I have 2 ITunes accounts and I am doing a restore to a new computer - how do I get the music in the right libraries - I'm going to XP to Windows 7

Question

I am replacinbg a Windows XP machine with Windows 7.  I have all music backed up, but I'm not sure how to restore it to the new machine.  There is both my account and my husbands.  And we are not using the cloud - the music was physically on the old machine.  How do I do this?

Answer 1

It's a bit difficult for me to give advice on your specific issues, doing it "remotely."
If you still have your Mozy backup or your old computer, with its iTunes folder "as is" (the way you want it copied to the new computer), you may want to start over on the new computer.
The External drive method from the previously linked article provides the basic steps, except that you don't need to use an external drive as part of the process.  You can use something else as the "transfer vehicle" in place of an external drive.  For example, if you are able to setup File Sharing between the two computer, the network connection is the transfer vehicle.  If you use your Mozy backup, your online storage is your transfer vehicle.
So these are the restated steps, for your situation as I understand it.
Part 1: Locating and consolidating the iTunes Media folder - If all of your iTunes files (songs, podcasts, videos, etc.) were already in your iTunes Media folder (on the old computer), which is the default setting for iTunes, you don't need to do this step.
Part 2: Copy iTunes folder from the old computer - If your Mozy backup has a copy of the iTunes folder from the old computer, you have already done this step.
Part 3: Get iTunes ready on your new computer - If iTunes is already install on your new computer, you have already done this step.
Part 4: Back up any music that's already on your new computer - If you do not have any new songs or other media to the new computer's iTunes library that were not already on your old computer, you do not need to do this step.
Part 5: Copy music to your new computer - So, this is really your only critical part. iTunes should NOT be running.
1. Locate the folder \Users\username\My Music\iTunes\ on your new computer.
2. Drag that iTunes folder to the Desktop.  This just gets the existing "empty" iTunes folder out of the way.
3 & 4. In your Mozy backup folder, locate the equivalent iTunes folder from the old computer.  NOTE:  You want to locate the entire iTunes folder, not the iTunes Media folder inside the iTunes folder.
5. Drag the iTunes folder from the Mozy backup folder to your My Music folder, to take the place of the iTunes folder that was located there before (that you dragged to the Desktop).
6. Run iTunes.  It should use the iTunes folder you just copied to your My Music folder, and everything from your older computer should be there and accessible.
Part 6: Add preexisting music that was on the new computer back into the library - Same as Part 4.  If there were no new songs (or other iTunes media) on the new computer, you do not need to do this step.  You can also delete the iTunes folder you dragged to the Desktop in Part 5, Step 2.
As you can see, most of the work is in Part 5.  And to summarize the procedure in ONE sentence, you are basically replacing the "iTunes" folder on the new computer with the same folder from the old computer.