Export vs "move" iTunes Library ?

I want to move my iTunes library from my old PC to my new PC (Win 7) and keep all my settings, playlists, etc.
I've read the manual but it just talks about "moving" songs from one place to another. What about exporting?
Is there a difference between "exporting" and "moving?
If i simply copy the whole iTunes folder from the old PC to the new PC, will it retain the settings, playlists, etc. Or, do I have to export the library?
Thanks

These are two possible approaches that will normally work to move an existing library to a new computer.
Method 1
Backup the library with this User Tip.
Deauthorize the old computer if you no longer want to access protected content on it.
Restore the backup to your new computer using the same tool used to back it up.
Keep your backup up-to-date in future.
Method 2
Connect the two computers to the same network. Share your <User's Music> folder from the old computer and copy the entire iTunes library folder into the <User's Music> folder on the new one. Again, deauthorize the old computer if no longer required.
Both methods should give the new computer a working clone of the library that was on the old one. As far as iTunes is concerned this is still the "home" library for your devices so you shouldn't have any issues with iTunes wanting to erase and reload.
I'd recommend method 1 since it establishes an ongoing backup for your library.
If you have an iOS device that syncs with contact & calendar data on your computer you should migrate this information too. If that isn't possible create a dummy entry of each type in your new profile and iTunes should offer to merge the existing data from the device into the computer, otherwise the danger is that it will wipe the information from the device.
If your media folder has been split out from the main iTunes folder you may need to do some preparatory work to make it easier to move. See make a split library portable.
Should you be in the unfortunate position where you are no longer able to access your original library, or a backup of it, then see Recover your iTunes library from your iPod or iOS device for advice on how to set up your devices with a new library with the maximum preservation of data.
tt2

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Hey man. Thanks a lot for the reply (hold the options instead of command key while launching). My old itunes library is now on my new computer in itunes, but the mp3 files are not in the same itunes folder. Where do I place these or what do I do to play them in my new itunes library?
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Full Details Here > http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1751
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Start iTunes with the Option key held down and guide it to the new location of the library.
Be Sure the drive is Formatted Mac OS Extended (journaled)
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http://macmost.com/moving-your-itunes-media-to-an-external-drive.html

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The usual advice concerns copying media files from one computer to the next, e.g.:
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4527
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http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1451
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Or:
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Move iTunes library on external HD from one Mac to another,

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See Here...
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Or...
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How to Move iTunes Library BACK to the Hard Drive

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Hello TWBuddha,
You can use the directions listed in the following article, under "External drive." Just pick up at 'Part 5.'
iTunes: How to move your music to a new computer
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4527
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First, I searched the forums (parameter: "itunes") and didn't see this addressed.
Second, I searched the web (using multiple parameters), and didn't find an answer on point. I saw discussions about moving the iTunes library (well, media files) to another location (but same computer) and discussion about manually copying everything (with warnings about ensuring that the volume name and path are exactly the same, or else it's totally messed up).
That said, I currently use SL on a MacBook and I'm getting a mini with SLS. Among other things, I'd like the core of my iTunes media to be on the mini (for direct playback to my TV and for serving/sharing to my Apple TV). I'll still use iTunes on the MacBook for selected media (like books).
My media includes both iTunes purchases and non-DRM'd media.
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If it doesn't, what's the best way to move my iTunes library and media from my "clien" machine to the server so that playlists, ratings, purchases, etc. are all intact?

MrHoffman wrote:
iTunes has its own private little world, and this question isn't really specific to Mac OS X Server, and the generic media-transfer discussion will likely receive better coverage over in the [iTunes forum|http://discussions.apple.com/category.jspa?categoryID=149].
Mac OS X Server doesn't do anything special with iTunes, and likely doesn't do anything specific with it at all; you're going to a "different" Mac, and server makes this more akin to a transfer to a new Mac, rather than the "replacement Mac" sequence seen with Mac OS X client.
I'd be surprised if this music transfer wasn't something that could be sorted out (within the limits of the copyrights) from some FAQ over in the iTunes forum, or from some of the following support articles:
http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1449
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1660
http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1329
http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1848
http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1203
http://support.apple.com/kb/TA38534
See if the folks over in the iTunes forum have something for this. (And again, server likely isn't relevant here; you're "just" going to transfer your music to a different Mac box here, and one that happens to run Mac OS X Server.
Thanks for the links - unfortunately, none of those are on point. The reason this is unique to server, I think, is that in the case of a regular mac to mac transfer, you would use Migration Assistant, and the move is easily done. But in seems like server doesn't come with Migration Assistant.
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Hi guys .. I have a question I can't seem to find a fully working answer to.
I have iTunes 11 installed, which has it's folder in the default location:
C:\Users\ahmadka\Music\iTunes\ ...
However I have all my music stored in one central folder located in my Dropbox:
C:\Users\ahmadka\Dropbox\ahmadka's Music Library\..............
I've recently made the switch from Dropbox to Google Drive, so I'm trying to move the above music containing folder to:
C:\Users\ahmadka\Google Drive\ahmadka's Music Library\..............
But before doing anything, I made a backup of my Music\iTunes folder.
Then I moved the folder as mentioned above (moved ahmadka's Music Library folder from Dropbox to Google Drive). However obviously after moving the folder, iTunes was unable to locate any songs (I see that ! sign next to any song I try to play). So then I tried going to File >> Add Folder to Library, and then I browsed for the new 'ahmadka's Music Library' folder. However now iTunes just re-added all the songs again, instead of realizing that they are the same songs which have just been moved.
Restored my iTunes backup and then tried this:
In another thread someone suggested running the FindTracks script to fix those incorrect links. I did this and it seemed to have fixed the links to 80% of the songs, but the remaining 20% still remain. Since they're a lot of songs, I can't manually fix each song's link.
One way would be to just delete everything in my library and re-add all songs from the new Google Drive folder, but I don't want to do this as I loose my ratings, playcount, etc .. I don't want to loose years worth of work.
Is there any other easier way that allows me to move the songs from one location to another ?

Okay, thanks for that explanation.
First let me tell you the paths for my specific scenario:
My library folder (i.e. A) (i.e. the one containing the ITL file) is: C:\Users\ahmadka\Music\iTunes
My media folder (i.e. B) (i.e. the one mentioned in Edit > Preferences > Advanced) is: C:\Users\ahmadka\Music\iTunes\iTunes Media
But do note that as I've said above, all my active music is currently in this Dropbox folder: C:\Users\ahmadka\Dropbox\ahmadka's Music Library
For example, here are some music folders/files I have here (just to tell you how it's organized):
C:\Users\ahmadka\Dropbox\ahmadka's Music Library\30 Seconds To Mars\A Beautiful Lie\01. Attack.mp3
C:\Users\ahmadka\Dropbox\ahmadka's Music Library\30 Seconds To Mars\A Beautiful Lie\02. A Beautiful Lie.mp3
C:\Users\ahmadka\Dropbox\ahmadka's Music Library\Game of Thrones (OST)\01 - Main Title.mp3
C:\Users\ahmadka\Dropbox\ahmadka's Music Library\Game of Thrones (OST)\02 - North of the Wall.mp3
etc...
Since the actual songs folder (i.e. C:\Users\ahmadka\Dropbox\ahmadka's Music Library) is not within either the media or library folder indicated above, how does this work with your solution ?
Remember that I'd just like to move the ahmadka's Music Library folder from Dropbox to Google Drive.
EDIT:
Also, you said this in your last post:
"A contains B as an immediate subfolder and the library is portable if all the content that is attached to the library is located somewhere inside this media folder."
While A does contain B in my case, do note that B does NOT contain all the media files. The actual media files are in that ahmadka's Music Library folder, which is currently located outside both A and B.
When I download a new song or album from iTunes, it gets downloaded inside B by default. But then I manually move it from there and place it inside my ahmadka's Music Library folder. This causes the link to the media file to break in iTunes, but I fix this by removing it from my iTunes library, and then re-adding the C:\Users\ahmadka\Dropbox\ahmadka's Music Library folder to iTunes. iTunes then scans the folder, realizes that 99% of the contents were already mapped, and just adds the new addition which I had just pasted into ahmadka's Music Library folder. Doing this everytime is a nuisance for me at times, but I'm now used to it.
Also, I like to keep my actual songs outside in a more 'public' location such as Dropbox, so that I can easily browse to that folder from other synced places (e.g. office, consoles, etc.) to listen to songs, etc.

How do I move ITunes Library to External with only 5GB of space on Internal Drive without getting Space issue message when Consolidate library option is executed?

Details:
250 GB Internal Hard Drive
50 GB iTunes Library
1 TB External Drive w/ 153 GB of Open Space that is Partioned
Steps followed:
http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1449
I get Stuck on Step 11 Consolidate Files to new external drive location with Error message: Not enough space to move files.
This makes no sense Apple. The purpose in doing this is to free up space on my internal drive?
Any help would be much appreciated as I'm stuck and can't seem to resolve or find any suggestions to resolve...

Don't use that method. It does move the whole library, it just moves the media. The whole library is best left intact.
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.

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