How to back up itunes to external hard drive?

I am trying to back-up my I-Tunes library from my PC to my external hard drive. There used to be an icon under file in the top left corner that offered the option to back up to disc or an external drive. I just looked through all the drop down down menus and could not locate these options. Has the procedure changed and what is the procedure. I have to replace my Ipod touch with a new model from an external speaker malfunction. I was told to back up my library again so that the newer ipod will load the entire library since my last back up was 5 months ago. If I do not back up my library again I will only get what was on the ipod from the back up done 5 months ago when the the new Ipod gets hooked up. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

in iTunes, just hilight the "Music" playlist at the top of the sidebar and drag?
Or the entire folder from Applications
Don't do either of these.
In the Finder, double click on Macintosh HD.
Click on Music on the left sidebar.
Copy the entire _iTunes folder_ from /Music/ to the external

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How do I copy iTunes from external hard drive to iMac?

How do I copy iTunes from external
Hard drive to iMac?

if your main library is on your external, then when not connected, you wont have access to it.
so first decide, where do you want to keep the files.
E.g. In my case, I keep my files on "C:\iTunes Music".
I have a backup on external "Z:\iTunes Backup". If I format my laptop, this is how I restore everything.
Edit -> Preferences -> Advanced.
The iTunes music folder in selects as "C:\iTunes Music"
I have checked Keep iTunes Music Folder Organized, and also Copy Files to iTunes Music folder when adding to ibrary". Click OK to save and close preferences.
My iTunes list is now empty. I go to file, and select "Add Folder to Library". From that window, I select "Z:\iTunes Backup". iTunes then copies everything from the backup to "C:\iTunes Music". For me, backup is backup, I dont need it to play music.
Now decide this. If you do not want to keep music on C:, but want to only connect the external to update music on your ipod, do this:
In preferences, set iTunes Music folder as "Z:\iTunes Backup", and uncheck Copy files to iTunes Music folder, since they are already there. Then in files, select Add folder to library again to build and update the list.

HT1660 How do I run itunes from external Hard drive?

How do I run itunes from external hard drive. I only have ssd on PC and media is too large to fit

You do not.
iTunes, like all programs is installed on the C drive.
You can store the media on another drive.
Assuming you are moving an existing library from another computer:
Move or Copy the ENTIRE iTunes folder from the old computer to the new computer and put it where you want it.
Install iTunes using the default options.
Hold <SHIFT> while launching iTunes. It will prompt to create a new library or locate an existing library.
Select the option to locate an existing library.
Point iTunes to the iTunesLibrary.itl file in the iTunes folder that was moved from the old computer.

How to Back up iPhone to External Hard Drive on Mac/Windows

How are you to Back up iPhone to External Hard Drive on Mac/Windows?I need to Back up iPhone to my External Hard Drive on Mac computer,Whether have you more method to help me quickly to Back up iPhone to External Hard Drive on my Mac?If you have more method to solve this question,I will thank you very much,I'm looking forward to your answer.Best wish: Merry Christmas !

How are you to Back up iPhone to External Hard Drive on Mac/Windows?I need to Back up iPhone to my External Hard Drive on Mac computer,Whether have you more method to help me quickly to Back up iPhone to External Hard Drive on my Mac?If you have more method to solve this question,I will thank you very much,I'm looking forward to your answer.Best wish: Merry Christmas !

How do i move itunes to external hard drive to free up space on my imac

I keep running out of space on my imac (320mb)
I have my movies on a Lacie hard drive.
How do I put itunes on the hard drive?
Thanks

iTunes has many components. The two main ones are the application itself (which is what ones means when ones says "iTunes") and the library which is a set of files and folders. I take it you want to move the iTunes library (you cannot run iTunes the application off a non-boot drive).
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.
My one hesitation regarding the above is it sounds like you already have some things on the external drive and you have not shared with us the details of your setup. You have already modified itunes from its standard behavior and this can sometimes introduce problems.

How can I transfer Itunes from external hard drive to a new computer?

Hello,
I had a Dell laptop with Windows XP on it recently crash, but I have everything saved to a Seamagine external 1 terabyte hard drive. I have about 250 gigabytes of media on it, mostly CD's and audiobooks. The setup I had on the XP computer was my Itunes folder saved on the C drive, but I kept all the actual music and audiobooks on the external hard drive, which was labeled the F drive.
After the crash, a relative sold me their three year old Compaq laptop, with Windows 7 instead of XP as the OS. My relative already had Itunes downloaded on it, but when I opened the Itunes on the new (new to me) laptop, Itunes only recognized their (my relative's) account. So, I uninstalled their Itunes and then I re-downloaded Itunes for 64-bit Windows 7. I then opened the Windows Explorer folder so to drag and drop my backed up Itunes folder and library information from the old C drive to the new Itunes folder in the new C drive. But, it wouldn't do anything. It still wanted the password info from my relative's account. It wouldn't recognize my account, even though I had uninstalled and then reinstalled a newer version of Itunes. Dragging and dropping my backed-up Itunes folder from my external hard drive to the new C drive didn't work because it said it didn't have certain permissions or something like that. I think I might have downloaded a newer version of Itunes, different from what I had saved a couple of days ago, which might be one of the problems here, not to mention that I switched OS's from XP to Windows 7.
When I plugged the external hard drive USB into the new laptop no Seamagine manager came up for user-friendly accessibility. I didn't know what to do, so I installed Seagate Dashboard onto the new computer. It didn't do anything for me either. No problem, I thought, I'll just use Windows Explorer to move the Itunes library, and then once I transfer (i.e., drag and drop) the old Itunes folder to the one, all will be as it was. I could then direct my Itunes account to use my external hard drive as the media source folder. I was wrong. It won't let me do that either. It says I don't have permission to do it.
How c an I get my old Itunes library info onto the C drive of this new computer, but keep the 250GB of media files on the external hard drive, just like the setup I had on the old laptop before it crashed? If you can help me, then you will be my hero. I'm scared to death that I've lost my library info and afraid to mess with it too much more for fear of erasing it or, worse, losing the 250 GB of media that is on the external hard drive, which has taken me a tremendous amount of time and money to compile. It is, in effect, irreplaceable. I'm very worried and frustrated. I've been working on this for days, to no avail. You're my last hope. Thank you.

Hmm, I think we should start over...
Here are the typical layouts for the iTunes folders:
In the image above the red outline denotes the "media folder", that is the folder listed under Edit > Preferences > Advanced. In the standard layout where the "media folder" is inside the "library folder" the iTunes library has the advantage of being self-contained and portable. Since you've lost the "library folder" from your old computer you're going to have to start over so you might as well get organized properly.
If the folder curently holding your media files is called G:\iTunes then rename it as G:\Media.
The support doc How to open an alternate iTunes Library file or create a new one explains how to create a new iTunes library where you want it. In short click the icon to start iTunes and immediately press and hold down the shift key. Keep holding until asked to choose or create a library, click Create and browse to G:\, make sure the folder is going to be called iTunes and click save.
Move the folder that actually holds the media inside the folder G:\iTunes\iTunes Media. We're going to let iTunes reorganize everything (unless you have a collection of .wav files in which case stop and tell me because they require a different approach).
Use File > Add folder to library and select the folder G:\iTunes\iTunes Media. iTunes will search through the whole series of subfolders adding all media files into the library and reorganizing them into the correct artist & album folders.
Again, for data security, you really ought to obtain a second external drive at some point and backup your library to it. Only having one copy, as you have found, leaves you vulnerable to failure. External drives are no less prone to it.
A) Windows uses \ as a folder separator in path descriptions, Mac uses /.
B) Do you have a backup of the iTunes folder that was on drive C:\ or are you simply referring to the location of your media as a "backup" when it really the only copy? If you have a backup copy of your "original" iTunes library you could move/copy that to G:\iTunes shift-start-iTunes to open it, and then I can offer tools or techniques for fixing the links that will be broken becuase the drive letter has changed.
C) Use Store > Sign out and then Store > Sign in to sign into your iTunes account. You will also need to use Store > Authorize the computer to allow playback and transfer of any protected content. If your new library contains protected content from any other accounts then you will have to authorize the computer for those too.
tt2

Backing up iTunes to External Hard Drive AND burned DVDs/CDs

Hello.
I want to back up my iTunes library.
I realize that if I want to back the library up to an external hard drive, all I have to do is copy the entire iTunes folder and paste it on to my external hard drive. Correct?
Assuming that is correct, and now I want to back the library up on DVDs, do I need a DVD burner to do so?
Also, I have about 6,200 songs in my library. using CDs, can someone give me an estimate of how many CDs I would need to back up my library?
I know it's a lot, but I'll buy them online and just wanted a ball park figure.
10/50/100/500 CDs?
Anyone know?
Thanks.

Casper,
OK. I understand now. I thought that if I was to back up my iTunes library, that I was backing it up as data and would be able to hold hundreds of songs, or something.
But I think your math is wrong, is I misunderstand.
Let me break it down and tell me if I'm wrong.
6200 songs.
4 mins per song (average)
6200 multiplied by 4 = 24,800 minutes.
24,800 minutes divided by 80 (per CD) = 310 CDs.
No?
So to save my iTunes library, I'd need 310 blank CDs?

Backing up iTunes on external hard drive

I'm getting a new computer. How can I back up my all of my musice on iTunes onto my external hard drive so I can move it all onto my new computer? Every time I try to do this iTunes tells me to put it on a CD.

Instead of using ITunes - which doesn't seem to be designed for people with laptops... - use your own machine's back up, or copy function.
Basically copy the Itunes music folder onto the external.
Then do the same copy to put the folder on your new computer. Then tell Itunes where the music is and use the import folder to make it draw the music into the library.
Manual, boring, but better than anything Apple have designed for this fairly common scenario...

How to back-up music on external hard drive

Greetings to ALL,
I can not seem to locate any instructions on how to make a data back-up of my music on an external hard drive. I am using iTune 6.0.3 on my iMac G4.
Thanks in advance for pointng me in the right direction.
v/r
c12dat

I have a power mac g5 and a external hard drive. What i did was simply move the entire itunes folder over there and now I have 2 of the same library. If that makes since. All my songs can be played from either drive. I wanted it that way, so if something happens then I will always have my songs. I didn't do copy and all that just took the folder dragged it to the external drive and it copied all 45 gigs for me. Hope this helps.

Re: Best Way to Continuously Back-Up iTunes to External Hard Drive

Hello friends :
My iTunes music library is getting rather large and I feel it's time to "properly" back it up to an external hard drive.
I understand that you can back up your iTunes music folder to an external hard drive by the simple old "click and drag" approach using Windows Explorer.
What I'd like to know is ... after intially copying the entire iTunes music folder onto the external drive, how can I achieve regular back-ups where only the files, playlists, etc. that have changed since the last back up are then added to the external drive . . . rather than having to copy the entire rather large folder all over again (and again)?
Hopefully, you know what I mean! Thanks for your help.

I backup regularly to data DVD's without a problem.

What is the best way to back up iTunes excluding external hard drive

*iTunes gives you the option of backing up your library on CDs. It would take me 100s of CDs to back up my library. Is there any other way to back up excluding external hard drive? Can you put music on a DVD and fit more than on a CD? Having just had to reload my whole computer, I would like some advice. I put my iTunes libary on an external hard drive. When I wiped that hard drive clean, it also took out my iTunes on my C drive! I had to buy a program that would save the songs from my iPod and put them back in iTunes.*

I backup regularly to data DVD's without a problem.

Backed up ITunes to external hard drive, now what?

My computer kept giving me a "Low Disk Space" bubble. So I went and brought an external hard drive and have backed up all of the music (and I think the podcasts too) but I am still getting the low disk bubble. What else do I have to do to make this pop up go away?
Thanks In Advance!

Quit iTunes.
Copy the entire /My Documents/My Music/iTunes folder from the C: drive to the external drive.
Start iTunes and immediately press and hold Shift.
Select *Choose existing library* then select the iTunes library file in the iTunes folder on the external.
Delete /My Documents/My Music/iTunes folder.

How to back up files to external hard drive?

How can i back up my computer files and downloaded programs to a generic external hard drive?

In addition to the suggestion by fane_j,
try Carbon Copy Cloner from http://www.bombich.com/

How to Back Up iPhone to External Hard Drive via iTunes?

Hi there,
I want to be able to backup my iPhone 4 to an external harddrive since I don’t have enough space on my MacBook Pro hard drive, how do I dothat? I have already moved all the iTunes libraries and media folder to that externaldrive and need to know how to default the IPhone4 backup to the external drive.I am using iTunes 10.

You can do the following to get the setup you need.
Copy the contents of ~/Library/Application Support/MobileSync/ to the external driveThe ~ means your home drive
Then rename the folder Backup in ~/Library/Application Support/MobileSync/ to say BackupOld
mv ~/Library/Application Support/MobileSync/Backup ~/Library/Application Support/MobileSync/BackupOld
Create a new linked folder to the external drive (I assume the external drive is called ExtDrive
First create a folder called iTunesBackup on the external drive
mkdir /Volumes/ExtDrive/iTunesBackup
Now create a link between where iTunes thinks the backups are and the external drive
ln -s ~/Library/Application Support/MobileSync/Backup /Volumes/ExtDrive/Backup
Job done....

How to open old itunes on external hard drive

Hi Guys
Basically my old laptop died and I have taken out the hard drive and plugged it in to my new laptop.
I have ITunes installed on my new laptop.
I want to be able to open my old iTunes library that is still on my old hard drive.
When I find the application in program files it says install iTunes. So I installed iTunes but whenever I press it again it just opens up the blank new library.
The iTunes library on my old hard drive is unconsolidated and unorganised.
I need to open it from the hard drive so I can move it to my new laptop.
Please help ASAP!

Press and hold down shift as you launch iTunes.
Keep holding until prompted to choose or create a library.
Click choose and browse to the iTunes folder on the drive.
Open the iTunes Library.itl file inside.
In some cases you may need to Repair security permissions for iTunes for Windows in order for the library to work correctly on the new computer.
tt2

How to back up itunes to external hard drive?

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