This is a good read and there are a lot of tips here. How to extract media files from your iPod or iOS device It's always a good idea to back up your iTunes library. But if disaster does strike, you may not be completely out of luck -- assuming you've synced a good portion of your library to an iPod, iPhone, or iPad. http://rss.macworld.com/click.phdo?i=60df2bfad8462a936e65e80c7eb58cf1