Duplicating the set-up of iTunes stored on an external hard drive to a new computer

I need some help setting up iTunes on my new computer. Currently I run iTunes off my hard drive with my itunes folder on an external hard disk(E:) (to save space on my main hard disk). The itunes >Advanced>iTunes media folder location setting = E:\itunes and everything works great. I am getting a new computer and want the same set-up. Can someone help me with a procedure to do this? Is it as simple as, 1) Down load itunes on the new machine. 2) Plug in external hard drive E:\. 3) Set Advanced>iTunes media folder location setting = E:\itunes? What about other saved preferences, etc?

It won't quite work as you suggest. Your library database is still somewhere on your C: drive. Changing the location of that preference only controls where iTunes will put new media. A new empty library won't magically find any media that might be there and even if you import it, playlists, ratings etc. will be lost. If you have any Apple devices iTunes will detect the "new" library and want to wipe them out.
Do the following:
With iTunes closed, copy the contents of C:\<Users>\<Users's Music>\iTunes to E:\
Hold down shift and click the icon to start iTunes. Keep holding shift until asked to choose or create a library. Choose the library file at E:\iTunes Library.itl.
Check your stuff still plays.
Close iTunes. Rename E:\iTunes as E:\iTunes Media. Start iTunes, test it again.
Close iTunes. Create a new folder called E:\iTunes. Move iTunes Media and all the files/folders you originally copied into E:\ into E:\iTunes.
Shift-start iTunes again, now opening E:\iTunes\iTunes Library.itl.
Check your stuff still plays.
Your library is now portable, connect it to any computer running the same build of iTunes, shift-start iTunes to connect to it and it will work.
tt2

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Importing old Itunes Library from a external hard drive to a new computer

About 3 months ago I backed up the entire contents of my hard drive on an old laptop to an external hard drive. My goal was to eventually be able to recover all my purchased music from Itunes.
How do I do that. I am assuming there should be a folder in Itunes on the external hard drive I can drag and drop into the new itunes.
As a second question, is it possible or advisable to run itunes out of the external hard drive in the future?
IBM t60 Windows XP Extreme Rookie
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You could plug the WD drive straight into the TC but it will be much faster to do it with the WD drive plugged into the computer.. and just mount the TC hard disk in Finder.
To move itunes library you must follow the Apple instructions.. http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1449
You may need to reconnect itunes to the library before you try to move it.. !!

How do I move my iTunes library from my external hard drive back to my computer?

Just wondering how do I move my entire iTunes library from my external hard drive back to my computer? It was moved to an external hard drive a few years ago, and now I'm wondering how to move it back to my iMac to increase performance.
Where does it belong in the computer?
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The library itself is the /Home/Music/iTunes/ folder in its entirety. Did you also change where preference files were stored? Normally, they would be in the /Home/Library/Preferences/ folder.

How can I transfer Itunes from external hard drive to a new computer?

Hello,
I had a Dell laptop with Windows XP on it recently crash, but I have everything saved to a Seamagine external 1 terabyte hard drive. I have about 250 gigabytes of media on it, mostly CD's and audiobooks. The setup I had on the XP computer was my Itunes folder saved on the C drive, but I kept all the actual music and audiobooks on the external hard drive, which was labeled the F drive.
After the crash, a relative sold me their three year old Compaq laptop, with Windows 7 instead of XP as the OS. My relative already had Itunes downloaded on it, but when I opened the Itunes on the new (new to me) laptop, Itunes only recognized their (my relative's) account. So, I uninstalled their Itunes and then I re-downloaded Itunes for 64-bit Windows 7. I then opened the Windows Explorer folder so to drag and drop my backed up Itunes folder and library information from the old C drive to the new Itunes folder in the new C drive. But, it wouldn't do anything. It still wanted the password info from my relative's account. It wouldn't recognize my account, even though I had uninstalled and then reinstalled a newer version of Itunes. Dragging and dropping my backed-up Itunes folder from my external hard drive to the new C drive didn't work because it said it didn't have certain permissions or something like that. I think I might have downloaded a newer version of Itunes, different from what I had saved a couple of days ago, which might be one of the problems here, not to mention that I switched OS's from XP to Windows 7.
When I plugged the external hard drive USB into the new laptop no Seamagine manager came up for user-friendly accessibility. I didn't know what to do, so I installed Seagate Dashboard onto the new computer. It didn't do anything for me either. No problem, I thought, I'll just use Windows Explorer to move the Itunes library, and then once I transfer (i.e., drag and drop) the old Itunes folder to the one, all will be as it was. I could then direct my Itunes account to use my external hard drive as the media source folder. I was wrong. It won't let me do that either. It says I don't have permission to do it.
How c an I get my old Itunes library info onto the C drive of this new computer, but keep the 250GB of media files on the external hard drive, just like the setup I had on the old laptop before it crashed? If you can help me, then you will be my hero. I'm scared to death that I've lost my library info and afraid to mess with it too much more for fear of erasing it or, worse, losing the 250 GB of media that is on the external hard drive, which has taken me a tremendous amount of time and money to compile. It is, in effect, irreplaceable. I'm very worried and frustrated. I've been working on this for days, to no avail. You're my last hope. Thank you.

Hmm, I think we should start over...
Here are the typical layouts for the iTunes folders:
In the image above the red outline denotes the "media folder", that is the folder listed under Edit > Preferences > Advanced. In the standard layout where the "media folder" is inside the "library folder" the iTunes library has the advantage of being self-contained and portable. Since you've lost the "library folder" from your old computer you're going to have to start over so you might as well get organized properly.
If the folder curently holding your media files is called G:\iTunes then rename it as G:\Media.
The support doc How to open an alternate iTunes Library file or create a new one explains how to create a new iTunes library where you want it. In short click the icon to start iTunes and immediately press and hold down the shift key. Keep holding until asked to choose or create a library, click Create and browse to G:\, make sure the folder is going to be called iTunes and click save.
Move the folder that actually holds the media inside the folder G:\iTunes\iTunes Media. We're going to let iTunes reorganize everything (unless you have a collection of .wav files in which case stop and tell me because they require a different approach).
Use File > Add folder to library and select the folder G:\iTunes\iTunes Media. iTunes will search through the whole series of subfolders adding all media files into the library and reorganizing them into the correct artist & album folders.
Again, for data security, you really ought to obtain a second external drive at some point and backup your library to it. Only having one copy, as you have found, leaves you vulnerable to failure. External drives are no less prone to it.
A) Windows uses \ as a folder separator in path descriptions, Mac uses /.
B) Do you have a backup of the iTunes folder that was on drive C:\ or are you simply referring to the location of your media as a "backup" when it really the only copy? If you have a backup copy of your "original" iTunes library you could move/copy that to G:\iTunes shift-start-iTunes to open it, and then I can offer tools or techniques for fixing the links that will be broken becuase the drive letter has changed.
C) Use Store > Sign out and then Store > Sign in to sign into your iTunes account. You will also need to use Store > Authorize the computer to allow playback and transfer of any protected content. If your new library contains protected content from any other accounts then you will have to authorize the computer for those too.
tt2

How do I fully import my itunes music from my external hard drive to my new HP computer so that I don't need the external HD attached to listen to my music? It won't promt me to fully import songs when I import the folder from the EHD.

When I select File> Add folder to library and then press "select folder" after finding the iTunes music folder I wish to import from my external hard drive, it does not promt me whether to fully import it or not. After the importing is complete, the external hard drive must be attached in order for me to listen to my music. I do not wnat this; I wnat my music fully imported so that I don't need my EHD. What can I do? Thanks!

To import music into your iTunes library on the computer go to iTunes>Help>iTunes Help>Add items to iTunes and follow the instructions

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My MacBook Pro couldn't handle my iTunes library so it was moved to an external hard drive. I want to move the content without losing the settings and playlists. Can anyone help?

Hi, see if these help...
http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1449
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4527

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How to migrate iTunes and iPhoto librarys from an external hard drive to a MacBook Pro?

With iTunes:
iTunes: How to move your music to a new computer [or another drive] - http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4527
do not confuse moving your whole folder and library with moving just media files as in
iTunes for Mac: Moving your iTunes Media folder - http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1449
Quick answer if you let iTunes manage your music: Copy the whole iTunes folder and all its subfolders and files intact to Home > Music on your computer. It will replace the one that may already be there and anything you have in it will be lost -- you could give the folder a different name just in case, and delete it yourself later. Unplug the external and start iTunes.

How do i add music from my external hard drive to my new computer itunes

I want to put all of my music from my external hard drive into iTunes in my new computer. I want to save all my old iTunes playlists from the old computer to the new one as well as my purchaced items from iTunes.

iTunes File menu option - Add to Library. Select the files you wish to add to the library, then click the button on the lower right - Open/Add.

HT4527 My old computer crashed and I would like to transfer my itunes from that old/corrupt hard drive to my new computer

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Thank you.

Hello Sark81Itunes,
Thank you for using Apple Support Communities.
For more information, take a look at:
iTunes for Windows: Moving your iTunes Media folder
http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1364
Have a nice day,
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You could plug the WD drive straight into the TC but it will be much faster to do it with the WD drive plugged into the computer.. and just mount the TC hard disk in Finder.
To move itunes library you must follow the Apple instructions.. http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1449
You may need to reconnect itunes to the library before you try to move it.. !!

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I have my complete iTunes library stored on an external hard rice and bought a new computer yesterday, I've connected the external hard drive to my new computer, downloaded iTunes but cant get my library to show, can anybody tell me how to fix this?

Hold down SHIFT and launch iTunes.
When prompted to create or locate an iTunes library point iTunes to the location on the external drive.

Getting all of my iTunes library onto my external hard-drive

Hey,
I've recently noticed that my MacBook (now called a McBook pro?) is running slightly slower than usual. I have the majority of my music stored on an external hard-drive, but anything that I've downloaded looks to be stored on my MacBook's internal hard-drive. Is there anyway I can move that excess music from my MB hard-drive to my external hard-drive, without iTunes telling me that the file cannot be found next time I go to play them? I hope this might speed things up a bit.
Also, is there a way of setting my iTunes to move the music from my internal HD to the external one once it is plugged in, which would then allow me to delete the music from my internal HD and free up some space?
I'm sorry if that's all a bit confusing, but I'm quite confused myself.
Thanks!

Hi,
This might do it:
[Back up your iTunes library by copying to an external hard drive|http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1751]
Once you've consolidated your library and moved it to your external drive you can launch iTunes with the Option key held down to get this message where you choose your new external library:
!http://idisk.me.com/colinrobinson-Public/iTunes screen shots/Alt iTunes.png"!
You do need to make sure that the external is connected and mounted before doing this.
Regards,
Colin R.
PS If you're moving everything off to the external to free up room you also need to think about having another external HD to backup what you've just moved. External drives can fail

I have my itunes media stored on my external hard drive. On this external drive I have a folder called "TV shows". How do I incorporate this folder back into the itunes library?

I have my itunes media stored on my external hard drive. On this external drive I have a folder called "TV shows". I previously cut and pasted itunes TV shows to this folder to free up some space. How do I incorporate this folder (TV shows) back into the itunes library?

assuming the copy files ... when adding option is checkmarked in preferences > advanced, drag the folder into an open iTunes window while holding option (⌥).

HT203167 I have just downloaded the latest itunes version (11.0.1). All my data cannot now be located, though the library is showing all the correct content.The data is stored on an external hard drive. How do I tell the library where to find it's data?

I have just downloaded the latest itunes version (11.0.1). All my data cannot now be located, though the library is showing all the correct content.The data is stored on an external hard drive. How do I tell the library where to find it's data?

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If you don't have a working version of the library that can be transformed into a portable shape I have tools and techniques that can repair the broken links.
tt2

I have my iTunes music folder stored on an external hard drive. I recently purchased a new Mac. After attaching the external hard drive, all the songs imported without any problem except my Playlists. Any clue about where they are or how to revive them

I have my iTunes music folder stored on an external hard drive. I recently purchases a new Mac. After attaching the external hard drive, all songs imported without a problem except my playlists. Any clue about where they are or how to revive them for use on my new Mac?
Thanks!

Rysz wrote:
To retain your playlists, artwork, play counts, etc, you need to move the entire iTunes folder, not just the music files..
Correct.
After that just select the new folder location in iTunes> Advanced settings.
Incorrect.
Hold Option and launch iTunes.
Select Choose library and select the iTunes folder.
This will read the iTunes library.itl file in this folder and the library as it was previously will be opened.

Duplicating the set-up of iTunes stored on an external hard drive to a new computer

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