How to Copy your Music Library from your iPod back to your computer 

You should know that iTunes  (after version 7) will automatically moved purchased music from iPod to computer. Details provided in this article: Copying iTunes Store purchases from your iPod to a computer

This article covers the rest of your music, the CDs you ripped etc. which iTunes will not automatically copy back to your computer. You will need 3rd party software to do that.

Connect your iPod to your computer. If it is set to update automatically you'll get a message that it is linked to a different library and asking if you want to link to this one and replace all your songs etc, press "Cancel". Please note: Pressing "Erase and Sync" will irretrievably delete all your music  from your iPod. Your iPod should appear in the iTunes source list from where you can change the update setting to manual and use your iPod without the risk of accidentally erasing it.

When using these 3rd party utilities listed below your iPod needs to be enabled for disc use, changing to manual update will do this by default. Check the "manually manage music and videos" box in Summary then press the Apply button: Managing content manually on iPod

You can also use a keyboard command to prevent your iPod auto-syncing with iTunes. Once connected you can change your settings: iTunes - Keyboard Shortcuts for Windows 

The transfer of content from other sources such as songs imported from CD is designed by default to be one way from iTunes to iPod. Review each of the following since some will transfer movies, videos, photos, podcasts and games as well. Have a look at the web pages and documentation, this is just a small selection of what's available, they are generally quite straightforward.

You can read reviews and comparisons of some of them here: Wired News - Rescue Your Stranded Tunes
Comparison of iPod managers

iPodRip Mac & Windows
YamiPod Mac and Windows
Music Rescue Mac & Windows
iPodCopy Mac and Windows
iRepo Mac & Windows (iPhone and iPod Touch compatible)
iPod Access Mac & Windows (iPhone and iPod Touch compatible)

TuneJack Windows Only
iPod2PC Windows Only
iGadget Windows Only
iDump Windows Only
SharePod Windows Only


Keep your iPod in manual mode until you have reloaded your iTunes and are happy with your results then you can return it to auto-sync.

It may be wise to consider purchasing a hard disk as a back up to your music library - they're inexpensive now and worth it if you have an extensive music collection.

Please use comments for any information you have on these or other 3rd party software used for music recovery or copying from iPod to computer. If you have questions post those at the forum. Thanks - editor