Can I use a network hard drive to store my music

This might be more of an Itunes question, but I would like to know if there is a problem using a network Hard drive to store all my music on? I'll be using 2 computers to access it, 1 computer handles my kids for there Ipods each having there own logins, and the 2nd computer for my Ipod..
Or do I need to have one computer with 3 seperate logins.. I just want to do things the right way without violating anything.
Thanks for your help.

No problem with using network drive. Many do.
Easiest when doing this from the start but can be done at any time. Some things will depends on drive. For me, only one can access drive at a time. create a folder on network drive for the library to be in. For each user on each computer map the folder on the network drive to a drive letter. Set iTunes to use this mapped drive as the library location.
Notes to be aware of. Each user will have access to all files on network drive. Files added by one user will be accessible to other users but they must manually add them to their own library. If multiple users subscribe to same podcast there will be duplicate files of episodes in folder. If one user deletes a file from device other users will be affected if tracks was in their library.

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Can you use a network hard drive to store your music

This might be more of an Itunes question, but I would like to know if there is a problem using a network Hard drive to store all my music on? I'll be using 2 computers to access it, 1 computer handles my kids for there Ipods each having there own logins, and the 2nd computer for my Ipod..
Or do I need to have one computer with 3 seperate logins.. I just want to do things the right way without violating anything.
Thanks for your help.

No problem with using network drive. Many do.
Easiest when doing this from the start but can be done at any time. Some things will depends on drive. For me, only one can access drive at a time. create a folder on network drive for the library to be in. For each user on each computer map the folder on the network drive to a drive letter. Set iTunes to use this mapped drive as the library location.
Notes to be aware of. Each user will have access to all files on network drive. Files added by one user will be accessible to other users but they must manually add them to their own library. If multiple users subscribe to same podcast there will be duplicate files of episodes in folder. If one user deletes a file from device other users will be affected if tracks was in their library.

How do you transfer iTunes to Windows 8 when you use an external hard drive to store you music/media files

I've tried a number of different search terms and yet can't quite seem to find an exact answer to my question.
I currently use a Windows 7 computer and have my songs for iTunes on an external hard drive. I would like to find some step by step instructions on how to transfer my library to a new Windows 8 computer and still utilize the external hard drive to store my music. What I find very confusing is I have similar folders for iTunes on both my computer and the external hard drive (ex. Album Artwork, iTunes Library Extras, Previous iTunes Libraries). I'm not sure which files to move over to the new computer to make for a smooth transition.
Thanks in advance for your help.
Paul

See also Make a split library portable.
tt2

Can I use a network hard drive for time machine

Can I use a network drive for my time machine back up. I currently have a 1TB WD AND its full with mostly videos and other back ups?

Such a configuration is not supported. This does not mean it will not work, but it is not guaranteed to work reliably.
Considering the "mission profile" for a backup strategy, you should consider this an unacceptable application for Time Machine.
Read Apple Support Communities contributor Pondini's Time Machine FAQ discussion regarding this subject here:
http://pondini.org/TM/2.html
Scroll down to the pink box.
There are other, significant concerns regarding sharing a Time Machine volume with other content. Time Machine needs to have control of the whole volume.
More info here: Mac Basics: Time Machine

Can I use an External Hard Drive To Store my Media and Link to Applications (iTunes, iPhoto)?

Good Afternoon,
I purchased a Macbook Air as a hold over until I could get a Macbook Pro. Unfortunately some things have come up and I am going to have to wait a little longer than anticipated before buying the Macbook Pro. Since I initially intended to have this laptop only for a short time I got the bare bones one with the 128 GB SSD.
Is there a way to set things up so I can move all of my media ( Music, Movies, Pictures etc,, ) onto a external portable hard drive that I can connect to the the laptop before I boot it up and have applications ( iTunes, iPhote etc. ) automatically link to the hard drive and my media?
I called Apple to see what the cost would be, if it was even possible, to have the 128 GB replaced with a 256 GB and I was told that it is possible, but it not a service they offer. So he suggested that I do this instead.
I know this is something that is fairly easy to do on a PC as I have done it before, but my concern is if Apple applications would work. I always had the understanding that iTunes ( for example ) must have its files stored to the local drive.
Any help is appreciated.
Thanks,
Eric

I have multiple iTunes libraries on the system now. I have one for my iPhone ( I left that one called iTunes ), I have one for my Nano that I use when I run ( Called iPod Nano ), and I have one called AppleTV that holds my movies. I switch between them regularly, so I understand switching between libraries.
So it basically does not matter where the library is located ( Local Drive or External ), as long as the proper library is selected when the external is connected?

Using an external hard drive to store itunes music.

I have recently put my itunes music library onto an external hard drive instead of storing it on my laptop, to save space. I have also told itunes where the new itunes library is on the external hard drive, using the 'preferences' folder.
Whilst the music was stored on both places, the files would play fine in itunes. However now that i have deleted them from my laptop, the songs cannot find the location of each music file, despite me having changed the location of the itunes library in the 'preferences' folder. Can anyone suggest why this is happening and what I can do to fix this?

Can anyone suggest why this is happening
Because you moved your files incorrecty.
iTunes prefs -> Advanced and point you riTunes music folder where you want youer music to gbe located.
Then iTunes menu File -> Library -> Consolidate.
and what I can do to fix this?
iTunes prefs -> Advanced. Make sure the iTunes music folder location is pointing to the iTunes music folder on the external.
Then File -> Add folder to library and select the music folder on the external.

Is it possible to use an external hard drive to store my music?

I am attempting to clean my internal hard drive. Is it possible to have my iTunes library on an external hard drive? If not, what about on a different internal hard drive?
Thanks.

Sure, it's possible to move your music library to a different drive, internal or external. You do have to be a little careful, though, or else iTunes can get very confused about the location of your files. This Apple knowledge-base article describes the exact process to follow:
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=301748
If you search these forums, you'll find both many tales of success, and the occasional tale of woe, most typically from someone who didn't follow the correct procedure and ended up with an iTunes library full of little exclamation marks next to each song - the sign that iTunes has lost track of a file. But if you follow the documented procedure above exactly, you should be good to go.

I would like to know if you have to back up a macbook hard drive, can I use a external hard drive that has been previously used to back up several pc 's, or is it best to have a separate external drive for the Mac?

I would like to know if you have to back up a macbook hard drive, can I use a external hard drive that has been previously used to back up several pc 's, or is it best to have a separate external drive for the Mac?

In the Mac side of things, backups usually come in two flavors: clones or incrementals.
A bootable clone is a bit-for-bit copy of all essential files in the startup volume. If using the Lions, clones can be made using CarbonCopyCloner or just plain old Disk Utility. These backups represent the safest protection of your info, but take the longest to do. Recovery is an inverse process: you copy the clone back into the internal drive.
Incremental backups start with a complete backup of the startup volume and only copy whatever changed from the previous run. OS X includes the fully integrated Time Machine backup utility to do this. It is extremely easy to do and takes the least amount of time. Recovery is another matter altogether since you have to start with a freshly installed instance of the OS and have to apply all intervening backups to bring the result to the latest saved version.
As for where the backup takes place, the recommended media is an external dedicated drive or drives connected via the fastest interface available on your Mac: Thunderbolt, USB3, Firewire, or USB2. Network-based backups, wired or wireless, are attractive but may not offer the same performance and hence take longer. Also important to note that the entire drive need not be completely dedicated to a single backup. The Mac's EFI firmware infrastructure allows for an unlimited number of partitions on a hard drive and each can be used for either type of backups.
Holler if you need specifics on how to do each. This was just an executive summary.

Can I use an external hard drive for my ipad mini?

Can I use an external hard drive for my ipad mini?

There are some wireless external hard drives that can be used with the iPad.
The Kingston Wi-Drive, which costs $50 for the 16 Gigabyte, and then $30 more for every 16 gigs more. It works by you turning it on and then accessing the files on it from an app that you download on your iDevice. You can access music, movies, and other stuff. No connections or anything, it works like a WiFi connection, you connect to it from the setting on the iPad under wireless networks.
Then there is the Seagate GoFlex, which some would recommend over the Wi-Drive. But this one costs $199 and had 500 Gigabytes of storage. It works the sameway as the Kingston: no wires, runs over its wireless connection. You can actually fit up to 300 HD movies on it.
Another option:
Expand your iPad's storage capacity with HyperDrive
http://www.macworld.com/article/1153935/hyperdrive.html
On the road with a camera, an iPad, and a Hyperdrive
http://www.macworld.com/article/1160231/ipadhyperdrive.html
 Cheers, Tom

Can i use an external hard drive in windows to add additional storage after my initial partition is set up. i want to add a 500 GB hard drive to use with my windows. I set windows up in boot camp with a 50 GB partition?

can i use an external hard drive in windows to add additional storage after my initial partition is set up. i want to add a 500 GB external hard drive to use with my windows. I set windows up in boot camp with a 50 GB partition? I now want to add another 500 GB?

Yes. Windows supports external USB drives.

Can I use one external hard drive for 3 of my Macs?

I have a 2007 white MacBook, a 2011 MacBook Pro, and a 2013 MacBook Air.
I want to be able to transfer all of my precious family photos off of my MacBook and Macbook Pro onto an external hard drive and then wipe those computers clean, and then I want to be able to backup and wipe clean my Macbook Air so that I can update it to Mavericks.
Can I use one external hard drive to do this for three of my Macs? Will it be compatible with all of them? And will I still be able to use the hard drive with my Air once it is updated to Mavericks?
Which hard drive do you recommend?

1. Yes. Note that anything you want to keep should be on at least two drives in case one of them fails.
2. Yes.
3. Yes.
(110959)

How can I use my external hard drive for my iphoto instead of my mac book pro memory?

i don't know if this question has been asked before: how can I use my external hard drive for my iphoto instead of my mac book pro memory? just like itunes all my song are save on my external hard drive. make sense?

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

How can I use an external hard drive to both back up and free up storage on my macbook?

I've used a hard drive to back up my 2012 Macbook Pro via Time Machine, but I'm not sure how to use it as external storage to move things like video and music off of my Mac to free up memory and then how to move the same things from the hard drive on to other devices like my iPad or iPhone. For instance, I have a ton of movies and would like to store most of them on an external hard drive so that they aren't taking up all of my memory on my Mac, but want to be able to move them easily back onto my phone or iPad. Also, can I use the same hard drive to both back up my computer and use it for external storage? If so, how do I do that?

Always use two drives for this: one for backup; the other for storage. Don't mix the two uses on one drive. There's a greater risk of data lost without that redundancy.
If you plan to backup using Time Machine, then be sure the backup drive's capacity is at least twice that of the drive you are backing up.

Can you use a external hard drive to keep all your iTunes info on it

Can you use a external hard drive to keep all your iTunes info on it

Yes.
The easiest way is to copy the whole iTunes folder out to the external drive, then press and hold down shift as you click the icon to start iTunes. Keep holding shift until asked to "Create or choose a library". Choose the library on the external drive.
tt2

Can i use my ext hard drive USB 2 on the the new macbook pro laptops with a USB3

can i use my ext hard drive USB 2 on the the new macbook pro laptops with a USB3

stephan ach wrote:
but i read that there are lots of problems with the new macbook pro. i have all my data on ext. la cie hard drive. i wont have a problem reading them?
What problems specifically? If you have a problem you should start your own thread and explain the problem in detail.
External USB devices including hard drives and DVD work fine on the new Macbook Pros.

Can I use a network hard drive to store my music

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