Can't Create a NEW LIBRARY

I'm trying to create a new library to do some maintenance on certain files (I'll spare you the details as to WHY).
I can't figure out how to create a new library.
I've tried holding the SHIFT key when starting iTunes per the instructions here:
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?path=iTunesWin/8.0/en/15502.html
and here: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1589
No matter how I start iTunes I get the same result - it just opens normally without the desired dialog box asking if I want to create a new library. I've tried starting it from the desktop icon, the start menu (both pinned and via "All Programs > iTunes"). I've tried using both the mouse and the keyboard (Enter).
Is this some bug I've run into or am I just not trying it during the right phase of the moon. Sometimes iTunes is just so hard to use and figure out! (Who'd ever have thought you'd have to hold SHIFT when launching? It should just be File > New Library or something that is at least VISIBLE.)

as you are using itunes on XP, there is a much more simple way
Go to My Docs > My music
rename itunes to itunes.old or something. Create new folder called itunes.
Start itunes, and you'll have a new library. once finished, reverse the above

Similar Messages

How can I create a new library in iTunes 12?

This is for the newest iTunes: 12.0.1.26 for the OSX version 10.9.5--- the other methods I found online don't work. Thanks!

Hold the "Option" key down while clicking on the iTunes icon in your dock. Choose "Create Library" from the pop-up that appears.

How can I create a new Music Library?

Had to buy new laptop which of course has Vista. The old unit was acting up(I think Windows XP was corrupt), so I saved my Library Files but it looks like the old machine only saved portions not the whole Library. I had approx. 13,000 tunes (35GB) in the LIbrary and all that was saved seems to be 319 tunes. I have all the music on an external HD and only the Library was on the laptop. My question is, how can I create a new Library from the external HD music? Is there a way or am I SOL? Any suggestions and help would be greatly appreciated.

You need the entire libary on the external, not just media.
What are the iTunes library files? - http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1660
More on iTunes library files and what they do - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ITunes#Media_management
What are all those iTunes files? - http://www.macworld.com/article/139974/2009/04/itunes_files.html
Where are my iTunes files located? - http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1391
iTunes 9 [and later]: Understanding iTunes Media Organization - http://support.apple.com/kb/ht3847
Image of folder structure and explanation of different iTunes versions (turingtest2 post) - https://discussions.apple.com/message/13025536 and https://discussions.apple.com/message/17457605
Once you get a complete iTunes folder on the external drive, start iTunes with the option/alt key held down and select the iTunes Library.itl file on the external drive. You will also need to do this with your main computer or the libraries will become unsynchronized.
Alternatively you can make a separate library using the same media on the second computer. Start as you have been doing, let iTunes create a new, blank library file which will be on hte internal drive, set the media folder location in preferences to be the one on the external drive, then add the files to the new iTunes library. Unless you are a super-organized individual, or you don't care if your libraries do not have the same content, you are better off using a single library file that is on the external, not setting up separate library files.

HT4527 My laptop hard drive crashed; can I create a new itunes account and get my library from my ipod?

My laptop crashed and I did not have all of my itunes library backed up. Can I create a new itunes account on a new computer and move my library from my ipod to this new itunes?

Follow the steps given here to get your iPod synced to your new computer without data loss...
https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-3141

Can i import "all images" into iphoto to create a new library?

somehow about 4000 photos out of 10000 disappeared when I moved to the newest iphoto and attached my external hard drive with the old iphoto library to it and switched between libraries using alt to open it. i was unable to get iphoto to see the missing 4000 even though they were in all images.
i went to all images on the new mac and dragged it into iphoto and created a new library.
it seemed to work but then a few hours later when i looked at my photos they are all just faces!!!!!!!! and in all images the photos are all just faces too.
what on earth is this?

i am trying to understand why so many of my photos in the library seem to be just faces
Because you imported the face thumbnails into iPhoto as noted several times
As My first post explained
All images is just that - a list of all images on your computer - all photos (two or three versions of each in iPhoto), the faces thumbnails, and probably icons and other images that have nothing to do with iPhoto
No bug - simply user error
Yes you can create a new library from the photos in the masters folder
But first try to rebuild the database again - if that does not work this time download iPhoto Library Manager - http://www.fatcatsoftware.com/iplm/ - and use it's rebuild command and see how it does - that will create a totally new liberary leaving your existing one untouched so you can go back to it if needed
LN

Iphoto can´t find my photos, is creating a new library the only solution?

Ok, I am having a hard time understanding iPhoto and its libaries. There are two parts of my question;
1.
I imported all my photos which I had on an external hard drive. I then changed my mind and copied them to the harddrive, and also kept thm on the external as a backup.
Now iPhoto cant find any of the photos. The thumbnails are there, but every time I doubleclick on an image, an error message appears The volume for “x.jpg” cannot be found.
I have about 14.000 pictures, so to sit and "find photo" one by one would take a very long time...
Is there another way to make iPhoto find all the images again?
2.
I think I found one soulution to this, but Im not sure Im doing it right. What I did was that I downloaded "iPhoto library manager", created a new library, named it "No.2" and imported all the photos again into that library. This seems to be working fine. However, when I click the default library in Finder, it says that it takes up 9 GB of my harddrive. Can I delete this library? Or will it affect iPhoto since it is the default library?
I am completely new to Mac and still stuck in Windows-land. So if anyone can help me with this it is much appreciated!
/E

Hi,
thank you foryou quick reply!
Ok, so nothing will happen to the images if i trash the original library?
Also, i have another question you might have an answer to. When I open the No.2 library (I have imported all the images to here) every time a message appears "6 photos have been found in the iPhoto Library that were not imported" I click "Yes" every time, but no images are imported and the message appears every time I open iPhoto. Aslo, every time I click Yes, iPhoto creates an album called "recovered Photos 1" "2", "3" etc. What photos does this regard? Can I get rid of this message somehow?
/E

I created a new library for my girlfriend using the "hold shift while launching" method but now i cannot find my library. How can i retreive it?

I tryed to create a new library to use one computer with my nano and my girlfriends iphone 4. for some reason when i did this i can no longer find all of my stuff. all I want to do now is start over and create a new user profile for her and get my library back.

Does the original library file still exist on the computer? Hopefully when creating the new library it was done in a seperate folder as I do not believe iTunes allows for two library files in the same location.

I created a new library so I can use it for just my music, but now my ipod will only sync to my old library and not the new one I created, even though I'm in the new library when I open itunes. Any solutions?

I created a new library so I can use it for just my music, but now my ipod will only sync to my old library and not the new one I created, even though I'm in the new library when I open itunes. Any solutions?

The point is that there are four i product users for one computer in my house, and not everyone wants the same music on their device. Like I said before, the ipod is not syncing to the new library even though I plug it in when the new itunes library is pulled up. It keeps syncing to the old library...

Having created a new library, I can't find the old one in iTunes

I've got a new iPhone 3GS and an old iPod.
I wanted to create a new library for my podcasts only, and move them to the iPhone - while keeping all my music on the iPod.
I used shift-Start iTunes and then started a new library. I Added the Podcasts Folder to the new library. However, only about half of them seemed to copy over. ... and now I can't get back to the original library. Anyone know how I get back to square one so that I can update my old iPod?
Thanks for any help.
Andrew

Ah, many thanks, I think I understand now! I thought the 'library' would be where the files were actually stored, like in a book library, but seems that it's really more like an index.
I deleted the whole darn 'iPhone' folder/library, and it asked me to choose another one, and I found the old iTunes one.
I'm marking this thread as 'answered', thanks again, but it was really just a stepping stone to a greater problem, so I'll now open up another thread on that

Can I create a "new" iTunes library on an external hard drive and transfer my iTune library to save space on my laptop

Can I create a "new" iTunes library on an external hard drive and transfer my iTune library to save space on my laptop hard drive

Yes. Just copy all your music to a folder on your external. Then delete the music on your computers hard drive.
It is not quite that simple. If you do that you will end up with many broken links and will have to re-create your library from scratch . iTunes does not like it when you move or rename files or folders and doing so between drives is guaranteed to result in exclamation marks indicating you have broken the links to all your media files.
If you are content with moving the whole library to an external drive (usually the best thing for most people), try:
iTunes: How to move [or copy] your music to a new computer [or another drive] - http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4527
Quick answer if you use iTunes' default preferences settings: Copy the entire iTunes folder (and in doing so all its subfolders and files) intact to the other drive. Open iTunes and immediately hold down the Option (alt) key (shift on Windows), then guide it to the new location of the library.

HT1918 If you are locked out of your account and you dont use that email address anymore, can you create a new account without losing your music library

If you are locked out of your Itunes account and you no longer use the same email address, can you create a new account without losing your music library

Just to let you know that I DIDNT swear in the last post. It was bleeped for using non offensive language. Just letting you know. (And @moderator this subnote isnt "off topic", its just letting colleagues know I'm not in the habit of swearing - something that the search and replace word-bot actaully makes it look worse than it is!!)
Many thanks - please dont delet this footnote (again)
Dom

Why is iTunes 11.1 asking me to create a new library every time I open it?

Every time I open iTunes 11.1 I have to load my library file manually...it does not just open automatically. It asks if I want to create a new library or load a previous library each time I open the application. I fixed permissions on my hard drive but it does not seem to help. Also, Safari is acting strange...when I click on a link in a page it downloads the HTML file instead of opening the new link. Lots of quirky stuff happening! Had to restore my HD last night from Time Machine...still acting weird.

Option 1
Back Up and try rebuild the library: hold down the command and option (or alt) keys while launching iPhoto. Use the resulting dialogue to rebuild. Choose to Repair Database. If that doesn't help, then try again, this time using Rebuild Database.
If that fails:
Option 2
Download iPhoto Library Manager and use its rebuild function. (In early versions of Library Manager it's the File -> Rebuild command. In later versions it's under the Library menu.)
This will create an entirely new library. It will then copy (or try to) your photos and all the associated metadata and versions to this new Library, and arrange it as close as it can to what you had in the damaged Library. It does this based on information it finds in the iPhoto sharing mechanism - but that means that things not shared won't be there, so no slideshows, books or calendars, for instance - but it should get all your events, albums and keywords, faces and places back.
Because this process creates an entirely new library and leaves your old one untouched, it is non-destructive, and if you're not happy with the results you can simply return to your old one.
Regards
TD

How do I import folders from one library to another? My original library has become to large and I want to split it. There is not enough memory to select all the folders I want to move to create a new library.

I also created a new library and tried file-import but cannot see / access any files in the original aperture library with that command.

If you use the Command to Export Project as New Library, then such a Library can be imported into another Library with the command to Import Library/Project. The first such export as New Library can be the"seed' Library for starting the process.
But the most important point is there is no performance gain from small Libraries where you think one has become too large, if the new Library is to be on the same disk drive as the original. My primary library is 1 TB in size, and works as well as tiny test libraries.
Ernie

How do I duplicate the exact playlists from my iphone 4th gen to my new ipod 4th gen 64gb? So far I've created a new library for it, duplicated all the apps, books

I'v been using an iphone 4 (16gb) for a year now, and have just got an ipod touch 4gen, 64gb. I created a new library for this, and most of what I have managed to transfer everything onto the ipod touch. However, although all my music has transferred, the playlists have not. Do I have to transfer them manually? That is, creating every playlist again, which would be a nuisance since I have 48 playlists and almost 250 pieces. All the music have been bought from itunes.
What I plan to use the ipod for is mainly for books, magazines and itunes U podcasts. Most other apps and music will be the same on both iphone and ipod. Both are under my same apple id. Please help, 'cos I've been searching for an answer on the internet and can't really find one. Everything else has transferred expect the playlists.

- Go to settings>Store and sign out and sign into your account.
- Apps are locked to the account that purchased them.
- To update apps you have to sign into the account that purchased the apps. If you have apps that need updating purchased from more than one account you have to update them one at a time until the remaining apps were purchased from one account.

My computer just had to get a new hard drive and we reloading info onto the new hard drive...my iphoto pics are all, there save about 8, but there are NO thumbnails. I tried rebuilding the thumbnails...nothing. I tried creating a new library...nothing.

I have recently had to purchase a new battery and hard drive. Because it wouldn't back up completely, I was able to recover most information, but it looked a bit different or I have found items in different places. One thing that is happening is in iphoto. All my pics are there, but there are NO thumbnails visible. I have tried rebuilding the thumbnails...nothing. I have tried creating a new library...no info even transferred. Any suggestions?

What version of iPhoto?
Can you view the pics at full size?

Can't Create a NEW LIBRARY

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