my Ipod has music on it but it is saying there is no music found

I'm proposing that you archive all of the data from the iPod to a folder on your computer. Restore the iPod, which will wipe out everything currently on it, then restore the archived data. The hope is that although the device won't start properly now it just might after performing this process. It is admittedly a long shot, but you seem desperate to recover your playlists.

You may be able to perform a standard restore on the iPod from iTunes, assuming it will show in the interface. See Restore your iPhone, iPad, or iPod to factory settings - Apple Support

These alternate methods are discussed in the Corrupt iPod Classic - Apple Community user tip.

DFU Restore

If the device still won't restore normally try this method. Connect the device to the USB cable, press MENU+SELECT like a standard reset but keep holding for 12 seconds. The device should reboot as normal and then the screen should go blank. Now open iTunes and try to restore again.

Reformat Drive

If all else fails try Erase your iPod - The Super Fix for most iPod Problems. Basically a low level format of the iPod’s hard drive to get around whatever problems are stopping iTunes from restoring it properly.

Another approach for a Windows formatted iPod is to get a Mac owning friend to restore the device and then return it to you for restoring again on Windows, or have a Mac formatted iPod restored by a Windows user and then restore it again on a Mac.

After restoring the device check the stats again. Repeat if necessary until the pending count is zero. Now try restoring all of the data that you backed up. If it doesn't work then restore once more, sync the media that you recovered earlier to the device, and start work on recreating playlists as you see fit.

tt2

Connect the iPod and look for a file called iPod_Control\iTunes\iT.tmp. If it is there rename it as iPod_Control\iTunes\iTunesDB then eject the device. Any joy? If not you're going to have to rebuild your playlists from scratch.

Please see the section Check your iPod with Diagnostics Mode in Corrupt iPod Classic - Apple Community and post back your numbers so that I have an idea of the state of the drive.

tt2

I think you will have to face the facts that the playlists are gone. Backup the media that you've recovered from the device. Restore, DFU restore, or reformat the iPod and check that the pending sectors have converted to reallocations. Repeat as necessary. Once the pendings are clear you can sync the content from your library back to the iPod. Sync the whole library, or with selected playlists. As you rebuild your lists you can sync to copy them to the iPod, and backup your library so you don't get in this position again.

tt2

Your music may already be beyond recovery. It should be in an iTunes or Music library on a computer that you also backup. See Recover media from an iPod - Apple Community for some more thoughts on retrieving the files on the iPod.

See the section Check your iPod with Diagnostics Mode in Corrupt iPod Classic - Apple Community to get some pointers to the health of the iPod's hard drive.

tt2

Are there files with four letter names inside the F## folders? You can copy these to your computer, unhide them, then add them to iTunes and they'll be organized according to their metadata. Playlists are stored in the database on the device. If that has become corrupt and isn't readable by iTunes then it is too late to recover them.

tt2

I have a script called ImportDevicePlaylists that can recover playlists from an iPod, but it only works if those playlists show in iTunes when the device is connected. Commercial software for the same task will have the same limitations. A playlist is an ordered list of references to items in the database. You cannot use the audio files alone to recreate the lists, and the database isn't in a format suitable for extracting data.

What is the date of that iTunesDB file? I suppose you could try copying all of the content off the iPod exactly as it is, restore the iPod to fix the issues with the pending sectors and make sure that iTunes is able to read it, then try restoring all the data that you copied off it, restoring both the DB and the F## folders with the four-letter files. However you find that the device continues to say no music and not show the music in iTunes. At this stage it is the only thing I can suggest.

tt2

See Corrupt iPod Classic - Apple Community. What are your HDD stats? The first section of the user tip has some options for data recovery.

tt2

poot000 wrote:

yes every file is a 4 letter name

once I move them to "Automatically Add to iTunes" folder It well auto be put back into their original playlists? and I well not have to factory reset my Ipod when I plug it in? Thank you so much for helping me and walking me though this

It won't put them into playlists, but it should rebuild albums. Ultimately I think you're going to have to restore the iPod. I'm trying to help you recover as much data as possible first.

tt2

poot000 wrote:

hello I'm successfully have done everything you recommended in the Recover media from an iPod - Apple Community but when I plug my Ipod in I still get a error that it ca not read the ipod and to factory reset, the music is still on the Ipod

It might be worth seeing if Windows can repair errors on the disk. Playlists live in a database on the device. If iTunes won't read the database you cannot copy the lists. Do your playlists and music show when you disconnect the iPod from the computer?

tt2

Try putting the iPod in disk mode. Or see if you can get a Mac owning friend to try to restore it for you.

tt2

Turn your computer off, connect the iPod. Boot up the computer. Is it recognized as a device now, either by the computer or iTunes?

tt2

Check the HDD stats again. Try the DFU restore method.

tt2

You can try reformatting the drive.

tt2

Max. temp. is a little high, not supposed to go over 50c, but nothing you can do about that. The 48 pending sectors may be the cause of the current issue. If they hold important data and cannot be read reliably the device may appear empty, or crash when certain content is accessed. See if you can make a copy of the iTunesDB file. If you can then rename things so that new copy replaces the original, then eject and see how you get on.

tt2