Moving iTunes to a different drive

Ok folks, I have a partitioned drive, long story short, tried to move iTunes to my drive "D" following the Apple article right down to "Consolidate". Must of done someting wrong, now, when I go to iTunes it shows no songs, apps or movies, as if it was newly downloaded. Checked the Preferences>advanced> tab it reverted back to the default folder in "C" drive. I tried to copy the two library files into the folder, no luck. What did I miss? Thanks folks...

Hi tt2, thank you so much for that information, but too little too late I tried to move itunes back to it's original location on the C drive and am still trying to rebuild the library. So the last point you made "shift open" was the step I missed.
So let's start over...my itunes folder was in C:\documents..., made a copy of it on an external HD, I moved it to D:\itunes, then moved it back from the external HD to C:\.... During the move process when I did try to point to the library file .itl to the D:\itunes it didn't show anything. So, I'm thinking what didn't help was that most of my library was in a file that I acquired previously for my mp3 player, then imported to itunes. Now as I'm trying to rebuild again I tried to point to the .itl file and still have some songs that have exclamation marks beside them, which to me means that itunes reads the mp3 file from my other music directory.
So how do I get my playlists back is that through the llb.itl, or .xml files as well or in the other "playlist" files?
So in the meantime I'm going to continue to rebuild, and reorganize and start over, any help would be appreciated, (this is actually a good learning exercise, and next time I'm getting a 2t HD with no partitions)
Thanks again,
klouw

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Help - moved itunes folders to external drive and now my itunes is totally

A few months ago, in order to free up space on my c drive, i had to purchase an external drive - everything i installed via itunes since that date has been on the hard drive and everything was fine.
Last night i needed more room on my C drive so i stupidly moved the remaining itunes folders from my C drive to my F drive - unfortunately, when i opened itunes it was blank.
i've tried a few things - including adding the folder from the F drive - and that retrieved about 80% of my music/videos and the last playlists i had - however, they were all missing songs - even if all the songs that should be included remained on my itunes
i began the tedious process of manually adding files back in but soon realized this doesn't help itunes consider this the same ipod as what's still on my actual ipod.
*What I'd like to do (if possible) is to wipe itunes clean and somehow restore everything on my ipod into itunes so that i retrieve not only the songs and videos but also the playlists that i've spent way too much time building. At this point i fear that the various components to my ipod are in too many files on my external drive to be easily restored another way (though if i'm wrong please let me know)*
sadly (as this story might suggest) I am borderline computer illiterate - I've read a few posts suggesting some sort of software online (something the apple help line also made an "off the record" remark about) - but I can't for the life of me figure out which i would use or how to do this without risking the contents of my existing ipod (which has the playlists and songs/video I want to reestablish).
*Can anyone possibly suggest how to best handle this and walk me through it in painstakingly basic and specific detail? I would be forever grateful.*
Thanks

iTunes uses the iTunes Library files - in particular the iTunes Library.itl file - to keep track of where your song files are located as well as playlist and related information.
Most likely in moving your folders around iTunes has been confused to such an extent that it created a new Library file. With a bit of luck you might still be able to find the old file which would restore your old Library.
So the first thing you want to do is look around your computer and make a note of any iTunes Library.itl files you can find. Generally speaking you'll find them in the iTunes folders on your system and depending on how you've been moving the folders - i.e. whether you "cut" them or "copied" them - you may still find at least one one on your F: drive and some on your C: drive.
Having noted where they are you know want to check each of them out as described in this article in the Apple Knowledge Base. In following those instructions you want to select the Choose Library option and use the pop-up window that appears to zero in on the various .itl files you've located.
Remember that each Library file will show a different Library in iTunes - perhaps slightly different, perhaps completely different - and if the first one isn't what you're looking for you'll have to close iTunes and repeat the procedure by selecting one of the other .itl's.
Post back for any clarification.

Question about moving itunes to wd external drive?

i found the page where it says u can move itunes music to external drive but will that include my tv shows also and if so can i delete it from my laptop after i move it to other drive?

\Music\iTunes\ folder is the main iTunes library location. It contains the library files, music files and everything else.
I have all of my music files already stored on an external HD. But for some reason when i moved it all
What exactly does "moved it all" mean? What did you move?
in other words in the old drive I still have the following files:
itunes library genius
-itunes library extras
-itunes library
These three are all the same type of files. I don't know what type of files they are
The iTunes library.itl file is the iTunes database file. Without that, iTunes is empty.
Since i already have all of my music files on my ext. HD can I delete these files without messing anything up?
Only if you want iTunes to be completely empty and you want to start from scratch.
Moving the music file syourself is not the correct way to do it. iTunes will lose everything.
If you want to move everything, copy the entire \Music\iTunes\ folder to a new location.
Hold Shift and launch iTunes.
Select *Choose library* and select the iTunes library.itl file in the iTunes folder you moved.

Moved Itunes to an external drive. When prompted to update versions, the download would not install, now I get an error message indicating file msvcr80.dll is missing.

I moved my ITunes to an external drive. Whe I was prompted to run the update for a new version of Itunes, It downloaded but would not install. now when opening Itunes I get an error message indicating the file msvcr80.dll is missing. How can I restore this, and e

Try the following user tip:
Troubleshooting issues with iTunes for Windows updates

Moved itunes to external hard drive - Keep getting ipod recovery/ restore

I moved itunes to an external hard drive and have had problems ever since. My itunes application seems to be fine but it keeps telling me that I cannot use itunes until I restore the ipod. I've followed the instructions to both restore AND change drive but nothing is working. Any suggestions anyone? Thx!

Thanks so much for taking the time to help me. I followed the instructions in the post, and was able to recover a substantial part of my library in iTunes. But now I'm worried that when I synch my iPod to iTunes, it will reduce the content on the iPod to match iTunes. I searched more in the discussions, and see that I might be able to use 3rd party software to copy from iPod to iTunes. any advice if I go that route? Thanks again!

Moved Itunes to external hard drive & now Ipod not showing up in itunes?

I recently installed an external hard drive and moved Itunes and all my music to it. Now when I plug in my Ipod, Itunes doesn't recognize it. And it doesn't show up in my computer, but the pod says its "connected". It does show up in the USB devices and so does the hard drive, but they are listed seperately. But both devices are plugged into the same USB spliter.
what is happening?
help!!!

Hi, BreezerSB2.
It sounds like you may not have followed the instructions described in this article in the Apple Knowledge Base.
If that's not possible - or you don't want to do so - and the music files are in fact on your external drive, you can add them to your iTunes Library by referring to this article 's Add to Library section.

Import itunes to a different drive

My hard drive has a partition: C:\ and D:\ I loaded itunes onto the C drive and it is about full. How can I import CD music into a different Drive? When I put in a new CD it asks if I want to import into my itunes library which is on the C:\ drive. I tried to rip to the D:\ drive but it would only do so to a CD.
Thanks!

iTunes prefs -> Advanced.
Set the iTunes music folder location to the D: drive.
Go to menu Advanced -> Consolidate library.
This will copy the music from the C: drive to the location you set on the D: drive.
iTunes will use the D: drive from now on.
You can then delete the music (My Documents/My Music/iTunes/iTunes music folder).

Moved iTunes to an external drive, library files can't be located - help?!?

So ok, I knew it couldn't be that easy...
I copied my iTunes to an external drive to free up space on my laptop - followed the instructions for moving files on a PC - and got to the part about moving the old iTunes folder to the recycle bin. Well, the recycle bin wasn't large enough for the folder, so it deleted everything straight out of MyComputer. Apparently the "library files" went with it.
Now I can see all my songs/movies/videos in folders on the external, but can't get my iTunes to associate with it when I open it.
Is there any way to fix this? I'm tearing my hair out, here. I have a full backup on DVDs - will that help?
Thanks!

got to the part about moving the old iTunes folder to the recycle bin.
There is no part about moving the _iTunes folder_ to the recycle bin.
There is a part about moving th _iTunes music folder_ to the recycle bin.
Did you move them to the external by using iTunes menu File -> Library -> Consolidate?
Or did you move them to the external yourself?
Which folders exactly did you move?

Moving iTunes to a different PC

A Windows 8.1 PC was used to host iTunes for an iPhone.
The PC gor damaged bur I was able to save a copy of the \users\username1\music folder and subfolder.
I installed iTunes on a different Windows 8.1 PC and copied the original music folder in the users\username2\music folder of another user.
Can I connect the iPhone to the new PC without losing anything either on the PC and on the iPhone?
Should I perform any additional task to make the iPhone connect to the iTunes on the new PC?
Regards
marius

For the future see this backup tip.
tt2

Is there a way to totally install iTunes to a different drive D: instead of on C:?

I have a new computer with a small drive C: (an SSD) that I am reserving for just the Windows 7. I have a much larger hard drive (D:) that I am putting data and other applications on. I want to make sure that when I install iTunes (and import my library from my old PC) that it goes totally on Drive D:.
Thanks for your help.

Hi,
I'm not sure if this will help but I recently moved to a new laptop with Windows 7 Pro 64-bit and moved my library from my old WinXP Home SP3 laptop. This new technology thing comes with a lot of headaches, compatibility issues and all (this is another story); but after trying to resolve issues I've come to understand a bit how the iTunes app works (without reading the multitudes of manuals that only serve to confuse us more).
iTunes keeps its files in a folder named, aptly, iTunes. In Windows 7 it is usually under a My Music folder and the structure looks something like this:
C:\Users\YourHomeFolder\My Music\iTunes - and may contain the folders - Album Artwork, iTunes Media, etc. - and a file iTunes Library.itl -- now this it the iTunes Library file.
In my setup, I have the iTunes Media folder in a different location (initially it was on a USB attached external drive, then later I moved it to a network attached drive). This iTunes Media folder is where all your iTunes media files are located. I have the ff folders in mine: Audiobooks, Automatically Added to iTunes, Mobile Applications, Music.
So after moving the 'gigantic' iTunes Media to a new location (away and separate from the My Music\iTunes folder), how do I access this? If you just have a single iTunes Library, run iTunes, press Ctrl+, (or click Edit|Preferences) and go the the Advanced tab and in the iTunes Media folder location click Change and browse to the new location of your iTunes Media folder (literally). Select OK. Wait for iTunes to update everything (well not everything because this is where I'm still having issues with since I moved to a network attached storage). You may need to restart iTunes just to have all the files in your library updated.
Now you need to know one more piece of information since you might "desire" to have more than one iTunes Library. I did try this by having 2. Both were not located in the standard My Music\iTunes folders. I actually had one named D:\iTunes01 and the other R:\iTunes02. Then I copied the "iTunes Library.itl" file in each of these folders. The reason I did this? I wanted both libraries to use the same iTunes Media folder which contains all my music, videos, etc. but I want one of my iTunes Library (D:\iTunes01) configured for a specific device that I sync with it and the other folder (R:\iTunes02) configured for another device. Why you might ask? Another compatibility issue (which is another story).
So, how to switch between libraries?
Run iTunes by pressing the Shift Key and left clicking the iTunes application icon. Don't let go of the Shift Key until the Choose an iTunes Library dialog/windows pops up which gives you the option to Choose a Library or Create a New Library. Since I have an existing library I opted for the Choose a Library. Browse to your library folder (in my case either D:\iTunes01 or R:\iTunes02) and select (important) their respective iTunes Library.itl file. Click OK and your done. Next time you click on the iTunes icon it will open using the last used library. Repeat the Shift Key... process if you want to change libraries.
Hope this helps. Sorry for the lengthy explanation. Good luck.
CMaker3 <-- this should be a 5 -- number stands for the coffeecups I make a day ;-) Cheers!

Moved iTunes to external hard drive, iTunes can't find location of music

I recently moved my iTunes and library to an external hard drive as my laptop was running too slowly.
Suddenly I can't play any music (only some podcasts) directly from my iTunes. Those selected in my iPod Selection folder will play on my iPod.
There is an exclamation mark icon in the column next to the name. I've looked in the library and all the songs are there in .m4a format.
Does anyone know what I can do??????
Cheers
Kate

Windows will change the letter of the external drive you moved your stuff to inadvertently. If you go into control panel, computer management and drives. you will see the drives listed. Try changing the drive letter back to the original drive letter when you moved the files, right click on the external drive and change it back to f: or g:, making sure to unplug any other usb sticks/memory sticks drives you might have used since the last time you moved your files to the external drive. Do this a couple of times if it happens again and xp will remember to reserve that drive name for you.

I have moved itunes library to external drive as per support article. Every time I know open itunes I have to re-direct it to the new media location on the external drive. Is there a way to retain the location?

I followed the instructions on the support website exactly to transfer my media to an external hard drive (a network attached storage device), it worked immediately. When I quit itunes and re-open it, the library location has reset to the old location, I can change it to the new location and it works but the next time I log in its back to the wrong place.
Has anybody got any idea how to prevent this from re-occurring?

i also just move my library to a NAS. i suggest you do this:
launch iTunes and point iTunes media folder location to the volume/shared folder on NAS. quit iTunes.
copy the iTunes folder from <MacintoshHD>/users/<yourname>/music to the NAS.
launch iTunes while holding option (⌥) and click on choose library when prompted. select the iTunes folder you just moved to the NAS.
you must make sure the volume/shared folder on the NAS is mounted on your desktop before launching iTunes but from now on the media folder location should stick (it does for me).

Moving iTunes to an external drive

Can anyone walk me through how to relocate my iTunes software from my full C drive to an external drive? I can't update the iTunes software or my iPhone, because my C drive is so full.

I typed "move itunes library to an external drive" into the search bar at the top of this page by "Support" and found:
iTunes for Windows: Moving your iTunes Media folder

Moved itunes to external hard drive and now cant import music

I am unable to import any CDs to my itunes, and my itunes does not seem to recoginze my ipod either. I get an error message that reads "error occurred while converting the file...(name of CD).... The required file cannot be found." I think the problem may lie in that I recently transferred my itunes folder onto an external harddrive to save room on my internal hard-drive. In doing so, I inadvertently moved the itunes library folder to the recycle bin, in addition to the itunes music folder. I recovered it and it seems I only lost my playlists, but I'm wondering if there was something else lost in the transfer that now prevents me from importing any data.

Try this -> iTunes Track CPR v1.3

Moved ITunes folder to external drive now can't get Ipod to sync

I have moved my ITunes folder from laptop to external drive. Had to move each album folder individually to ITunes and when I went to Sync my Ipod, says its in Restore mode and can't get out of it as it stays in Restore mode over and over and over.

As a best practice, you should move your content to an external drive and import references to into iTunes rather than moving the whole database and app files. In iTunes > Preferences > Advanced, uncheck "Copy files to iTunes Media folder when adding to library". This will keep all your music and movies on the external drive, but iTunes and all references to the content on your desktop.
I know that's not what you wanted to hear as a fix, but this is how I have my MacBook Air setup and it works fine with the iPad. My son tried to move the whole app and database to a hard drive and we had endless problems with it.

Moving iTunes to a different drive

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