Ipod just shows folder with ! icon... but windows detects it fine

Hi Kelvin, if you want to know how can you transfer music from iPod to computer, you can find it not hard to accomplish with your computer. Here are the steps.
1. Plug your iPod to computer with the USB cable. The computer will read your iPod as an external disk.
2. Double-click your iPod icon and open it. Click "Tools" in the toolbar, then Folder Options > View > Show all hidden files.
3. You will find a folder named "iPod_Control". Double-click to open it and you will find all the songs in your iPod, but they are randomly organized.
4. Copy and paste the files to your computer, and then launch iTunes.
5. Click Edit > Preferences > Advanced, and then click the "Change" button to choose the folder which is used for saving the iPod music files.
6. Check "Keep iTunes Media folder organized" and click the "OK" button at the bottom of the window.

Then you can both get the iPod music in your computer and iTunes Music Library. This is a very useful trick for the users to extract music from iPod. iTunes is one-way transfer software, so it only allows you to transfer music from computer to iPod, but never transfer files back.

http://www.leawo.org/tutorial/how-to-extract-music-from-ipod.html

Windows-based PCs b> Plug your iPod into your computer to open iTunes; if it doesn't automatically open, open it manually. A window will pop up on your computer asking you if you want to sync the contents of your iPod with the contents of your iTunes library. Click cancel. In the iTunes source list, choose the iPod, and make sure that you have selected the Summary tab in iTunes' main window. Open up the My Computer icon from either your desktop or the Start menu, and select your iPod from the window. In the My Computer window, open up the Tool menu and click on Folder Options. This will open up another window. Choose the View tab, and find the heading for Hidden Files and Folders. Click on the button that says "Show Hidden Files and Folders," then click the "Apply" button at the bottom of the Window. Close the Folder Options window. Find the iPod's icon on the desktop and double-click it. This will open more folders in the iPod window. Find the folder called iPod_control and double-click it. Now you will have a number of folders to choose from. Locate the music folder, and drag it to the main desktop so that it's copied to your computer. When the Music folder is on the desktop, right-click on it. From the window that appears, choose "Properties." In the Attributes area of the General tab, uncheck the Hidden option, and then click "Apply." A window will appear that will ask you to confirm the attribute changes. Make sure the box next to the Apply Changes to this Folder, Subfolders, and Files option is checked, and then click OK. Drag the folder and its contents into the iTunes library.

b>

Ipod only works with itunes installed,can not open in my computer.

TouchCopy can help you here. Check out my new article on fixya here for more info
http://www.fixya.com/support/r3995115-transfer_ipod_music_new_computer

When you plug the iPod into the computer, a window may or may not pop up, depending on what you told Windows to do with the player the first time you connected it. If the window does not pop up automatically, double-click My Computer, double-click the icon of the iPod, and you should see a folder that says Music. If this folder is missing, that may explain your symptoms. Right click a blank area of the Nano window, and select New --> Folder --> and create a folder named "Music". Try syncing again, and see if it works.

-Tha Mp3 Doctor

when you first plug in the device a little window should come up asking you if you want to sync the device or open to view. click open to view and delete all the files you want. ~J.B.~

For windows users "When you plug your iPod nano into a power source, the charging icon appears?it's a lightning bolt over a battery. Depending on the state of the battery, it may or may not animate (flash between gray and green). In either case, the icon indicates the battery is charging successfully. When the battery is fully depleted, the iPod nano may not appear in iTunes until it has been charged for about 10 minutes. The non-animated version of the icon, shown above, appears when your battery has been fully or nearly depleted of charge. This appears for up to 10 minutes. Note: If your iPod nano is connected to the computer, the computer won't see it until after that 10 minutes has elapsed. After that, you'll see the ""Do not disconnect"" screen. Here's the animated version you would see after 10 minutes, or when the battery is not fully drained: If the charging icon is flashing and your computer doesn't recognize it, Can't see your iPod in iTunes or Windows Explorer? Remember these five basic suggestions when you run into a problem with your iPod. If one of the following doesn?t help, read on for solutions to specific problems. Reset, Retry, Restart, Reinstall , Restore Reset your iPod. Retry with a different USB port. Restart your computer and make sure you have the latest software updates installed. Remove iTunes software and then reinstall iPod and iTunes software from latest versions on the web. Restore your iPod. See ?Updating and Restoring iPod Software? in the user's guide. Still can't see your iPod? Several things could keep iPod from appearing in iTunes or Windows Explorer. The most likely causes are listed below?you'll find information for both USB and FireWire (IEEE 1394) iPod connections. Check each one starting from the top of the list to see if that is what's keeping iPod from appearing. iPod appears in Windows Explorer but not in iTunes or iPod Updater If your iPod shows up in My Computer, but iTunes and iPod Updater don't recognize it, there may be a software conflict, or iPod Service didn't load. You may see an ""iPod Service Error"" alert or a ""Please Reinstall iTunes"" message. If you see either of these messages, try the solutions in this article to resolve the issue. Laptop or portable connecting via USB? See iPod not recognized when connected to Windows laptop over USB for more information. Your computer doesn't meet iPod system requirements Make sure that your computer meets the system requirements to use iPod for Windows. Your iPod displays an exclamation point folder or sad iPod icon, or doesn't appear in iTunes or My Computer If your iPod displays a folder with an exclamation point icon or a sad (unhappy) iPod icon on its screen, or if your iPod doesn't appear in iTunes or My Computer, follow these instructions to resolve the issue. Your iPod isn't formatted for Windows iPod for Windows Software only recognizes iPod for Windows. You cannot use iPod for Macintosh