How to move an itunes library to new HDD...

Hello,
My Windows 7 pc HDD crashed and I had to replace it with a new SSD. I can access the old HDD via an external drive bay to get files off it and what not, it just won't run windows as it has become corrupted. So, I was wondering if it was possible for me to copy my iTunes library from the old HDD to the new SSD drive? I have a lot of songs in there that I no longer have the CD's for and I don't want to have to spend HOURS trying to import all the others I still do have.
OR, it possible to move the songs on my iphone to the new SSD directly? The only option its giving me now is to "erase and sync" the iphone to the new iTunes installation...but if I do that it will erase ALL my current songs I have on the iphone and replace it with NOTHING, as that's all I have in my new iTunes install.
PLEASE HELP...thanks!
Brian

On Windows 7, it’ll be in \Users\username\My Music\iTunes\ of the internal drive by default. If you can't find it there, search the computer for items with an itl or itdb extension.
(111760)

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How to move my iTunes library to another laptop?

How to move my iTunes library to another laptop?
I used an external drive for my library so far and I just want to use this drive to organize my iTunes library on my Laptop.

See this migrate iTunes library post.
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How to move my iTunes library from Windows PC to new Mac

I have been using a PC running Microsoft Windows 7 64 bit for the last 12 months or so. I have now purchased a Mac. I want to move my iTunes library from the PC to the Mac.
The PC setup is running the latest version of iTunes for Windows, however, the music etc. is not stored in the default location, instead it is stored on an external HDD (it's approximately 700GB, so too large to have on the internal HDD).
Anyone know the best/easiest way to make the switch and in doing so maintain all my playlists etc.?

So, what I have done so far to try to achieve this is:
I have my Windows PC with it's NTFS formatted external HDD containing the music etc.
I have my Mac with a new external HDD formatted in Mac OS Extended (Journaled).
On the Windows PC:
* I opened up iTunes.
* Went into Preferences, and then under the Advanced tab I checked both 'Keep iTunes Media Folder Organised' and 'Copy files to iTunes Media folder when adding to library', so that all the files would be in the main iTunes Media folder when I copy it over.
* Then File, Library, Organise Library and ticked the 'Consolidate Files' so that it moves any files that aren't in the right folder.
Next I copied the files over. So I copied the updated media folder from the NTFS (Windows) external HDD onto the Mac external HDD.
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How to move my itunes library from my PC to my iMac

Hi, I need to move my iTunes library off an old Windows laptop and on to my new iMac. The library is approx 100Gb in size. I searched and searched and can't believe Apple don't have an app for this. I found a third party app called CopyTrans TuneSwift which i read rave reviews about so paid my $15 USD for it and gave it a go. The backup worked well. Then came the part of downloading the Mac restore file. Once I tried to run this on the iMac, I recieved an error saying that the developer is not registered with Apple and could be a dangerous file.
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How can I move the iTunes library safely from my Windows laptop to my iMac.
Can anyone help.
Kind Regards

There's a failry discriptive guide on how to use TuneSwift to transfer iTnes from PC to Mac here:
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How to move the iTunes library to a Windows 7 network location?

I use Windows 7 and iTunes 11.1.11.
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If you hold down the option key when starting iTunes, it will allow you to select a library or create a new one.
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There are more detailed instructions at http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1451#
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How do I transfer itunes library to new hard drive running lion os

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Copy the entire /Music/iTunes/ folder from old hard drive to /Music/ on new hard drive.
Start iTunes.
That is all.
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HOW TO MOVE YOUR ITUNES LIBRARY TO AN EXTERNAL HARD DRIVE

Read these directions before actually doing anything, just so you can do this right. I've messed things up before, it can get ugly...
That being said, here's what you've gotta do if you're running on a Mac:
Have all your music on the external hard drive. It should be organized in folders the way iTunes set it up
The folders should be organized something like this:iTunes Media (Top folder, everything is inside of this folder)
Audiobooks
Automatically Add To iTunes
Books
Downloads
iPod Games
iTunes U
Mobile Applications
Music
Podcasts
Ringtones
TV Shows
Voice Memos
Those folders are what I have in my 'iTunes Media' folder on my external hard drive. You don't necessarily need to have all of these folders. (I happen to just have a lot of things in my iTunes.)
Finding your iTunes Library Files
The way iTunes works is there are two parts to make what you see in iTunes work right. There's your media (songs, video, iPod games and Apps, etc) and there are your library files. They tell iTunes what your playlists are, where your 'iTunes Media' folder is located, and a lot of other important things. Here is how to find the iTunes Library files (there will probably be more than one!)
Look in (yourusername)/Music/iTunes
There will be a few things in here:
Album Artwork (It's a folder)
iTunes Library Extras.itdb
iTunes Library Genius.itdb
Itunes Library.itl
iTunes Media (a folder)
iTunes Music Library Backup.xml (this file might or might not be here. If there is no file with this name, it's okay.)
iTunes Music Library.xml
Some "temp" files (maybe, maybe not -- they are not important for this)
Anything in the list that is BOLDED needs to be placed in (yourusername)/Music/iTunesIf you copied these files to your external hard drive, you will need to copy them back onto your internal hard drive. These library files do not need to be in the same place as your iTunes Media folder.
Telling iTunes Where Your Music Is
Now that your iTunes Media folder is on your external drive, and your Library Files are in place in "(yourusername)/Music/iTunes", we need to open iTunes.
On the top bar of the screen, go to iTunes>Preferences.
In preferences, go to the farthest right tab, titled "Advanced" with a picture of a gear.
The top section says "iTunes Media Folder location" and underneath that you see a filepath ending in the 'iTunes Media" folder.
This path is probably wrong, not leading you through the external hard drive.
If it is incorrect:
Click "change" on the right and then locate the folder in the prompt that shows up. Once the "iTunes Media" folder on your external hard drive is highlighted blue, click "Open" in the bottom right corner of the window.
Give iTunes a moment or two (depending on the size of your library) to re-locate all of your songs. Voila!
If it is correct:Do nothing!
While you're in the advanced section, let's check to make sure you have a few important 'housekeeping' things checked off:
"Keep iTunes Media folder organized" (CHECK THIS BOX!)
"Copy files to iTunes Media folder when adding to library" (CHECK THIS BOX!)
At this point, iTunes should be all ready to go. Before I get into any troubleshooting, note a few things:
If you ever unplug/disconnect the external hard drive from the computer, you must first make sure that iTunes is NOT running.
Also, if the hard drive is unplugged and you open up iTunes, all of your songs will have little symbols next to them. Until you plug/reconnect the hard drive, the songs will stay like this and will be missing.
TROUBLESHOOTING:
Not having permission to access the external hard drive:
In Finder (or on your desktop), right-click the external hard drive (if you don't have right-click, control-click will also work).
Click on "Get Info"
A thin, tall window will appear on the screen.
Part One:In the "General" section, make sure that "Locked" is unchecked. If it IS checked, uncheck it.
Part Two:
We are now focusing on the very bottom of the window, where it says "Sharing & Permissions"/
In the bottom right corner of the window there is a small padlock icon. Click it. When asked for an administrator password, type it in, and click "Ok".
You will now notice that the bottom section of the 'get info' window is not greyed out anymore. Make sure your user name (it says in parentheses "(Me)" so there is no going wrong here) has "Read & Write" privileges.If not, click on whichever privilege you currently have, and a drop-down menu will appear. Click on "Read & Write".
If you have any other issues, I will add them to the troubleshooting list to help you out. Hope this was helpful!

My iTunes library is set up the way I said in the top post and works totally fine.
Yes, and that is the default structure to which I was referring. iTunes will organize it that way automatically unless people do start changing settings (in which case they should know what they are doing and how iTunes works with library files and media structure.)
Both ways work, the advantages of mine would be that should iTunes try looking fo a library, it will always be in the default location.
It makes people think they have to change media location in preferences. They do not unless they want to relocate media only and leave other things on their internal drive (in which case there is no point in copying library files to the external, and you certainly wouldn't want to then delete them from your internal).
Downside is that then should someone move their iTunes library to anther computer they need to remember to get those library files on the external hard drive.
Just copy the whole iTunes folder and it will get the library files to the other drive in one step, along with all the other files.
Your post has good stuff but it makes a move appear intimidating and look like people have to do a lot of organizing to move the collection. It also throws in extra steps (namely altering preference settings) that could cause confusion or even make a mess of things. If people leave iTunes to default preference settings (which most people do) the move summarizes into a short line: Copy a folder and hold an extra button the next time you start iTunes.
Note that the instructions in the link I provided earlier do also include many steps, but those are to ensure that everybody does have it all organized correctly before simply copying the iTunes folder. In the end it is just a simple action.

HT1364 How to move my itunes library from old PC to new PC

I switched PCs, the iTunes files are on a seperate external drive. How to get all back on New PC.

SachinMohan wrote:
... the iTunes files are on a seperate external drive. ..
did you follow ALL the steps as shown here...
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1751
Also... Have a look at these 2 Videos...
http://macmost.com/moving-your-itunes-library.html
http://macmost.com/moving-your-itunes-media-to-an-external-drive.html

How do I move my iTunes library on external HDD to a new computer?

My iTunes library has always been on an external drive. It has moved from an eMac(10.4) to a Mac Mini(10.5) and I'm trying to move it to an iMac(10.8). How can I do this? I've set the preferences to the external HDD, but this point and play doesn't work. If I select an item via the folder and select open with iTunes, the item then appears in the iTunes listing.

Connect the external HDD to the iMac, launch iTunes while holding down the Option key. Choose the option to select library and navigate to the top level folder of the iTunes media on the external. Select it and click OK.

How do I move my Itunes library to new computer?

I have a new computer and two Iphones and one Itouch. One Itunes account.
I have a new computer running windows vista. I have most of my library on my older iphone but when i connected it to my new computer only some songs where transfered. When I go to sync my Iphone it says that the iphone is synced with another computer. I still have the old computer but want to sell it and already have a buyer.
I have a new Iphone plus the existing one and I also have an Itouch. I want to have the ability to have all my music on the new computer and to have the ability to connect both Iphones and the Itouch to the same computer. Each one would be able to load music from the same library. I also have two laptops which have itunes loaded. I know you can have up to 5 computers on one account and I have not exceeded that.
If possible, if there is a solution can you really dumb down (simplify) the solution.
Thanks for any help you can offer.

Probably the most straightforward way to get iTunes onto your new computer is to network the two over ethernet and copy your iTunes folder across. This works fine if you have been using iTunes to completely manage your music and all your songs are in iTunes Music not in different folders. If the songs in your library are not all in the iTunes Music folder you can consolidate them. When you consolidate, any songs in the iTunes Library that are not in the iTunes Music Folder are copied to the Music Folder and the Library is updated to point to those new files. Files already in the iTunes Music Folder have no changes made to them:
Copying all your iTunes files to one location - Mac
OS X 10.5 - Connecting two Mac computers using Ethernet
Another way is to put your original computer into target disk mode and copy the data over Firewire: How to use FireWire target disk mode
Copying the whole folder brings with it the iTunes Music folder and also the iTunes Library (iTunes Library.itl in Windows) database file which holds all the information about your songs (Playlists, Ratings, Play Counts, Last Played, Date Added, etc). You'll get more information including the Folder/File structure in this article: What are the iTunes library files?
When you copy the iTunes folder make sure you put it into the same location on the new computer. This has to be the exact same place, on a Mac this would be in Username/Music/. Everything has to be exactly the same on the new computer including the Mac user account name. When you open iTunes on the new computer it will be the same as on the original one Songs, Playlists, Play Counts, Ratings etc. You should also use the same version of iTunes on both computers.
If you have any iTunes purchases in your library don't forget that you'll need to authorise your new computer to play them: About iTunes Music Store Authorisation and Deauthorisation

HT4527 how to move my itunes library from my Ipod to a NEW PC

My Laptop had to be reformatted and as a result I lost access to Itunes. I was not able to save any of my backups nor my iTunes library.
I am trying to sync my iPod and iPhone to my NEWLY formatted hard drive and iTunes wants to WIPE my devices.
Is there a way to "PUSH" the iTunes library from my iPod To my laptop?
Thanks,
Willie J. Sanders, Jr.

I thought I just explained this.
The sync is one way - computer to ipod. The exception is itunes purchases: File>Transfer Purchases
You can transfer itunes purchases form your ipod to your computer: Open itunes, connect ipod, click File Transfer Purchases
Did you fail to maintain a backup copy of your computer?
You may be able to purchase a program to get the other music

How to move an iTunes library

I'm retiring and moving everything from my iMac to a MacBook Pro. Is there specific procedure anywhere for moving my iTunes library (lots of purchased movies and music plus my own stuff) from the iMac to the MBP? Thanks.
LarryMcJ

Assuming you use the iTunes default settings where iTunes copied added items to your iTunes folder and organizes your library (meaning - everything is all self contained in the iTunes folder), then all you have to do is drag & drop your iTunes folder (not just the iTunes Music folder you find inside the iTunes folder) to the external drive and copy the entire thing. And by external drive, this could also be your other computer hooked up via a Firewire cable and booted into Target mode (or hooked up across a network together).
If you want to test that it worked or would like to actually start using it from that location instead, use these instructions when you start iTunes to point it to the new location...
How to open an alternate iTunes Library file or create a new one
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=304447
If you are just testing, then close iTunes after you verify it works, and restart iTunes again with the same instructions and point it back to your internal drive (original) location.
Back up your iTunes library by copying to an external hard drive
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=307074
Patrick

How to move mt itunes library from one external hard drive to another

I would like to move my itun4es library from my external hard drive H to external hard drive M; how do I go about this? without losing items

Short version: use the itunes consolidate command
Long version: read this
http://www.ilounge.com/index.php/articles/comments/moving-your-itunes-library-to -a-new-hard-drive/

How to reuse old Itunes library in new laptop?

Hi,
I'm kind of new to Itunes. Here is my scenario: I have old computer with Windows XP. I think i have Itunes library installed in My Music folder in the internal HD. All of my music (WAV, MP3, AIFF) are in external HD.
Now i want to move all to the new laptop and still want to use external HD. Also, i have an Ipad 2 which i have been using new Itunes to sync movies. I recognize that new Itunes has folder called Itunes Media and it's different from what i have in the old computer
My question: how can i move from old computer to new computer without going thru all the steps of creating library, playlist again without changing structure in new computer? Do i need to put all in external HD or just the physical music files?
thanks.

Sofrina Hinton wrote:
okay, i found my problem. i had not changed the name of Itunes folder on the new comp so the transferred folder was called Itunes Music.
That was not the problem. Don't rename the iTunes music folder.
The iTunes music folder is inside the iTunes folder.
The /Music/iTunes/ folder is the entire library.
You need to copy the entire /Music/iTunes/ folder from the old computer.

How to move an itunes library to new HDD...

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