Multiple iPods / libraries on one computer

Hi All and thanks in advance for any help you can give me.
Until recently I have had three ipods with three different libraries all managed through one computer running Windows XP. I accessed the different libraries by clicking onto iTunes and holding the shift key choosing the required library when the option came up.
I have now bought a new computer running Windows 7 and just can't seem to get the same system running. Basically I can get one library up and running but each time I create a second library and import that one it just overwrites the first library leaving only the second library available.
When opening iTunes in the same way (holding down shift) I get a clear option to 'Create new library' but this always seems to superseed the existing library rather than running seperately.
It's now driving me nuts so any help to solve the problem would be fantastic. Plain English answers would be greatlt appreciated as i'm certainly no expert in this field!
Thanks again!

Wow guys, 276 responses, thanks to all.
Unfortunately with such a huge response I haven't been able to go through them all as yet but i'm sure somebody will have come up with the soltion I need.
Thanks again.

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    Our household has several iPods but use one computer. I just purchased a new iPod and when I connected to the computer (Windows XP) it allowed me to identify my ipod but sunced the other ipod user's music. I'm lost - how can I or can I maintain 2 different syncs?

    When the iPods belong to different people, there are basically three ways of using multiple iPods on a computer and these involve:
    a) Sharing a single iTunes library
    b) Creating Multiple Libraries in a single user account
    c) Creating multiple user accounts.
    Note: When you are sharing an iTunes library, you don't have to set each iPod to update in the same manner, you can mix and match from the options below as each iPod has it's own update settings
    Sharing a Library and/or User Account
    If you want to share the one library, you can set either or all of the iPods so that they only get updated with only certain playlists (you can update from more than one if you wish): Loading songs onto iPod automatically - Windows
    Choosing the update option "Sync Music - Selected playlists" allows you to create a playlist specifically for the iPod and drag the tracks you want into it. If you tire of the list and want to change it, you just add or remove the songs you don't want. The ones you take out out remain in the library to be used some other time if you choose. You can read more about playlists at these links:
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    How to create a Smart Playlist with iTunes
    Or you can choose to update any or all of the iPods manually and just drag whatever content you want to them: Managing content manually on iPod
    Loading the iPod shuffle differs slightly but it can still be used with the others, for details have a look at this page: Loading songs onto iPod shuffle - Windows
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    It's also possible to have multiple libraries in a single account. To create or access a second (or more) library, hold down the Shift key (or the Option key on a Mac) when launching iTunes 7. In the resulting dialogue you will get the option to create a new library or navigate to the other Library.
    Note: You can only have one Library open at a time and iTunes will default to the last library opened if you don't use the keyboard command to choose one. This can prove tricky when using multiple iPods, if you don't use the keyboard command you can risk syncing to the wrong library: Using multiple iTunes libraries -Windows
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    a) Sharing a single iTunes library
    b) Creating Multiple Libraries in a single user account
    c) Creating multiple user accounts.
    Note: When you are sharing an iTunes library, you don't have to set each iPod to update in the same manner, you can mix and match from the options below as each iPod has it's own update settings
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    Choosing the update option "Sync Music - Selected playlists" allows you to create a playlist specifically for the iPod and drag the tracks you want into it. If you tire of the list and want to change it, you just add or remove the songs you don't want. The ones you take out out remain in the library to be used some other time if you choose. You can read more about playlists at these links:
    iTunes: Creating playlists of your favorite songs
    How to create a Smart Playlist with iTunes
    Or you can choose to update any or all of the iPods manually and just drag whatever content you want to them: Managing content manually on iPod
    Loading the iPod shuffle differs slightly but it can still be used with the others, for details have a look at this page: Adding songs to iPod shuffle - Windows
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    Message was edited by: StarDeb55
    Message was edited by: StarDeb55

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