Need help backing up music library to disc image

Can anyone suggest an easy way to create a disc image of all my ITunes library and then compress it so it would be able to be burned to DVD? Or multiple DVD'S... or just put away safely in another external drive ...but just a lot smaller. There are so many choices in the process when I have taken a look at how to do it, that I just was overwhelmed. For example; formating, journaling etc. HELP!!

You could get SOME compression by creating a disk image of your iTunes Music folder. Launch Disk Utility (Apps > Utilities), then File > New > Image from Folder. Navigate to your iTunes Music folder, decide where you want to save it, choose "compressed" from the drop down, (and encrypt if you want, personally I wouldn't add that overhead just for music), then click Image. It will take some time, but at the end you will have a smaller music folder ready to be stored. I'm not sure you will see a DRAMATIC reduction, but you will see some.
(Don't worry about your iTunes Library database and iTunes Music Library.xml files, those don't take up too much room and can be copied straight without compression.)

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Itunes wont open need help backing up music on external hard drive

My itunes wont open after upgraded to 8 , ive uninstalled and reinstalled itunes and quicktime and still wont work. i found a topic to possibly help me but i dont know how to tranfer my music to an external disk drive without being able to open itunes. i am getting so frustrated. please help

A usb hard drive that Windows sees doesn't need software for a simple back up.
Format the hard drive Disk Management, if it doesn't come already formatted, and then drag and drop the iTunes folder and whatever other data you want to back up to it.
What you're describing doesn't sound like something iTunes did. If you're having general install troubles you have another problem with your system and it's time for a little troubleshooting to find out what's really going on.

NEED HELP: Backing Up iTunes library to an external drive

I like to keep my music backed up on on external hard drive just in case. Been having trouble dragging the library onto the external. Any Suggestions on how to do this??

Yes.
If you are going to use the external for Time Machine and for other stuff, I'd recommend you partition it. Not nexcessary but it'll keep things separated. The TM partition should be 2-3 timnes the size of the data you are backing up.
Here's some good info about TM from Pondini who posts over in the Leopard/Snow Leopard forums
-> http://web.me.com/pondini/Time_Machine/FAQ.html

I need help in sync music from the ipod store that I have purchased to my ipod.

I need help syncing my music onto my ipod. Anyone there to help?

There is a few events where I could see this happening...
It's possible if you computer is not authorized with your iTunes Store account it may not have transfered your purchases from the iPad to the computer. To check, Open iTunes> Select the "Store" menu along top of the program and select Authorize this computer. Sign in with your AppleID and password, this will make sure your computer is authorized for the future so you can transfer purchases from your device.
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1848
However, if your Movies are missing now you'll need to request to redownload or "regrant" them. Please send an email ticket into iTunes Store via...
http://www.apple.com/support/itunes/
Select "Video Purchases" in the grey boxes, then "Lost or Missing Items", then click the link to "Email Us" on the right. Fill out that form and the folks at the iTunes Store should get back to you less than 24 hours.

Need help backing up 4s to pc since phone no longer connects to wifi

need help backing up 4s to pc since phone no longer connects to wifi

Here are the instructions for syncing via iTunes:
iTunes 12 for Windows: Sync iPod, iPhone, or iPad
Cheers,
GB

I upgraded to iTunes 10.5 and now I can't back up iTunes library to disc. In previous versions it was in file library backup to disc. In iTunes 10.5 that is gone!

I upgraded to iTunes 10.5 and now I can't back up iTunes library to disc. In previous versions it was in file>library>backup to disc. In iTunes 10.5 that is gone!

Some of us have our enture itunes library backed up on CD/DVD - what a waste of time and effort as now presumably you can't use these discs to restore itunes on a new computer! WHY NOT APPLE?
Very unimpressed with itunes 10.5/ios5 - wifi tracking apps have been removed from the store (and won't function in ios5), it's impossible to sync photos (I have spent a whole day trying to sync my iphone 3GS with itines 10.5) to no avail and now, no CD backup facility.
I have never had problems with apple before - I was thinking of upgrading my whole system from PC to Mac but now I am doubtful - if this is typical of apple software, I will stay with windows!

HT1349 I need help finding an old library that itunes states my ipod is already linked to

I need help finding an old library that it states my ipod is already linked to. My computer recently had a terrible virus and needed to be wiped clean. I had to redownload itunes and I bought several songs. I want to add them to my old library because I had several cd's that I had uploaded. Is there a way to find that old library and combine them without having to erase all the songs that are currently on my ipod??? Thanks

Umm. If you wiped the hard drive, then all old libraries are gone unless you have them on backup.

Backing up Itunes Library to Disc Problem. Help!!

Whenever I try to back up my library to a disc, Itunes says "please insert a blank disc." I've inserted 10 blank disc (just purchased) and Itunes says the disc is not blank. However, when I put the same disc in another computer it list it as a blank disc. Please help!! Thanks in advance. Rod
Dell XPS 1210 Windows XP

Have a look at this article in the Apple Knowledge Base, in particular the bottom section Inability to use CDs and let us know if it helps you resolve your problem.

Backing up music library onto CD's or floppy dis

I have about 300 tracks in my Creative Music library and on my Creative MP3 player. If by any chance my computer crashes, is there any way of me backing up the music library onto CD's or floppy discs. I have searched in Microsoft help but cannot find anything to assist? Also would it require loads of CD's or loads of floppy discs?
Also if the music library on the computer crashes can the music from the MP3 player be copied back onto the Creative library?

Thanks for the replies guys. I was thinking about actually backing up "my music" folder in "my documents" in Word rather than just copying the tracks, but I don't know how to back up other than by just dropping and dragging the tracks onto a CD. I have searched in Microsoft Office help but there is no reference to backing up. Is burning them onto blank cd's the quickest way? Also if I need to get them back off the cd and put them back onto the computer can that be done and if so how and would it be done using the Creative software or just Explorer or My Computer?

I need help putting Classical Music CDs into iTunes

I need help - this question has lots of subquestions, sorry.
I have found just a few discussions that deal with this but I am still confused. Forgive me if I get wordy and misuse technical terms - I am trying to learn this thing...
I'm an iPod newbie and haven't a clue on the best way to organize my many, many classical CDs that I'd like to put onto my iPod Classic 160G. I'd also like to do this with as little fussing around as possible since there are lots of CDs I've got to deal with.
If each CD is a separate entry [album?] in the playlist and titled with composer name first [ex Bach, Brandenburg Concertos, Titov conductor] I'll have several playlist entries with the same titles, but different contents. No problem really.
But, should I separate it further, by having each concerto [say] be a separate entry in the playlist - without having to download the CD again. [I've just practiced on a few CDs but I imagine it being a problem if I had to download each CD several times - once for each work] Does it make sense to leave gaps between movements? [I'm not finding a way to remove gaps, though I have seen that suggested somewhere]
And when I come to play the pieces, if I start playing a work in a playlist, will the iPod keep going from one movement to the next as it makes its way through the playlist - or will it stop at each movement and wait for me to tell it what to do next?
Advanced Settings - are these the best? I'll be listening to music on an airplane using noise cancelling headphones and at destination attaching iPod to portable speakers to listen to music in hotel rooms.
General: Keep iTunes Music folder organized - unchecked? [not sure what this means or does or doesn't do]
Copy files to iTunes Music folder when adding to library - checked?
Importing: AAC encoder? High quality -128 kbps?
Thanks for all your help - I know this is a multiple set of questions and perhaps should have been broken up...
Mrs H
Message was edited by: Mrs H to fix typos
Message was edited by: Mrs H

Thank you so much for your help. You have sorted out a lot of problems for me. I've tried to go through what you wrote, add some more info and I have asked a few more questions below-
I re-ripped at 256. I too have the 160GB classic so it's good to know that it will take 10,000 tracks as lossless - now I have to re-rip again! I actually hadn't anticipated using the iPod with anything other than our high quality noise canceling airplane headphones, our cheap, portable travel speakers for hotel rooms and our Cambridge sound speakers for our cabin. It's that last set of speakers that makes me think I should follow you advice and go with lossless.
QUESTION #1 - When I re-rip and do an automatic sync, will the tracks at 256 automatically be replaced by the bigger lossless ones with the same name or should I delete everything from the iPod and begin anew?
"I create a playlist for each work, using a systematic naming convention..." What I did on my test was create a playlist for each composer breaking it down - ex- Bach:concertos, Bach:sonatas, etc. I have the Album column highlighted and it appears as if the movements stay together in the correct order. I fear that the task might be too large to create a playlist for each work, though that certainly is appealing.
QUESTION #2 If the Album column is highlighted and the movements are in the correct order in iTunes in the playlist, will they stay that way in the iPod?
"I tend to use just surnames for composers for example, or at least "surname, firstname"." I finally found in settings on the iPod the way to change sort by composer to last name, first name. In iTunes, the composer column which is imported from the internet search for info on the CDs gives composer with first name first and I can't find a place in iTunes to reverse this. Typing it or erasing the first name will be a huge chore.
QUESTION #3 Is there a place in iTunes to change the order of the composers' name in the composer column?
"For compilations etc I still create one for the whole CD or box set"
I figured this out on my own before you corroborated my idea - I think I'm getting the hang of this...
"The option iTunes has to "organise your music" is a good one"
QUESTION #4 - are you referring to the preferences > advanced check box "Keep iTunes Music Folder Organized" ? If not, what are you referring to?
"I have my library in its own dedicated disk. Wherever you put it, its important to then never change it or doing anything else with it: leave it for iTunes."
QUESTION #5 "dedicated disk"? as in hard drive? I have been using SuperDuper to back up my Mac to an external HD; I plan to put a copy of the iTunes folder onto yet another HD where I keep copies of all our photos as well.
"never change it"? I noticed a misspelling "Haendel" from the on-line CD/track info - no problem in fixing that - right? Since you later say you do change info, what is it you are never changing?
QUESTION #6 - "Disk N of M capability" - what? Where do I find this option? And when you say "for multiple CD albums, don't include the cd number in the album name." Where? when you put the CD into a playlist entry? or just in the list of music in the album column - do you change the listing?
ONE FINAL QUESTION - when I turn on the iPod when it's not attached to headphones or speakers, and I'm just looking at the screen to see settings or how the syncing worked, the iPod appears to begin playing something as soon as I turn it on. THIS IS A STUPID QUESTION, but I can't find the answer, how to I get it to stop playing without turning the iPod itself off???
"I hope that helps a little. " A little?? It helps a lot - and I'll award those points as soon as I get it all resolved.
Thanks again,
Mrs H

Will revert to old iOS bring back my music library?

I installed the 5.1 OS on my old ipod Touch, and when itunes was done (said it restored) I lost all my apps and music and pictures. is there any way to un-format the unit and get my music back? I have sold almost all of the CD's by now, and can't rebuild. (I thought they were safely stoed on the ipod) Apparently I did not back up the purchased items.
Model: MC008C
Capacity: 28.4 GB
OS Ver: 5.1.1 (9B206)
I think I am S.O.L!!
Your thoughts please

Isn't your music (and other media) still in your iTunes library? You had to use iTunes to sync your music to the iPod touch at some point...
If your music and other media are in your iTunes library, just set up syncing for your iPod touch again. If you need help in doing that, please post back.
If your iTunes library no longer has your music and other media for some reason, and you have no backup, you can still get back most items you purchased from the iTunes Store (including songs and apps). Go to the iTunes Store Home screen, in iTunes. Under QUICK LINKS, click on Purchased. This takes you to the Purchased screen, where you can re-download previous purchases at no cost. NOTE: You need to be signed in to iTunes using the same Apple ID used to make those previous purchases.
Unless you were subscribed to Apple's iTunes Match service, other songs that came from CDs (or other sources) are probably lost.

Backing up Music Library...

When you back up your library or playlist to DVD will it keep the title of the song and keep that song in your playlist or does it just back everything up in one big clump? I am wondering if backing up certain playlists might be better than doing the whole library. What are your thoughts on this? I think DVD is the way to go instead of having a whole mess of CD's for my over 1,450 song collection. I am well aware that I cannot expect to play music from the back up DVD. I just want to back everything up should something go wrong in the future. Would a pain in the neck if it doesn't save the title of the songs though!!!

If you want the easiest way to backup, get an external hard drive. A lot of people, including me, that regularly post on these forums use an EHD & you can find them dirt cheap these days.
Of course, data DVD's are the way to go, since they hold a lot more data than a CD. If you burn as a data disc, all file information is maintained. If you are concerned about backing up your playlist/playcount information, you will also need to backup the 2 iTunes database files, the .xml & .itl files.

Backing up iTunes library to disc in OSX Lion

Hello everyone! I've trying to back up my iTunes music library to a DVD disc. I've done this in the past With Snow Leopard by Clicking File > Library > Back up to Disc. This option does not seem available with Lion 10.7.2. Maybe I'm missing something. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

I don't think it's a matter of operating system changes but iTunes changes. Several posts in the past few months with people complaining the backup to disc has disappeared from iTunes 10 versions. The programmers probably gave up on it because most people have huge collections these days that would be cumbersome to try to back up to the 50 discs or so they would require, and then repeatedly to keep them up to date. External hard drives are relatively inexpensive and it is much easier to back up the whole computer (including irreplaceable photos) to them. Factor in the cost of DVDs and a hard drive is cheaper in the long run.
You could still back up your iTunes folder using Finder's burn facility, but unless you have a tiny library it'll take some effort.

Back up music only to disc?

Is there a way to choose what kind of files you want to back up to dvds? I don't want to keep wasting space on my discs by backing up podcasts and tv shows every time I back up new stuff to disc. I'd prefer to just back up my music only as I toss all podcasts and tv shows after watching them.
I'd like to do a complete new backup if there is a possible way because 48 dvds already is more than enough so any info is much appreciated.

If you don't wish to go the EHD route, & it really is much easier, simply a smart playlist that is only music. The following rule should work, "kind is not", then type in TV shows, movies, podcasts, etc. Check live updating. Simply burn a data disc of that playlist. I backup to an EHD several times a week, plus I burn data DVD's about once per month. When I set up my playlists for data discs, I made a primary backup list that includes absolutely everything in my library. I now use a second backup list based on "date added is after" & burn this SPL when I have about 3-4 GB of data on the list. After I burn this list, I simply change the date. For example, if I burn my current list tonight, I would change the date to "date added is after 2=29=08". Hope this helps.

I have moved all of my music from my laptop to a portable hard drive...need help :( cant play music

Hi all,
I moved all my music from my laptop to a portable hard drive, my hope was that i could just plug and play into my mabook air not the case...
I was wondering if anyone could help with the following, in a perfect world i would love to be able to keep the music on my drive (there is about 500 gb worth) and then when i want to play through mac to apple tv be able to just plug into mac and then be good to go, or if poss for itunes to be able to recognise the music on my portable drive...and for me then to play through itunes without adding it (as there wouldnt be enough space)...and to also have the capability to plug the drive into my windows comp and be able to also still play from there.
I dont know if any of this is poss...it all seems really complicated to me...and i am new to mac.
If anyone thinks they could help please get in touch!
my main goal is to be able to play my music through apple tv to the surround system in the house, and to be able to play music through my mac if poss, doesnt have to be itunes so long as i can air play or even better select through apple tv.
thanks so much in advance to anyone who can help me out
p.s. i tried this...didnt work, unless i am doing it wrong
http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1449

iTunes: How to move [or copy] your music [library] to a new computer [or another drive] - http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4527 - a somewhat bewildering and not always easily understandable set of options.
Quick answer if you use iTunes' default preferences settings: Copy the entire iTunes folder (and in doing so all its subfolders and files) intact to the other drive. Open iTunes and immediately hold down the Option (alt) key (shift on Windows), then guide it to the iTunes Library.itl file in the moved iTunes folder.
For the record there's this reference for iTunes 11 but it really doesn't strike me as having the specifics you need. iTunes 11 for Mac: Move your library to another computer - http://support.apple.com/kb/PH12168
Windows users see tip at: https://discussions.apple.com/message/18879381
If you put it in the default location of Macintosh HD > Users > *User Name* > Music then you don't even need to start with the option key held down, iTunes will automatically look for it there. (Make sure there isn't anything already in the iTunes folder there that you want to keep since you will be replacing it with the one you are moving.)
Do not confuse (as you did) 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

Need help backing up music library to disc image

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