old ipod - different to threads I have seen.....bit of a ramble, sorry

[SparklyMily]

Hi. So, I have my ipod which must be 6 or 7 years old. When I first got it, I only had a work laptop, onto which I loaded cds and downloaded stuff from itunes. That laptop has long since gone and I didn't transfer all the gubbins across because it made work stuff very slow (to my non-techie brain...) and I ran out of enthusiasm for uploading new stuff. So now I would like to put some more stuff on the ipod. I have a works laptop which I can't put itunes on (company policy) and an old laptop of my dad's. The latter still has his itunes on it. I tried deleting/removing the programme and reloading itunes but it 'remembers' dad iyswim. I am worried that if I connect my ipod to this laptop it'll wipe my stuff. Is there a way I can resolve this and find my old itunes account using this laptop? Dad doesn't need his stuff on here any more as he has it all on his ipad anyway. I really want some new tunes for hols in 10 days time!! Help please....

You should be able to change the account that iTunes is signed in with by:

1. Open iTunes.
2. Click Store > Sign Out
3. Quit iTunes.
4. Reopen iTunes.
5. Click Store > Sign In

If you connect the iPod to that computer it could wipe the iPod, it depends on the options you select.

When you connect the iPod to it for the first time it should spot that the iPod is already synced with another computer and will ask what it should do about that. The three options should be:

1. Erase and Sync
2. Cancel
3. Transfer Purchases

Make sure that you select "Cancel" and then you need to set the iPod into "Manual" mode, instructions for all of this are here:
support.apple.com/kb/ht1202

Once that's been done you can load music into iTunes and then you'll have to manually drag it from iTunes onto your iPod.

Badgerspaws, thanks that's great. I have got as far as tracking down my old account, updating with my current contact and payment details and authorising this laptop for the Ipod.....
at least now I can buy some tunes

am a bit nervous about connecting the ipod though....even with your instructions...

Don't know if this is what you're after, but you can transfer music from your ipod into itunes. It's a bit fiddly but even I managed it and I'm clueless. I found intructions on youtube.

Disable automatic sync in itunes so that it always asks you first.

"am a bit nervous about connecting the ipod though....even with your instructions..."

Just plug it in and if you see anything other than that question I've given above come back and ask again.

As franke says there are ways to get the music off of your iPod and into iTunes. However there's no need to do that, music doesn't need to be on both a computer and the iPod, and if you've got a big iPod and a small computer you wouldn't want it to be.

There are heaps of apps out there for getting music off an iPod. As franke says though, the most important thing is to disable auto sync so that you can plug it in and then see what the situation is.

But badgerpaws, if you've got music on your ipod which isn't on itunes, don't you have to get it from ipod to itunes, otherwise you lose it next time you sync? Have I got that right? Told you I was clueless.

Our itunes is used for 3 different ipods, we all have our own store account. It just recognises each ipod when you plug it in, no problems.

"But badgerpaws, if you've got music on your ipod which isn't on itunes, don't you have to get it from ipod to itunes, otherwise you lose it next time you sync?"

No you don't loose it. If you've got the iPod set to manually manage its music, which is what that question you'll be asked the first time you plug it in is asking about.

If the iPod is automatically synced then the iPod will be made to look like iTunes when it's synced. So if there is music on the iPod that isn't in iTunes it's going to get deleted. This is the mistake that usually throws people who want to use an iPod on multiple computers.

If the iPod is manually managed then no music moves onto or off of the iPod unless you explicitly copy or delete it. Yes that means a bit more work when you add a new CD but the massive advantage is that if you delete music out of iTunes or even if it's just never been in that particular iTunes (e.g. a multiple computer household) then the same music will not get deleted off of the iPod.