Music and Other Media

• One of iTunes' functions is updating your iPod Touch to reflect the music, videos and other media contained within its library. Consequently, your iTunes Library constitutes a constant back up file of the music and media contained on your iPod touch. Unless you opt to manually manage your music and media within iTunes, the same files contained on your iPod Touch are within your iTunes Library.
  
  

Contacts

• Like an iPhone, your iPod Touch also contains an interface to store and manage contacts' names, email addresses and other information; syncing your iPod with iTunes updates this information as well. While your music and media files are stored directly within iTunes, however, iTunes imports contact information from -- and exports it back to -- the email account you specify within the program.
  
  

iPod Touch Restore

• If your iPod Touch is old or is otherwise experiencing problems, one way to remedy them is to "restore" your device to factory conditions, which involves resetting all its specifications to reflect those found on a new iPod Touch. Prior to restoring -- something you do right within iTunes -- the program prompts you to back up content from your iPod Touch. If you regularly sync your device, this isn't technically necessary to complete, but it's always a good idea to have an extra back up on hand in the event of an error.
  
  

Using Backed Up Data

• After you restore your iPod Touch, you must place the data you've backed up back onto your device. As is the case with syncing, backing up and restoring, this is something you do using iTunes with only a few clicks of your mouse. Connect your restored iPod Touch to your computer, launch iTunes and right-click on your device's name within iTunes navigation pane. Click "Restore from Backup" and follow the on-screen instructions to get the data back on your iPhone.