I'd like some file storage, but that's about all I need (1 GB or less at this point).

Not sure what you mean by "file storage." Would dropbox work for you?

question 2: any recommendations for cheap webhosting?

I love my current provider, HostAffection, who are remarkably cheap. I think EvilJimi uses them too: [link]

meara, i hope it was something simple.

le nubian, if you just need a backup email address, I can give you one.

If you need file storage, I could arrange for it, too, depending on how much you need. Lifehacker recommends not buying hosting if you're planning to use the space for storage. It's against some hosts TOS. I'm liking Dropbox, though I haven't used it much yet. There's also Carbonite and the other data storage companies, many of which are free for under a certain amount a month.

OK, FUCK.

Somehow in the process of "ooh, you have music on your iPod that's not on your computer, can I transfer it?" the damn thing managed to WIPE THE MUSIC OFF MY IPOD with it's stupid "Oh, you're not AUTHORIZED to play this on your computer" and suddenly it's ALL GONE. So now they're not only gone from my comptuer but they're gone from my IPOD TOO. MOTHERFUCKERS.

Is there any freaking way to get those back? Tell the AppleStore "no, really, I freaking paid for those you know I did and now they're not in my iTunes, let me download them again"?? Or do I have to just pay for them again? I am SO FREAKIN PISSED.

And if there isn't a legal way to get it back, what's the best aheming method of getting those songs back, because I'll be damned if I'm paying another $100 or so on top of what I already paid for them. Apple has a freakin' record of the songs I paid for (I can look at my purchase history and see *exactly* what songs I paid for, and look at my "purchased music" and see which are not there!), so...uh...suggestions where I might go get some of those?

meara, check the trash. And the actual music folder itself. When I transitioned from old mac to new + ipod, weirdness happened (despite the music being on an external drive) and most of the stuff it thought it lost was IN the music folder, just not in the xml library. I did such a halfassed, uhmaybethisworks job, I can't say for certain. But worth a look.

Call iTunes tech support. From what I've heard tell the first time someone loses their library like this they will let you redownload.

Thanks ND--I emailed them, yesterday, and am awaiting the reply. Fingers crossed it is a good one. I don't THINK I have requested this before--I believe the last time I had crazy crashing harddrive, I was able to use backup and iPod to get it all back.

Urk. I had a scare earlier this summer when my dad poured coffee on the laptop so I finally backed up iTunes for the first time ever. Took 30-some discs - how on earth did I get so much music?

Not that it's much use to me since I think I left my iPod in a bar last night.

meara, do you know what you're missing?

I left my iPod in a bar last night.

Nooooooooooo!!!!!!