before you go any further mount your iPod go in to disk utilites application, click on the ipod icon and then click on "new image" save the image under a different name from the ipod but avoind putting spaces or special characters in it other than underscore _ . wait untill the backup of your iPod is made then proceed

Only way I could get it to work was to use the "restore to factory settings" option - ie erase ipod then install new iPod OS

Once this is done you can mount the iPod backup disk image and drag/drop any non music a files you put on to the iPod (in Hard disk mode)

If you use automatic playlist management in iTunes then launch iTunes, accept or change the new name for your "New iPod" then let it do it's thing.
That's it end of story proceed no further.

else

If you don't wish to use automatic management and just want to get the music that was on it back then start iTunes accept or change the "new iPod" name and disable the automatic management

then go in to terminal and type in the text in the following block:


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CD /volumes/<name of mounted ipod image>
CP -R iPod_Control /Volumes/<name of reset iPod>

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the first line simply takes you in to the mounted disk image and in to the hidden folder that contains your MP3 player setting and music

the second line copies your MP3 files and all the settings back to your iPod's hard disk - this will take some time depending on how many MP3's you have...

<aside> In fact it seems to take far longer than it should given Firewire so hold on and wait until the little spinning circle on the iPod screen stops - if you get impatient like me and think it's crashed you just have to start all over again