Absolutely MUST move iTunes Library

I see this has been asked before, but I've not found a definitive answer yet for what I need, so please indulge me.
I absolutely MUST MOVE the iTunes Library file OUT of the "My Music" folder. It cannot stay there and I do not WANT it there anyway.
I use iTunes at work, with WinXP, to view PhotoshopTV podcasts as it is directly related to my work. Because I'm on XP AND on a company network, this stupid "My Music" folder gets copied to a company network drive. We've just been informed that the company will not allow any types of 'personal' media files on these network drives. I absolutely MUST MOVE the music library OFF the network drive and, I have to PREVENT it from being re-created there !
I was able to move the CONTENTS of the library to another local drive, but iTunes still insists on putting the Library file in the "My Music" folder.. and it goes back onto that network drive. This is now completley unacceptable. I need to know how I can PERMANENTLY MOVE the iTunes Library files to another local location. I absoutely cannot have it stored in the "My Music" folder any more, it cannot go on that network drive.
There must be a solution. I'm not afraid to make changes to the Registry either, I know how to do that w/o crashing my machine.
Thanks.
doens't matter - DELL junk Windows XP Pro

Following the instructions leads me here:
Open iTunes
Goto Edit,Preferences,Advanced,General,Change iTunes music folder location.
Move your music and make a note of where this is.
Put this location in the iTunes music folder.
Jeff

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How do I move itunes library from my ipad back to my itunes library in my windows computer ? All the songs got transfered by mistake from my windows itunes library to my ipad. All i had wanted to do was to move a select # of songs newly purchased from my ipad to my ipod but I got mixed up. Before i knew it all teh library had been moved to my ipad? HELP!

You don't have to move the songs back into iTunes if you don't want to, the songs are still in iTunes on your computer - you just copied a version of the songs onto the iPad from iTunes.
If you want to remove them from the device itself, just swipe across the song while you are in song list mode in the music app and a red delete button will pop up. You can also tap and hold down on a playlist or a album icon and the X to delete will pop up. It will not work for Genius playlists.
You can also connect the iPad to the computer, launch iTunes, select the iPad on the left side, click on the Music Tab on the right, uncheck all of the music that you want to remove, click on Apply in the lower right corner of iTunes, and that will remove the songs from the iPad.

How do I move iTunes library to an external hard drive to use less space?

How do I move iTunes library to an external hard drive to use less space?

Our iTunes guru Terence Devlin advises the following:
1. Quit iTunes
2. Drag the iTunes folder from your internal hd - located in ~/Music folder - to your external hd. DO NOT delete the original one from your internal hd... yet!
3. When the transfer is complete, press and hold the Option(alt) key and fire up iTunes.
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5. Navigate to where the iTunes folder is located in the external hd.
6. Within the iTunes folder, select the iTunes Library file and click Choose...
That's it. iTunes will now display all your playlists, songs, movies, podcasts etc. At this point, should you wish, you can delete the iTunes folder from the internal hd to free up space.
More info:
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1751
Or if you prefer a more complicated explanation:
http://www.ilounge.com/index.php/articles/comments/moving-your-itunes-library-to -a-new-hard-drive

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I have struggled most of the day trying to do what in the past has always been very simple - move iTunes library to a new computer/OS. Old eMac housed the library, xml and album art files on the main hard drive. My music library (all the song files) was stored on an external drive. New Mac Pro, along with the same external drive with all the songs, will not accept the transported iTunes folder without crashing the Finder.
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First, there is nothing you can do unless you can upgrade the computer to Snow Leopard 10.6.8 which is the minimum version compatible with your iPhone and the current version of iTunes. Furthermore, you will need a compatible version of iPhoto to use. That version should be available for installation using the original installation discs that came with your computer.
Upgrading to Snow Leopard
You can purchase Snow Leopard through the Apple Store: Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard - Apple Store (U.S.). The price is $19.99 plus tax. You will be sent physical media by mail after placing your order.
After you install Snow Leopard you will have to download and install the Mac OS X 10.6.8 Update Combo v1.1 to update Snow Leopard to 10.6.8 and give you access to the App Store. Access to the App Store enables you to download Mavericks if your computer meets the requirements.
     Snow Leopard General Requirements
       1. Mac computer with an Intel processor
       2. 1GB of memory
       3. 5GB of available disk space
       4. DVD drive for installation
       5. Some features require a compatible Internet service provider;
           fees may apply.
       6. Some features require Apple’s iCloud services; fees and
           terms apply.

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Regards
Søren

Hey man. Thanks a lot for the reply (hold the options instead of command key while launching). My old itunes library is now on my new computer in itunes, but the mp3 files are not in the same itunes folder. Where do I place these or what do I do to play them in my new itunes library?
All the songs in the library have exclamation marks in front of them because itunes can't find them.
Thanks again
Søren

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Type "move itunes library" into the google search bar.

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How to move iTunes Library/Media Files to external firewire Hard Drive and make it the master library, and then point iTunes to that when adding new content??

Copy your ENTIRE iTunes FOLDER to an External Drive...
Full Details Here > http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1751
To Operate iTunes from the External Drive...
Start iTunes with the Option key held down and guide it to the new location of the library.
Be Sure the drive is Formatted Mac OS Extended (journaled)
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

How to Move iTunes Library on an External Drive to Another Computer

How do you move your iTunes library (including all your playlists) if your iTunes media files—movies, TV shows, music, etc.—are housed on an external drive, rather than the local drive on your computer?
The usual advice concerns copying media files from one computer to the next, e.g.:
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4527
But if your media is on an external device, you don’t want to copy it, just access it from a new device. You could plug the drive into your new computer and drag the media into iTunes, but then you would lose your playlists and other information.
Fortunately, you can transfer an entire iTunes Library using the Export/Import function. The essential information is found in an Apple support document, “iTunes: How to re-create your iTunes library and playlists”:
http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1451
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Here is the procedure:
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3. Close iTunes on the old computer, dismount and disconnect the external drive(s). (Yes, this will work with media on multiple drives).
4. On the new computer, close iTunes and delete “iTunes Library.itl” in the iTunes folder.
5. On the new computer, Connect and mount the external drive(s).
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7. Choose File > Library > Import Playlist and choose the file you exported from the old computer. This will import all the media you had on the old system into iTunes (no need to manually move anything from the external drive). The import will probably take some time. (If you see that iTunes is copying files, you probably messed up Step 6; you can stop it and go back to Step 4 without harm).
8. After the import, you can check the numbers you noted in Step 2; if there is a discrepancy that bothers you, check out the scripts “Music Folder Files Not Added” “List MIAs” and at http://dougscripts.com/itunes/.
9. When everything is satisfactory, you can recheck “Keep iTunes Media Organized” and “Copy files to iTunes Media folder” in Preferences.
10. You may now want to enable sharing, sync iOS devices, etc. Also be sure to set up your backup strategies on the new machine (you *do* have backups of your external drive(s), right?). If you already had some media on your new computer and you want to incorporate it into the external drive, choose File > Library > Consolidate.
11. Oddities:
* iTunes Extras must be manually imported.
* Some of my movies & TV shows imported as “Home Video”.
* Mobile applications did not import (presumably because no iOS device was synced).
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Or:
Copy the iTunes folder from the old computer to the same location in your user area on the new one. Attach the external drive and start iTunes. If you have put it in your Home > Music folder the application will automatically know to look for it there and becausse you are using the same library it will be configured to look for media on the external drive.

Switchng items in "Movies" itunes library to itunes "TV Shows" library?

I have some tv shows I recorded and made mp4 video. I can add to library these tv show files, but they then show up under "Movies" in itunes library. Is there a way to get these to show-list under "TV Shows" in itunes library?
There must be some coding that tells where to put video. Like when you add a store purchased tv show, it is added under "TV Shows" in the library. So somehow these video files are coded aas to where they get placed.
Message was edited by: randym431

right-click on the file(s) and +get info+. go to the options tab and change the +media kind+ to tv show.
JGG

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Hey all,
I haven't been on this section of the apple site for a while. I sadly took a job at a school where they use pcs.
Anyway I thought I could help.
I've transfer full music folders from two computers many times but never a library from a pc to a mac. Let me explain the difference.
The folder that holds all your music only holds your music. IE on mac (osx) its ~/Music/iTunes Library/Music
and on a pc (windows 2000 and newer) its in
/Documents and Settings/user name/My Music/iTunes/Music
The "Library" is the thing that keeps tracksof your albums. I belive this file is in XML format and should work the same on both a pc and mac.
Anyway, this is how you transfer the whole thing from one machien to the other over a network.
It is best if you wire them together. Proccess goes much faster.
On the mac we must first turn it into a server that the pc can talk to
When you are logged in as an administrator on the mac go to the apple menu > system prefernces
click on sharing
enable windows sharing. You may also need to enable an account to connect with. I recomend that you enable the user who gets the music. ( i can clerify this if requested [email protected])
Ok then on the PC
go to the start menu > run
type in your macs ip address or name
it should look something like this \\192.168.1.2
then clock ok, wait a bit and eventualy it will ask for a username and a password. Use them name and pass for the user you enabled in the sharing control panel step
then you will see a window with your users folder in it.open it and navigate to the Music folder.
I hope that you havent loaded anymsuic on that user gets trickeier if you did and you may not be able to keep your albums. I can expalin this too in greater detail later.
So you have one window that shows the content of your mac and ist user.
Now we need to go get the documents out of the pc.
Open the "My Documenst" fodlder on the desktop and open my msuic. within it you will find an iTunes folder just like the one on the mac. replace the one on the windows machine with the one on the mac and let it copy. Dont let either machine sleep or you might have to do it again.
Anyway. I hope this helps. I see they now have added browny points to peoples posts. And I was just happy helping people switch.
Anyway now to find a solution to my problem cheers
pax

Can't move iTunes Library and Music?

I have my iTunes Library on an external hard drive, and am trying to move it to my Mac's Music folder so that I can sync with iCloud and other devices. I have copied all the Music files over successfully, and redirected iTunes towards the new location under Preferences/Advanced/Media Folder Location. Music files are where they should be as I can see. iTunes playlists all working... BUT, when I disconnect the external hard drive, iTunes can't locate the music file. It must be "pointing" back to the hard drive. Any clues as to how to break this link without losing music files or having to recreate playlists?

Hi Cunnla,
Thanks for the advice. I did just that and then tried to eject the external HD but got an error message ("The disk couldn’t be ejected because “iTunes” is using it. Quit that application and try to eject the disk again"), even though the music folder is Home Folder > Music > iTunes (no the HD version). I quit iTunes, ejected the HD, restarted iTunes and got a further error message ("The song could not be used because the original file could not be found. Would you like to locate it?"). I guess iTunes would like me to relocate manually 2000 songs? Yikes! Any further thoughts?
Thanks in advance,

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See Here...
iTunes: How to move your music to a new computer
Or...
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 > Copy iTunes Library to Hard Drive to Back Up Data

How to Move iTunes Library BACK to the Hard Drive

Almost every single support topic/YouTube video shows how to move the library to an external drive. I did that... about a year ago. I recall it being very easy. I just moved, changed the location and that was that. I want to give my external drive to my friend, though... and want to to move all the content back to the original location on my hard drive... but I'm not sure how/where. What I THINK I'm supposed to do is copy the music folder back to ITunes Media\Music.
Ideas?
Thanks

Hello TWBuddha,
You can use the directions listed in the following article, under "External drive." Just pick up at 'Part 5.'
iTunes: How to move your music to a new computer
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4527
Cheers,
Allen

Best way to move iTunes library & media from MacBook to mini server?

First, I searched the forums (parameter: "itunes") and didn't see this addressed.
Second, I searched the web (using multiple parameters), and didn't find an answer on point. I saw discussions about moving the iTunes library (well, media files) to another location (but same computer) and discussion about manually copying everything (with warnings about ensuring that the volume name and path are exactly the same, or else it's totally messed up).
That said, I currently use SL on a MacBook and I'm getting a mini with SLS. Among other things, I'd like the core of my iTunes media to be on the mini (for direct playback to my TV and for serving/sharing to my Apple TV). I'll still use iTunes on the MacBook for selected media (like books).
My media includes both iTunes purchases and non-DRM'd media.
Question: does SLS come with Migration Assistant and will this move my iTunes library from my MacBook (with SL) to the mini (with SLS)? I'm not interested in a migration assistant to move servers (web, email servers) or apps, or documents for that matter, as this is not a server move (some discussions online focused on this).
If it doesn't, what's the best way to move my iTunes library and media from my "clien" machine to the server so that playlists, ratings, purchases, etc. are all intact?

MrHoffman wrote:
iTunes has its own private little world, and this question isn't really specific to Mac OS X Server, and the generic media-transfer discussion will likely receive better coverage over in the [iTunes forum|http://discussions.apple.com/category.jspa?categoryID=149].
Mac OS X Server doesn't do anything special with iTunes, and likely doesn't do anything specific with it at all; you're going to a "different" Mac, and server makes this more akin to a transfer to a new Mac, rather than the "replacement Mac" sequence seen with Mac OS X client.
I'd be surprised if this music transfer wasn't something that could be sorted out (within the limits of the copyrights) from some FAQ over in the iTunes forum, or from some of the following support articles:
http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1449
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1660
http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1329
http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1848
http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1203
http://support.apple.com/kb/TA38534
See if the folks over in the iTunes forum have something for this. (And again, server likely isn't relevant here; you're "just" going to transfer your music to a different Mac box here, and one that happens to run Mac OS X Server.
Thanks for the links - unfortunately, none of those are on point. The reason this is unique to server, I think, is that in the case of a regular mac to mac transfer, you would use Migration Assistant, and the move is easily done. But in seems like server doesn't come with Migration Assistant.
I suppose when I get it, I'll first try copying Migration Assistant to it, and try to run it. That will probably fail (but you never know), so my next attempt will be to have my MacBook move the media to the server (as if the server is simply network storage), and then copy over the library files. (I'm hoping that will enable the file paths to remain intact.)
The mini server is special in that it is the most appropriate home server, and home servers should be expected to do double duty - and outright server, and desktop. So, it would be handy for Apple to include Migration Assistant with the mini server.

Absolutely MUST move iTunes Library

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