digi-quest

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Published: 12:00am, 10 Jun 2007

My iPod has made managing my music easy but recently my PC crashed and I lost everything. I have been able to retrieve a lot of my files but not my iTunes music. Many of my CDs are in England and I am not planning a trip home. Must I reload everything? Could I change computers and simply move things from one machine to another?

I have been told not to plug my iPod into a new computer because that might erase everything I have stored.

Sharon, Mid-Levels

DQ: Perhaps the weakest link in today's computer systems is the hard disk. Everything else seems to last for a long time but disks crash frequently. That's why I harp on about backup. Your iPod is supposed to be paired with a single computer with which you synchronise data. You are not supposed to be able to plug it into a different machine and simply download your music. Luckily, your problem is fairly easy to fix. Senuti (www.download.com/Senuti/3000-2182_4-10458456.html) is a free application that will move your tunes from an iPod to any computer it is connected to. The same software can be used to move your songs from one computer to another.

Still, it is a good idea to backup your computer properly, which means you should get some professional software that will allow you to reinstall everything onto a new hard disk.

For those who want to be geeky and adventurous, check out reviews.cnet.comGet_your_music_off_your_iPod/4660-10165_7-6546683.html for another way of moving your music. Scroll down and click on the video 'Get your music off your iPod' by Veronica Belmont, a producer for CNET Networks.