Sync Your iPhone/iPod With Any Computer
One thing I have always wanted to do is be able to sync my iPhone or iPod with any computer. Lifehacker had an article a while back on doing this, but the software they used does not support the iPhone or iPod touch. So, I have developed a method to connect any iPod or iPhone to any computer to download the music or movies from that computer to the iPod or iPhone.
Once configured, you only need your iPhone/iPod, the USB sync cable, and a computer with iTunes to implement the hack (the idea being you always have your iPhone or iPod and the person with the computer has the iPod USB cable). It takes about 20 minutes to set this hack up and then only a few seconds to implement each time you would like to use it.
Things to Note
- If you want to be able to do this hack on both Mac and Windows machines, you’re going to have to configure two separate iTunes libraries: one from a Mac and one from a Windows machine.
- I was using an iPhone when writing this tutorial, so the iPod directions may vary slightly.
- If you are using an iPhone or iPod touch: When you sync your device, the account last used to access the iTunes Store from the computer is synced to the mobile device. So make sure you sign out of your friend’s iTunes account before you sync your device, otherwise when you try to download the application via the app store on your phone you will be logged in as them.
- This method does not work with DRM’ed music.
- Using this method will let you plug your iPhone/iPod into any computer and listen to the music directly off of it. Whereas before, this was not possible.
What You’ll Need
- Computer with iTunes
- iPhone: Wi-Fi, USB cable, iTunes, phone
- iPod: cable, iTunes, iPod
- Software (Mac): Smultron, Hex Feind, IpodDisk (Open Source Free Software for Macs)
- Software (Windows): Hex Edit, Pod to PC
Configure Your iPhone/iPod for Use as External Storage
You are only going to have to configure your iPhone or iPod to be used an external storage once.
- iPhone: Download & Configure Air Sharing ($4.99)
- iPod: Setup as hard drive
- Connect iPod to computer and open iTunes
- iTunes > Preferences > iPod Tab
- Click checkbox “Enable disk use”
- Close iTunes
Manually Manage Music and Videos On iPhoneiPod
We need to make it so we can simply drag songs onto our iPhone/iPod.
- Launch iTunes
- Connect iPhone/iPod
- Select the “Manually manage my iPhone/iPod” option
- Close iTunes
Create an iTunes Index On Your iPhone/iPod
If you want to be able to sync with both Mac and Windows computers you will have to make two separate iTunes index folders: one for the Mac and one for Windows boxes. So, just do this step both a Mac and Windows machine.
- Mount your iPhone/iPod as external storage device.
- Point the iTunes index to your iPhone/iPod. On a Mac: while holding “option,” double click on your iTunes icon. On a Windows machine: while holding “Shift,” double click on your iTunes icon in your start menu.
- A “Choose your library” window will pop up. Select “Create Library.”
- Under “Where” select the location on your iPod/iPhone from the pulldown. Save as: “iTunes1″. iTunes will Launch. Close it. If you decide to do this on a Mac and Windows machine, make a folder called “iTunes 1″ from the Mac and a folder called “iTunes 2″ from the Windows machine.
Editing Files On iPhone/iPod
You are only going to have to edit the files on your iPhone once. We need to edit those files so that whatever computer you connect your device to will think it can sync to your iPhone/iPod. I found this tutorial over at the Shiny Things blog. Thanks Andrew!
- On your computer navigate to your iTunes music folder. Macs: User> Music > iTunes. Windows: Music > iTunes.
- Right click on “iTunes Music Library.xml” and open it with a text editor (Smultron, or something similar, in OS X and Notepad in Windows)
- Look for the “Library Persistent ID”
- There will be a string of numbers and letters between the “string” tags. (In the screenshot below it is 2817B0BEDC7A2E5F). Copy this entry to another document for safe keeping.
- It’s time to edit the files on your iPhone/iPod. Go ahead and mount your iPhone/iPod and then navigate to the iTunes folder we created earlier.
- Find the “iTunes Music Library.xml,” and open it with a text editor.
- Look for the “Library Persistent ID.” First, copy whatever is between “string” tags to a text document for safe keeping. Next, Replace whatever is between the “string” tags with our key that we copied earlier. In our example we are replacing the ID on the iPhone/iPod with 2817B0BEDC7A2E5F
- Save the file and close it.
- Now find the file called “iTunes Music Library” and open it with the Hexeditor mentioned above in “What You’ll Need.” (On a Windows machine it is called “iTunes Music Library.itl”)
- Select “Find and Replace” from the Edit menu. Make sure “Hex” matching is selected (not ASCII). In “Find” enter the ID from the iPhone/iPod before we replaced it (The ID we put into a text document in step 7). In Replace, enter the ID we copied from the original computer (in our example it’s 2817B0BEDC7A2E5F). Choose Replace All, there should be one match.
- Save the file. Close the Hexeditor.
- We are now completely done configuring the iPhone/iPod. If you want to be able to sync to both Windows and Mac machines, make sure the do the all the steps listed above on both machines.
Getting Music From Other Computers (Finally!)
Getting music from computers that are not your home computer is the step that you will have to perform over and over again.
- Mount your iPhone (using Air Sharing) or iPod (as an external storage device)
- Point the computer’s iTunes index to the one on your iPhone/iPod. Mac: while holding “option,” double click on your iTunes icon. Windows: while holding “Shift,” double click on your iTunes icon in your start menu.
- A “Choose your library” window will pop up. Select “Choose Library.”
- Navigate to the “iTunes 1″ or “iTunes 2″ (depending on if you’re on Mac or a Window’s machine) folder on your iPhone/iPod and select “Open”
- iTunes will launch
- The actual iTunes library will be empty, this is OK. We aren’t adding things to the iTunes library, just to the iPhone/iPod library. Your iPhone/iPod should appear in the left hand column of iTunes. Click on your iPhone’s or iPod’s music library to select it. A playlist should appear in the main iTunes screen with all the music form the iPhone/iPod.
- Drag any music you want into your iPhone’s library. Make sure you drag into your iPhone’s/iPod’s library, not the iTunes library.
- Since we are loading the library our iPhone/iPod is connected to, not the computer’s local iTunes library, we have to manually locate music on the computer to be able to add it to our iPhone or iPod. In OS X navigate to: User > Music > iTunes > iTunes Music. In Windows navigate to: My Documents > Music > iTunes > iTunes Music.
- When you’re done getting music, safely disconnect your iPhone/iPod and close iTunes.
- As a final step, we need to point the computer back to its original iTunes library. On a Mac: while holding “option,” double click on your iTunes icon. On a Windows machine: while holding “Shift,” double click on your iTunes icon in your start menu.
- A “Choose your library” window will pop up. Select “Choose library.” Point to the iTunes Music folder on their computer (Inside the Music folder on both Mac and PC).
Getting the New Music Back Onto Your Main Computer
iTunes won’t let you take the music off your iPhone/iPod, so we’re going to have to use third party software.
- Download iPodDisk (OS X Free Open Source iPod Ripping Software) or Pod to PC (Windows)
- I made a playlist on my iPhone called “New” so I know what to download.
- Import all songs from the “New” playlist.
- Empty the “New” playlist so that you do not accidentally download the same songs next time you sync.
And there you have it! I know it’s a lot to digest, so please let me know if you have any questions in the comments.
Related GigaOM Pro Content: Forget Syncing, Let’s Put Music in the Cloud!
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I understand the process but I don’t really get how this is useful.
I’m sure I’m not getting something as to develop this must have taken some time and brain power and wouldn’t just be for nothing
Woooww…make sure that the user double check their hex code and anything else before they continue! Just be careful…
Lair360,
Best regards
This seems like a lot of work. When I want to transfer music off of another computer, I simply use an external USB hard drive. In Vista: Go to iTunes, select a play list. When the play list is open, hit shit, and press the down arrow key, until all of the songs that you want are highlighted. If you have only one monitor, you need to have your iTunes window minimized somewhat, so that you can see your desktop. Create an iTunes folder on your desktop, and drag the highlighted songs into the folder. Next, go to “computer,” find the icon for your USB drive, and open it, then drag the contents of the folder on your desktop into it. Once it’s copied the songs, plug the USB hard drive into the other computer, go to the “file” tab in iTunes, and select “add file to library.” Navigate to the USB drive, select the songs, and you are done. It sounds like a lot of steps but it only takes about two minutes.
I hit Shit so many times and nothing happens (LOL)
Why not just use Air Sharing to make your phone a USB drive and pull stuff over. Then when you get home just pull it off on to your machine and then add it to your library? This is a complete waist of time.
To BRIAN hahahaha that was classic lol. Totally funny lol
BRIAN LOL a total classic!!!
I should have been more clear…I meant to say use an external KEYFOB drive; they are cheap, and there are no format issues if you are going between macs and PCs.
this is great, just imagine: i constantly want to put music on my iPhone at work and get it down at home. until now, i use the “swaptunes” app (only for jailbroken phones), basically it copies the iTunes library on the phone and you can switch to either one of them. this solution here seems to be more elegant, but also complicated… maybe someday there will be an app for that, too (and not just fot farts ;)
@fil once you set it up, it’s actually really easy. it looks like more of a pain then it actually is.
PLEASE look up the correct way to use then/than!!!!
Why? This is a forum not english class.
Is that the best you can come up with? LAME!
Hi hey can you contact me to help with sharing 2 i touches n one computer thanks staff
Hi Jenny,
I found this to be extremely simple until i got to step 9 of Editing Files On iPhone/iPod. I have a detailed report of my problems below from 3/1410. Long story short, when I tried finding/replacing hex code using hexed on my windows laptop, said code couldn’t be found. Any suggestions? It’s frustrating as I feel as though I’m almost there. Thanks!
Woww.. nice tips. I’ll try with my iPod. Thanks a lot.
hey all:
the company that makes the missing sync – markspace – is working on two-way sync for iphone and ipod. they already have a line of free apps called Fliq for iphone/ipod touch that let you do many things with music, video, photos, notes, tasks and docs, including sharing them with others over a wifi
check it out
http://markspace.com/products/fliq/
Good tip. I was going to suggest skipping the hex editor and just figuring out what your ID translated to in ASCII, but while Mac Calculator will show you the ASCII representation of a hex code it won’t let you copy so I guess downloading a hex editor is just as easy as getting a new calculator.
I crashed my compter I had iTunes on, can I use another computer without hurting anything? Rookie here. ;)
Sorry I have no clue.
I Have Almost Successfully Put Together An App Where All You Have To Do Is Type In Your Libary Id And It Will Create A New Blank Libary For You And It Has A Portable Itunes So This Proccess Becomes A Whole Lot Easier For More Info Email Me At kyleshack@sky.com
Edit: My Program Is MAde To Be Run Of A Memory Stick Or External HDD ANd You Can Miss Out The Steps To Use Airsharing
I am assuming this is for people that also want those library items (music/podcasts/videos, etc.) available to use ON the iPhone, not just for transferring them between computers. Just checked out SwapTunes on Cydia… if freakin’ rules! No hex edit, etc. just install on your jailbroken iphone, and walla! 2 libraries on 1 phone :)
Personally running an app off a jump drive that copies music files seems rediculous, but I suppose that may be necessary for people that actually BUY music of iTunes…
I got a new computer, and I had to move the whole library onto this. Finally this iPhone transfer program helped me out.
It has helped me transfer all songs, videos, photos, podcasts and more from my iPhone to my new computer and iTunes. Now I can sync with it smoothly. I think if you need to upload files from iPhone to pc, it will help you a lot.
super great product if you know how to use it!!! you can transfer all your tracks from the iphone to itunes in couple of easy steps!!!!
thanks
I can’t figure out how to do the steps in “Create an iTunes Index On Your iPhone/iPod” on an iPhone with Windows Vista. How do you mount the iPhone as an external storage device? Air Share seems to only give an http link to access the phone.
Also holding Shift and double-clicking on the icon is not bringing up the prompt in iTunes to change libraries. Is there another way to do this?
Nevermind, I didn’t RTFM on Air Sharing! For others who run into this, you need to open a Windows Explorer window and select Tools->Map Network Drive. Then assign a driver letter (such as I:) to the path (http://10.x.x.x:8080 as shown by Air Sharing). Then you’ll see the drive as I: in your Windows Explorer view.
On opening iTunes I didn’t hold Shift long enough. Hold it for a few seconds while iTunes loads and it’ll prompt you to create a library. Thanks! Nice tutorial here.
i use xplay and the original usb cable as it created a drive letter with usb access.
alls i do is drag my music off to a folder
use itunes to import purchaced products (for the applications)
and drag the music to the itunes folder
this way if i want something i dont have alls i have to do is the above to the persons computer in question, and sync up
and when im home drag what i recieved to itunes after to a folder
and resync.
done.
the small snag is xplay isnt free. But the plus is, its HASTLE free.
no wireless or bluetooth needs, usb and bingo direct connection.
hope this helps if jen’s solution is awkward to implement on your computer or your friends computer.
im not saying my way is better, but it is less steps and doesnt require internet if u have the requirements on disk or usb
requirements:
xp needs windows media player 11 (xplay requires this to install)
vista will have this.
any iphone ready itunes will work i would suggest 8.x or higher for newer iphones
thats all i needed and it worked..
linux support is harder and requires wireless atm
checkout ubuntu forums for this if u need it (it is based on the gnome way)
laters,
supermorph
You are a life saver!!
That is changing all the way I work with my iphone
Cheers ;)
I have actually created a small tool (PC only) that does all the work for you, no need to know anything about hex editing or messing around.
feel free to download it here:
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=6QKYMDEZ
and if you like it, toss a buck or two my way :)
Doesn’t work at all !!!!
Ok I downloaded all the applications required for Mac users. However under where you mention configuring the iPod for use as an external storage device, step 2 and 3 lost me totally. I cannot find an “iPod tab” or the checkbox “Enable disk use” anywhere in the iTunes preferences. I have my iPod connected to my Mac. I don’t know if the versions matter, but my iTunes version is 8.2.1, one of the latest if not up to date, and my iPod is a 2nd gen nano 8Gig.
Can someone help me out here please? Am I missing something?
@ ak: the “Enable disk use” checkbox can only be selected when you have your iPod/iPhone selected in iTunes. If you click on whatever is showing under DECIVES on the left side of the iTunes GUI, you have tabbed options for the device itself. In the first tab, is where you’ll find the checkbox, under “Manually manage music and videos.”
Watch this tutorial from CNET. I just followed what they said and it worked without having to download software or play with hex files.
http://odeo.com/episodes/23777230-Sync-your-iPod-with-two-computers
You still have to edit hex files. What video says is exactly the same as what’s here.
You also don’t have to “manage for disk use,” etc. This seems like the easiest solution.
thanx for the info, but does syncing my ipod to say my friend’s computer affect his ipod syncing to his computer? I know my ipod will be recognized by these 2 machines, but I don’t want to screw up the actual owner’s computer so that they can’t sync their own ipod. It’s a cool feature, but It still looks sketchy to me and Apple should quit supporting what idiotic artists have to say and cut to the chase. As if they never reproduced tapes or cds in their life time, which is technically according to their idea, illegal. So yeah, thanks for the details, I appreciate it very much!
Lol man dis process looked soooo fun! It actually wuld hav made me feel lyke a hacker!!! Bt itz also VERY difficult. Datz y took da liberty of going to the source. APPLE.COM. On apple it sayz dat all u havta do iz sync ur ipod with the otha computer and change tha sycn setting to MANUAL mode. Dat way ur ipod wont automatically sync dat iTunes library with ur ipods which iz MUCH more simpler den dissecting iTunes to get ur own songz.. Follow dis plan and i GUARANTEE it’ll work. It’ll do most of the work in half that time.
What on earth, man? Why are you writing like that? First of all, half the words you write arnt evun eny showrtr the wayz ur writtin dems. Second of all, it takes so long to decrypt your words that people don’t want to even bother reading what you have to say. It’s not a text message–it’s a blog.
Except then you lose all the stuff you already put on your iPod, and you get the host computer’s library instead. Then when you get home and sync, you lose everything you just got, and get back everything you had originally.
Dumbass. Why do you think this had to be backdoored, if it was as simple as you think it is?
Yeah, this would be cool if “The API gives access to every music video in the MTV archive” but that’s not true. It doesn’t even look like it shares the same database with the actual MTV.com site. For instance, try searching for “shanice” using the API. Watcha get? Nada. Search for “shanice” on the MTV.com site – you get 3 videos. It doesn’t even include her best video “When I close My Eyes” – but that’s a different issue.
I just followed the steps and I have my iPod sync with my PC. Thanks for the tips!
Hey! I have a new computer and NO idea of what my old computer’s ID was. (i don’t have access to it anymore). Any chance I can find out the old computer’s iTunes hex ID from my iPhone somehow?
Ditto, I got my iPhone from a friend so I have no idea what my old computers id is. Can’t I copy the one off my iPhone to the computer rather than visa-versa?
Thanks for the article useful
Hi,
I’ve developed a proof of concept C code, that do the trick and dirty work for you.
Fell free to download it from: http://aladino.dmi.unict.it/?a=unlocker
happy sharing!
i got a new computer and downloaded itunes. my itunes is blank now and i just tried syncing my old ipod classic to it and it wont sync is there anyreason why this is happening ?
actually i didn’t understand can u pls the procedures once more to my yahoo id
Thank you for good information
I have been trying to look online to answer a question that I have. My iPod Nano is now full and I can’t put anymore music on it. I would assume I will need to purchase a new Nano or iTouch so that I may add more songs as I purchase them.
My question is, do I need to start a new iTunes account, say,
on my other computer to sync. with the new iPod, since I’m not
interested in putting my current iTunes library on the the new iPod? I don’t want to sync. a new iPod to my current library, I would assume. So what are my options?
#3 on things to note happened to me. My friend plugged my iphone into his computer and didnt log out, now when I go into itunes. his account comes up… how do I get it to reset to my account?
first things first i dont have a find and replace option for my hex program
secondly when i just use the one that says “find” it says “search string not found”. And i think i did everything rite.
I have a Windows comp, and my file for iTunes Music Library isnt a “itl” file its XML…. what have i done wrong :(
Hi
I bought a new laptop and downloaded itunes for my iphone. How do i sync the playlists on my iphone to the new itunes? I had all the playlists on my old laptop and i sold it.
Please help!!
Thanks
dang!!took me an hour..its not succesfull..anybody help??
The app recommended for PC in this article to sync iPhone / iPod with any computer is completely out-of-date and not compatible with the latest firmware versions.
I found this tutorial showing a programm that works with the latest iPhone firmware
http://www.ipod-pc.com
Hope that helps
Roger
All I want is to download music to my Iphone from multiple itunes….
Why is there some long stupid complicated process? Is there anything I can get off of Blackra1n / Cydia that I downloaded?? Someone PLEASE email me.. This is dumb.
Tobers11@hotmail.com
Thanks (:
The app recommended for PC in this article to sync iPhone / iPod with any computer is completely out-of-date and not compatible with the latest firmware versions.
Hope help you!
It’s PRESENTLY one of the most popular iTunes apps, you are on crack sir.
hi there my hard drive on my laptop has crashed and ive lost all my music and im wondering if there is any way i could copy what is on my ipod nano 4th gen to my new laptop. i dont want to connect the ipod to the laptop cos im afraid it will wipe wots on the ipod when syncing cos my itunes on the new laptop is empty. many thanx trev
if i sync my ipod touch to my new computer will it erase my apps that i have purchased already
I have an iPhone 3G with lots of music on it. This music isn’t on my laptop anymore for some reason- and the folders are gone also. What folders (directory structure for iTunes) do I need before I can think of finding a simple way to copy stuff to. I need information for contacts, email, music, music videos, movies,e-books, podcasts- the whole thing.
Thanks!
Great article.Thank you
Hi, i’m sure someone here can help me out… i had to formt my computer but i backed up all my music, pictures, etc. before doing so… now that my computer was formated and put back to when i first bought it, i copied all my music folder and picture folder back on it. i redownloaded itunes and signed in my account… i tried syncing my phone back on and it wont regognize the music and it won’t sync my playlists back on nor my apps… i don’t know what to do… i need to sync my iphone back INTO itunes (or extract playlists from iphone), not the oposite… i don’t care if it overwrites the music on my computer since its the same, i just want my playlists back and i wanna be able to change the syncs pictures and apps and outlooks options without getting a warning that it will erase everything from my phone and replace it with whats on my computer cause i didn’t backup my latests apps and contacts before formating…
HELP!!!
…sorry… my apps are back but not my ringtones or playlists and i can’t change the syncs settings without erasing whats o my phone…
thx.
Except then you lose all the stuff you already put on your iPod, and you get the host computer’s library instead. Then when you get home and sync, you lose everything you just got, and get back everything you had originally.
Dumbass. Why do you think this had to be backdoored, if it was as simple as you think it is?
first things first i dont have a find and replace option for my hex program
secondly when i just use the one that says “find” it says “search string not found”. And i think i did everything rite.
I have foud all Pod to Pc versions right here and they have changelog also : http://www.downloadoldversion.com/pod-to-pc.html
Much easier fix I think is this…
on the computer with the main sync library do this…..
In windows go to my computer and enable show hidden files and folders, Click the user for the pc, and find the Apple folder, copy that folder to a thumbdrive. copy that folder to a windows PC in the same place it will overwrite…. On a Mac the folder is in the iTunes folder copy and paste the folder it will also overwrite. it will save your library settings as well as your applications order layout from the original unit. No need to edit XML files….People make everything so hard ………..
hate to sound stupid … but if i just want to move to a new computer,will this work? really don’t want to lose all my apps …. thanks for your help.
You need to ensure you have all the music, videos audiobooks, applications, and podcasts installed on all units that you want to sync with….
Backup everything you need badly in case something goes wrong. Basically the only things you can’t get back are your personal settings for things and Notes – as far as I know.
OK…… um I wanna try this but not going to do it.
Anyways Manual managing only works with iPods (IDK about iPod touches but I have a nano and had a touch and well I never noticed if it does or does not work)
On a 4G iPod nano you can enable manual managing without erasing anything.
Why can’t the iPhone do that? that’s not cool.
Hello
Do you know how to create a itunes library from the iphone that is stored in an external hard drive ?
I want to play and control the music from the iphone but without the necesity of a computer with itunes.
Thanks
It was very interesting for me to read this article. Thanks for it. I like such themes and anything connected to them. I definitely want to read more on that blog soon.
Truly yours
I downloaded the HexEdit program you provided a link to and it does not have a “find and replace” option unde the edit menu?!
never mind, there is a find option and you just have to type over the existing code (computer 2) with the new code (computer 1) for anyone else who was like “wtf, i’m hardly pc literate let alone a binary master”
Surprised that no one has commented yet how insane this whole process is. I used to sync songs, contacts, pictures, videos, etc all the time between multiple computers on my hand phone with absolutely no problem. Just plug in the cable, drag over the files (or even use bluetooth, if I could be bothered to pair the device).
Now I got an iPhone, and of course I understand the problem addressed above- its a pain to only be able to sync at the one machine with your authorized copy of iTunes on it. Thanks for the instructions- but does Apple really have to make it so difficult for all of us?!
I’m having difficulty changing the hex string, when I open the ITL file it’s just a bunch of zero’s; there’s nothing there for me to search and replace.
Help?
Um… I am not really a computer genius..so I don’t really get it..Please help!! I have a an iPod Touch 3rd Gen. but I don’t get how you use it as an external storage..It doesn’t have that choice on the iTunes things.. and when I press shift and double click on the iTunes icon a window doesnt pop up saying “create a libraray..” help/!!!!!! what dp i do?>!?!?!!
Okay, I’m wondering if you can jailbreak an iPod with a Mac Computer and then connect it to a PC Computer without losing all the data on the iPod…if this is possible, how do you go about jailbreaking/hacking whatever, an iPod?
Thanks for the help! :)
This is an app for Mac that does everything automaticaly:
http://www.mediafire.com/file/tnmlmjymgtf/iSyncMoreLibs.dmg
sry invalid url
new url
http://www.mediafire.com/file/w2we3muhqgm/iSyncMoreLibs.dmg
Here is an app for Mac OSX that does this automatically.
Download at official page: iSyncMoreLibs.blogspot.com
its Donateware
Trying to get some help for my daughter’s iPod Touch.
- she has bought and downloaded a whole bunch of apps through the iPod Touch (not through iTunes)
- therefore they don’t appear in iTunes
- now she is trying to copy some photos from the harddrive to the iPod, and it promptly started delting her Apps from the iPod
… what is going on?
- I tried to sync the apps from the iPod to iTunes Library, but it wants to delete them off the iPod !!!
Help…
I’m having a similar problem. Recently, my computer crashed and a Geek Squad friend ran a full system recovery. He backed up my iTunes library on an external hard drive, but is unable to access it now.
So… I am stuck with an iPod touch full of music and an empty iTunes library on my computer. I’m afraid to try to do anything because I don’t want to erase all of my songs. Is there an easy way to fix this? I’m currently downloading the Pod to PC software, but I’m afraid to even use it.
Any help would be appreciated!
Thanks. I just buy iphone and have this problem.
Thanks for the article useful
I just buy iphone and have this problem. i want remember.
I found most of these steps very easy to follow. I am presently held up however on step 9 of Editing Files On iPhone/iPod.
I tried locating the file called “iTunes Music Library” and open it with the Hexeditor (on a Windows machine it is called “iTunes Music Library.itl”) and only found iTunes Library.itl.original and iTunes Library.itl.backup. I also found iTunes Library with no “.itl” that is a database file.
I’m assuming this is the file I should edit in hexed. So I did and tried to find the string and said it could not be found. Incidentally I also tried finding the code in the .itl files, same outcome. I realize this solution was written awhile back so maybe it’s no longer a workable solution. Any help would be
amazing thanks!
I see someone had the same problem in January:
“first things first i dont have a find and replace option for my hex program
secondly when i just use the one that says “find” it says “search string not found”. And i think i did everything rite.
The identical thing happened with me. Search string not found.
apparently I found out that when I do search, I need to manually put space after every 2 characters. Otherwise the hex program will either find nothing or tell me it’s a invalid hex string.
ex. 2BC23C234B124C -> 2B C2 3C 23 4B 12 4C
and then it will find 1 match..
hope this helps
i transferred the free 10 songs and then purchased the product and entered the registration key. Now when I try to transfer the remainder of my ipod to the computer, it keeps saying that there is a pop message in itunes stopping it from happening and that I should close itunes and start again. I’ve done this and it still doesn’t work. Help!!
iPod: Setup as hard drive
1. Connect iPod to computer and open iTunes
2. iTunes > Preferences > iPod Tab
3. Click checkbox “Enable disk use”
4. Close iTunes
There isn’t any iPod Tab in Preferences that I clicked on “Edit” in iTunes.
Or am I clicking the wrong Preferences? Please advice!
cant sync my ipod to computer or download itunes
GOD !!!!! It works ! Took me about 5 minutes and I am done. now As you said can sync with My Mac and My PC no Problems.
Thanks a million
bOsO
thanks for info, useful for me
How to connetting Iphone to PC …….Please Help me….!!!!!!!!!
give the software Thx 4 U,,,,,
How to Transfer Music to an iPod without iTunes for Free. Although iTunes is the defaulting application. Connect your iPod to the computer and next, open My Computer and look out for the removable drive which points to the iPod. Open the drive and configure your computer to show hidden files and folders.CLICK HERE
Hihi,
I bought a new laptop & sold the old laptop. How do i sync the playlists on my iphone to the new itunes?
Please help!!
Thanks
i plugged my iphone into someone elses computer but i cant load it on mine, how can i do it so it will recongise my iphone straight away?
how do i save my music from an apple formatted ipod to a windows formatted pc?
Click checkbox “Enable disk use”
Well I would if it were an option, however in Itunes with iPhone it isn’t. That’s 2 hours and a $4.99 download I’ll never get back.
i used this simple fast and free program to transfer my songs from my iphone to itunes its call disk aid ,in you tube you can get an explanation on how to do it !! good luck
I need to get itunes on my office computer without aDMIN RIGHTS SO THAT I CAN TRANSFER FROM MY IPOD TO MY COMPUTER AND CREATE FILES HOW CAN I DO THIS .
This is a great tutorial, but all of this syncing is just too much for me. I found it much easier to just buy some iPod to computer software so I could freely copy my music from my iPod to my computer and back
How do I completely remove itunes from my computer and re-install an older version that won’t give me an error code? It says that I have a newer version running, right after I uninstalled it! I have been downloading mp3′s from Youtube, now the itunes library won’t sync the song to my iphone 3gs. It just goes through the sync and nothing. Please help! I can’t take it anymore. I want to break my computer!
hay keep it up
สุดยอดดดดด
irst things first i dont have a find and replace option for my hex program secondly when i just use the one that says “find” it says “search string not found”. And i think i did everything rite.
irst things first i dont have a find and replace option for my hex program secondly when i just use the one that says “find” it says “search string not found”. And i think i did everything rite.
irst things first i dont have a find and replace option for my hex program secondly when i just use the one that says “find” it says “search string not found”.
pls pls pleas helpp I dont now haw to close the sync
I just use a USB Pen/Pen Drive or I can just get the person to email me the song and I do it from my iTunes a lot of work for what it is but still great work and keep it up!
Is there really an easy way of syncing my iphone with my pc
Great article Thank you share
appreciate the information, but this is a ridiculous amount of work for the result.
my laptop crashed and now i have a computer. i downloaded itunes, if i connect my ipod nano to my computer, will my songs be lost or will itunes save them?
Thanks for the tips.. I retributory followed the steps and I feature my iPod sync with my PC. I just followed the steps and I have my iPod sync with my PC.
my harddrive crashed, I installed a new one, now itunes will not allow me to move purchased movies to the ipod because the ipod is attached to another library, it tells me it will erase what is already on my ipod….help
i want to know regading iphone i have installed a software through cydia now i want to uninstall that software hw can i and one more thing how can we transfer the video of iphone to our computer (pc)
regards
Munna
already have a line of free apps called Fliq for iphone/ipod touch that let you do many things with music, video,etc.
Just use MediaMonkey to sync your music. It works on multiple computers but you have to have iTunes installed also for the driver.
thank you i like it
isn’t that illegal?
You still have to edit hex files. What video says is exactly the same as what’s here.
I hate Apple for making things complicated
I hit Shit so many times and nothing happens (LOL)
Thank you,great product if you know how to use it!!! you can transfer all your tracks from the iphone to itunes in couple of easy steps.
I decided to be lazy. I just copied the two files itunes library and itunes music library.xml from the mac running itunes 9.21 to the machine running itunes 10.01, erased the missing files from the new library and was able to sync fine from either Mac from then on. (Manually manage files appears to prevent itunes from deleting anything that is not in the library from the phone… Thanks much for pointing out the correct files!
Yes, this worked for me too! First i tried following the instructions, but it didn’t work. frustrated, i just replaced the two files from my “first” computer to my second. Its kind of strange that the author didnt seem to have tried this :S, as everything works fine so far, nothing on my iphone is altered, i just needed to add my music to the itunes libiary again (the content of my “first” pc’s libiary showed on my second now). when i synced my iphone all of the content (apps, purchased music) were copied from my iphone to my second computer just as i wanted. Im using windows xp and 7, itunes 10 and iphone 4
There is an initial step to “Manually Manage Music and Videos On iPhoneiPod”. Does this imply that this setup must be done from the current computer with which I can sync my iphone? If I try to do it from my laptop (the 2nd computer with which I’d like to sync) it warns that I can only sync with one computer at a time and continuing will wipe my ipod/iphone (e.g. the whole purpose of this article).
So I can’t implement these instructions by using the 2nd computer? Or am I missing something? Thanks…
Outdated at this point and several parts are unclear or inaccurate.
Ultimately the free program CopyTransManager (www.copytrans.net) is easier and does a better job. It doesn’t care if it is your computer or a friends, as long as the device drivers for iphone/ipod are installed you can drag any supported audio/video format to the iphone/ipod. The copytrans software is pure binary so other than taking up space on your harddrive it doesn’t install a bunch of dumb DLL’s and registry entries (Maybe someday MS will get rid of that crap registry), so you can even run it from a memory stick.
The Hexeditor as downloaded from your link doesn’t have a “Find/Replace” option. It has only “Find” and even that can’t find the string searched for.
Glad I wasted all the time getting to this point.
“Select the “Manually manage my iPhone/iPod” option”
… This is one of the first steps. If i do this, iTunes will delete all your songs and synchronize with the new computer. This is exactly what I don’t want. All i wan’t is to be able to keep what i’ve got on my iPhone and simply add a few new songs from a different computer.
So, I don’t really see the point doing this…
i’ve spent countless hours doing something that shouldn’t take more than 10mins. I followed the steps, but once i try to sync the iphone to the 2nd computer after checking “manually manage music and videos” that erase thing comes up not allowing me to manage the music without having things erased. I checked the xml files and library files and even after using the hex editor the library persistent id reverts back to the old one.
I found one that is based on this same solution and wrapped in a nice GUI. http://www.corsino.com/blog/?page_id=27
Mad props to Andrew Grant (http://www.andrewgrant.org/).