HT1751 after i back up current itunes files to external hard drive

, how do I have all new purchases go to the external hard drive and not my laptop?

Any other recomendation?
After I drag all my iTunes series to my External Hard Drive.. Can I delete it from my iTunes?
That Series that I baught on iTunes can I burn it into a DVD for future playback?

Similar Messages

I moved itunes file to external hard drive and want to move the file on my pc to recycle bin. When I move i get an error message that it cannot delete ituneshelper.dll access is denied. Can I move that file to the recycle bin?

I am trying to free up space on my pc and moving itunes files to external hard drive. I have followed instructions and believe I have file copied to new drive, but I am having trouble moving file to recycle bin as the instructions say. I am getting the following error message: cannot delete ituneshelper.dll:access denied, make sure disk is not full or write protected and file not in use. I know the file is not in use when trying to move. Any help would be most appreciated. I am on Windows XP.

Yes. And you should not have moved that folder. Put it back. To move your iTunes library move the folder from User's Music.
tt2

How do I back up my itunes to an external hard drive and restore from same if necessary

How do I back up my entire itunes to an external hard drive and restore from same if necessary.
Thanks

This is where iTunes stores backups for different operating systems: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4946
I do not use a Windows machine, have a Windows Vista Dell I rarely startup now. But, from what I remember with Win boxes is, you will have to create on the external hard drive a file system like that one iTunes normally uses, and then in the iTunes preferences or control panel edit the location for the storage to specify the name of the external hard drive, or its letter code, with the name of that file system you created on the exernal drive.
I would also move all of the files from the internal file system to the external since you have now told iTunes that is where they are...before deleting from the internal drive, test iTunes to see that it goes where you want it to go.

HT201250 can i back up my iTunes on one external hard drive to another external hard drive through time machine?

I have my itunes on an external hard drive which I use on my macbook. Can I back these files up through time machine onto a second external hard drive?

For TM yes, for another backup program running on the mac yes. You can avoid the NTFS issue by installing a NTFS driver in your mac: there are two proven ones: Paragon and NTFS-3G. These drivers make it possible for a mac to read and write NTFS formatted drives.
But it will not help TM (I am not 100% sure about that), but other backup apps it will help.

HT1751 If I back my library up with an external hard drive will it automatically sync?

I have a 150GB samsung external hard drive. My question is if I put the folder into the hard drive and let it copy all 21GB and after I get some new songs will it automatically sync like an iphone when I plug it it? Or will I have to delete the folder out of the hard drive and copy the whole thing all over again?
all so is it possible to copy it with the playlist that I have on my itunes?
thank you,
luis pelaez

If you want your library to be truly portable then you need the database files on the drive as well as the media. Click the icon that launches iTunes and immediately press and hold down the shift key. Keep holding until prompted to choose or create a library. (If you don't get that prompt close iTunes and try again.) Click Create and browse to the root of your external drive. I'd suggest you create the library there as X:\iTunes where X: is the drive letter. Once the library has been created move the media folder from its current location on the drive into X:\iTunes\iTunes Media before importing it to the library with File > Add folder to library. That way the library will work properly when connected to another computer using the shift-start-iTunes method and the Choose option, regardless of the drive letter that has been assigned. Use this method to swtich back to your friend's library when you are done.
If you or your boyfriend's media folders are not in the normal location of an iTunes Media folder inside the main iTunes folder then when switching between libraries you may also need to correct the path to the media folder. You should also be aware that preferences for Keep... and Copy... may be preserved when switching libraries, so if you have different requirements check that the correct settings are in place after any change over.
If your iPad classic was set to sync with your library then iTunes may want to wipe and reload it. If all the content has been found on the external drive this should not present a problem but if needed see Recover your iTunes library from your iPod or iOS device for further advice.
For more information on "portable" libraries see make a split library portable.
tt2

Saving itunes files to external hard drive

Ok, hopefully someone can help me with this:
I have already saved my cd collection (nearly 8000 songs) onto an external hard drive that has over 90 gb using WMP. I am trying to convert the wma files to mp3's to put them on itunes so I can get them on my new ipod. I installed itunes onto the external harddrive hoping that when the files converted they would stay on the external harddive.
For whatever reason, when the files are converted, they go onto my C drive (which only has about 15 gb) so I can't get all of my files converted without filling up the disc.
What I need to know is how I can move the converted files over to my external harddrive and possibly change the prompt on itunes as to where to save those converted files while still keeping those files playable.
If what is mentioned above is possible, please let me know how I can do that. If not, do I have to reinstall itunes and what in specific should I do in the install process to get the files saved to where I want them?

Mark
I am having difficulties saving my music collection on to an external hard drive or on to ZIP disks. How do you do this? The help section on Itunes only talks about saving to a CD or DVD.
Any help would be appreiated.
Thanks

Moving iTunes files to External Hard Drive

Folks:
I just purchased an external hard drive to store iTunes songs and pictures, etc., and get those files off my laptop hard drive to create some room. Truth is, I really don't need to travel with my iTunes files.
I've copied the files to the new drive already. I've also changed the location pointer for iTunes files to the new drive. Problem is, if I look at the info on a song, iTunes still thinks the song is located in the old location on the laptop, which is true. How do I get it to recognize the new location? Delete all of the files from the laptop (scary)? Is there another way to get iTunes to point to the new location?
Thanks, Henry

If you follow the steps in this article, it should work.
Just delete everything from your exHD and start over.
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1364
Also - naming your exHD a letter far down in the alphabet is a good idea.
E: F: and G: are frequently used by other USB devices, and if your exHD letter changes, you'll get all the ! marks again.
So name it K: or Q: or W:, something another USB is unlikely to use.

Moving iTunes files to external hard drive -- error message

Trying to copy iTunes files from iBook G4 to a nearly empty 320 GB FreeAgent Pro external hard drive. When I attempt to consolidate the files, I receive an error message saying "there is not enough room on external hard drive to copy files". I have a very small internal hard drive on the laptop and not very much music so the message doesn't make sense to me.
The external hard drive appears in Finder, and says the format is "Mac OS Extended (Journaled)".
Any tips on where to go from here? I'm about out of room on the laptop and desperately need to move files to an external hard drive to free up space.
Thanks,
Brendan

If you follow the steps in this article, it should work.
Just delete everything from your exHD and start over.
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1364
Also - naming your exHD a letter far down in the alphabet is a good idea.
E: F: and G: are frequently used by other USB devices, and if your exHD letter changes, you'll get all the ! marks again.
So name it K: or Q: or W:, something another USB is unlikely to use.

Backing up entire iTunes Library on external hard drive?

I have recently purchased an external hard drive to backup all media on my computer (photos, music etc).
However, having searched apple.com for backup advice, the only instructions available refer to creating backup discs on an a CD.
I have already copied my Itunes Library to the external hard drive. However, please can someone confirm that this is sufficient and if, in the event that everything goes wrong, the $800 of music that I have from iTunes won't disappear.
Thanks for you help

Unfortunately the iTunes backup only works with DVD/CDs.
You can simply copy your iTunes directory to the external disk, or you can use backup software outside iTunes to manage it for you. If you have XP pro you already have a backup program. If you have the home edition, it has to be installed from the Windows CD if you got one with your PC.
There is a good article on backup here:
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=1522195&#1522195

Transferring iTunes files to external hard drive - now iTunes can't find them

I believe I have really effed up my iTunes library. My basic question is once the links in iTunes have been broken are there only two ways to get them back (one being going through every title and locating it on the drive vs two starting fresh and copying all the song files into iTunes and recreating all the play lists).
I have over 10,000 titles accumulated over many years and sorted into a couple dozen playlists to keep track of each family member's music on various pods / phones etc. I was running out of internal hard drive space so I tried moving the files over to an external drive in order to free up the internal drive. I thought I was following the instructions correctly, but something has gone horribly wrong. I'll try to take you through the steps as best as I can.
I had changed the iTunes preferences to show the external drive, and when importing new songs they were stored on that external drive. I thought everything was working fine as all the files showed in the Finder on the external srive so I deleted the files from the internal drive. Of course this was the wrong thing to do as at that point iTunes could only locate the newly imported files and none of the old ones.
So I began to panic and searched the support and communities and tried a number of things that were recommended including copying the files back to the same spot on the internal drive, changing the preferences, and I also tried consolidating the files under the File / Library / Consolidate FIles. This made another folder in the iTunes folder called music (my previous folder was called iTunes music inside the iTunes folder). I have tried these steps on both the internal drive as well as the external drive. So now on either drive, iTunes will reconzie maybe 20-25% of the files. I think these 25% have been moved to the new folder iTunes and the file number has a 1 appended to the end. So now for each file I have 2 to 4 copies. One copy is in the Itunes music folder on the internal drive. A second copy is in the iTunes music folder on the external drive. I believe that iTunes cannot find either of these ones. The third copy with a 1 appended is in the Music folder on the internal drive and the fourth copy (also with a 1 appended) is in the Music folder on the external drive and as I said I think iTunes "sees" these files.
So my question is, is there only two ways to fix this (both of which are incredibly time consuming) - one to point each unknown file to the external drive (about 8,000 files at least to do), or the other is to start from nothing and drag all the music files in and recreate the playlists (I think this would be more work since some of the songs were on multiple playlists). Is there nothing else other than a month of solid work in front of me!?!

just download one of the following apps which will solve your problem of converting videos as this apps plays almost every video files, first 2 apps are paid ones
GOOD player (very good)
AV player
VLC player (free in tunes)

Backing Up Purchased iTunes to an External Hard Drive...

I want to back up my purchased iTunes song to an external drive versus a CD, has anyone ever done this before? Any help would be greatly appreciated! TIA!!
PC Windows XP

Casey, this link from MacMuse should tell you everything you need to know about moving to an EHD. I would like to make one suggestion, rather than backup ONLY purchased music, why not backup your whole iTunes library? When I had my PC, I ran iTunes off an EHD to save space on my main HD & it worked great. Also, didn't have to worry about re-ripping a huge number of my own CD's, besides losing a large investment in purchased music, in case something happened to my system's HD. Last suggestion, it's always good to have a secondary backup on another type of media. I backup to my EHD for my Mac, & then burn incremental DVD's of new additions to my library a couple of time a month. Hope this helps & Happy New Year!
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=121879&tstart=135

Just want to backup iTunes on an external hard drive

Greetings,
I've been working on this for days without success. All I want to do is back up my iTunes on an external hard drive.
Using iTunes 7.6 on an iMac G4; Music resides on an external hard drive. I want to back up to a different external hard drive.
I've tried moving folders, but when I go to test the data, iTunes can't locate songs. I tried the <option> key to redirect. I just tried adjusting preferences to new drive; then I tried "consolidate" ...took forever 90Gigs.
I just can't get everything right on each of the two drives. The folders are different.
Just when I thought I got it working (iTunes operating perfectly from alternate drive) I can't eject the first drive. I want to put one hard drive in a safe place. No other programs using these external drives.
Drive that is working looks like this:
LaCie
iTunes folder (contains all my artist folders)
iTunes library (database file)
iTunes Library.xml
Other drive that I want to dismount:
Seadisc300
iTunes folder (contains album artwork file, iTunes Library data, iTunes Music Library.xml iTunes Library.xml and iTunes Music folder (artists) plus previous library folders.
Anyone know what files / folders need to be where?
This is frustrating. Any advice most welcome.
Thanks,
Mark

1 - iTunes puts music in \iTunes\iTunes music folder by Artist\Album\song.
2 - Dunno why it's there unless you created a new library and selected that location.
3
When selecting the location under iTunes preferences... does one select a folder or the actual database file inside a folder?
You are not selecting a library. You are selecting a location for the iTunes music folder.
Do I allow iTunes to "organize" after making the adjustment?
I would. This makes iTunes oprganize the songs by Artist\Album\Song based on those fields in the ID3 tags.
4 - ???
The default for iTunes is...
Album artwork folder
iTunes music folder
iTunes library file
iTunes library.xml file
Maybe a Previous libraries folder.
If you choose to have the music folder located elswhere, it won't be in the iTunes folder.
Just a note: To make it easier to understand, don't mix up terms.
*iTunes music folder* is just that. It's where the music is. It is not the library.
*iTunes library* is what you see when you open iTunes. This info is contained in the *iTunes library.itl* file.
*iTunes library.itl* file is the database used by iTunes for all the info about your library - Songs, movies, podcasts, playlists, ratings, etc.
*iTunes library.xml* is created by iTunes for other apps to access th eiTUnes library. iTunes istelf does not use it.

After clean install of Snow Leopard, Time Machine did not restore all files. When I try to restore these files I get "Not enough disk space" error. What do I need to do to get these important files back onto my Mac from my external hard drive??

After clean install of Snow Leopard, Time Machine did not restore all files. When I try to restore these files I get "Not enough disk space" error. What do I need to do to get these important files back onto my Mac from my external hard drive??

Janet.b wrote:
About 3 years old...pretty dated now I guess. Am thinking I may just need to have it upgraded by a Mac tech.
For what the Apple Store's charge you can buy almost buy a new computer.
Just for giggles I brought my old laptop in for a drive upgrade and asked, they wanted $600 for a drive that only cost $120 at the time and it was a slow 5,400 RPM drive. The new Mac's of a similar make were going for $1000.
I did the drive replacement myself, got a faster drive of better quality for $300 instead.
Then another time I asked for a RAM upgrade from 4GB to 8GB, they wanted to charge $400 + $35 for the labor.
The same RAM is on Crucial.com for $90 and all I need is a 00 micro phillips screwdriver.
So you see what's going on here.
I think what you should do, if your out of warranty/AppleCare, is to call up the local PC tech guy who also does Mac's and have them fix you right up.
They can offer more personalized care which you need. Clone your old drive to the new and everything.
With Apple they are overworked at the Genius Bar and just place roadblocks so you buy a new machine instead.
For instance, all new iMac's now have proprietary drive software installed on the hard drives for heat monitoring. So now the only choice a user has is to bring their iMac into a Apple Store for a very expensive drive upgrade, which a person then decides the money is better spent buying a new machine.

I am trying to backup my Itunes onto my external hard drive. I am at the step where I on Itunes, click on File - Library - Organize library. I am suppose to check mark both boxes there, It won't allow me to check mark the second box, why? How to fix this.

I am trying to backup my Itunes onto my external hard drive. I am at the step where I on Itunes, click on File ->Library ->Organize library. I am suppose to check mark both boxes there, the first being "Consolidate Files" & the second being "Reorganize files in the folder 'Itunes Media'. I am able to checkmark the first box but It won't allow me to check mark the second box, why? How can i fix this? Please help!

Well you must have made a mistake somewhere. The last instruction of step four reads:
When you've found your iTunes library folder, drag that folder to your external hard drive. This will begin the iTunes backup. The amount of time the backup will take depends on the size of your library. When the transfer is done, your backup is complete and your external hard drive can be disconnected.
Normally dragging content from to a new location on a different drive will result in a copy action which is what you were supposed to do. At a guess you somehow managed to move the iTunes folder. Then when you started iTunes it created a new blank library for you assuming it had just been installed rather that raising a warning.
Close iTunes. Rename the iTunes folder on the internal drive as iTunes (Empty) then copy the iTunes folder from the external back into the User's Music folder. Start iTunes. All should be well.
When you've made sure it all works please read my User Tip and use that method to backup in future. Since you already have a folder with the backup in place you can skip the "Make New" operation in the fourth step and simply choose the external folder.
tt2

I had to reformat my computer and put my Itunes on an external hard drive. Once I fixed my computer and put Itunes back I can't itunes to open on my PC. I see it but it appears locked now.

I reformed my PC and placed my Itunes on a external hard drive. I have moved them back to the PC but can not open. How are i get my Itunes working I can see them in my files but they are locked.

I'm sure when it was taken to reformat, he just put everything from my computer onto the external. I know he did't save them to any back up disc's. When he moved everything back is when I lost my Itunes library and it only shows as that XML. I do have an old back up I can restore most.
Any way to import from my touch what is on it, I have not connected it to my PC since.
I did get all my music purchased on, but under purchased I can't find my movies.
Thank you!!

HT1751 after i back up current itunes files to external hard drive

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