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Had to Reload Operating System-Itunes thinks this is a 2nd computer?

I had a virus and had to reload the operating system and itunes. Itunes thinks there is another computer. Where do I go to delete my old computer?
Also, it is telling me an ipod can only be synced with one itunes library at a time. (I have made this an authorized computer)
Thanks!

Dell Dimension ES10, Windows XP

Posted on Feb 19, 2010 8:29 PM

Reply
1 reply

Feb 19, 2010 10:43 PM in response to Brooke Nashville

*I had a virus and had to reload the operating system and itunes. Itunes thinks there is another computer. Where do I go to delete my old computer*

If your system crashes or you reinstall your operating system without deauthorising iTunes first, even a single computer can use up your limit of 5 authorisations. You can't deauthorise those dead installations individually. If you've reached your limit of 5 you have the option to deauthorise them all in one go from your iTunes Store account and start over again. *Just note that you can only use this option once a year*: About iTunes Music Store Authorisation and Deauthorisation

*It is telling me an ipod can only be synced with one itunes library at a time. (I have made this an authorized computer)*

Authorising the computer isn't the point, the iPod was syncronised with a different library file (which you erased when you reinstalled Windows). Did you have a back up of your muisc to add back into iTunes or is that missing too?

If you simply want to continue using the iPod without syncing (and losing the contents) then change it to manual management. When you connect to your new computer and you get the 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".

Alternatively open iTunes first and go to Edit>Preferences>Devices and check the box "Prevent iPods and iPhones from syncing automatically" and choose Ok. Then connect your iPod.

When your iPod appears in the iTunes source list check the "manually manage music and videos" box in Summary then press the Apply button. In manual mode you can drag and drop new content to the iPod from iTunes without erasing what's currently on it: Managing content manually on iPod and iPhone

If you want to recover the music from the iPod and transfer it to your new computer there are a few things you can do. iTunes will only give you the option to copy your iTunes Store purchases directly from an iPod to the computer, you'll find details in this article: Copying iTunes Store purchases from your iPod or iPhone to a computer

For everything else (music from CDs, other downloads etc) there are a number of third party utilities that you can use to retrieve the music files and playlists from your iPod. You'll find that they have varying degrees of functionality and some will transfer movies, videos, photos, podcasts and games as well. You can read reviews and comparisons of some of them here:
iTunes & iPod software
Wired News - Rescue Your Stranded Tunes
Comparison of iPod managers

A selection of iPod to iTunes utilities:
TuneJack Windows Only (iPhone and iPod Touch compatible)
SharePod Windows Only (iPhone and iPod Touch compatible)
iPod2PC Windows Only
iDump Windows Only
YamiPod Mac and Windows
iPod Music Liberator Mac & Windows
Floola Mac & Windows
iPodRip Mac & Windows (iPhone and iPod Touch compatible)
iPod Music Liberator Mac & Windows (iPhone and iPod Touch compatible)
Music Rescue Mac & Windows (iPhone and iPod Touch compatible)
iGadget Mac & Windows (iPhone and iPod Touch compatible)
iRepo Mac & Windows (iPhone and iPod Touch compatible)
iPod Access Mac & Windows (iPhone and iPod Touch compatible)
TouchCopy Mac & Windows (iPhone and iPod Touch compatible)

There's also a manual method of copying songs from your iPod to a Mac or PC. The procedure is a bit involved and won't recover playlists but if you're interested it's available on page 2 at this link: Copying Content from your iPod to your Computer - The Definitive Guide

Once you have recovered everything from the iPod and your iTunes library has been rebuilt it will be safe to sync again.

I would also advise that you get yourself an external hard drive and back your stuff up, relying on an iPod as your sole backup is not a good idea and external drives are comparatively inexpensive these days, you can get loads of storage for a reasonable outlay: Back up your iTunes library by copying to an external hard drive

Had to Reload Operating System-Itunes thinks this is a 2nd computer?

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