[iTunes] re-format hard drive

[Allan Hise]

On Thu, 20 Feb 2003, Adeline Moore wrote:

> Hi. I had to re-format my hard drive. Now my iPod says "this iPod is
> linked to another Library" I have all the MP3s on my hard drive (I back-
> up!) but I can't locate the file(s) that saves the playlists,
> preferences, etc.
>
> Or-- if simply dragging that file into its appropriate place won't work
> (or I can't locate the file) Is there a way to get iPod to re-write the
> playlists to my "new" iTunes?
>
> Make sense?
>
> Hope so. Help appreciated.
>

Find your home directory. iTunes keeps this info in the folder:
your home --> Music --> iTunes

Particularly, the files "iTunes 3 Music Library" and "iTunes Music
Library.xml"

If you backed those up, then your playlists should be intact.
If you didn't backup these files, you are out of luck & you'll have to
re-create the playists. I don't think anyone has figure out how to get
playlists out of an iPod, just the mp3 files.

Of course, it wouldn't hurt to look on macupdate.com or versiontracker.com
for an iPod playlist extractor. My guess is one won't exist, since the
iPod does weird things with the mp3 directories & names, and I doubt if it
keeps track of the original (on your HD) name & location of the files --
iTunes does that, in the above mentioned files.

Allan