Backing up library to external drive rather than CD's??

Hi, does anyone know if you can perform the back up/incremental back up function in iTunes to an external hardrive (as opposed to a DVD or CD)?
I tend to back up everything on my computer to my 500G external drive these days instead of discs (more capacity, less messing around with multiple DVD's etc!). However itunes doesn't seem to give you that option, unless I've missed something obvious???
Thanks, Caroline

Generally, that's the better way to do it but you can't use the iTunes utility. Use Windoze Explorer to simply drag the entire iTunes folder to the external drive.
For subsequent backups, be sure to trash the existing backup first. If you don't do that, you will be adding files to the existing backup rather than replacing them. If something was deliberately removed from the library by you (or automatically by iTunes), you want to ensure that it's also removed from the backup.

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Like CTJon suggests, just use Windows Explorer to copy the iTunes folder and all its subfolders over to your portable drive.
You can't do it using iTunes. iTunes only has the disk backup option.
For incremental changes, you can use SyncToy from Microsoft. It's free software and really easy to use. There is no way to make it automatic, though, so you need to remind yourself to do the regular backups.

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Start by opening Accounts preferences. Click on Login Items. Locate the Skype entry and delete it. Next check in the Applications folder for the Skype application. If it's not there then most likely you never installed it from the disc image download. Locate the .dmg file you downloaded with Skype then double-click on it to mount the disc image on the Desktop. If a window doesn't open automatically then double-click on the disk icon to open a Finder window. Drag the Skype application from that window to your Applications folder. Then unmount the disc image. You're done.

Backed up library onto external hd - want to get music bk into itunes lib - moved 2 files library.itl and library.xml but reverts bk to 5kb and 11kb (ie. no music)

I backed up library onto external drive. (itunes directory - with Album artwork, itunes music directory, and xml/itl files)
Now I am trying to upload music back to a new Windows XP computer - I have new itunes version.
First I moved/copied the itunes directory whole to the new computer - then opened itunes and the library.itl and library.xml reverted to 5 and 11kb
Then tried just moving those two files - still nothing
Help - as I have over 28MB of music I am trying to recover.
Thanks,

The "missing file" thing happens if the file is no longer where iTunes expects to find it. Possible causes are that you or some third party tool has moved, renamed or deleted the file, or that the drive it lives on has had a change of drive letter. It is also possible that iTunes has changed from expecting the files to be in the pre-iTunes 9 layout to post-iTunes 9 layout,or vice-versa, and so is looking in slightly the wrong place.
Select a track with an exclamation mark, use Ctrl-I to get info, then cancel when asked to try to locate the track. Look on the summary tab for the location that iTunes thinks the file should be. Now take a look around your hard drive(s). Hopefully you can locate the track in question. If a section of your library has simply been moved, or a drive letter has changed, it should be possible to reverse the actions. I can provide a step by step guide if you give me the two paths.
Alternatively, as long as you can find a location holding the missing files, then you should be able to use my FindTracks script to reconnect them to iTunes.
tt2

My itunes seems to be looking for my library on my computer C drive, rather than my external drive ( originally set up to as default ). How do I re-set itunes to look for my library on the external drive ?

Suddenly, after a year of good operation, my itunes seems to be looking for my library on my computer C drive, rather than the external drive it had been set up to as default How do I get it to search for the stored library on the external drive again ?

Quit iTunes.
On the external drive;
1 - Create new folder called iTunes (or whatever you want).
2 - Move your music folder into this.
3 - Go to the the C: drive iTunes folder.
4 - Copy the iTunes library.itl file into the iTunes folder on the external drive.
5 - Start iTunes holding the Shift key.
6 - Select Choose existing library and select the iTunes library.itl file you just copied to the external.

How can I store iPhoto files on an external hard drive rather than on the iMac drive

How can I store my iPhoto library on an external hard drive rather than the iMac drive to make my computer faster?

Make sure the drive is formatted Mac OS Extended (Journaled)
1. Quit iPhoto
2. Copy the iPhoto Library from your Pictures Folder to the External Disk.
3. Hold down the option (or alt) key while launching iPhoto. From the resulting menu select 'Choose Library' and navigate to the new location. From that point on this will be the default location of your library.
4. Test the library and when you're sure all is well, trash the one on your internal HD to free up space.
Regards
TD

I want to know how to backup my library to a fixed backup drive rather than to a CD or DVD. I mostly have audiobooks in the library and my computer is running out of space. There are so many that copying them to a CD or DVD would be a horrendous waste of

I want to know how to backup my library to a fixed backup drive rather than to a CD or DVD. I mostly have audiobooks in the library and my computer is running out of space. There are so many that copying them to a CD or DVD would be a horrendous waste of time and resources. Can you please help me?

msscott69 wrote:
I want to know how to backup my library to a fixed backup drive
Copy your ENTIRE iTunes FOLDER to an External Drive...
Full Details Here > http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1751
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-tunes can no longer 'locate' my library , after a botched cut & paste attempt to back-up onto an external drive. Still syncing with i-Pod but playlists lost , podcasts no longer syncing, Can't play music .. how to restore back to original state .

I-tunes can no longer 'locate' my library , after a botched cut & paste attempt to back-up onto an external drive.Cant play any music as it "can't find" the library Still syncing with i-Pod but playlists lost , podcasts no longer syncing. How to restore back to original state . I have tried re-installing - with no change

I do the same thing as you do...
My music is on an external drive as to not use up gigabytes of storage that need not be used for media.
There are a couple basic principles to iTunes that I believe you should know.
1. iTunes is not a media storage program. It does not store your media "in iTunes". It simply is an organization tool for your media already on a hard disk.
2. As iTunes is not a storage mechanism, it has no way to "know" whether or not the media that is listed is actually there. This is where the "design" of iTunes comes into play.
I like to think of iTunes as a bread-crumb trail. The "music" in iTunes, isn't actually there. The bread crumb is the location on the external hard drive.
If that bread crumb trail disappears (in this case the external drive you use). If said external drive is not plugged in, that bread crumb trail is not able to be followed. iTunes is "lost" and unable to find the media. The only way to remedy this is to place the media on your local drive.
To address your issue of the library. If you hold down shift, you can select your library on your external drive. It will be a file with an .itl extension. The folder name will be your external drive.
I go into edit > preferences > advanced and set my library to the correct location. Make sure you check the box "Copy to iTunes Folder when importing" (or whatever it says).
You can't fix the issue of iTunes not seeing the media if your drive is unplugged unless you physically move the content to your OS HDD...Or any other HDD you use.

How to back up iTunes Library to external drive so it can be restored

I recently moved my iTunes Library from a firewire Lacie external hard drive to a Western Digital USd hard that is now having problems (It keeps unmounting itself and I don't think that's good). It was not easy to move my iTunes folder and make it work again. I do not want to send 3 weeks plus using my spare time relinking songs or recreating playlists. I had to re-link 6,000 songs one by one. I iTunes will make a backup on CDs or DVDs why not an external device? Why would I want to copy 80 plus gigs to CDs?
If I simply copy my iTunes folder to the LaCie drive like apple recommends and the WD fails, I will lose all my playlists, track info, art work. I just got it all back. There must be some type of back up program I'm not seeing.
Please, some one help me. I am very disappointed that this solution is not on here.
I'm going to copy the file for now but it's really a poor solution.
Message was edited by: CindyLoo

I want to back up every thing, but I can't find a way to do it. That is the problem. Apple recommends if you are backing up to an external drive to copy folder the music folder to the drive via drag and drop. But I know when you do this that if you try use the backup you will only have the songs as if they were first added to iTunes.
I was able this time to move my music folder successfully (Last time the problem wasn't immediately apparent as it didn't affect my iPod, so I hope I'm not jinxing it). For now, my music is back on the Lacie drive, but it's still not backed up. If the LaCie drive were to fail I'd be faced with reimporting all my music and re-purchasing the TV shows and movies. (I almost always make a CD of new iTunes Purchases. which is why I have no desire to have a second huge stack of CDs.) My computer will not burn DVDs.
I want to backup everything so that it could be restored and be like it is now, but I don't see a way to do it. And I am not backing up all 80 plus gigs to CDs. My computer would crash and burn.

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as my laptop filled up - I created an external Aperture library on an external drive - with a matching drive used as a vault - worked fine - then I was deleting images from the laptop library that were also in the library on the external drive and when I re-connected the external library drive Aperture would be unable to start, had to force quit - I can not open the library on the external drive in Aperture - I can open the library on the laptop - but I need the images in the external drive - the vault was updated 6 days ago -
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This whole thing started when I figured I could clear some files from the laptop that were both on the laptop and the external drive. I have done this before to create more working space on my laptop.
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Backing up library to external drive rather than CD's??

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