Backing up your music

After experiencing a crash with the update to ITunes today, I realized I better back up my music files seperate from my hardrive.. Just wondering what method most of you use to backup a large music library?
Thanks for your help.
Windows XP

I use the very basic 'copy entire music folder + iTunes files to external hard drive' method.
Here, Courtesy of Buegie
Well....You can Use iTunes for Backing up your Music. It works fine for music files BUT: I prefer more control and completeness over my backup process, and it is also important to note that a large limitation of using iTunes to manage the backup is that the iTunes method does not maintain the two meta-data files (iTunes Library.itl & iTunes Music Library.xml) where your Playlists, Ratings, Play Counts, etc. are stored. See: What are the iTunes Library files?
If you are heavily invested in your Library data (Playlists, Play Counts, Ratings, Last Played, Date Added, etc.), then:
it is critical that you also make multiple backups of your ‘iTunes Library.itl’ file.
If your music is located under one common Folder (e.g.-‘iTunes’), then it is easiest to physically copy that folder and all its sub-folders in one simple process. It can be done quickly, and incrementally – several times a day, when necessary. In the case of any data loss, just re-copy your entire (or partial) music library back to wherever it was, placing it in the main Folder that the previous iTunes expected. Along with the .ITL meta-data file, this completes a full ‘restore’ of your music to the time of your last backup.
Use of a backup software program will greatly help. It will allow you to easily perform incremental backups of only the files that have changed. WinXP has such a facility built-in. I use a free program called FileSync ( http://www.fileware.com ). There are many out there. Some use Zipped files or proprietary formats, others use standard file formats. I like FileSync as it uses normal file formats that can be viewed/managed via any Windows program or utility.
Here's a list of possible ways to copy your music files from your main iTunes computer to another storage medium for backup purposes.
1) Use an External Hard Drive to store the complete iTunes meta-data files and underlying Music Folder structure and songs from your main computer. They are quite cheap now, for their storage volume. This is my preferred main medium.
If you have two computers:
2a) Connect them through a router
2b) Connect them using a Direct (w/Mac) or Crossover (PC/PC) Ethernet cable (See: http://www.ifelix.co.uk/tech/3001.html)
2c) Connect them via a USB-to-USB Network Bridge. See: here as an example.
Copy the files and folders from one computer to the other. Use the second PC as your backup repository.
3) Burn several DVDs (at 4.7+ GBs each) with the music data files and store them safely. Re-writable ones are good for backup purposes (if your DVD drive can manage these).
4) Burn 6x more on CDs (at 700MB each) than in #3 above and store them safely in more space Re-writable ones are good for backup purposes (if your CD drive can manage these).
5) Use a larger USB Flash drive (1GB - 4GB) to store the files only if you have a small amount ripped music or have multiple and/or jumbo USB drives at your disposal that will fit your music library.
6) Use the second internal hard drive (if available) of your PC -- not optimum, as you really want to physically separate the storage of backups from the originals, but good as a tertiary storage device.
By keeping only one copy of your music (other than on the iPod), you are not truly 'backed-up' and are running a high risk of losing your music. Music files on just the iPod and the computer is not considered having any backup. If you cannot store your complete music files on the computer, then create and maintain two external sets.
You need at least three sets of your music:
-- One full set on the PC within iTunes (on internal HD or ExHD)
-- One full set on an separate external backup medium (CD/DVD/ExHD/other)
-- One (full or partial) set on the iPod
It is a good policy to backup all your important data. It is a very smart policy to back it up on more than one medium.
External hard drives now run less than $100 for 200-250GBs of storage. Very cheap backup insurance, indeed. See: http://dealnews.com/categories/Computer/Storage/Hard-Drives/USB-Hard-Drives/254. html

Similar Messages

Is Automator the right software to back up your music library?

I'm not very familiar with Automator, but I'm trying to make it do something and I fail miserably.
All I want is when I add a song to my iTune, I would like Automator to immediately create a back up of the song.
Is this the right software to do that?
If not, suggestions?

Not to blow my own horn but check out the article at http://www.atpm.com/12.07/automator.shtml I developed a workflow that copies your music folder. I didn't discuss it much in the article but there is also a link to an Automator action that could be added to the workflow so that it speeds things up by only copying files modified sine the last backup.
I saved my workflow as an application that is double-clickable. In the article I also talk about using Automator and iCal to achieve timed backups. For what you want to do it's probably best to save as an application and attach it to the music folder as a folder action. I didn't discuss that in the article but you can find easy to follow directions at http://www.macworld.com/article/54651/2007/01/febgeekfactor.html Read the section entitled Put Your Folders To Work
Message was edited by: Slydude

TS1436 why i cannot back up my music in itunes?

i been trying to back up my music from itunes and i can't find the link?

Robert Furcal wrote:
i been trying to back up my music from itunes and i can't find the link?
It depends what you want to do.
If you want to back up your music to an external hard drive, just copy it there, the same way you would back up photos or documents. It is best to copy the entire iTunes folder.
If you want to subscribe to the cloud-vased backup known as iTunes Match, see this article:
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4914

HT4972 after downloading ios5.1.1 how do you get your music back on your ipod?

after downloading ios5.1.1 how do you get your music back on your ipod

Sync it from your iTunes library
Redownload iTunes purchases by
Downloading past purchases from the App Store, iBookstore, and iTunes Store
If it was not in your iTunes library and you updated via iTunes you will have to get the music again sinve synced media like apps and music are not include din the iPod backup that iTunes makes.

HT1420 How can you get your iTunes music back when your iTunes Match expires & you no longer have access to the computer it ws stored on?

How can you get your iTunes music back when your iTunes Match expires & you no longer have access to the computer it ws stored on?

Try here:
iTunes: Error 13019 during sync

When your computer crashes how do your get the music on your iphone back on your new computer

when your computer crashes how do your get the music on your iphone back on your new computer?

The music sync is one way - computer to iphone. The only exception is itunes purchases.
It has always been very basic to always maintain a backup copy of your computer for just such an occasion.
Use your backup copy to put everything back.
If for some reason you have failed to backup ( not good), then you can transfer itunes purchases. Without syncing: File>Transfer Purchases

Is there a way to auto sync playlists while manually managing your music?

I used to use WMP11 before I bought an iPod and used iTunes, and in that I was able to auto sync playlists to my Samsung dap, as well as being able to manually drag tracks/albums to it.
Since using iTunes, I have found it is not as accessible in this regard. Of course, you can opt to manually manage your music, but if you do this, it does not auto sync any info. This means that if I drag a playlist to my iPod and alter it at a later stage by adding more tracks, it won't alter it on the iPod unless I manually replace it with the amended one. It also means that any ratings that I set on my iPod do NOT get transfered to the tracks in iTunes when connected.
What I have done is set a playlist called 'iPod Tracks' in iTunes, and have dragged any extra albums to my iPod using that, as well as the smart playlist 'Top Tracks'. But the disadvantage of this is, if I drag a few songs from an album into my 'iPod Tracks' playlist, then later decide I want the whole album and drag that over, I end up with two of the same tracks in the playlist, which makes it look very untidy (although I am aware only one of each track will be on the iPod) so it is not ideal.
Surely there must be a way to auto sync playlists so that when you amend them in iTunes it does so on the iPod too, as well as manually drag over any extra tracks/albums you want without having a messy playlist work-around like I have done.
Any help/ideas?
Thanks in advance.

There is no way to sync content back to itunes. As you are aware there are a couple of unsupported ways to recover your content, you will need to decide if your content is valuable enough to go down this route.
If so and you are not comfortable with the procedures, I suggest taking the unit to a data recovery specialist with mac experience.

What do you do if all your music disappears into the Other folder......dreaded orange bar!

Hope this will help someone as there is clearly not much help from Apple nor this forum.
I am on vacation away from my home computer where my iTunes is. I turned on my iPod and scrolled down to Music and it showed "No Music." Went to "About" and saw that there were only 9GB of free space, so I felt for sure it was there because that's right at what I had when I last synced it, which was a couple days ago and it finished syncing with no problems. Went to the next "About" screen where you can see how much Audio, Video etc. etc. you have and it showed 0 Audio and The "Other" category had all the data in it. What happened to my music, and can I get it back on vacation without my iTunes on my computer at home? I tried the holding down of the Select middle button and the Menu button until the Apple logo appeared but that did not restore any Audio. Hope someone can help me out here.....Thanks
Re: Ipod Classic 160GB having issues, need help please?
Oct 25, 2011 5:06 AM (in response to Fishead)
Solved my issue and thought I might do someone a favor by posting the answer. If you wind up with NO MUSIC and find all your audio files have been synced into the OTHER folder on your iPod such as what happened to me, AND if you happen to be unlucky enough not to have access to your computer where your iTunes program would allow you to re-sync your iPod, here's what worked for me in a Windows7 OS.
1.You will have to find a computer that has enough storage to hold the amount of information stored on your iPod. In my case, 139GB!!! Download iTunes if it is not already on the system, or if it is, update to the latest software.
2. Plug your iPod into one of the USB ports.
3. Open iTunes if it does not open itself.
4. Select your iPod from the menu on the left and you should get a message that iTunes cannot read the iPod. Simply close that box. If you get a message that syncing your iPod will erase all content then decline the sync.
5. Open Computer and you should see your iPod as an external hard drive.
6. Open it and you will see some folders and a few files. The folders will likely look like they are a washed-out yellow instead of a deep yellow like you're accustomed to seeing. That threw me initially because as I was looking for the folder with @ 139GB, it was not there. Right click each folder, go to Properties and check the "Show hidden files" in the View menu. After that, the folders will appear dark yellow and as you hover over each one, you will see one that will have the full amount of data that was on your iPod before the mess started. Open that folder and you will see a bunch of other folders with strange names, like F00, F01 etc. etc. Do the Edit, Select All, right click and in Properties, View menu, check the Show Hidden Files again. All the folders that were that light yellow color will now turn deep yellow. Be sure to select show hidden files not only for the folder but all sub folders and files box that will come up....forgot to mention that earlier. Now all your folders and the files in them will be readable by iTunes.
7. The folders will all still be selected. If not, select them and then do either a copy/paste into iTunes Music Library or drag them over into that pane. The process will begin and likely take quite a while. In my case, several hours. When it is done, you will see all your music in iTunes along with the album art if you had any.
8. Now you will need to sync your iPod to that library, but before you do, you will need to Restore it. Simply select it from the left menu and click on the Restore iPod option. That will only take a few minutes and it will wipe your iPod clean. Before you do that, it is a good idea to MAKE SURE YOUR MUSIC IS ALL THERE!!! I also went to about a half dozen of the albums and tried playing a few songs just to be double sure. Proceed with the Restore, and when it is complete change the iPod name that will be in the small box on the same page as the Restore option and likely be something like"karens iPod" (whoever the computer belongs to will be the name there) to exactly what your iPod is called on your iTunes on your computer that it was originally synced to. I found that before I did this, it would not sync.
9. When you hit Sync, be patient because it took a minute or so before it actually began to sync. Then, it will be another few hours if you have as much music as I did for the sync to complete and depending on the speed of the computer you're using.
That's how I got all my music back and I am now a happy camper/listener again.,
I called Apple support and they were absolutely no help. Just told me I would have to re-sync to my iTunes even though I kept telling them that was 1,650 miles away at my house and not going to be possible. I even asked if the above process would work and they said they didn't know but "You could try it....." :-( At that time, I didn't have access to a computer with enough hard disc space on it yet so I called the Apple store in Louisville, KY which was 65 miles from where I was hoping that they might be able to help. After 2 calls and getting hung up in the same loop of menus that left me on hold for over 20 minutes long distance, I gave up and concluded that Apple and Support are two mutually exclusive terms and have no relationship to one another. This has been quite a nightmare, and if anything good has come of it aside from having my music back, it might be the learning process but I really feel that is a rather small reward for the time spent!
Not likely to be an Apple fan when considering my next purchase of home computer, laptop, nor the phone I am preparing to buy.
Hope this has helped someone.
Fishead
Correct Answer
Helpful Answer

I never throw anything away up to a point when it has become silly and then I have a cull. (This applies to the loft, the garage and the hard disk)
I always have (at least) two backups to external drives and by the end of a project also have a full backup to DVD.
I am a hobby photographer, so this isn't necessarily a good professional workflow!
I store work in progress within a folder structure that identifies just what it is, final folder being date stamped for the start date (eg D:\My Pictures\Photgraph Album Master\Family\Bob\20100715 Farnborough airshow)
Photographs of value are then kept within the folder with a date stamp and version number if they change within a day (eg 20100823 Alexander in cockpit 2).
Photographs I haven't touched remain with their camera-specified name.
Lightroom, which I use, doesn't know about external drives or DVD backups. (Maybe it should, but it would become confusing)
Bob

I get an error message when I sync my iPhone 5 with itunes on a Windows 7 laptop. When I go back to my music there are exclamation marks next to many songs. I have reinstalled iTunes

I get an error message when I sync my iPhone 5 with iTunes on my Windows 7 Samsung laptop. I recently backed up all of my data using Samsung Recovery Solution 5 to an external hard drive so that I could restore my laptop. I put all of my data back on the restored laptop and reinstalled iTunes. After the error message that says that certain items could not be found and the "sync" is finished I go back to my music in iTunes and there are exclamation marks next to many songs. I follow some instructions regarding the Edit - Preferences - Advanced settings and the exclamation marks go away until I try to sync my phone again. Then I get the same error message and the exclamation marks return. I have uninstalled and reinstalled iTunes and the same thing happens again. I am about to schedule an appointment with the Genius Bar but would like to avoid that if possible. Thank you in advance for any help.

Hello Courtney,
Thank you for the details of the issue you are experiencing when syncing your music to your iPhone. It sounds like iTunes is not able to locate the original file for the song to transfer it to your device. I recommend reviewing the following articles to locate you music files on your computer:
iTunes: Finding lost media and downloads
http://support.apple.com/kb/ts1408
Where are my iTunes files located?
http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1391
Thank you for using Apple Support Communities.
Best,
Sheila M.

When I back up my musical files where are they stored?

I got a nano a couple of years ago and put all my albums on it (synced through i-tunes). I hadn't used my nano for a few months and when I went back to it my library seemed to have been replaced.......is it possible that my teenage son overwrote the nano?. Where are my files actually backed up - would it be on the laptop I used during the backup process (even though I was signed on to I-tunes at the time) or are they in fact backed up remotely through the I-tunes site.
It is all so confusing - and frustrating.
I searched for my song library on my Click-free back up device but it does not seem to have stored the songs.....just stored the link to I-tunes.
Could somebody direct me on how to solve my problem.
cheers

Your music should be in your iTunes library on your computer, and can be synced back to your nano as you did originally. Have you opened iTunes and clicked on Music to see if your music is still there?

How do i back-up my music to cds?

According to the directions, I should find a link under File -> Library -> back-up on iTunes. I can't find an option for backing up anywhere. I would like to back-up my music to cds.

The back up to CD/DVD feature has been removed from the latest builds of iTunes. Use the backup software that comes with Windows or your drive. Alternatively...
Fast backup for iTunes library (Windows)
Grab SyncToy 2.1, a free tool from MS. This can be used to copy your entire iTunes library (& other important data folders) onto another hard drive or network share. You can then use SyncToy periodically to synchronise or echo your library to the backup. A preview will show which files need to be updated giving you a chance to spot unexpected changes and during the run only the new or updated files will be copied saving lots of time.
If your media is all organised below the main iTunes folder then you should also be able to open the backup library on any system running the same version of iTunes, regardless of the drive letter or path it appears on.
tt2

HT1202 can you transfer your music from a different library?

My old itunes is on a different computer. I am trying to get the songs off my old ipod to my new computer and itunes. I and not sure how to do this. I looked up how to do it on apple.com and it told me to go to settings and then to check the box Manually manage music and videos. However I do not have that box. What can I do now???

See this older post from another forum member Zevoneer covering the different methods and software available to assist you with the task of copying content from your iPod back to your PC and into iTunes.
https://discussions.apple.com/thread/2452022?start=0&tstart=0
B-rock

HT4946 how do i back up my music when my windows desktop is not synced to my ipod

how do i back up my music when my windows desktop is not synced to my ipod ?

See:
Recovering your iTunes library from your iPod or iOS device: Apple Support Communities

I had to have the hard drive replaced on my computer and i lost all my iTunes data and I hadn't backed up my music. can I still transfer music from my iPod to a new iTunes?

I had to have the hard drive replaced on my computer and i lost all my iTunes data and I hadn't backed up my music. can I still transfer music from my iPod to a new iTunes?

Music Rescue also works as far as restoring your playlists etc. I've used it twice, you can use the Quick Recover mode, but have to click continue trial (something like that) allot, cp. to purchase option. Otherwise diesel is right as far as restoring via your purchase history.
Here is a review of Music Rescue.

How to back up your profile in Wxp??

Hi,
just wanted to know if someone is using a logitech cordless and optical mouse around and a MSI K7D-MASTER???
I bought one last week and put it to work, pretty nice invention I said!!!!!
it was functioning pretty well, comfortable i´d say, until that moment!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ;( :O X( 8o ?( X( X( ;( ;( ;( ,
The moment i decided to install the st*pid software bundle it has!!!!
MOUSEWARE 9.41.1 (windows) for Microsoft Windows:
XP, Me, 2000, 98, 95, NT 4.0
this machine runs 2 processors (athlons MP)& Wxp PRO.
I installed the software like i always do it ( put it into my cdrw and appeared the install screen) i was prompted to install the mouse software & music match too, i did it.
Then i was prompted to restart my machine....i did it.
then the post, the fasttrak bios, the scsi card bios, everything that my machine runs before starting..........finally the WINDOWS XP PRO screen booting up...........then suddenly a BSOD (blue screen of death), telling me that it was stopping due to new installed software or hardware, blah, blah blah stop at code 0x93c3487…. !!!....................................... ......................... 8o 8o 8o 8o 8o 8o ?( ?( ?( ?(
what the hell??????????????!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
restarted my system and entered in safe mode..........run uninstall mouseware and everything i installed.
again the post, the fasttrak bios, the scsi card bios......booted up and enter in windows like i normally do.
I wanted to restart my system once and did it, but when it restarted a small st*pid window suddenly appeared telling me i have lost my profile just like this:
"Windows cannot load your profile because it may be corrupted. Contact your administrator. "
“Windows cannot find the local profile and is logging you on with a temporary profile. Changes you make to this profile will be lost when you log off”
“seconds until you are logged into a temporary profile…………30,29,28,27,…..,2,1,0”
it logged in ……………………all my icons, where were them???????? ;( ;( ;( ;( ;( 8o 8o 8o
My programs, my work ?????????????????????????!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!aaaaahhhhhhh!!!! ;( ;( ;( ;( ;( ;( ;( :O :O :O :O :O
I was insane, insane, insane!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I decided to use system restore…..it functioned. I have everything back
I think Wxp pro, 2 processors & mouseware from Logitech are not good combination!
Logitech: I won’t buy anything from them again, the box the mouse came in has a legend telling you: over 10 million Cordless mice Sold!! (Yeah, that´s right for uni processor machines, maybe)
I ´m still learning things about my dual processor machines: they do not like everything that is designed for uniprocessor machines!!!
A dual processor machine is something fast, more than one processor has to be better in many aspects. But again, not everything is designed for a dual processor machine.
Does anyone know how to back up your profile in Wxp pro????
Any comments are welcomed!!! ) )

Profiles are stored on your system drive, in the folder called "Documents and Settings". Open it up and look for the subfolder with your account name. That's what you want to back up.

Backing up your music

Similar Messages

Maybe you are looking for