re: iPod erased itself, help
Basically ipod contains all the song files and video files in its hidden directory so if you go into terminal you can see them just fine. Only problem is that all the songs' filenames are changed to meaningless filenames andso you'd need to copy the music files off, then listen to each one and rename them I guess -- unless they are all tagged MP3 / AAC files and then iTunes will import the info on them.
Re: iPod erased itself, help
The same thing happened to me and what I did was I called Apple and they said I had to reload it. In time I learned that's not correct. What I do now, is wait for the battery to run dead, recharge it, and suddenly the music is available again.
Re: iPod erased itself, help
You can just press restore and let your ipod restore. This way if your ipod has any corrupt files then in future you wont have to be facing the same issue again and again. Sometimes it is possible that if you remove your ipod directly without using the option in the quick icon for removing it, then all your songs and video file gets removed automatically.