Can't back up library to DVD

My friend is trying to back up his itunes library to a DVD with no success. He has the data cd tab checked in the burning preferences. When he trys to burn the library, it says checking media then stops. Can anyone walk me through on how to burn a library to a DVD on windows machine?
Thanks a lot, Ken

The solution to go back yo version 7.2, where everything worked fine is in the topic that discusses the 261 error. Both errors started with version 7.3.
I will send it to you if you e-mail me at [email protected]
Unfortunately, Apple keeps editing my posts and deleting my e-mail address. They won't let me post the procedure. They won't let me send it as one individual to another. They won't post their own procedure to do it. They are happy letting everyone stay in a state where they can't back up their purchases.
They won't offer any assistance on the board and they won't let me either. And this is what they call superior customer service.
If you catch this post in time, I'll help you. I cannot spend anymore time doing what they should be doing for their customers that spend hundreds of dollars on the players and music purchases.
I leave you now. I'm taking my business to Real Player, Rhapsody, Napster and everone else who may actually care.

Similar Messages

Problem backing up library to DVD - disk not recognised

Hi all,
I have just tried to back up my iTunes library (approx. 7000 songs) to Sony DVD-R (for General Version 2.1 / 16X-Speed DVD-R Revision 6.0, 7 DVDs in total).
There didn't seem to be any problem with the burning process - I am using an HP Pavilion laptop (bought in 2005) with DVD R/RW.
When the backup was complete, I tried inserting the first DVD to check it had worked - however, nothing was recognised by iTunes (latest version - 7.3.2) and when I looked at the disc in Windows Explorer it appeared to be empty.
However, there was no indication when I was burning the files that there was a problem - it seemed to work perfectly.
Should I try a different brand of DVD? I tried to burn some pictures to the same kind of disk, through Windows XP, and it did not work, so it may well be that the brand of DVD is not compatible with my laptop.
I am also considering backing up using an external hard drive - is this a reliable method? Is it just a case of copying my iTunes folder over to the external drive?
Also, would it be a good idea to copy to an external drive in stages, to avoid corrupting files, or could I do it in one single step?
There is no problem with my laptop (yet!), but I am keen to back this library up as I know how quickly things can change with computers!
Many thanks for any help.

See this User Tip.
tt2

IPods crash and can't back up library - HELP

I have had an iPod mini for 1.5 years. My spouse got an iPod (30GB video) recently. When we switch between them to update songs from one library, the iPods crash and have to be reset (even that takes a few tries following instructions on iPod help).
I tried circumventing the problem by copying the library on my laptop from our PC (to have one iPod with one computer, both have XP Pro) with the USB drive but the library won't copy from USB drive to the new iTunes. (it will play songs from USB but won't copy them).
1. Can I backup the library on another computer?
2. What is the safest way to create a backup library (CDs in my experience may not last long)?
3. If we update the computer (hopefully soon) will that mean that we can't copy the library to a new commputer and will lose all the songs we bought?
4. How can we prevent either iPod from blocking or crashing?
Thanks for any advice and help.

Update: Success! I used my iPod as an external hard drive following these instructions:
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1329?viewlocale=en_US
After I reformatted I reinstalled my old iTunes 6 and dragged the folder back to My Music. At first, iTunes wuldn't sync a couple hundred songs to my iPod because I wasn't "authorized" so I had to enter my Apple ID and password. Downloaded latest software for Itunes and iPod and all is good.
Investing in an external hard drive still sounds like a good idea, since this was my first reformat and it was a bit nerve-wracking.

Can't back up library

Would like to back up my Library to DVDs but my latest version of iTunes is not working as before. When I click Edit>Library>Export I get a Windows box and if I select the DVD drive nothing works - get an error message. Previously I would get an iTunes window telling me how many DVDs are required and to put the first one in. So something changed or went wrong?

A few thoughts. First when you do the drag of the library file is Aperture closed? Don't know for sure if it would make a difference but it's probably a good thing to do.
Second have you done a disk verify of the volume your Aperture library is on? I would suggest you run disk utility and do a disk verify on this volume just to rule out the possibility of a bad sector.
Finally I would really advise against going into the Aperture library and mucking about unless you have a definite know good backup of the library. You could select all your projects at once and then export them all in one operation as a new library directly onto the external drive. The you could just open this new library in Aperture, no need to import anything.

Can t back up library to disc. error 2131 . whats wrong ?

Hi , Can anyone help me back up library to disc. error 2131 keeps appearing.

Update: Success! I used my iPod as an external hard drive following these instructions:
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1329?viewlocale=en_US
After I reformatted I reinstalled my old iTunes 6 and dragged the folder back to My Music. At first, iTunes wuldn't sync a couple hundred songs to my iPod because I wasn't "authorized" so I had to enter my Apple ID and password. Downloaded latest software for Itunes and iPod and all is good.
Investing in an external hard drive still sounds like a good idea, since this was my first reformat and it was a bit nerve-wracking.

Help! Can't back up library to disc

My computer has cooties, so I plan to reformat and start over. The only things I'm afraid of losing are a few pictures and my iTunes library (about 10 gigs).
When I try to back up library to CD-R, everything works until I see "Burning Disc...finishing". Then it just stops. No prompt to insert another disc, no nothing. It does the same when I burn an audio disc, but when I eject the disc (despite warnings) it plays fine. But to back up, I need to insert like 16 CD-R's. Any suggestions?

Update: Success! I used my iPod as an external hard drive following these instructions:
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1329?viewlocale=en_US
After I reformatted I reinstalled my old iTunes 6 and dragged the folder back to My Music. At first, iTunes wuldn't sync a couple hundred songs to my iPod because I wasn't "authorized" so I had to enter my Apple ID and password. Downloaded latest software for Itunes and iPod and all is good.
Investing in an external hard drive still sounds like a good idea, since this was my first reformat and it was a bit nerve-wracking.

Difficulties with backing up library to DVD-RW

Hellow all. I have seen various posts in the forums regarding iTunes v7.2xxx and problems with re-writable discs being used for backup of libraries.
I am having issues with this as well, and have not seen anything that was telling me how to work around or fix this issue. Prior to v7.2 I was able to erase my RW disc, using Nero, and then backup my library on one DVD. Now, even if I perform a full erase, iTunes spits the disc back out and says that the disc is not blank.
I have posted my CD/DVD diags below, but I doubt that it will show much more than anyone else who has had similar issues.
Any suggestions or ideas will be much appreciated.
Microsoft Windows XP Professional Service Pack 2 (Build 2600)
GBT_ AWRDACPI
iTunes 7.2.0.34
CD Driver 2.0.6.1
CD Driver DLL 2.0.6.2
LowerFilters: Pfc (2.5.0.204),
UpperFilters: GEARAspiWDM (2.0.6.1),
Current user is an administrator.
Video Display Information:
NVIDIA GeForce 6200
NVIDIA GeForce 7600 GS
Connected Device Information:
DiskDrive, ST312002 6AS SCSI Disk Device, Bus Type SCSI, Bus Address [0,0]
DiskDrive, WDC WD12 00JD-00GBB0 SCSI Disk Device, Bus Type SCSI, Bus Address [0,0]
DiskDrive, WDC WD20 00JD-00HBB0 SCSI Disk Device, Bus Type SCSI, Bus Address [0,0]
DiskDrive, EPSON Stylus Storage USB Device, Bus Type USB
CDROM, ATAPI CD-R/RW 48X16, Bus Type ATA, Bus Address [0,0]
CDROM, IDE DVD-ROM 16X, Bus Type ATA, Bus Address [0,0]
CDROM, FgF CDDVD+tech-200x SCSI CdRom Device, Bus Type SCSI, Bus Address [0,0]
CDROM, SONY DVD RW DW-U18A SCSI CdRom Device, Bus Type SCSI, Bus Address [0,0]
If you have multiple drives on the same IDE or SCSI bus, these drives may interfere with each other.
Some computers need an update to the ATA or IDE bus driver, or Intel chipset. If iTunes has problems recognizing CDs or hanging or crashing while importing or burning CDs, check the support site for the manufacturer of your computer or motherboard.
F: SONY DVD RW DW-U18A, Rev UYS1
Audio CD in drive.
Found 14 songs on CD, playing time 53:27 on Audio CD.
Track 1, start time 00:02:00
Track 2, start time 02:35:72
Track 3, start time 06:30:30
Track 4, start time 10:06:42
Track 5, start time 13:51:32
Track 6, start time 17:58:27
Track 7, start time 22:25:00
Track 8, start time 26:28:50
Track 9, start time 31:11:12
Track 10, start time 35:14:10
Track 11, start time 38:04:57
Track 12, start time 41:54:12
Track 13, start time 45:40:35
Track 14, start time 49:00:67
Audio CD reading succeeded.
Get drive speed succeeded.
The drive CDR speeds are: 4.
The drive CDRW speeds are: 4.
The drive DVDR speeds are: 4.
The drive DVDRW speeds are: 4.
G: ATAPI CD-R/RW 48X16, Rev 9.EK
Drive is empty.
H: IDE DVD-ROM 16X, Rev 2.40
Data or MP3 CD in drive.
Found 1 songs on CD, playing time 75:57 on CDROM media.
Track 1, start time 00:02:00
Get drive speed succeeded.
Z: FgF CDDVD+tech-200x, Rev 0800
Drive is empty.
Windows XP Pro

Can you burn anything to these discs using a different program?
Yes.
Have you tried not having iTunes running while you are erasing the DVD media? Letting that finish and then ejecting / re-inserting the media to make sure it settles properly in the OS — then launching iTunes and doing the backup?
I have tried this, and it has no effect.

Can't back up Library file

Hi All,
Problem: I'm trying to create a backup of my Aperture Library file by simply doing a drag copy of it to an external drive. I get about 2/3 of the way done, when the copy process stops and I get an error that the process has stopped, due to a corrupt file. I get the same result copying to my internal back up, external back up and even doing a file copy on the same drive. I've now done the consistency check and rebuild the database, but there were no errors, so I'm assuming that I will get the same result as before. I'm trying the copy again any way, just to check. If this doesn't work, I see two next steps.
1. Open the contents of the Library file, try the drag copy again. With the contents exposed, I think I may be able to find the offending file and get rid of it. I know this is dangerous, to muck around in the Library like this, will this work?
2. Export my library, project by project, then rebuild (import) on to the new drive.
I guess my third option is to just trust that the Vault will work, but after my last experience, I wanted to look at all options.
Thanks.
Background: I have had a bad run with hard drives lately and just after recovering from having a Samsung 1TB die (lots of hours to restore everything), I had my new WD Caviar Black 2TB start to act funny, with corrupt file issues etc. Here's my config, Mac Pro Quad G5, Mac OS 10.5.8 and Aperture 2.1.4. My current back up plan has been simply drag copies of my data to both an internal and external drives on a regular basis. Simple, yes but it has served me well until this latest bout of hard drive problems.
My short term plan is to get two new 2TB drives to raid in my system, with my external 2TB as a clone of my drive. That should hold me over, till my sales pick up and I can spend my savings on a new Intel Mac Pro with new OS and Aperture 3.
My current problem is getting fully updated copied of everything backed up. I've had some corrupt file issues, which stops the copy process and makes me hunt for the offending file. All that's done, except my Aperture Library. Yes, I have multiple copies of my Vault file, but in the process of rebuilding the last time, I learned that the Vault doesn't keep thumbnails and previews. I got uneasy about this process, when it took forever to rebuild thumbs and previews. It didn't seem like it was working, when I realized I had a copy of my Aperture Library, so I copied it over and everything was cool.

A few thoughts. First when you do the drag of the library file is Aperture closed? Don't know for sure if it would make a difference but it's probably a good thing to do.
Second have you done a disk verify of the volume your Aperture library is on? I would suggest you run disk utility and do a disk verify on this volume just to rule out the possibility of a bad sector.
Finally I would really advise against going into the Aperture library and mucking about unless you have a definite know good backup of the library. You could select all your projects at once and then export them all in one operation as a new library directly onto the external drive. The you could just open this new library in Aperture, no need to import anything.

Can I syn my new iphone to my itunes library on my PC even if it is already registered to my ipod? If so will it delete the library on my computer? And can I back my library up to my external hard drive instead of CDs?

Can I add my iphone to an exising itunes account which is registered to my ipod without wiping my computer library? Also is it poss to back up my library onto a external hard drive instead of CDs?

"am I still able to register another phone to the same ID?"
Yes.
") that I do end up creating a new apple ID "
This will cause complications. i do not recommend this.

Can't see the backup library to DVD any more on the File list is there any other way to backup my music library?

Backing up Library to DVD. On the latest version of iTunes there doesn't appear to anyway of backing up to DVD as a prefered way protecting purchases/Library completely.
Recently had problems with my home computer and wanted to backup my Library to DVD. So went to File on iTunes only find not there anymore, could not find any reference with help on Itunes.
Any help on this would be appreciated.

Apple removed it in iTunes 10.4. Locate the iTunes folder and back it up as you would any other.
(63658)

Can I download images from a DVD created with a newer version of iPhoto?

Hi, my first discussion forum! Why can't I download image files from a DVD created on my mother's computer(iMac G4 with Mac OS 10.4.11)?. She's running iPhoto6 and I'm running iPhoto5. Are'n't they compatible? The disc loads up OK then says at the bottom of iPhoto page "No Photos". Have tried with several disks. Many Thanks for yr help anyone.

Welcome to the Apple Discussions.
No, iPhoto 5 can't read a library or DVD created in iPhoto 6, because the structure of the libraries are much different.
Your Mac should be able to read the DVD. Use the Finder to copy the contents of the disc to your Desktop. Then from iPhoto, you can File > Import to library the Originals folder that you copied from the DVD. If your mom did lots of photo editing, you could also import the Modified folder. However, there is no way for you to re-link the edits to their originals. You will not be able to access her keywords, titles, ratings, and other iPhoto organizational metadata.
Regards.

Can I burn my iTunes library to DVD or back it up some other way?

Hi, I'm about to do a system upgrade, so I wanted to burn my I-tunes library to DVD for back-up. I have over 600 songs, so using CDs would not be practical. I also don't have an external storage device and all my other backed up stuff on DVD, so the I-tunes library would be the last thing I'd still need to back up.
If using a DVD isn't possible, is there a way to upload the songs into I-cloud perhaps? I have an Ipad with I-cloud, but my old computer doesn't have it (2008 Imac, Leopard, using Itunes version 10.6). It's about 3.6 GB worth of songs and one 50 min TV-show.

How to back up your media in iTunes - Support - Apple
The Complete Guide to Backing Up your iTunes Library | iLounge ...

How Can I Back Up My iTunes Library To A USB Flash Drive?

I have around 5GB of files in my iTunes Library and I don't want to have to use multiple blank cds (dvds) to get my files onto my new iMac. On top of that I can't my cd-writer doesn't work. So I bought an 8GB USB Flash Drive and I just want to know how I can get my iTunes Library to back up to my USB Flash Drive.

Is all your music, as well as your iTunes folder, in My Music? If so, copy your My Music folder to the drive. That will back up all the songs, and the iTunes library files, which happen to be located in iTunes/iTunesMusic.
In case you are asking how to copy: Close iTunes. Insert the USB drive into the machine and open it like a folder. Then you can use drag and drop to put stuff in it.

Error in burning iTunes library to DVD as back up

I'm keen to make a back up of my iTunes library onto DVD.
When I try to do this, having followed the instructions to the letter, the system chugs through, checks the playlist, tells me it is initiating the burning, then I get a message canceling the operation reading 'unknown error 4251'.
Now, I can't find anything relating to this error on the Apple website, however, there are other users with the same problem using other forums. The problem is though, there don't seem to be any answers resolving the problem.
Any help would be great, thanks.
Evesham Windows XP
Evesham Windows XP Pro

Well....You do not absolutely need to Use iTunes for Backing up your Music. Any program that burns DVDs can burn music files as data disks.
iTunes can work fine for music files BUT: I prefer more control and completeness over my backup process. It is also very 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.), it is critical that you also make and archive 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.
2) 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 – 4+GBs) 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 This Link

Can't back up files because of one video, no DVD recorder

How do I back up my music and not include the one long video that I have? It's a 900 mb file. My laptop does not include a DVD burner so I can't use DVD R discs. I unchecked the video, but iTunes still wants to back it up and insists on a blank DVD. I can't back up anything as a result. Before I purchased the video from iTunes, I could back up music with no problem.
Thanks for assistance.

Copy the file in Windows Explorer to another location, then delete it from your iTunes library and then try Backup. Once finished, you can re-add it to your iTunes library.
Then, to back up this video file, you can always use WinRar or Powerarchiver, which will allow you to compress the file into a series of smaller RAR files. After that is done, you can use your normal burning software to burn the files onto 2 CDs (include a copy of the WinRAR installer too ... just incase). I'd recommend using the "storage" or no compression modes though, unless you want to put other files on the two CDs, the file inside is more safely backed up WITHOUT any compression. This is just a convenient way of splitting it up into a more manageable backup.

Can't back up library to DVD

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