Can I have a common itunes library on a shared drive?

All of my music library is stored on my Power PC G5 iMac. Itunes no longer supports PowerPC iMacs and so I can no longer sync my iPhone to my PC. Since I cannot upgrade iTunes I can't use features such as Home Sharing or iTunes match. Whjat I want to do is to move my music library to an external hard drive and then connect to that iTunes library from my macbook and other computers. All I want to do is store my music on a network drive and have iTunes access the common library across multiple computers. Is that possible? Can I store my music in a central place and have iTunes map to it?

A correction:
Itunes no longer supports PowerPC iMacs and so I can no longer sync my iPhone to my PC.
Your iPhone4 can still sync with iTunes 10.6.3 which will run on your PPC.
You may need to take a crash course on how iTunes works before you embark on this. For example, an iTunes library created by a newer version of iTunes cannot be read by an older version. What you will essentially need to do is set up two independent libraries, one on each computer, but sharing the same media. You will have to ensure your actions with one won't conflict with the other. iTunes normally doesn't look at the files until you actually need to use them, so updating track information on a file with one won't automatically appear on the other until you try playing the file. You will have to stay on top of keeping playlists up to date on both if that's your desire.

Similar Messages

HT1495 My Wife and I have separate accounts on the same Macbook Pro. I have moved the iTunes library to a shared area and we can both access it, however, my Wife (secondary user)can't import cd's. Is there something we are missing and is there a way to d

My Wife and I have separate accounts on the same Macbook Pro. I have moved the iTunes library to a shared area and we can both access it, however, my Wife (secondary user)can't import cd's. Is there something we are missing and is there a way to do this?

You are more likely to get relavant and useful suggestions posting to the Mac forums instead of the iTunes for Windows forum where you've posted.

I have transferred my itunes library to an external drive. I then attached the external disk to a new computer. I can now access all songs from the new computer. But I can't access playlists. I can still access all songs and playlists on the old computer

I have transferred my itunes library to an external drive. I then attached the external disk to a new computer. I can now access all songs from the new computer. But I can't access playlists. I can still access all songs and playlists on the old computer

If you right mouse and select Get info it will show you the Apple ID used to purchase these songs.
Usually the name of an apple id is based on the email. So knowing that you may have forgotten the Apple ID password.
You can request a new password here http://www.apple.com/support/appleid/

Can't access iTunes Library on a shared drive

Here is my problem: I want to access my iTunes library from a shared drive.
Here is my equipment:
1. Imac running iTunes 10.6
2. 1 week old Macbook Air running iTunes 10.6
3. 1 Timecapsule that is 1 day old, bought with the express purpose of putting my extensive iTunes library on it, and was assure I would be able to stream it.
4. An Airport express hooked to my stereo.
The concept was that the Air doesn't really have the capability to hold all my music, but I want to use it as a "remote" to select songs through iTunes and play them on my stereo.
I did NOT want to leave my iMac on at all times and do homes haring that way.
Therefore, I followed intructions fonund else where and moved my iTunes library from my iMac to the newly installed shared drive on the Time Capsule.
I went into iTunes on the Air selected preferences, advanced, and changed the location of the Air's iTunes library to that of the one on the Time Capsule. It sees all the music. I close preferences.
What happens? Nothing. None of the music is listed on the Air
I've gone over this again and again, and this SHOULD work. What am I missing here? Should I take the Air and the Timecapsule back to the store?

Uh, I fear you followed some wrong directions. This is what you should have done:
iTunes: How to move [or copy] your music to a new computer [or another drive] - http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4527
do not confuse moving your whole folder and library with moving just media files as in
iTunes for Mac: Moving your iTunes Media folder - http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1449
It sounds as if in part at least this is what you did, at least when you say you are going to preferences and changing things.
Quick answer if you let iTunes manage your music: Copy the entire iTunes folder (and in doing so all its subfolders and files) intact to the other drive. Start iTunes with the option key held down and guide it to the new location of the library. Do this with both computers if the shared library file is on the external drive.
Note, the file can only be in use by one computer at a time. You will have to quit iTunes on one computer before opening it on another.

How can I download my iMac iTunes library to an external drive and reload the library to iTunes on a PC?

How can I download my iMac iTunes library to an external drive and reload the library to iTunes on a PC?

Hi Niel. Can you be move specific for those of us not tech savy? 1 - Can you provide steps to back up the library? 2 - How do you organize the library? 3 - When you move the entire iTunes folder, does it include iTunes paid for music along with downloaded music from CDs? Thanks

How many devices can you have to your itunes library

How many devices ( Iphone,Ipod, etc) can you have to your itunes account?

As many as you wish.

Can two computers use same iTunes library on a network drive?

Can two computers use directly (rather than share) the same iTunes library on a network drive?
My media library is on a network drive attached to my Airport Extreme. Right now I share the library with my desktop Mac. I can share fine, but I would like to be able to add, delete, and make other changes in the media library from both computers. The two computers would not be accessing the library at the same time as I am the sole user of both.

I appreciate your input and I think you're right about this being impossible. But just to clarify, you say I can't "have multiple machines accessing the same music files from a shared location." I can have multiple machines accessing the same music files from a shared location--I just can't have them accessing the same music files simultaneously--which may have been what you meant. For my situation, I think it will be less work to just quit iTunes on my server when I want to run it on my client (using Chicken of the VNC). It's not ideal, but it's less time-consuming than periodically syncing three computers.
Again, thanks for the input.

Why can't I access my itunes library on an external drive?

Hi -- I successfully moved my itunes library to an external drive a few months ago, and all was going well - I added content to it several times. For some reason now I can't access it, and when I tried to burn a CD into itunes, it created a new library that is on my hard drive. I have done the thing where I go into preferences and select the external drive as the library, but I still can't get to the external drive.
This is particularly urgent because I have a 2-week old baby and I am trying to burn one of those awful "soothing sounds" CDs so I can play it on my ipod while he is sleeping. Thank you!

If the iTunes Library.itl file is also on the external drive, try launching iTunes while holding down the Shift key, and when the dialog window opens that allows you to create a new library or open an existing one, choose to open an existing one, navigate to the folder that contains that library file and select it.
If that works, note for the future that if you launch iTunes when that external drive isn't mounted, iTunes will default back to the normal location on the internal drive and you'll have to repeat the Shift-launch process.
Hope this helps.

Can I have the same iTunes library on two computers?

I have an iMac and a Macbook Pro with two different iTunes libraries. I want to have the same library on both computers with playlist and all, so that if I do anything on the iMac, the macbook will sync. Anybody who can tell me if this is possible and how to do it? I also have a timecapsule if that matters?

Hello henrik100,
Thank you for using Apple Support Communities.
Home Sharing in iTunes is designed to let you easily share your iTunes media libraries between up to five computers in your household.
For more information, take a look at:
iTunes: Setting up Home Sharing on your computer
http://support.apple.com/kb/ht4620
Understanding Home Sharing
http://support.apple.com/kb/ht3819
Have a nice day,
Mario

Can I have the same iTunes library on 2 computers?

I have iTunes on my desktop PC, but now I want to use it on my laptop.
I've downloaded iTunes on the laptop, but when I log in to my account, none of my music appears.
I have my library backed up on my desktop hard drive, so do I have to import all of that music onto my laptop?
I guess I assumed that my account could go with me where ever I signed in.

How to Copy and Move your Music Files from One Computer to Another
This 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!
NOTE: It is usually safer moving files between computers with the same version of iTunes!!
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 200-250GBs 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

How can I transfer my whole iTunes library using home sharing? At the moment it is only sharing a few songs from each album.

How do I transfer my entire iTunes library from my old laptop to my new one? At the moment using Home Sharing only transfers a few songs from each album. Is there another way I can transfer from one laptop to another?

Hello DeanoH1975,
The following article provides several options available for transferring your library to a new computer, and details each process.
iTunes: How to move your music to a new computer
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4527
Cheers,
Allen

Itunes library on a shared drive

I would like to share an itunes library wirelessly between the Macs in my house. I have put the library on an external drive connected by usb to my wireless router.
On my iMac I can select the itunes folder on the drive in itunes advanced preferences and my music shows up in the itunes window an I can play it. But on my MacbookPro although I can select the folder, nothing shows up in the itunes window.
There maybe a setting I have to change somewhere, or an order in which I have to connect or open things....
Any suggestions?

sceptomaniac wrote:
I have put the library on an external drive connected by usb to my wireless router.
what exactly have you put on the external ? the entire iTunes folder or just the iTunes music (or media) folder ?
On my iMac I can select the itunes folder on the drive in itunes advanced preferences and my music shows up in the itunes window an I can play it. But on my MacbookPro although I can select the folder, nothing shows up in the itunes window.
this leads me to believe that you consolidated the iMac's library to the external but kept the library files local. pointing iTunes media folder location to a new spot tells iTunes where to put new additions to your library, but not where the current content is.
what you need to do is to copy the entire iTunes folder to the external, then (on each Mac) launch iTunes while holding the option(⌥) key, click on choose library when prompted, and select the iTunes folder you copied to the external.
note only one Mac at a time can access the library !

I have a new Windows tablet computer with limited hard drive space, and cannot transfer my itunes library to the hard drive. Can I run t media from an external hard drive? If so, how do I transfer my files?

I have a new Windows tablet computer with limited hard drive space (32 GB), and cannot transfer my itunes library to the hard drive. Can I run itunes from an external hard drive? I have tried to follow some of the directions on this site, but am having no success. Thanks.

iTunes will run fine with the media on an external drive.
However, I suggest that a tablet computer with a tiny hard drive is not ideal as the primary computer for managing an iTunes library, even a small one. If you have another machine, perhaps a big, boxy, inexpensive old desktop with a decent amount of storage, that might be a better choice.
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1364

Can users have one iTunes library deriving from two drives?

Hi everyone,
I keep my 4 & 5 star songs on my C drive and the rest (all stars, 1,2 3, etc.) on my exhternal hard drive.
Whenever I want to listen to my music, all I can readily play are the tunes on my C drive.
I'm guessing the issues having one library for tunes stored on separate drives is insurmountable?
I say that because I'm guessing that my iPod (4th gen) is only capable of importing from one library?
I think the biggest issue is either I don't know how to (or maybe users can't) list a second drive so that iTunes can load all songs from both drives whenever I do have the second drive up and running.
Adding to the second drive library issue, I can't figure out how to permanently tag my external HD's (I've got 6) so that their drive letter is not automatically defaulting to their order of prescence.
I can deal with that issue by simply not opening iTunes while I the second drive has been assigned a drive letter other than what iTunes (hopefully) is set to (i.e.; hopefully C and F drives).
But can users have one iTunes library deriving from two drives?

Seems I've over come what is something I'd hoped/expected iTunes would be capable of (ie; reinitiating the pathway for external HD music files when their drive letter is the only thing that changed).
I tried the obvious by going to iTunes's Edit>Preferences>Advanced and clicking the change button for "iTunes Music folder location", then entered the current drive and pathway (as the drive is currently assigned, F as opposed to the original G) and of course iTunes still couldn;t find the missing tunes.
Giving up on the hope that iTunes was designed smarter than it is (ie; each and every single missing tune req's manual redirection of pathway, as opposed to a preferable tick box for something like 'use the last redirected pathway').
And I finally figured out how to properly changed drive letter assignments, but still uncertasin if that means permanently tags my EHD's with that drive letter.
For that to be permanent, maybe I need to name each drive regardless that Windows already has unique inforamtion on each HD. Suppose I'll soon find out if the drive at this point has fianlly stored its drive name and whether or not Windows will contiue to change the EHD drive letters simply by the order which I am introducing them to the os.
No real luck with rats nest USB hubs as they crash my os alot, so I'm left to trying to find an easy way of managing the EHD drive assignments. THe following is the closest I've yet to come to doing that:
Click Start>Control Panel>Administrative Tools>Computer Management, and then in the left pane, under Storage, click Disk Management.
Right-click the drive, partition, logical drive, or volume for which you want to assign a drive letter, and then click Change Drive Letter and Paths.
Click Change.
Click Assign the following drive letter (if it is not already selected), click the drive letter that you want to use, and then click OK.
Click Yes when you are prompted to confirm the drive letter change.
Again, too bad iTunes doesn't afford a 'find' feature for 'missing' files such that one might be afforded a tick box for 'do not prompt again, instead use the last indicated location for "iTunes Music" folder as the base storage location'.
This drive renaming thing is a real hassle. Not like somebody couldn't have guessed it and Windows and/or iTunes can't afford some script, etc. to better manage 'tagging' EHD's and/or re-locating 'missing' tunes.
But then what would we have to complain about, not that they listen anyway.

HT1751 Hello, can you help? I have backed up iTune library to an external hard drive, but want to set up periodic back ups every month. Do I have to follow the "Consolidate file" procedure every time I back up, and does my original back become over writte

Hello can anyone help? I have sucessfully backed up my iTuines library to an external hard drive, but when backing up in the furture (Monthly) do I have to follow the same procedure again, and will this place an additonal copy of my iTunes library on my hard drive, so duplicating the back up and so rapidly fill my hard drive.
Ideally what I would like, is for the lateset back up to over write the original so saving space on my external hard drive. Many thanks ......Steve

The "consolidate" command has nothing to do with making backups. You use that command when you have had content in multiple places and you wish to have it now all in a single iTunes folder. If all of your content is already in the iTunes folder, then the "consolidate" command will be of no use to you. You will make further backups using whatever method you normally would use to make backups of your data in Windows.
Regards.

Can I have a common itunes library on a shared drive?

Similar Messages

Maybe you are looking for