rip one of your own movie DVD's directly into the library as you can with a CD and that is a PITA but again there are plenty of work arounds but does take time.

[3rd Son of Tut]

1. Download itunes
2. Move music from recently obtained ipod to a folder
3. Copy files from the folder into your itunes.
4. Plug in your iphone and it will appear on your itunes.
5. Copy all files from itunes library into iphone music section.

If you already have music on your phone then put that into a folder on your computer and then copy that into itunes as well and then put it from itunes library to phone on itunes.

Easiest way is to just put all your music into an already existing folder or a new folder made by yourself labelled Music or whatever you want to call it, then everything in that folder can be copied into your already existing selection on itunes and then your iphone can be synced and will have everything on it that your itunes library had. It must go from the created file on your computer (Music, or whatever you called it) to your itunes library. Then from your itunes library to whatever device (in this case an iphone) that is plugged into you computer that shows up on your itunes page.

It is hard to explain using words but this can be done easily without using any of these crazy methods that some people use. I do this on a regular basis, pretty much every day and obviously after a while it becomes easy but to begin with Apple makes things a right pain in the arse!
As Shug pointed out though, it depends weather the music was bought from itunes. Either way it can still be done using the method I attempted to explain above. Using the step by step and the explanation I've given you I hope you can do it and hope it has helped. As I said, that's what I do and i've been doing it almost daily and for a while.

[renmure]

Thanks to everyone for their help. Success!!

I did try looking at some of the software mentioned to do it but all seemed to limit the amount that I could transfer without paying (fair enough I guess) so I followed the instruction that Chris posted and got there in the end. I sort of knew roughly what I needed to do but kept banging my head on the wall trying to get it done.

Thanks again

[campbell]

Well done Jim.

And well done Chris for posting the greatest money saving option