Yeah. Just copy the files.
Or, open iTunes, go to Preferences -> Advanced.
Set the iTunes Music folder to one on your external drive, select the option to let iTunes sort your music collection and copy folders to your library folder. Exit preferences, and go Advanced -> Consolidate Library and it'll copy it over, updating the library as it goes.

Just copy your My Music folder onto an Ext HDD :)

How do I back it up onto Ext HDD?

External hard drive, I've backed mine up on one :lol:

You can get the artwork though when you put it back into iTunes. It does it automatically.

I just put all mine onto an Ext HDD... be warned, you lose all ratings and also any downloaded album artwork :(

I do this onto a couple of different PC's in the house....but....when I transfer the files from my iPod, it doesnt transfer the folders, so you get one folder with xxxx amount of songs in it.

MediaPlayer sorts things out but you still don't get your folders.

Bit annoying but neccessary to back up your songs.

You can download free, or more or less free, programmes that allows you to transfer from your ipod to a new itunes on a new PC. Not sure if you can copy it to CD or anything and transfer it - probably is a way.

My laptop is slow as fook, but I took the time to smarten up my Itunes library with artwork etc & I want to keep it that way!

Is there a way of transfering the lot over? Maybe some software to extract the contents of my iPod?