Important iPod hints

If your iPod is set to "Automatically update all songs and playlists", iTunes will update the iPod with your current library when you connect it.
This is a nice feature, but keep in mind the following two cases:

1.) Your iPod contains songs, which you accidentally lost in your music library.
All songs, that doesn't exist in your music library anymore will be deleted from the iPod if you connect it and iTunes does the update.
To supress the update, activate iTunes, plug the iPod in and immediately hold down Shift + Ctrl + Alt until the iPod is shown in iTunes source list.
After that you can start restoring your songs.

2.) You want transfer songs from your iPod to another PC with installed iTunes.
If you have also activated the setting "Open iTunes if this iPod is attached", iTunes opens and ask you about to replace the content of your iPod with the current music library. If you click "Yes" iTunes will delete all songs on the iPod, which are not in the current music library. And this were the songs you want to transfer...
So always answer with "No" !
You can supress this dialog with Shift + Ctrl + Alt also.

You can deactivate the automatically update by setting the iPod preferences to "Manually manage songs and playlists".
You find this setting here: Connect your iPod and start iTunes. Right click on the iPod in the iTunes Sourcelist and choose "iPod Options". You can also click in the lower right corner on "Display iPod options".

It is strongly recommended to enable the "Manually manage songs and playlists" setting before using iPod2PC!