2 Macs - 1 external HDD, 2 iTunes library's

Hey all,
I own a mac mini as my main desktop system. I keep my whole iTunes library on my external Hard drive, and my mac mini iTunes sees all my songs on my external and its configured that way. But here's what I want to do;
My external is hot swapable usb, so I can just unmount it from the mini and put it in my new macbook. But I want my macbook's iTunes to see all my songs on the external, and play them. I basically want to NOT import any music onto this new laptop macbook, but have iTunes play every song in my library only when my external HDD is connected to it...is this possible?

You can't directly connect the same drive to two machines at once.
You connect the drive to one machine, and use file sharing on that machine to make the drive available to the other machine.
In this scenario the first machine has to be online any time the second machine wants to retrieve files.
The only other option is to get a network attached drive that connects directly to the ethernet network. It's the same basic principle, the only difference being that the second machine can access the files whether the first one is on or not.

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Default, Windows will not recognize Mac formatted disks.
A number of applications can enable Windows to read them.
Take a look at this page: http://www.macwindows.com/disks2.html
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Hi, sorry for a noob question.
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I was able to figure this out. I just copied the iTunes folder from the old mac to the new one and problem solved.

How do you point to an external HD iTunes library?

My wife and I are using a 2012 iMac and we each have an account on the computer. I have moved my iTunes library to an external HDD. When I log into my wife's account, I am failing to point her iTunes to that same external HDD. I have tried the "option" click iTunes and choose new folder, but I get an error saying there is no iTunes folder. I guess it is looking for the .itl file and can't find it. So how is it that I am able to access this, and she is not? How can I fix it?

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Anything you can a mount, a USB drive, a CD, a DVD, an external or an internal hard drive, will show up under /volumes. Exactly the way it works under *nix. Mac OS simply places an alias to those drives when you go into Finder. Which Color should really have recognized too, but Apple was in too much of a hurry to radically change FinalTouch's GUI. Oh well.

If I move my iTunes media folder to an external hard drive, will Time Machine still back up that externally-located iTunes library?

To be precise, I've moved my iTunes Media Library to the same external hard drive where my TM backups are stored, although there's plenty of free space on that drive for both.
As I write that, however, it strikes me that if that external drive fails, I've lost my entire iTunes media directory AND my TM backup. So I suppose I should use a separate external HD for each, right?
But my main question is whether or not TM will still back up that iTunes media folder even if it's no longer located on the same boot drive as my main machine, which is a Mac Mini.
The whole reason I'm doing this is because my MM has a 250GB solid-state drive that is rapidly filling up because my iTunes library is 150+GB.

mende1 says:
I recommend you to store the library on another partition on the external disk and keep the first volume only for Time Machine backups.
and you say:
As I write that, however, it strikes me that if that external drive fails, I've lost my entire iTunes media directory AND my TM backup. So I suppose I should use a separate external HD for each, right?
From what people report here I'd say more people lose collections through whole drives failing and not just individual volumes becoming corrupt. A drive failing will take out all volumes on that drive.
Whatever the scenario, you will need multiple external drives. For convenience you could do as mende1 suggests and partition the TM drive. Keep TM on one part and your library on the other. This would be convenient because then you would only have one external connected to your Mac most of the time. However, then you should do as you observe and back up the partition used for iTunes to another external drive as often as you deem necessary. Basically you always want two copies of everything on two different drives, but they don't all have to be on the same two drives. Your TM drive acts as the backup for your computer and the primary for iTunes. Your computer acts as the primary for what's on TM and the second external acts as the backup for iTunes.

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With POP, there really isn't a good way. POP is designed to download from the server only, deleting messages after they are downloaded. While you can set it to not delete, there's no provision for uploading messages to the server. You need an IMAP account, which allows full synchronization of the server with the mail client, across multiple machines. Note that some mail accounts can be set up as either POP or IMAP... check with BT Connect to see if that's the case with them.

Can I manage an externally stored iTunes library with an iPad?

Hi all,
To give a better idea of my situation, here's a bit of information about the problem I have.
I currently have two Windows 7 machines, a laptop that's seen better days and a desktop which I am looking to get rid of because of space. I have an iPod Touch 32GB and will soon be getting an iPhone 4/5 (depending on release date) also.
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As mentioned above, I am looking to get rid of my PC and my laptop doesn't have a large enough hard drive to manage my music as well as an OS and programs. I am very interested in buying a 16GB WiFi only iPad 2, as almost all of what I require a computer for is browsing the web, banking and the odd spreadsheet/document. The iPad would be a golden solution for me if I was able to manage my music with it.
Does anybody know if there is a way for me to store my music library on an external hard drive (or last resort, a file server) and run iTunes directly off the iPad, so I would connect my iPod/iPhone to the iPad with the external hard drive attached and syncing would be possible?
I hope I have explained my situation well enough, and thank you in advance for any assistance I receive. You help is greatly appreciated!
Regards

lkrupp,
thank s for filling in the details on iCloud, missed the fact the song needs to already be in the iTunes library first.
As for itunes on the home network, I was reffering to his desktop/Laptop PCs not the iPad but I neglected to state it. with Current iOS he will need a tethered computer to sync his I tunes. are you aware if iOS5 will allow external connections to data storage (I think I remember someting about that in one of the previews I read) since the new iOS wants to be teather free and "lose the wire" similar to dropbox type technology.
its all still so new.
lkrupplkrupp

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Are you trying to start a second library just for the books and movies on the external drive? If that's the case, create your library on the drive, then drag the books and movies to the Automatically Add To iTunes folder you will find in the iTunes folder that was just created for the new library on the external drive. This will move the files to the correct locations within the new iTunes folder and add them to the new library.

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I'm replacing a Mac Pro (2,1) with OS 10.7.5, iTunes 11.4 with a 2012 Mac Mini with OS 10.9.3, iTunes 11.1.5. When I move the iTunes folder containing the iTunes Library to the new Mac, I get the error message "the file iTunes library.itl cannot be read because it was created by a newer version of iTunes", which is of course true. I really don't want iTunes 12. Is there a way to move iTunes 11.4 from the old Mac to the new Mac?

Hi, gokart-mozart.
Thank you for visiting Apple Support Communities.
You will need to rebuild your iTunes library file in order to open an older version of iTunes. Below, I have included the article that walks you through this process. Start with the section labeled Re-creating the iTunes Library file.
iTunes: How to re-create your iTunes library and playlists
http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1451
Cheers,
Jason H.

Backup multiple Macs to external HDD

I have an iMac (OS X 10.8.2) with a new Seagate BackupPlus external HDD attached by thunderbolt. The external HDD has 5 partitions (all Mac OS X Extended Journaled format). 4 partitions are dedicated back ups for 4 Macs (the iMac connected via thunderbolt to the external HDD, plus 3 MacBookAirs (MBA's)). The 5th partition is just for storing random data (I realize TM won't back up the data on the same drive as the TM backups, but that's ok).
Following the steps FAQ #22 on the great pondini site http://pondini.org/TM/22.html I was able to set up Time Machine to back up my iMac (with the external HDD physically attached) AND I was able to setup TM on my MacBookAir (also running OS X 10.8.2) to wirelessly back up to the external HDD attached to the iMac.
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The error log from TimeMachine Buddy on my wife's MBA shows:
Starting manual backup
Attempting to mount network destination URL: afp://melaniebernitz@Bradley%E2%80%99s%20iMac._afpovertcp._tcp.local/Mel%20MBA% 20External%20Backup
NAConnectToServerSync failed with error: 80 for url: afp://melaniebernitz@Bradley%E2%80%99s%20iMac._afpovertcp._tcp.local/Mel%20MBA% 20External%20Backup
Attempting to mount network destination using URL: afp://[email protected]/Mel%20MBA%20External%20Backup
NAConnectToServerSync failed with error: 80 for url: afp://[email protected]/Mel%20MBA%20External%20Backup
Backup failed with error: 19
To try and fix, I have:
-- rebooted both machines.
-- ran "Verify Disk" on external HDD partition (verify disk finds no issues)
-- checked file sharing on iMac (again, the MBA's can read and write to the external HDD connected to the iMac with no problems so it has read/write/share "access" to the external HDD)
-- did full reset of Time Machine preference on my MBA per pondini.org/TM/A4.html
-- on the MBA's that won't back up wirelessly to the external drive, I can still "see" and select the external HDD (connected to the iMac) in Time Machine
-- tried running TM from different users on each MBA (including adminstrators, of course)
-- have shut off and re-turned on Time Machine
In case it helps diagnose the issue, here's the TimeMachine Buddy log for the my MBA (for which TM successfully completes the wireless backup to the external HDD on the iMac).
Starting manual backup
Attempting to mount network destination URL: afp://bradley%20katcher@Bradley%E2%80%99s%20iMac._afpovertcp._tcp.local/Brad%20M BA%20External%20Backup
Mounted network destination at mount point: /Volumes/Brad MBA External Backup using URL: afp://bradley%20katcher@Bradley%E2%80%99s%20iMac._afpovertcp._tcp.local/Brad%20M BA%20External%20Backup
Resizing backup disk image from 924.24 GB to 923.9 GB
Disk image /Volumes/Brad MBA External Backup/Brad MacBook Air.sparsebundle mounted at: /Volumes/Time Machine Backups
Backing up to: /Volumes/Time Machine Backups/Backups.backupdb
Using file event preflight for Macintosh HD
Will copy (1.4 MB) from Macintosh HD
Found 63 files (1.4 MB) needing backup
626.4 MB required (including padding), 779.13 GB available
Copied 973 files (1.5 MB) from volume Macintosh HD.
Using file event preflight for Macintosh HD
Will copy (Zero KB) from Macintosh HD
Found 11 files (Zero KB) needing backup
624.8 MB required (including padding), 779.13 GB available
Copied 248 files (82 bytes) from volume Macintosh HD.
Created new backup: 2013-02-09-013813
Starting post-backup thinning
No post-back up thinning needed: no expired backups exist
Backup completed successfully.
Ejected Time Machine disk image: /Volumes/Brad MBA External Backup/Brad MacBook Air.sparsebundle
Ejected Time Machine network volume.
So, to make a long story short, even though the external HDD partitions are mounted and can be read by all MBA's....
-- My MBA has no problem backing up (via TM) to the external HDD physically attached to my iMac
-- Other MBA's can wirelessy back up (via TM) to TimeCapsule on my network, but NOT to the external HDD on the iMac (even though they can remotely see/share files on it).
All in all, I'm at a loss as to why it works for one MBA but not others (since I followed same steps to set up the MBA's for TM).
Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated
Thanks

Bkat wrote:
The external HDD has 5 partitions (all Mac OS X Extended Journaled format).
What Partition Map Scheme does it have? (click the top line for the drive in Disk Utility's sidebar -- it will be shown at the lower-right). It should be GUID, but should work if it's APM (Apple Partition Map). If it's MBR (Master Boot Record), a Windows setup and often the way externals come from the factory, that may be the problem. I've never been sure of the details, but there's a message somewhere that says "not all partitions may be accessible" to Time Machine with MBR.
-- tried running TM from different users on each MBA (including adminstrators, of course)
It doesn't matter what user does the setup, or even does a Back Up Now, since the actual backup runs with "root" privileges (permission to everything). It sounds like you have the right Sharing setup on the iMac, but be sure each of those Macs is connecting as the right user on the iMac.
I've not done this myself with multiple Macs (I don't have enough hardware); only one Mac backing-up to a shared drive on another.
Attempting to mount network destination URL: afp://melaniebernitz@Bradley%E2%80%99s%20iMac._afpovertcp._tcp.local/Mel%20MBA% 20External%20Backup
Looks like you've got some special characters in some names. I realize two Macs seem to back up ok, but oddly enough, sometimes such characters in names are a problem -- they'll work fine sometimes, but not always. See #C9 in Time Machine - Troubleshooting.
(I am trying to get my MBAs backed up on both my TimeCapsule and an external HDD connected to the iMac, so I have two backups).
You might want to reconsider using Time Machine for both sets of backups. It's prudent to want two separate backups in case one piece of hardware fails. But what if there's a problem with Time Machine itself, on one (or more) of your Macs? TM is pretty reliable, but no app is perfect. See Time Machine - Frequently Asked Question #27 for details, and the green box there for some alternatives (some of those may not work over a network. CarbonCopyCloner and ChronoSync do -- I use CCC locally, in addition to TM, but not over a network).
Message was edited by: Pondini

How to share my mac and external hdd?

Hey
I was wondering about something.
I have a mac at home, with an external HDD connected. Is there some way that i can get access to the mac HDD and external HDD through the web from another computer (probably a PC)? The thing is that i often can't bring my MacBook with me, and therefore has to access some files from remote access. I have had a look on several guides, but they don't solve the problem, as i don't have the "FTP-sharing" tab in System Preferences -> Sharing.
Any way to solve this? Btw, my mac is connected to a pretty fast broadband, so the connection is no problem.
Greetings
Sixmax

Here are some links that may assist:
http://discussions.apple.com/message.jspa?messageID=5589585
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=5601760
/p

Shared External Harddrive iTunes Library

My iTunes library is stored on an external hard drive and is accessable from the wifes laptop. I have just installed iTunes on my laptop, however when connecting the external drive to my laptop, the iTunes library is not visible from withing the app.
Windows explorer can see the files, however, nothing I do seems to allow me to see the library and the songs therein, form within iTunes
Any ideas on how to resolve this greatly appreciated.

If I understand you correctly, your external HD is plugged into your PC rather than on a network?
If so there are two possibilities.
Do you have an iTunes folder containing iTunes Library.itl and the iTunes Music folder? If you do the iTunes library you need is on the external drive and you can connect to it as follows:
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If there is just an iTunes Muisc folder on the external drive with no Library files, you need to do something different.
Will you be the only user of the external drive or will you be alternating it between different PCs? You need to choose between putting a library database on the the external drive, or having separate library databases on the two laptops which point at the external drive.

Hi. I have a new mac book pro - copied ITunes library form PC - playlists gone!

I recently bought ne Mac Book Pro. I have run iTunes with all my music on a PC. Today I copied the ITunes library over to The mac book pro.
When starting ITunes, all the music is there and i autinticated the machine.
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Hi Jim
I forgot to tell you the answer to my problem with ITunes. I normally connect via WIFI supplied free here. This service does not allow me to connect. If I use the Orange dongle I don't have any problems. Silly thing but took me ages to realise what was going wrong!!
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Is there any way to copy content from my iPhone to a brand new Mac with a blank iTunes library?

Bit of background:
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Users on same mac using the same itunes library

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Not sure I know what you mean. From an administrator account you can give whatever privileges (I think you're talking about permissions) you would like. Navigate to the folder through Finder from the Admin account and use Command + i to Get Info on the folder. Set user permissions to whatever level you want the other user to have. If you want them to have full access and ability to add or delete files, set Permissions to Read AND Write. If you only want them to be able to use files and not make any changes, set Permissions to Read ONLY.

2 Macs - 1 external HDD, 2 iTunes library's

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