Can I keep my library on an external HD in order to free up my laptop HD?

Hello,
I was wondering if it was possible to keep my entire library (about 70GB) on a portable HD and use it to sync when I need to when I open iTunes? In other words, can I put all my music files on the external HD and only access them when I need to via the USB or does iTunes not like that idea? I am running Win7 64bit and iTunes 10.0 Thanks!

Sure, just use the itunes menu > file > library consolidate command AFTER changing the location in the advanced preferences tab to go to the exHD.
And remember, ALWAYS have the exHD plugged in BEFORE starting itunes and make sure to assign it a permanent drive letter in Windows.

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A hypothetical example: I import three albums called 1, 2, and 3 on computer A over a week or so. I take the external hard drive and plug it into computer B. The entire library which was visible on A, is visible on B, including albums 1, 2, and 3.
Is this possible? If so, what files need to be copied onto the external? I'm trying some different combinations, trial and error basically. Hopefully someone knows and can answer before I mess up my library. I also want to do this to free up space on my computer. All importing will be done from disc.

iTunes/Preferences/Advanced : point your iTunes to the new location of the Library.
Set "Share on local network" in the Sharing tab, and you or everyone on the local network can play your music.
You make a backup first of the Library.
Move the follwing to the new location:
/Users/your username/Music/iTunes/iTunes Music
have fun.

How can I put part od the iTunes music library of iTunes music on an external drive in order to free up disk space?

How can I put part od the iTunes music library of iTunes music on an external drive in order to free up disk space?

see this
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4527
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1364
Peace, Clyde

I seem to have a corrupted iTunes library. I can't transfer the library to an external drive. The transfer hangs up on a specific tune. Anybody have any ideas. I am running OS 10.6 w/ a 2Ghz Duel core processor.

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Old Barry wrote:
via a usb connestion
So you are copyinbg the entire /Music/iTunes? folder to another drive by copying in a Finder window?

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Moving a library: Quick answer if you use iTunes' default preferences settings: Copy the entire iTunes folder (and in doing so all its sub-folders and files) intact to the other drive. Hold down the option (alt) key (shift on Windows) and open iTunes. At the prompt to create or choose a library choose the copied iTunes folder.

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Create a concatenated disk set
Increase storage space with a concatenated RAID set (also called “Just a Bunch of Disks” or JBOD). If you need one large disk, but you have only several smaller disks, you can create a concatenated disk set to use several small disks as one large disk.
Open Disk Utility, in the Utilities folder in Launchpad.
Select one of the disks that you want in the set, and then click RAID.
Click Add (+), and type a name for the RAID set.
Choose a format from the Format pop-up menu. Usually you’ll choose the Mac OS Extended (Journaled) format.
Choose Concatenated Disk Set from the RAID Type pop-up menu.
Drag the disks you want to add to the set to the list on the right.
Click Create.
Exerpt from:
Disk Utility 12.x: Create a RAID set - Apple - Support
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Five Best Cloud Storage Providers - Lifehacker

Can't Move iTunes Library to an external Drive using instructions given

Hi Guys.
I want to move my library to an external drive. However when I click Edit, then Preferences, then Advanced, as per the instructions, there is no inner tabs that give me the option of clicking on General as illustrated in the instructions and I can't proceed. What am I doing wrong? How do I move the library permanently to the external drive to make room on my computer?
Many thanks in advance to anyone who can help!
Keith

Thanks for clarifying that there have in fact been changes to the Advanced tab. That's what threw me. I've successfully transferred the library to the F drive and all is well!!
It's only a small thing, but I'm just wondering what method I should use to transfer the remaining folders which didn't transfer with the full library.
I have basically just followed the instructions, excluding the going into the General menu of the Advanced tab. I selected the new location, which came up as the new location for the library in the window of the advanced tab. I clicked OK and then Consolidated the library.
Many thanks,
K.

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Be sure the ownership on the external HD is set to be ignored:
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Thanks Niel, I tried it and got this. What am I missing

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Moving the iPhoto library is safe and simple - quit iPhoto and drag the iPhoto library intact as a single entity to the external drive - depress the option key and launch iPhoto using the "select library" option to point to the new location on the external drive - fully test it and then trash the old library on the internal drive (test one more time prior to emptying the trash)
And be sure that the External drive is formatted Mac OS extended (journaled) (iPhoto does not work with drives with other formats) and that it is always available prior to launching iPhoto
And backup soon and often - having your iPhoto library on an external drive is not a backup and if you are using Time Machine you need to check and be sure that TM is backing up your external drive
LN

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Don't understand your question of "what goes on..."

Can't change itunes library location to external hard drive

I did have my itunes library location set to an external disk (my time capsule) and this worked great with my macbook pro. However, the macbook pro "died" last week and now I'm trying to set my new replacement imac itunes library to also be the external hard drive.
The advance tab on itunes preferences indicates that library location is set as requested however, I can't see any of my music in my itunes window.
I could of course just copy my music on to my new computer but that'll take ages and I'd rather keep it on the time capsule.
Many thanks
Anna

So the additional step need to do was make sure the copy files to itunes media folder is unchecked and the go to itunes>files>add to library then select my itunes music folder in my itunes location on the time capsule. Done!
Answer was found here http://www.macworld.com/article/46248/2005/08/shiftitunes.html

Can I Keep My iTunes Videos On External Hardrive To keep Space Free ?

HELLO ALL........i currently use a g4 powerbook running osx and ilife 06. i have converted several videos for use on my iPod and as a result my harddrive is getting a little crowded. i have a external hardrive which i use only for storage and very rarely connect to the powerbook. i use my mac regularly for listening to music but never watch the videos on it (only through my ipod)
i would like to know if there is a way i could make the"video" library from itunes be located on my external drive but keep all my music in its normal location so i can use regularly without having to connect the external drive.....
hope you can help me, thanks in advance

sorry to inform u that it wont be possible..music and
videos are stored in the same location......but try
this out. when u got preferences go to advanced
option..over there u will find an option that would
say "copy files to itunes music folder while adding
to library".. uncheck that option......but before u
do that transfer all the videos from itunes lib to ur
hardisk...then delete those videos from the library.
then uncheck that option and add those videos to
itunes...this time videos will not get added to the
itunes library but it will be there in the hardisk...
but remember later what ever u add to the itunes from
an external source will not be added in the lib
either..
i hope u understand what ever i said
assembled amd Windows XP Pro
hi there, thanks for this tip. yes- i understand this information and it has worked and done what i intended to do. thanks for your time in helping me. thanks

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Hi, I am also having trouble moving my library. I've looked at a million threads related to this and it looks like other people have had similar issues, but I still can't seem to resolve it. I moved my iTunes music folder from one external hard drive to a larger one. then I went into iTunes-->Preferences-->Advanced, and selected the new location on the new hard drive. Then I clicked file-->Library-->Consolidate Library. Now when I click songs, I still get the message "The song "..." could not be used because the original file could not be found." I also tried quitting out of iTunes, and then opening it while holding option. Even after I selected the new location of the folder that way, I'm still running into the same problem. What am I missing?
Jon

Can I keep my library on an external HD in order to free up my laptop HD?

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