Q: When my iMac quit working (the hard disk was beyond recovery), I tried to copy the music from my older 8-gigabyte iPod to my replacement iMac. But I apparently lost all the songs, because I didn't understand that copying music works only one way, from computer to iPod. I never backed-up the music to Apple's iCloud online service.

Is there a way I can recover my iPod's music library?

Peter Wynkoop, Jacksonville, Fla.

A: You might be able to get some of your music back.

Because Apple doesn't allow music to be copied from an iPod to a computer, you probably did wipe out your iPod music library by "syncing" the iPod with your new iMac. But you can still recover songs that you previously bought from iTunes if they're still available. You can download them to your new iMac for free, then transfer them to the iPod.

Unfortunately, any songs that you ripped from CDs or bought from companies other than Apple must be replaced by recopying the CDs or repurchasing the music.

But, before you go to all that trouble, make sure that your iPod is really empty. There are several non-Apple programs that, unlike iTunes, are able to transfer music from an iPod to a computer. See tinyurl.com/peozelz.

Q: Whenever I try to view a photo I receive in my MSN.com e-mail, I get a Microsoft request to activate its Silverlight program. I don't want to do that, because I've read negative reviews of the software (I'm not even sure how the program got on my PC). But there's no way to get around this request message except to close my e-mail. What's the best way to uninstall Silverlight?

Larry Bedard, Minneapolis

A: Silverlight is an animation and video program that Microsoft has been urging people to use since 2007, but it has never become popular. (Netflix has said it is changing to other software for its video streaming.) While Silverlight can help you view e-mailed photos, your PC already has software for that. To uninstall it, see tinyurl.com/kbtcbmt.

Q: A friend installed Glary Utilities on my Windows 8.1 PC, but I find the program difficult to use. Is it a worthwhile program? Are there other programs I could use? Will uninstalling it leave behind data that takes up hard disk space?

Jane Bright, Tucson, Ariz.

A: Glary Utilities has been favorably reviewed, but that doesn't mean that its level of complexity is right for everybody. Because the program is mainly designed to optimize PC performance, it's not essential and you could uninstall it without any ill effects. There shouldn't be anything left behind to clutter your PC. If you want to try another utility program, you can find 10 of them reviewed at tinyurl.com/by62g.

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