Advice for moving entire photo collection from one computer to another?

I'm in the process of getting a new desktop. However, I already have gigs of photos that I've processed through Lightroom on my old computer. I'd like to move the entire collection to my new computer. Is there a simple way of doing this? It sounds like a daunting task.

Here's the way I did it. I was moving from one mac to another mac, but I think that the database file is platform independent so you might try this.
Back up your database on your old machine. Make note of where that file is.
Have Lightroom installed and started up at least once on your new machine.
Copy all your photo files, with whatever directory structure you like to your new machine.
Move the database backup you made over to your new machine into whatever directory you wish to keep it.
Start Lightroom on the new machine and open up your backed-up database.
All you photos will probably be in red, since the database is pointing to the wrong locations. Select one photo in the grid, and lightroom will ask you where it is. Point Lighroom to the new location -- if you've kept your directory structure intact, Lightroom should go out and reconnect all the database links.
Worked for me. Good luck.

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Can I move my itunes collection from one computer to another?

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Yes, you can move the hard drive physically from one machine to another provided you are placing it as a secondary drive in the new machine. You can connect to the transferred library by holding down shift as you start iTunes, then browsing to the relevant folder and opening the iTunes Library.itl file inside. You may however want to reorgnize the drive if you're disposing of the old machine as its system files etc. will be redunant. In this case I suggest you move the iTunes folder to the root of the drive before you connect to the library. You should also deauthorise the old machine before you dismantle it.
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Moved iMovie 09 project from one computer to another - now timing is wrong!

Hello,
I wanted to copy some Events and Projects from my Dad's older MacBook Pro to my iMac. So I just copied the event folders (from <Home Directory>/Movies/iMovie Events/) and the project files (from <Home Directory>/Movies/iMovie Projects/) to the corresponding folders on my iMac.
I then opened up iMovie on my iMac and saw that the Events and Projects were there. So far, so good.
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The macrumours link just telss you how to move the events which is relatively straightforward.
Alot of advice just seems to rest with leave the projects on your internal drive as they don't take up much space.
However, http://karsten.schluter.googlepages.com/im08tricks has a description of how to move the projects and then 'fool' imovie into where the projects are stored.
Not very flexible but it does allow you to 'clear' your macbook yet when you restore the sym-link file to the right place and restart imovie you can reconnect to all your old projects and events without yellow triangles of death appearing.
By the by apple needs to sort this out as archiving old projects and events together and preserve the editing is a really basic requirment I think.
PS anyone found out how to merge projects yet? Another basic function that seems to be lacking.

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Backup the library with this User Tip.
Restore the backup to your new computer using the same tool used to back it up.
Deauthorize the old computer if you no longer want to access protected content on it.
Keep your backup up-to-date in future.
If you have content on the new computer that you want to add to the library on the old one then copy that across via network/memory stick etc. before attempting to migrate the library again.
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I recently bought a new computer and i need to transfer my entire music library from one laptop to the next. how would i even begin to do this?

See this migrate iTunes library post.
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Moving a print project from one computer to another

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What App is it?
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Hi, not on Tiger at the moment, so I can't be certain, but...
I may be wrong, but I thought the Networked Mac only came about in Leopard's Migration assistant.
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1554
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http://www.oreillynet.com/pub/a/mac/2005/05/17/tiger.html

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Transfer collection from one computer to another?

I accumulate many gigabytes of images on RV trips ... and download them to a laptop, with backup to external HD ... all through Lightroom.
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Thanks very much for your assistance, hal
[email protected]

So here I am with 100 GB of images on my laptop ... all with metadata attached ... and I connect my external HD ... please fill in the steps until the last step that you so kindly showed with a screen shot.
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2. Ensure external disk drive is connected.
3. Choose Import from disk (File menu)
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5. Select folder(s) that you want to import and hit Choose button
6. Lightroom will open the Import window
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If you copy everything to HD No2, but give HD No2 exactly the same name and folder structure as HD No1, then FCP just accepts it as the same drive and will work without the need for reconnecting anything.
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easy ...
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I just got a new laptop and it will only let me transfer my purchases to it. How do I move my entire iTunes library from one computer to another, easily?

Click here and follow the instructions if possible.
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How to Copy and Move (Clone) your iTunes Library from One Computer to Another – or Archive Prior to a PC Re-Image or Reformat
This well-written iLounge Article is a must-read for anyone considering moving their Library to a new computer or a new location. Or, just wants a better understanding of how iTunes manages your music.
Below is the conceptual framework with related and important links. Apply and adapt it to your specific situation and equipment resources.
The safest, quickest, and most optimal method to move your Library to a new computer is to actually clone the entire ‘iTunes’ folder (directory) structure, rather than just copying just the song files. By copying the entire ‘iTunes’ folder and all sub-folders, you capture not only the music files, but the all-important ‘iTunes Library.itl’ database file (usually located in the ‘iTunes’ folder), which contains all the data about your songs (Playlists, Ratings, Play Counts, Last Played, Date Added, etc). See: What are the iTunes Library files?
Install iTunes on the new computer. Then go back to your old computer and move (copy) the "iTunes" folder which usually resides inside your "…\My Documents\My Music" folder from the old computer to the exact same place (both Drive Letter and complete Path) on the new computer. When you open iTunes on the new computer it will look and behave exactly the same way it did on the old, Play Counts, Ratings, Comments and all!
Preserving and transferring the original Library Database file (iTunes Library.itl) is most critical with iPhones as they can sync with only one iTunes Library at a time. This is managed by the ‘Library Persistent ID’ hardcoded within each iTunes database file. If your ITL file has a different ID, your iTunes/iPhone attachment will be seen as a new Library and you will need to completely re-sync your iPhone. This may or may not be an issue for you. See how to manage the LPID via This Link.
NOTE: It is usually safer moving files between computers with the same version of iTunes!!
iTunes Files to Copy and Move to your New PC (for iPod, iTouch &/or iPhone – use as needed)
1) All Music Files in their current folder structure (usually located in and under the ‘iTunes Music’ folder)
2) All Application Files in their current folder structure (usually located in the ‘Mobile Applications’ folder)
3) All Album Artwork Files in their current folder structure (usually located in and under the ‘Album Artwork’ folder)
4) The Library database file: ‘iTunes Library.itl’ located in the ‘iTunes’ folder
5) The Library XML file: ‘iTunes Music Library.xml’ located in the ‘iTunes’ folder
6) The iTunes Library Extras.itdb and iTunes Library Genius.itdb files, also in the ‘iTunes’ folder
Some additional files to consider also include in a backup:
7) Any XML playlist files created for Playlist retention
8) The two iTunes.pref files (optional)
i) C:\Documents and Settings\<your username>\Application Data\Apple Computer\iTunes\iTunes.pref
ii) C:\Documents and Settings\<your username>\Local Settings\Application Data\Apple Computer Inc\iTunes.pref
9) 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.”
10) The folder(s) used to store and sync photos to your iPhone (if applicable)
11) The iTunes created Backup of your iPhone usually located at:
C:\Documents and Settings\USERNAME\Application Data\Apple Computer\MobileSync\Backup
Here's a list of methods to copy and move your music files from one computer to another:
1) Use an External Hard Drive (ExHD) to move the complete files and Folder structures from one computer to another (my preferred option). You can clone’ the entire ‘iTunes’ folder structure in one very easy step. Also great to have available for complete backups of your Library. External hard drives now run less than $100 for 500GBs-1TB of storage. See This Link
2) Directly connect the two computers:
2a) Connect them through a Router &/or Network
2b) Directly connect using an Ethernet cable: Straight for using at least one Mac; or Crossover for PC/PC Instructions here.
2c) Connect them via a USB-to-USB Network Bridge. Example here. There are various types out there (use Google).
--Then copy the files from one computer to the other.
3) Use the iPod as a transfer device, as this extensive Apple link explains. It will be a bit easier if your iPod has a larger capacity than your music collection, otherwise you will need to perform multiple copy/move transfers. This well written process also works fine while using any other data transfer medium (ExHD, Flash Drive, DVD, CD, Zipp, Jazz, etc.).
4) Burn several DVDs (at 4.7GBs each) with your music data files and folder structure, and load them onto the new computer. Re-writable DVDs are more cost effective (if your DVD drive can manage these types).
5) Burn 6x more on CDs (at 700MB each) than in #4 above and load the files and folders on the new computer. Re-writable CDs are more cost effective (if your CD drive can manage these types).
6) Use a larger USB Flash drive (1GB - 4GB) to move the files and folders. Best if the flash drive is larger than your Library, otherwise you will need multiple copy/move transfers.
These are links to various additional instructions on performing the transfer (read them all, but some listed steps may not be required depending on your specific situation):
Switch from PC to Mac Using the iPod
hudgie: Migrating iTunes for Windows to a new PC
How to copy music between authorized computers
Also, remember to Deauthorize your PC before you reformat it, dispose of it, or retire it from iTMS use (if applicable).
Best of Luck

Advice for moving entire photo collection from one computer to another?

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