How to extract playlists from an iPod with corrupted file system?

Question

I have a 160 GB iPod Classic. I am a Windows user (Windows 7 64 Bit.) Yesterday I decided add some more music. Before opening iTunes, I wanted to try some alternative iPod managers. I tried to delete some music. Nothing happened. Opened iTunes, then checked iPod and it said "No music."

Presumably, (not too sure) I did something wrong, perhaps plugging out without ejecting, and the file system corrupted.

Windows says my files are there. (15 GB of free space out of 140 GB, or so.) Yet whenever I open iTunes and connect the iPod, it freezes for a long time, then comes the "... restore iPod ...".

Short of long: Since I have all the music on my PC, I can do a factory reset, and restore everything. I just need to access my playlists. Assuming it is somehow there, is there anyway to locate the database from a PC, and read that database file?

Answer 1

I just need to access my playlists.

Assuming it is somehow there, is there anyway to locate the database from a PC, and read that database file?

The playlists are stored in the iTunes Library file (Library.itl).

This file contains all the information about your songs (Playlists, Ratings, Play Counts, Last Played, Date Added, etc).

It is normally located in %USERPROFILE%\Music\iTunes.

The Stack Overflow question ITL (iTunes Library) Format discusses ways to read this binary file.

There is also Library.xml which:

contains some, but not all, of the same information that's stored in the iTunes Library.itl file. The purpose of the iTunes Library.xml file is to make your music and playlists available to other applications on your computer, such as iPhoto, Garageband, iMovie, and third-party software, in OS X Mountain Lion and earlier. These applications use this file to make it easier for you to add music from your iTunes library to your projects.

Source About iTunes library files

This file contains playlist information as well and can be read by any program that understands XML.

Here is an extract from my Library.xml showing a playlist:

<key>Playlists</key>

...

    <dict>
        <key>Playlist ID</key><integer>80466</integer>
        <key>Parent Persistent ID</key><string>21EF34C0E2A2CF0B</string>
        <key>Playlist Persistent ID</key><string>7BE83FC0BF82BF91</string>
        <key>All Items</key><true/>
        <key>Name</key><string>The playlist title</string>
        <key>Playlist Items</key>
        <array>
            <dict>
                <key>Track ID</key><integer>17585</integer>
            </dict>
            <dict>
                <key>Track ID</key><integer>17593</integer>
            </dict>
            <dict>
                <key>Track ID</key><integer>11015</integer>
            </dict>
            <dict>
                <key>Track ID</key><integer>15105</integer>
            </dict>
            <dict>
                <key>Track ID</key><integer>15979</integer>
            </dict>
            <dict>
                <key>Track ID</key><integer>11077</integer>
            </dict>
            <dict>
                <key>Track ID</key><integer>13261</integer>
            </dict>
            <dict>
                <key>Track ID</key><integer>13253</integer>
            </dict>
            <dict>
                <key>Track ID</key><integer>17589</integer>
            </dict>
            <dict>
                <key>Track ID</key><integer>17587</integer>
            </dict>
        </array>
    </dict>

...