Need help transferring iTunes library from desk top to lap top

My iTunes is on our desktop (Windows XP if that matters) and I would like to transfer it to my laptop (Vista). Our desktop is old and will be replaced soon. I cannot back up the library to a CD because the CD burner no longer works. I purchased an external hard drive and attempted to do a back up but I don't think it worked...None of my music is purchased from the store...it's all from CD's I own and copied. I have not been able to find any help on the website, so I'm hoping someone here can help me out. I tried this back up by going to the library and clicked export library...it appeared to transfer...seems to be files on the external hard drive so I plugged it into the laptop and tried to import...but it doesn't appear anything happened...I'm getting pretty frustrated!

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1751

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Need help transferring itunes library from old computer to new laptop

Hello,
I recently purchased a new laptop and am having trouble getting my library to transfer to my new laptop, i followed this step by step process http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1329?viewlocale=en_US and in the end ended up with no music on my ipod and no music in the itunes library on my new computer...
So then i went into Itunes on the new computer and clicked import library under File, so i found the Music folder that i had transferred over and it imported the music but all my playlist were not there, just songs. So i ended up syncing my ipod back to my old computer so i would get all the songs and playlist back on as it was originally before this whole process...
My desktop runs XP while my new laptop runs Vista Ultimate w/ SP1 home edition, dont know if this matters...
So not sure where i should go from here, i have already Authorized my laptop with the itunes store , i was thinking of uninstalling Itunes on my laptop and starting over from scratch, will this help?
BTW when i did the original transfer i used my Ipod as the hard drive as it had plenty of storage room left on it, i do have access to a 250GB external HD i was thinking of using that and trying that to transfer the library...
So if anyone can tell me how to transfer my Itunes library from old comp to new laptop it would be greatly appreciated...

The method you used should work if followed exactly.
The key points are - is your music all together? It must all be in the iTunes Music folder in the iTunes folder.
When you copy the iTunes folder to the iPod you get the library database with your playlists and the iTunes Music folder containing the music files.
Since you had trouble doing this with the iPod, why not try copying your iTunes folder to the external drive.
The method is identical the one for the iPod except you leave out the iPod specific stuff.
You install iTunes on the new PC, then you drag the newly created iTunes folder out the Music folder to the desktop, then you copy the iTunes folder from the EHD into Music, replacing the one you dragged out.
When you have done that, you need to check that your account has full control of your iTunes folder - Vista is fussy about that - you will not be able to edit track info if you don't have full control.
Vista file folder permissions help
http://windowshelp.microsoft.com/Windows/en-US/Help/2464a180-e5dc-45d1-a2b8-3c8a 2b571e9d1033.mspx
http://www.mydigitallife.info/2007/05/25/how-to-take-ownership-and-grant-permiss ions-in-windows-vista/

Need help transferring itunes library from old laptop to new laptop

Can someone help me?? I have a new laptop and have installed itunes on it. How do I get my old library from my old laptop onto my new one? What about all my playlists?
Thank you in anticipation!
Lisa

There should be one iTunes Folder that contains many iTunes folders underneath it. Copy that one to a memory stick (if it will fit), not the location you copied it from. Copy it to the same place on the new computer. iTunes should find and recognize it if it was in the default location. You just need to start iTunes on the new computer.
Be sure on the old computer to start iTunes, go to the Store menu on top, and Deauthorise the old computer. On the new computer do the opposite, go to the Store menu and Authorise that computer. You will have to enter your Apple ID and password.

Need help transfering iTunes songs from old account to new!

i started my iTunes account using my AOL screen name, but since then, i have purchased a .Mac membership and have created an Apple ID. I was wondering, how do i take all of my previous purchases (Using the AOL Screen name) and transfer them to either my .Mac or Apple ID account? Any help you could give me regarding this matter would be greatly appreciated!
Macbook Mac OS X (10.4.8)

You need to contact Apple.
See this -> iTunes Account and Email Address FAQ
Send an email at the bottom of the page and tell them you want to convert an AOL account to a .mac account.

Transferred itunes library from Windows XP PC to new Windows 7 PC. plugged in 3rd gen Ipod. Ipod icon appears along with playlists, music etc. Songs are grayed out and won't play. Please help!

I recently transferred itunes library from windows XP PC to new Windows 7 PC. The transfer was successful, however when I plug my 3rd gen Ipod Nano into the new PC, the Ipod icon appears along with the music, playlists, etc. The songs are shown but are 'grayed out' and wont play or sync.The 'Devices & Printers' window in new PC shows icon for Ipod driver & is OK. The icon for the Ipod appears but depicts a delta shaped warning icon that states that the Ipod is'not operating properly'. Tried troubleshooting. The troubleshooting message states the the Ipod is 'disconnecting'. Can you help me with this problem?

Then, I dropped the entire itunes file from the old PC (XP) into an empty external drive.
That "itunes file from the old PC"? Is that the iTunes folder, from the old PC, that was in the user home folder's Music folder?
All of the library, playlists, etc. from the ipod as they always have been are shown, by they are 'grayed out' and will not open or play.
That's on the iPod, correct? Are all of your old playlists in iTunes, from the old PC, still there in iTunes on the new PC? Are the songs in iTunes still playable?
This document provides the steps to transfer a complete iTunes library between two computers. See the section called External drive.
iTunes: How to move your music to a new computer - Apple Support
There are many steps, but this is a summary. (1) On the old PC, consolidate all of your iTunes data into the iTunes folder. (2) Copy this iTunes folder to the external drive. (3) On the new PC (that has iTunes installed but NOT running), replace its existing iTunes folder with the one from the old PC (on the external drive). When you run iTunes, it uses the iTunes folder from the old PC, and it should look like iTunes on the old PC (with all the playlists, ratings, play count, etc.), and your iPod will see the iTunes library as the same iTunes library (because it is the same library).
If you did something different, and the old PC is still accessible, you may want to try it using the method from the linked document.

Transferred iTunes library from pc to new mac, iTunes ; however, when opening iTunes on mac it reports the library was created with a newer version of iTunes and won't open.

Transferred Itunes library from pc to new mac; however, when opening itunes on the new mac it reported that the library was created with a newer version of itunes and could not be opened. It asked if I wanted to download updates and I did. However, the new mac is up to date. Itunes won't open. What to do now? Any help would be appreciated.
Thanks
Jim

Hello, Stephen.
Thank you for the question. You will need to rebuild your iTunes library file in order to open an older version of iTunes. Below, I have included the article that walks you through this process. Start with the section labeled Re-creating the iTunes Library file.
iTunes: How to re-create your iTunes library and playlists
http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1451
Cheers,
Jason H.

I transferred itunes library from old PC to new PC. The content all shows when I launch iTunes on the new PC now. The previous content does not show in iTunes but folder still looks like it is on hard drive on new PC. Suggestions on how to properly merge?

I transferred itunes library from old PC to new PC. The content all shows when I launch iTunes on the new PC now. The previous content does not show in iTunes but folder still looks like it is on hard drive on new PC. Suggestions on how to properly merge?

Before you connect any device to a new library go to the Devices tab of the the preferences panel via Edit > Preferences (Windows) or iTunes > Preferences (Mac) and ensure the box next to Prevent iPods, iPhones, and iPads from syncing automatically is ticked. You can now safely connect the device to your computer without the danger of media being automatically deleted or overwritten.
To get all your content off your connect your iPad to your new computer.
Then use a 3rd party piece of software to transfer your content
I have found Senuti useful but there are others listed in the article I linked to in a previous post.
https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-3991
That will let you transfer your non purchased content
For Purchased content log in to iTunes on the new computer
In Itunes Store click on Purchased under the Quick Links section on the right.
Download any music by clicking on the cloud button

Best Method for transfering iTunes library from Windows 7 to Mac OSX

I just bought a MacBook Air and am in the process of preparing my file transfer. The only data on my computer I really care about is my school/work files, (which are very easy to transfer), and my iTunes library. What is the best method for transfering music?
I was going to use an external drive and simply drag and drop everything. Last time I did this I needed a special file in order to keep my playlists, top rated, and playcount. Is there an easier and faster method now? I have about fifty gigabites of music so I think it might take longer over wifi.
I also have an iPhone and have already transfered all of the recent purchases. If I export my library, will all my iPhone backup data stay there as well?
If anybody has some insight or a link that outlines all of this that'd be great. Thanks in advance.

Here's a pretty comprehensive "how to"
http://myfirstmac.com/how-do-i-move-my-itunes-library-from-pc-to-mac-and-keep-my -settings-intact.html
Make sure the external drive is foratted so both the pc and the mac can read and write to it.
http://howto.cnet.com/8301-11310_39-57401784-285/the-best-ways-to-format-an-exte rnal-drive-for-windows-and-mac/
good luck.

Transferring Itunes Library from WD Passport to Windows XP

I have a 250 G WD passport that I used to back up my itunes Music. Transferring itunes library to the WD was successful. I then formatted my C Drive. Once my computer was back up and running I plugged in my WD Passport and then downloaded itunes from your website. Once loaded, itunes immediately started to upload the music from the external drive. Very cool, until I realized that it just copied the names of the songs not the actual files. I thought it was creating a library on the C drive too, but it wasn't. Okay, so I went back to my itunes music file and made sure all of my songs were following the same path as the path within itunes. Everything is there - the paths are the same, or at least they appear to be. I still cannot get itunes to recognize the songs. It says it cannot find the path would I like to find it. I can find the song that way, but I have thousands and thousands of songs. The thought of having to find each and every one seems tasking. Bottom line, itunes is trying to read off of the external drive not my c drive. How do I get itunes to see my itunes library on my c drive? Thank You!!

Just solved the problem. Needed to launch iTunes on the MBA, then went to File, Add to Library, then marked entire list of songs and clicked "Open."

Transfering itunes library from one computer to another

Can you transfer / copy itunes and all songs in library from one PC to another PC (only one IPOD in use

I am having problems trasferring my itunes library from my PC to my laptop. I transferred all the downloaded music, "MY MUSIC" from one computer to the other, and the laptop's itunes picked those songs up. When I connected my ipod to my lap top, when selecting "transfer purchased music", itunes only imports the music that I have purchased at the itunes store. ** What I can't get imported to my laptop are the 500 CDs (5000 songs) that I downloaded onto my PC's itunes.

Transferring iTunes Library from another PC

My wife and I have an iPhone each with our individual music collection on each. My music library is on my Macbook Air but my wife's is on an Acer laptop that has now broken so she is unable to add any new CD's she purchased to her library, I've tried logging into my Mac as a new user and using a different iTunes but it gives a message that all existing content will be wiped off the phone as it is a new library.
Please can someone help me with a solution as want to avoid having the Acer repaired?

Your i-device was not designed for unique storage of your media. It is not a backup device and media transfer was planned with you maintaining a master copy of your media on a computer which is itself independently backed up against loss. To use a device with a new computer you transfer the content from the old computer (or its backup) directly to the new computer, not the device to the new computer. Media syncing is one way, computer to device, updating the device content to the content on the computer, not updating or restoring content on a computer. The exception is iTunes Store purchases which can be transferred to a computer. Media ripped from a CD cannot be transferred this way.
iTunes Store: Transferring purchases from your iOS device or iPod to a computer - http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1848 - only purchases from iTunes Store
For transferring other items from an i-device to a computer you will have to use third party commercial software. See this document by turingtest2: Recovering your iTunes library from your iPod or iOS device - https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-3991
Make sure you buy a backup drive. Some day it will be your Mac with both your accounts that will not start and then both of you will be unhappy.

Transfering itunes library from old computer to new using ipod

I'm transfering my library from an old computer to a new one using my 5th gen ipod. but when everything is transfered onto the ipod the storage space only shows "other" space is used, no music or video space. And after its transfered to the new computer, nothing shows in Itunes but i can see some file info if i go into the itunes file in "my computer".

Hi mbw34,
Are using disk mode? Probably yes.
Well, do this:
First disable disk use, unchecking the box "Enable Disk Use". The sync all your library using the "normal" mode.
Connect the iPod to the new computer and message will appear, informing that the iPod is synced with a different computer.
To continue, please read this article on my website.
Hope this helps!
!http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54486/122/A57996D55BE7ABB4A67DE686D381A27 4.png!

Need to move iTunes library from external hard drive to Mac desktop.

I moved my iTunes library from my Mac desktop to an external hard drive. I needed to do this so the Apple Store could do maintenance work on my computer and I didn't want to lose my files. How do I move the iTunes library back to my Mac desktop?

Quick answer if you use iTunes' default preferences settings: Copy the entire iTunes folder (and in doing so all its subfolders and files) intact to the other drive. Open iTunes and immediately hold down the option (alt) key (shift on Windows) so you get a prompt to select a library, then guide it to the 'iTunes Library.itl' file in the moved iTunes folder.
If you put the copied iTunes folder in the default location of Macintosh HD > Users > *User Name* > Music then you don't even need to start with the option key held down, iTunes will automatically look for it there. (Make sure there isn't anything already in the iTunes folder there that you want to keep since you will be replacing it with the one you are moving.)

Transferring iTunes library from MacBook Pro to MacBook Air

I used this site to transfer my iTunes library from my MBP to my MBA: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4527, using an external hard drive to make the transfer.
The songs are now all listed in my iTunes music file on the MBA, but they don't show up when I launch iTunes. Any suggestions?

Just solved the problem. Needed to launch iTunes on the MBA, then went to File, Add to Library, then marked entire list of songs and clicked "Open."

Move itunes library from desk computer to laptop?

Is it possible to move my itunes library from itunes on my desk computer to itunes on my laptop?
If so, how?

I am a Windows guy, and I think you responded in 'Apple'.
No, it was very much Windows.
If that is a file you created, I don't know how to pick it up.
I don't know what this means.
iTunes creates an iTunes folder in your /username/Music/ directory on your hard drive. This contains all iTunes info and media files.
Copy this /iTunes/ folder from one computer to the other.

Need help transferring iTunes library from desk top to lap top

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