HT1329 My large iTunes library is on an external hard drive. Can I set up iTunes on my new Macbook Pro and copy the library to it or are there any pitfalls?
I have my large iTunes library on an external hard drive. Can I set up ITunes on my new Macbook Pro and transfer/copy this library to the internal hard drive or are there any problems I should be aware of?
ITs an old Iomega 100gb external HD that has about 90gb of music on it. The Macbook has a 500gb HD. I would like to put the iTunes library on the internal HD so I have room to expand.
Phil0124 wrote:
You can copy it to the internal hard drive as long as it fits on it. How big is your library, and how big is your internal HD?
The only thing you do not want to do is over-stuff the internal hard drive. The OS needs some space to operate correctly, so if your iTunes library uses up more than say 80 to 85% of the internal HD's available space it may not be a good idea to transfer it over.
With that said, the internal HD will provide slightly faster access to the library than the external would, but other than that, you can point iTunes to the external drive just fine.
Similar Messages
-
I have just transferred my iTunes library from a hard drive previously connected to a windows laptop to a MacBook Pro and now all my options for editing info are greyed out. I have seen the answers if still using windows but could find a similar situation to this one.
Eels290776 wrote:
if my external hard drive is not connected to either of my machines, and I download something onto my iMac and then something different onto my Macbook, where are my machines going to be storing the new downloaded media
when the drive is not connected, +iTunes media folder location+ will default back to <MacintoshHD>/users/<yourname>/music/iTunes/iTunes music (or media)
and when I next connect the external hard drive how will I easily get the newly downloaded media onto the external HD
you'd have to point +iTunes media folder location+ back to the external via preferences > advanced > iTunes media folder location, then file > library, organize library > consolidate files
and essentially, to have it easily readable on both machines?
in that case it might be best to copy the entire iTunes folder to the external. then, on each machine, launch iTunes while pressing option on your keyboard. when prompted, click on +choose library+ and navigate to the iTunes folder on the external.
note only one iTunes can access the iTunes library @ a time !
also, make sure the external is mounted on either machine before launching iTunes.
JGG -
I had some updates for my mac mini and so I updated and when it reboot I checked iTunes and all of my data was gone. I have a 2TB External HDD that contains all of my iTunes data and before the latest Sept. 2012 iTunes update I had the folder located in the advanced tab of itunes located on my external HDD. After the reboot and the new iTunes software was installed it defalted to my HDD on my mini and nothing that was there before the update was no longer there. All of my music, playlists, podcasts, folders, movies etc. was gone. I have redirected the library file locating back to my external HDD but it still is not working. HELP!!!!
Empty/corrupt library after upgrade/crash
Hopefully it's not been too long since you last upgraded iTunes, in fact if you get an empty/incomplete library immediately after upgrading then with the following steps you shouldn't lose a thing or need to do any further housekeeping. In the Previous iTunes Libraries folder should be a number of dated iTunes Library files. Take the most recent of these and copy it into the iTunes folder. Rename iTunes Library.itl as iTunes Library (Corrupt).itl and then rename the restored file as iTunes Library.itl. Start iTunes. Should all be good, bar any recent additions to or deletions from your library.
Windows images, but you get the point. Depending on the age of your library the library file might not include the .itl extention. Make it match the file you are replacing.
See MusicFolder Files Not Added and Super Remove Dead Tracks for tools to catch up with any changes since the backup file was created.
tt2 -
HOW DO I TRANSFER PC ITUNES FILES FROM WESTERN DIGITAL EXTERNAL HARD DRIVE TO NEW MACBOOK PRO?
I AM VERY EXCITED ABOUT MY NEW MACBOOK PRO AND ITS SUPPOSE TO BE HERE TOMORROW! THERE IS ONE MAJOR CONCERN I HAVE THOUGH, I HAVE ALL MY MUSIC FILES ON MY WESTERN DIGITAL ELEMENTS HARD DRIVE (1TB). THE HD IS FORMATTED FOR WINDOWS THOUGH. I WATCHED YOUTUBE VIDEOS ON HOW TO REFORMAT THE HD TO MAC BUT IT ERASES EVERYTHING OFF THE HD. SO TWO QUESTIONS,
1.HOW DO I TAKE MUSIC OFF OF MY EXTERNAL HD AND PUT IT ON MY NEW MAC EVEN THOUGH ITS WINDOWS FORMAT AND NOT HAVE IT ERASED WHEN I FORMAT TO MAC?
2. HOW DO I REFORMAT THE EXTERNAL HD FROM PC TO MAC AND WHAT OPTION SHOULD I SELECT?
THANKSI'm very glad your excited about getting your first Mac.
On the Internet, it's not polite to use ALL CAPS BECAUSE IT MEANS YOUR SHOUTING!!!
So with that out of the way.
efromlancaster wrote:
1.HOW DO I TAKE MUSIC OFF OF MY EXTERNAL HD AND PUT IT ON MY NEW MAC EVEN THOUGH ITS WINDOWS FORMAT AND NOT HAVE IT ERASED WHEN I FORMAT TO MAC?
First your Mac is going to need to read the external drive.
Mac's can read exFAT (since 10.6.5), FAT32 and HFS+ (Mac format) external drives.
I'm going to assume your drive is formatted NTFS, the Windows format that is also on the boot drive of Windows machines.
For that your need to install a free piece of software on the Mac here (bookmark this page!)
NTFS Mounter (for WindowsNTFSdrives)
That will allow your Mac to read the NTFS formatted drive. You then get all your files off that you want to save.
efromlancaster wrote:
2. HOW DO I REFORMAT THE EXTERNAL HD FROM PC TO MAC AND WHAT OPTION SHOULD I SELECT?
Once you have gotten all your files off, in the Applications/Utilities folder on the Mac is a program called Disk Utility and it looks like this.
You select your external drive on the left and click Erase > Format > exFAT and click Erase. A warning will pop up and you say ok.
The exFAT format can be read on both Windows PC's and Mac's. Allows for large file sizes over 4GB.
Now this format is for going between Windows and a Mac. Windows Vista and 7 can read this format fine, if you have XP you need to download a free update for exFAT from Microsoft (its easy to find, just search for "exFAT XP microsoft")
Now! however there has been one report that the exFAT formatted on a Mac didn't work on the PC. So if that happens, just format the drive exFAT on Windows first, then the Mac should see it. So check first before doing anything and have a copy of the data elsewhere just in case.
Now if you intend to use the external drive for TimeMachine or a Carbon Copy Cloner/Superduper clone (like "Ghosting") of the OS X boot drive, then you need to format the drive HFS+ journaled in Disk Utility and it cant' be read natively in most cases by a PC unless you install adiditonal software on the PC. (and likely the PC can't read a TimeMachine drive, I don't know I haven't tried it, so your on your own on that) -
Have just down loaded iTUnes 10.5.2.(11) onto MacBook Pro and now the earphone port is not working. Any suggestions. Annie H
My System Preferences>Soundoutput screen does not have the "Use audio port for" field.
Does your MBP have two separate audio ports - one for line-in and one output port? Then you wan't see that selector.
but the port has started to work again....Reason???
Perhaps there was dirt or something in the jack and the contact was bad.
(or you accidentally put the plug into the line-in jack instead into the audio-out; that happened to me once ).
Regards
Léonie -
how do I add external hard drive which contains my entire iTunes library to new MacBook Pro. i want to keep iTunes library on external hard drive. But I want all my iTunes information: artist, songs, albums, playlists on my new MacBook Pro. I know about going to iTunes preferences- advanced-itunes media folder location. At this point I don't know what to do Do I drag external icon into iTunes media folder location box. I want to keep music files on external hard drive. I don't want to use macbook pro memory for my very large music files.
I will request that your query be relocated to the iPhoto forum where knowledgeable iPhoto users will be able to assist you.
Ciao. -
Trying to use my Lacie external hard drive to back up my iTunes library.
For some reason, I cannot send my iTunes song files to my external hard drive. My PC recognizes my hard drive (I formatted it) and it lets me save text files to the hard drive but it will not let me save my musci library to it. I am trying to transfer my iTunes library from my PC to my new Mac laptop and also just wanted to back up my iTunes library. Any help would be great.
You can Use iTunes for Backing up your Music, but I do not favor this mehtod.
It works fine for music files BUT: I prefer more control and completeness over my backup process. It is also very important to note that a large limitation of using iTunes to manage the backup is that the iTunes method does not create or maintain backups of the two meta-data files (iTunes Library.itl & iTunes Music Library.xml) where your Playlists, Ratings, Play Counts, etc. are stored. See: What are the iTunes Library files?
If you are heavily invested in your Library data (Playlists, Play Counts, Ratings, Last Played, Date Added, etc.), it is crucial that you also make and archive multiple backups of your ‘iTunes Library.itl’ file.
If your music is located under one common Folder (e.g.-‘iTunes’), then it is easiest to physically copy that folder and all its sub-folders in one simple process. It can be done quickly, and incrementally – several times a day, when necessary. In the case of any data loss, just re-copy your entire (or partial) music library back to wherever it was, placing it in the main Folder that the previous iTunes expected. Along with the ‘iTunes Library.itl’ metadata file, this completes a full ‘restore’ of your music to the time of your last backup.
Use of a backup software program will greatly help. It will allow you to easily perform incremental backups of only the files that have changed. WinXP has such a facility built-in. I use a free program called FileSync ( http://www.fileware.com ). There are many out there. Some use Zipped files or proprietary formats, others use standard file formats. I like FileSync as it uses normal file formats that can be viewed/managed via any Windows program or utility.
iTunes Files to Backup (anytime you make additions or changes to the Music or Library that you want to retain)
1) All music files in their current folder structure (usually located in and under the ‘iTunes Music’ folder)
2) The Library database file: ‘iTunes Library.itl’ located in the ‘iTunes’ folder
3) The Library XML file: ‘iTunes Music Library.xml’ located in the ‘iTunes’ folder
4) Any XML playlist files created for Playlist retention
5) The two iTunes.pref files (optional)
-- C:\Documents and Settings\<your username>\Application Data\Apple Computer\iTunes\iTunes.pref
-- C:\Documents and Settings\<your username>\Local Settings\Application Data\Apple Computer Inc\iTunes.pref
6) The XML file of Ratings, Play Counts and Last Played attributes saved from the main Library and created by Otto’s SaveRatings script (also optional, but recommended):
“Download this: http://ottodestruct.com/itunes/SaveRatings.zip . It's a program, just run it like any other program. Run it on the machine where you're copying the info from BEFORE you move the files to the new machine. Click the "Save Ratings" button and it'll create a ratings.xml file. Now when you move the files, move the program and this file as well. Then after you make your new iTunes library, run it again and click the "Restore Ratings" button. Voila, all your information is back in the Library. Well, most of it anyway, it's not perfect. It'll tell you what songs it couldn't figure out though, and there's usually not very many.”
Here's a list of possible ways to copy your music files from your main iTunes computer to another storage medium for backup purposes.
1) Use an External Hard Drive to store the complete iTunes meta-data files and underlying Music Folder structure and songs from your main computer. They are quite cheap now, for their storage volume. This is my preferred main medium.
2) If you have Two Computers:
2a) Connect them through a router
2b) Connect them using a Direct (w/Mac) or Crossover (PC/PC) Ethernet cable (See: http://www.ifelix.co.uk/tech/3001.html)
2c) Connect them via a USB-to-USB Network Bridge. See: here as an example.
Copy the files and folders from one computer to the other. Use the second PC as your backup repository.
3) Burn several DVDs (at 4.7+ GBs each) with the music data files and store them safely. Re-writable ones are good for backup purposes (if your DVD drive can manage these).
4) Burn 6x more on CDs (at 700MB each) than in #3 above and store them safely in more space Re-writable ones are good for backup purposes (if your CD drive can manage these).
5) Use a larger USB Flash drive (1GB – 4+GBs) to store the files only if you have a small amount ripped music or have multiple and/or jumbo USB drives at your disposal that will fit your music library.
6) Use the Second Internal Hard Drive (if available) of your PC -- not optimum, as you really want to physically separate the storage of backups from the originals, but good as a tertiary storage device.
By keeping only one copy of your music (other than on the iPod), you are not truly 'backed-up' and are running a high risk of losing your music. Music files on just the iPod and the computer is not considered having any backup. If you cannot store your complete music files on the computer’s internal HD, then create and maintain at least two external sets (any multiple combinations of ExHDs, DVDs, CDs).
You need at least two full sets of your music, not including what is on the iPod:
-- One full set on the PC within iTunes (on internal HD or ExHD)
-- One full set on an separate external backup medium (CD/DVD/ExHD/other)
-- One (full or partial) set on the iPod
It is a good policy to backup all your important data. It is a very smart policy to back it up on more than one medium. -
I have my iTunes library stored on an external hard drive which is connected to my airport extreme, I wish to share my iTunes library over my network, I can do this with my laptop, but not with my iPad, can anyone tell me if it is possible
You can't connect directly to the external drive, but should be able to use iTunes Home Sharing via the laptop.
http://support.apple.com/kb/PH1453 -
I have just got a new macbook pro and want my itunes library on it.
hi, i have just got a new macbook pro and set it all up apart from my itunes library. yesturday i tried plugging in my ipad and iphone but this didnt work. i have tried clicking homeshare and have it turned on on both of my laptops but my itunes library has not synced. how do i transfer my itunes library?
MissGraceB wrote:
... how do i transfer my itunes library?
From your OLD computer...
Copy your ENTIRE iTunes FOLDER to an External Drive... and then from the External Drive to your New Computer..
Full Details Here > http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1751
An Added Bonus is that you will have a Backup of iTunes.
Also... Have a look at these 2 Videos...
http://macmost.com/moving-your-itunes-library.html
http://macmost.com/moving-your-itunes-media-to-an-external-drive.html -
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 (⌥).
-
How do I transfer my iTunes library back from an external hard drive?
Hi. Today, I bought a 1TB external hard drive, and I was very excited to transfer my music over to it. It worked fine for a couple of hours, but then, tragedy struck. Right in the middle of listening to a song, it stopped and Windows told me the device has malfunctioned. I tried everything, and I couldn't get it to work again. Luckily, I hadn't deleted the files from my internal hard drive, but I still have another problem. If I re-import all the music from my folders again, all my data such as playlists, ratings, and artwork is lost. I definitely don't want to do this again, but I don't know what else I can do. I can't set the default iTunes Media folder, because my albums are arranged in an iTunes Media folder to begin with. I can't simply put them all in iTunes Media folders, because I have 60 GB of music, and I want to keep spare copies without overblowing my internal hard drive. What do I do? Thanks.
I'm guessing you "consolidated" the library to the new location. If so this technique should let you connect a working of your library from before the migration.
Empty/corrupt library after upgrade/crash
Hopefully it's not been too long since you last upgraded iTunes, in fact if you get an empty/incomplete library immediately after upgrading then with the following steps you shouldn't lose a thing or need to do any further housekeeping. In the Previous iTunes Libraries folder should be a number of dated iTunes Library files. Take the most recent of these and copy it into the iTunes folder. Rename iTunes Library.itl as iTunes Library (Corrupt).itl and then rename the restored file as iTunes Library.itl. Start iTunes. Should all be good, bar any recent additions to or deletions from your library.
See iTunes Folder Watch for a tool to catch up with any changes since the backup file was created.
When you get it all working make a backup!
An alternative approach would be to repair the broken links with my FindTracks script.
tt2 -
ITunes library on a networked external hard drive
Recently, I want to upgrade to snow leopard (finally) but was short on hard disk space on my MacBook Pro and lacking a consistent backup solution. I added a 1TB time machine to my network and mounted an external hard drive to the Time Machine for media. The goal was to have my media on the drive and then back up all hard drives to the Time Machine. I copied the iTunes library to the hard drive and pointed iTunes to the new folder location. (I also moved photos and other media.) The media has been accessible and iTunes works fine (with occasional network interference) but I was reluctant to immediately delete the old iTunes library.
Well, I've finally reached the hard disk point that I must delete the old library, but as I was about to, I noticed that my "iTunes Library" database file and "iTunes Music Library.xml" omni outliner file in the original MacBook Pro Hard Drive Location were updated yesterday, not the same files I copied to the new iTunes folder on the network. I thought if I moved the library and redirected iTunes, I'd be done, but I guess not.
Questions:
1. Can I point iTunes to search for its database and XML files in the new folder on the network, and how?
2. Is that advisable, or should I delete the other music files from the "Music" location on my MacBook Pro and leave the database files remaining on the hard drive?
3. Are there any other considerations I've overlooked in trying to store my media library on a network mounted EHD?
Thanks for your help.kneedragger101 wrote:
Note this is an iTunes Library that was on a PC
you might want to read these articles: one and two.
why not move your media files using _*Home Sharing*_ ? -
If I move my iTunes library to an external hard drive, can my MacBookPro access these files in iTunes or do I need to move them backto my MacBookPro to play music, watch movies, etc.???
Trying to alleviate some disc space on my Mac!!!Yes, it can. Launch iTunes with the Option key held down and navigate to that instance of the library.
(86939) -
I lost my hard drive, can I retrieve my itunes library?
I lost my hard drive, can I retrieve my itunes library from my Ipod Nano?
It has always been very basic to always maintain a backup copy of your computer.
Have you failed to do this?
If so, not good, then you can transfer itunes purchases from the ipod: File>Devices>Transfer Purchases -
My ITunes Library is on an external hard drive, however, the internal hard drive on my laptop crashed, requireing a complete re-format and re-installation of Windows XP--When I re-install Itunes, what do I need to do to make sure I do not lose all of the content on the two iphones I have, and to re-associate the library with Itunes ( i know how to change the path) but I am fearful that somehow the library link will be broken since the old Itunes installation is gone, and who knows what else might go awry.
any help or advice is welcome.You're Welcome...
This Link explains the correct way of putting iTunes onto an External Drive...
If you have have not done it this way that could explain a lot...
Backup iTunes to an External Drive
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1751
Maybe you are looking for
-
After installing Roboform 2.0.0; Starting Firefox started to take too much time. When i open a new tab, until the tab is fully loaded and Roboform realizes which website it is, Firefox does not respond. When i tell Roboform to fill the username and p
-
Bought a brand new iMac from a local Apple store 2 days ago. Unpacked it and started it up. Went through the whole startup process, created login account etc etc. I'm a web designer so first thing I did was go to adobe site to start trial download of
-
How do I Get Extended display with another monitor?
I connected my iMac to another LCD Display, and i'd like to get both monitors to be extended displays instead of mirror displays. Basically Both monitors are showing the same image, but i would like to have both monitors be extended and not share the
-
Inconsistent aggregation behavior - activation will be terminated
Hi BW Gurus DSO activation is failing with the error message : "Inconsistent aggregation behavior - activation will be terminated" Can any one please suggest on the above issue like how it will be caused and resolved Thanks in advance Venkat
-
DisconnectedContext was detected
I am having ordered tests of Coded UI. While running these ordered test I am getting below exception. This ordered test was completely working fine before and we didn't see this issue. Also if I execute test individually the run fine. DisconnectedCon