Multiple itunes libraries, multiple users...HELP!!!

Hi,
I have one imac G5 with 3 dif. user accounts. somehow, I have split one daughter's itunes library into a few libraries, the old main one and now one with new purchases.
Also, I tried to then put the 3rd user's library into the shared folder. I know I need to get the libraries merged, in the right place and then point iTunes in the right direction, right?
Basically, I want each user to have their own main library, but be able to add other libraries songs, apps, etc. I need to MERGE 2 libraries and then figure out how to share the libraries with all 3 users.
THANKS!
Message was edited by: bbbartssfe

not sure it can do what you want but check out PowerTunes.
JGG

Similar Messages

How do I share iTunes Libraries across users on the same computer

I want to share my iTunes library with my kids on the same computer. How do I do that? They each have their own account identity?
I tried HomeShare and ITunes library sharing in Prefs, but I can't seem to figure this out.
I want to share CD's I've burned in w/o doing it repetitively for each account.
Thanks!

Hi there,
First..I am new to this forum and find the information provided to be very helpful... I had followed the iTunes link above to enable sharing between users in the same computer but it appears to be working on partially. What setup am I looking for ?
1. We have an iMac (Snow Leopard) with 1 Adult ID and 2 children IDs
2. The iTunes music folder is stored in a Shared public folder where the Adult ID has read/write access and the 2 kids with read-only access (so that they don't accidently delete songs...:-)
3. The iTunes on the Adult ID has the access to purchase songs. The kids have no acccess to buy songs
4. All songs, podcasts to be visible to all users
What has happened ?
1. I am able to make the base of songs visible to all users
2. However when a song is purchased by the adult account ..it is not visible to the kids account ..:-{
3. The same thing occurs when a song is imported from a CD
4. When a new playlist is created by the Adult account it is not visible to the kids account ..:-(
How can I make changes made by the Adult be made visible to the kids without having the need to constant add music files or libraries for each kid..?
Thanks in advance..

One Computer, Multiple Users, Multiple iTunes Libraries

Hello
My family shares a single Mac via Fast User Switching. We all have separate iTunes libraries. I had some difficulty getting TV to be able to use all of the iTunes libraries as alternate sources for streaming music. I'm posting this here as I've noticed a couple of questions here about it with no solutions.
The symptom is that you are able to add the multiple libraries to TV by entering the passcode in iTunes but when you try to the new source, it fails to load the library. 'Loading <library> name ...' goes on forever or eventually gives up and then the library appears grey in the source list and you have to go through the registration process again. Music sharing appears to work between copies of iTunes running on the same computer.
It's a firewall problem.
It seems that iTunes choose a new TCP port to share each different library. For me it seems to allocate ports in the 4915x range. I can't find any documentation about this. The ports are not listed in the well known list for Apple products. I discovered it because the Windows version of iTunes has an informative error message that tells you to check that a particular port is open in the firewall for the particular library when it fails to load it.
To fix it you just need to open these ports in the Mac's firewall. After that, provided all the users remain logged in with iTunes running, you will be able to stream their libraries.
I hope this helps others to get it working more quickly than I did.
I see that there are some Apple employees participating in these discussions. If you see this, maybe you could modify the documentation? Or add the solution to the How-To pages? I'll submit some feedback anyway.

I wrote a simple shell script that executes each time a user logs in (well, actually, each time I log in, coz' it's not really applicable to other users). It syncs my work and home addressbooks and iCal calendars to one another.
I named it "sync". Then I read somewhere that if you wanted to make it double-clickable (to launch it from the Finder), I appended a ".command" filename extension (so it's now named "sync.command"). I also did a chmod 755 to that file so that it had execute privileges. Depending on whether you give each user their own copy of this thing, or keep a single copy in, say, the /Users/Shared directory, you may have to play around with chmod. Whatever, just so long as the user that has just logged in has execute permissions to the file, and to the entire path to the file, you should be good.
Then, in SysPrefs > Accounts > Login Items, I added that "sync.command" file to the list. So, really the only difference is I'm not wrapping mine inside an Automator script like you are.
I had tried adding it to ~/Library/LaunchAgents and make a launchd plist for it, that would kick it off at login. But I didn't get that to work. Don't know why. But just adding the double-clickable executable unix script to the Login Items list did the trick. Whether the plist has to hang out there with it, I don't know. I still have it there, though, in case I ever get motivated to figure out what's wrong with my launchd plist file. So, if just adding it to the Login Items list doesn't do it for you, you could try making a (functional?) launchd plist for it and plopping them both in ~/Library/LaunchAgents, too. That's how I am now, and, like I said, it launches at user login as that user's process (not as a root process like the above referenced article said how login hooks worked -- although, you may want it to run as root since you want this to work with multiple users...in which case, you might want to listen to Cole and not me...).

I have multiple users on my computer with separate iTunes libraries. can we share?

I have multiple users on my computer with separate iTunes libraries. Is it possible to share the libraries? The "share library" preference doesn't seem to work.

Hi b noir, I also have two users on one pc with two different iTunes libraries. But I also want to put them onto an external hard drive so that I can free up some memory on the pc. So I figure I need to consolidate the two users iTunes libraries first before moving to hard drive? But not quite sure how to do that on the iTunes 11? Thanking you in advance!!

ITunes Match, multiple users/libraries

I've poked around a bit, and can't find a clean answer to my question.
My situation is three users, a couple of shared devices, and several ipods/iphones. To this point, we have used one apple id for everything. But each user has pretty specific tastes, so three fairly divergent music libraries. I want each user to be able to manage their library in the cloud most effectively without merging. iTunes Match, however, doesn't differentiate by library. If I turn it on for everyone, everyone's music gets mashed together, including play counts and playlists.
My next solution was to just give everyone their own apple id, and pay for each person to have music match. However, when I tried this last night, as I activated a new id, I was told my computer was already associated with an Apple ID, and that ID would be locked out for 90 days in terms of iTM.
My conclusion is that there is no way to have multiple users manage their libraries independently using iTunes Match. Is this correct? Does anyone know of anyone work arounds? Am I missing a setting somewhere?
Thanks

Each user on each computer will have to set iTUnes to use the external as the library location.
Next depends on what you want to do. Move all files to external then using iTunes add the files to iTunes library again. Empty library in iTunes then add files to library recreating library from scratch.
All users will have to maintain each library separately even though all files will be in same place and accessible to all users. When one person adds something to their own library the other ones will not know it. If someone else wants those files also then they will have to use add folder or add file option to add the files to their own library. It should not duplicate the files on the drive but is sometimes does when you do this. Deleting files or renaming them can be problematic if one user deleted a file another user has in library it will affect both. Podcasts are an exception, these will always duplicate if multiple users subscribe. This allows individual management of episodes.

ITunes Issues - Multiple Users/Libraries

I am experiencing several issues that revolve around multiple users, multpile iPods and two networked computers. To describe the situation - I have two computers networked with an external drive connected to the main computer. My wife, my son, and I are all users of the computers, we all have our own iPods and it seems like we have multiple libraries out there. I am looking for a solution to do the following: Consolidate all of the libraries into one shared library that all of us can use located on the external drive (due to size constraints and trasportability). The external drive is a plug and play type device with ample space for this. SOme of the issues I have are some songs appear in one iTunes list with a gray exclamation point in front of them and then you have to go searching for the proper folder/library to locate the file, so obviously there are multiple libraries/folders. I believe this has everything to do with my sons "ability" to fix things on the computer. Can anyone direct me to or provide me with a solution to this dilemma? Is there a way to consolidate these without creating multiple copies of the same songs (this has also occurred in the past when my son was solving things. Sorry for the long description but I am trying to provide as much info as necessary.

Each user on each computer will have to set iTUnes to use the external as the library location.
Next depends on what you want to do. Move all files to external then using iTunes add the files to iTunes library again. Empty library in iTunes then add files to library recreating library from scratch.
All users will have to maintain each library separately even though all files will be in same place and accessible to all users. When one person adds something to their own library the other ones will not know it. If someone else wants those files also then they will have to use add folder or add file option to add the files to their own library. It should not duplicate the files on the drive but is sometimes does when you do this. Deleting files or renaming them can be problematic if one user deleted a file another user has in library it will affect both. Podcasts are an exception, these will always duplicate if multiple users subscribe. This allows individual management of episodes.

Please HELP!!!! - multiple itunes libraries

Hi, this may seem like a really stupid question but I am a computer novice and need help. I have iTunes and an iPod for quite some time now and my sister recently got one. I need to know how to get two seperate iTunes libraries on the one computer. I understand this isn't really necessary to the topic, but it was the closest thing there. Any help would be greatly appreciated, thanks.

THeres 2 "Main" methods to do this and both are covered here by apple http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=300432
Now with the new iTUnes 7 there is third option for creating/making a new library on one winddows user account, but its not that useful yet because currently it requires you to hold the "Shift" key while opening itunes

Is there a way to use music from multiple users itunes libraries on one iMac for a slideshow in Aperture?

I am trying to put together a slide show for a trip my wife and I took to England. I would like to be able to use music from both our itunes libraries in the slide show. I am using Aperture to create the slide show since it seems to be more versatile than iPhoto for this. Only trouble is that when I log into my username on the iMac I only see my iTunes library and similar when logging into her username. We have different music but would like to use some from each library in the slide show.

You can only use one library at a time in an Aperture slideshow, so I'd suggest to simply collect the audio that you want to use in a folder (export the songs from both iTunes Libraries) and then import this folder to Aperture. Now you have a project containing the audio files; you will see it in the Aperture Audio section of the audio Browser, right above the iTunes section.
You can use the Apperture audio just like the audio in iTunes to drag to the timeline of your slideshow.
Regards
Léonie

Sharing an iTunes Library across multiple user account and a network.

Sharing an iTunes Music Library across multiple user accounts.
Hello Everybody!
Firstly, this was designed to be run in Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger. It will not work with earlier versions of Mac OS X! Sorry.
Here's a handy tip for keeping your hard drive neat and tidy, it also saves space, what in effect will be done is an iTunes music library will be shared amongst multiple users on the same machine. There are advantages and disadvantages to using this method.
• Firstly I think it might be worthwhile to state the advantages and disadvantages to using this approach.
The advantages include:
- Space will be saved, as no duplicate files will occur.
- The administrator will be able to have complete control over the content of the iTunes library, this may be useful for restricting the content of the Library; particularly for example if computer is being used at and education institution, business or any other sort of institution where things such as explicit content would be less favorable.
- The machine will not be slowed by the fact that every user has lots of files.
The disadvantages to this system include.
- The fact that the account storing the music will have to be logged in, and iTunes will have to be active in that account.
- If the account housing the music is not active then nobody can use the iTunes library.
- There is a certain degree of risk present when an administrator account must be continually active.
- Fast User Switching must be enabled.
Overview:
A central account controls all music on the machine/network, this is achieved by storing iTunes files in a public location as opposed to in the user's directory. In effect the system will give all users across the machine/network access to the same music/files without the possibility of files 'doubling up' because two different users like the same types of music. This approach saves valuable disk space in this regard and may therefore prove to be useful in some situations.
This is a hearty process to undertake, so only follow this tutorial if you're willing to go all the way to the end of it.
Process:
Step 1:
Firstly, we need to organize the host library, I tidied mine up, removing excess playlists, random files, things like that. this will make thing a bit easier in the later stages of this process.
Once the library is tidied up, move the entire "iTunes" folder from your Home directory to the "//localhost" directory (The Macintosh HD) and ensure that files are on the same level as the "Applications", "Users", "Library" and "System" directories; this will ensure that the files in the library are available to all users on the machine (this also works for networks)
Optionally you can set the ownership of the folder to the 'administrator' account (the user who will be hosting the library.), you may also like to set the permissions of 'you can' to "Read & Write" (assuming that you are doing this through the user who will host the library); secondly you should set the "Owner" to the administrator who will be hosting the library and set their "access" to "Read & Write" (this will ensure that the administrator has full access to the folder). The final part of this step involves setting access for the "Others" tab to "Read Only" this will ensure that the other users can view but not modify the contents on the folder.
Overview:
So far we have done the following steps:
1. Organized the host library.
2. Placed the iTunes directory into a 'public' directory so that other users may use it. (this step is essential if you plan on sharing the library across multiple accounts on the same machine. NOTE: this step is only necessary if you are wanting to share you library across multiple accounts on the same machine, if you simply want to share the music across a network, use the iTunes sharing facility.
3. set ownership and permissions for the iTunes music folder.
Step 2:
Currently the administrator is the only user who can use this library, however we will address this soon. In this step we will enable iTunes music sharing in the administrator's account, this will enable other users to access the files in the library.
If you are not logged in as the administrator, do so; secondly, open iTunes and select "Preferences" from the "iTunes" menu, now click the "Sharing" tab, if "share my library on my local network" is not checked, the radio buttons below this will now become active, you may choose to share the entire libraries contents, or share only selected content.
Sharing only selected content may be useful if their is explicit content in the library and minors use the network or machine that the library is connected to.
If you have selected "share entire library" go to Step 3, if you have selected share "share selected playlists" read on.
After clicking "share selected playlists" you must then select the playlists that you intend to share across your accounts and network. Once you have finished selecting the playlists, click "OK" to save the settings.
Overview:
In this step we:
1. Enabled iTunes sharing in the administrator's account, now, users on the local network may access the iTunes library, however, users on the same machine may not.
Step 3:
Now we will enable users on the same machine to access the library on the machine. This is achieved by logging in as each user, opening iTunes, opening iTunes preferences, and clicking "look for shared music". now all users on the machine may also access the library that the administrator controls.
This in effect will mean that the user will not need to use their user library, it will be provided to them via a pseudo network connection.
As a secondary measure, I have chosen to write a generic login script that will move any content from the user's "Music/iTunes/iTunes Music" directory to the trash and then empties the user's trash.
This is done through the use of an Automator Application: this application does the following actions.
1. Uses the "Finder" action "Get Specified Finder Items"
1a. The user's "~/Music/iTunes/iTunes Music" folder
2. Uses the "Finder" action "Get Folder Contents"
3. Uses the "Finder" action "Move to Trash"
4. Uses the "Automator" action "Run AppleScript"
4a. with the following:
on run {input, parameters}
tell application "Finder"
empty trash
end tell
return input
end run
IMPORTANT: Once the script is adapted to the user account it must be set as a login item. in order to keep the script out of the way i have placed it in the user's "Library" directory, in "Application Support" under "iTunes".
Overview:
Here we:
1. Enabled iTunes sharing in the user accounts on the host machine, in effect allowing all users of the machine to view a single iTunes library.
2. (Optional) I have created a login application that will remove any content that has been added to user iTunes libraries, this in effect stops other users of the machine from adding music and files to iTunes.
Step 4:
If it is not already enabled, open system preferences and enable Fast User Switching in Accounts Options.
Summary:
We have shared a single iTunes library across multiple user account, while still allowing for network sharing. This method is designed to save space on machines, particularly those with smaller hard drives.
I hope that this hint proves to be helpful and I hope everybody will give me feedback on my process.
regards,
Pete.
iBook G4; 60GB Hard Drive, 512MB RAM, Airport Extreme Mac OS X (10.4.6) iWork & iLife '06, Adobe CS2, Final Cut Pro. Anything and Everything!!!

how to share music between different accounts on a single computer

How do I have multiple users on one itunes?

I have one computer and 3 ipods. I pay for all the downloads on my childrens ipods, but I am having difficulty on connecting and using all 3 ipods. Does anyone have any suggestions on the best way to do this?

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): iPod - Syncing Music
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
Multiple Libraries
It's also possible to have multiple libraries in a single account. To create or access a second (or more) library, hold down the Option key (or Shift key in Windows) 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
Separate User Accounts
Another option is to create a separate User account for each person on your PC or Mac. Different accounts by definition would give you completely separate libraries. Each account has it's own iTunes folder, Library and iTunes Music folder and you load it with CDs etc just as you did with your original one. The iPod can be set to update however the owner chooses, sync all, manual or sync specific playlists
I don't use Windows so I can't give you a step by step on that one, however I can point you to another web page which should help you out. You can read about Windows user accounts here:
Using Windows XP User Accounts

ITunes library on one computer with multiple users

Mom, Dad, and kids each have their own log-in to this computer. Mom is the main administrator and when we downloaded all the CDs to iTunes, it went to Mom's iTunes Library. Dad has logged in under his name and purchased items from iTunes store which are now in his library. We now have 2 separate iTunes Libraries. How can we make the iTunes library the same for both Mom and Dad?
Dad just got iPhone and wants to be able to sync his apps to his computer login as well as having access to Mom's iTunes library - it would seem to me that the easiest way to do this is to copy the library from Mom to Dad or somehow be able to have Dad share the itunes library. Can't figure out how to do this. Any help would be appreciated.

To share an iTunes library among multiple users, put the iTunes library in /Users/Shared/Music/iTunes, and for each user, make an alias from ~/Music/iTunes to /Users/Shared/Music/iTunes. Set permissions on /Users/Shared/Music/iTunes (and everything inside it) to give each user read and write permissions, and you're all set. My wife have been sharing our iTunes library this way since 2005, without a hitch.
Also, you'll have to import the contents of one library into the other, to make one big library, which is an extra step, but there's no way to avoid this now that you have two libraries.
Here are step by step instructions:
1. Figure out which library is larger, and start with that one. I'm going to guess it's Mom's. Log in as Mom.
2. In the Finder, make a folder called /Users/Shared/Music.
3. Move the folder ~/Music/iTunes (that's your iTunes library) to /Users/Shared/Music/iTunes.
4. Select the folder /Users/Shared/Music/iTunes, and make an alias of that folder. (In the Finder, click on File->Make Alias.) The alias will be called "/Users/Shared/Music/iTunes alias".
5. Move "/Users/Shared/Music/iTunes alias" to "~/Music/iTunes alias". Rename the alias to ~/Music/iTunes.
6. At this point, check your work: start iTunes while still logged in as Mom. Mom should see her iTunes library, just as before, as if it had never been moved.
7. While still logged in as Mom, go to /Users/Shared, select the Music folder, and give Mom and Dad read and write permissions on that folder and all its contents.
8. Log out as Mom, and log in as Dad. In the Finder, move Dad's iTunes library from ~/Music/iTunes to the Desktop.
9. As Dad, repeat steps 4 and 5.
10. Now Dad should check his work, by starting iTunes. Dad should now see Mom's library instead of his own.
Congratulations! You now have a shared library. You not only share content, but all playlists, artwork, etc. As Dad, create a playlist, fill it with romantic music, and call the playlist "To My Beautiful Wife". Log out as Dad, and log in as Mom, and Mom will see the same playlist. Crack open a bottle of champagne.
But Dad's content is still in ~/Desktop/iTunes. You'll have to add it to your shared libary:
11. Log in as Dad, and in iTunes, turn on the preference iTunes->Preferences->Advanced->Copy files to iTunes Music folder when adding to library.
12. Still in iTunes, choose File->Add to Library and start adding all the files in ~/Desktop/iTunes. They'll be copied from Dad's desktop into the shared library. Try importing a couple of tracks, and log in as Mom and confirm that both Mom and Dad see the imported content. (I myself have never done this, so I can't give you much guidance about importing, since I started our iTunes library as a single shared library from the very beginning. For all you know, you can just select every folder in ~/Desktop/iTunes and import everything at once. I would imagine you might have to futz around re-organizing everything nicely once you've imported all Dad's stuff, but once that's done, it's done.) Once everything is imported you can trash ~/Desktop/iTunes.
That's it. Any content you add will be instantly available to both users without having to sync or copy anything ever, because both users are always looking at the same library. (If one user deletes something it's gone for both users too, so be careful!) The only trouble you could possibly have are permissions issues, depending on how your system and users are set up. On my computer, after setting it up once, we never had to think about it again. However, we set up a separate account to be the administrator, and neither my wife or I have admin privileges. Since Mom is an administrator and Dad is not, you might find that OS X treats you differently when you create new files in your library. You'll have to try it and see. Good luck!
Message was edited by: dgauthier

Multiple iTunes Libraries?

Is there anyway you can have multiple libraries (not playlists) for different iPods on the same computer? We don't want our music to mix...how can I fix this?

To create or access a second (or more) library, hold down the Shift key in Windows when launching iTunes. 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. The new library will be empty until you add content to it. To get back to your original library you need to close iTunes and open it again while holding down the shift key, this time choose to open an existing library and navigate to its location. Multiple libraries 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
Another option is to create a separate Windows account for each person on your PC. Different user accounts by definition would give you completely separate libraries. Each account has it's own iTunes folder, Library and iTunes Music folder and you load it with CDs etc just as you did with your original one. The iPod can be set to update however the owner chooses, sync all, manual or sync specific playlists.
Apart from these methods there are several other ways to use two or more iPods with one computer, have a look at this help page for all the suggestions and choose the method that suits you best: How to use multiple iPods with one computer

Multiple users using iTunes

My wife has had an iPod and has already set up iTunes. I recently purchased an iPod and everytime I link my iPod to the computer, it configures the way she already had her iPod set up. Now when I make changes to the iTunes by setting up new folders or uploading my CDs, she will plug her iPod into the computer and it will change her iPod to what changes I have made. And the samething happens when she makes changes, it effects my iPod. Any thoughts as to how we can set up 2 different accounts and the changes I make will not effect her? Please help my marriage. Thanks.

There are basically two ways of using multiple iPods on a computer and these involve:
a) Sharing a single iTunes library and or user account or
b) Creating multiple user accounts.
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:
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:
Loading songs onto iPod shuffle - Windows
It's also possible to have multiple libraries in a single account. To create or access a second (or more) library, hold down the Option key (or Shift key in Windows) 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
Separate User Accounts
Another option is to create a separate User account for each person on your PC or Mac. Different accounts by definition would give you completely separate libraries. Each account has it's own iTunes folder, Library and iTunes Music folder and you load it with CDs etc just as you did with your original one. The iPod can be set to update however the owner chooses, sync all, manual or sync specific playlists
I don't use Windows so I can't give you a step by step on that one, however I can point you to another web page which should help you out. You can read about Windows user accounts here:
Using Windows XP User Accounts

Restoring multiple users/libraries

Hi - my hard drive crashed and I was able to restore iTunes and re-synch my iPod under my user name. Before the crash, my iPod synched to my user account and my wife's iPod synched to her user account. We keep our music in a shared folder.
Now I am trying to point iTunes under my wifes user account to the shared folder and it is giving me an "access denied" error. She is set up as an Administrator (as I am) and I do not understand why the error.
Help!
Thx, Chris
Dell 8400 Windows XP Pro

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 - Mac
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:
Loading songs onto iPod shuffle - Mac
It's also possible to have multiple libraries in a single Mac user account. To create or access a second (or more) library, hold down the Option key 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 -Mac

IPod Nano: Multiple Users- Single iTunes

We just bought an ipod nano for a second family member. Do I need to install a second itunes so we don't get the libraries mixed up, or is there an easier way?

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 (every account uses the same iTunes program executable from your Programs File so it doesn't have to be installed more than once).
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:
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
Multiple Libraries
It's also possible to have multiple libraries in a single account. To create or access a second (or more) library, hold down the Option key (or Shift key in Windows) 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
Separate User Accounts
Another option is to create a separate User account for each person on your PC or Mac. Different accounts by definition would give you completely separate libraries. Each account has it's own iTunes folder, Library and iTunes Music folder and you load it with CDs etc just as you did with your original one. The iPod can be set to update however the owner chooses, sync all, manual or sync specific playlists
I don't use Windows so I can't give you a step by step on that one, however I can point you to another web page which should help you out. You can read about Windows user accounts here:
Using Windows XP User Accounts

Multiple users sharing one itunes library

i have multiple users on my mac, but i'd like us all to be able to access the same itunes library. when i go to itunes prefs on one of the other users accounts and redirect their music library to my folder, it says it is doing it, but itunes still goes to their own music folder instead of mine. i can share my library with the sharing pref, but while they can now listen to my music, they still can't use it in imovie. is there any easy way around this problem??
thanks for your help.

I wrote a simple shell script that executes each time a user logs in (well, actually, each time I log in, coz' it's not really applicable to other users). It syncs my work and home addressbooks and iCal calendars to one another.
I named it "sync". Then I read somewhere that if you wanted to make it double-clickable (to launch it from the Finder), I appended a ".command" filename extension (so it's now named "sync.command"). I also did a chmod 755 to that file so that it had execute privileges. Depending on whether you give each user their own copy of this thing, or keep a single copy in, say, the /Users/Shared directory, you may have to play around with chmod. Whatever, just so long as the user that has just logged in has execute permissions to the file, and to the entire path to the file, you should be good.
Then, in SysPrefs > Accounts > Login Items, I added that "sync.command" file to the list. So, really the only difference is I'm not wrapping mine inside an Automator script like you are.
I had tried adding it to ~/Library/LaunchAgents and make a launchd plist for it, that would kick it off at login. But I didn't get that to work. Don't know why. But just adding the double-clickable executable unix script to the Login Items list did the trick. Whether the plist has to hang out there with it, I don't know. I still have it there, though, in case I ever get motivated to figure out what's wrong with my launchd plist file. So, if just adding it to the Login Items list doesn't do it for you, you could try making a (functional?) launchd plist for it and plopping them both in ~/Library/LaunchAgents, too. That's how I am now, and, like I said, it launches at user login as that user's process (not as a root process like the above referenced article said how login hooks worked -- although, you may want it to run as root since you want this to work with multiple users...in which case, you might want to listen to Cole and not me...).

Multiple itunes libraries, multiple users...HELP!!!

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