Opening previous itunes on my LaCie Hard Drive

My powerbook was stolen recently. Just before that, luckily, I had gone to the Genius bar (trying to selectively move music from my itunes library on the laptop to my LaCie Hard Drive, to free up some space). I learned that moving your library is an all or nothing proposition, I wouldn't be able to selectively move music to the LaCie. So I copied the entire library to the LaCie HD. Then, we set up some alias folders on my desktop whereas I could switch the itunes library folder, that I wanted access to, into the Mac HD music folder. Then, when I opened itunes, I could open it on the LaCie HD, or open the itunes music library on my laptop. Then I could just delete all the music on the laptop I didn't want to carry with me for work travel. But then, the laptop got stolen. Now, I'm on my old G4 Quicksilver, trusty ol' guy, where I have an old music library on it. I've also bought a few cds from itunes using this library. Now, I'm about to go on another trip, want to update my ipod and transfer new music to it, the first time on this computer, but I can't get access to my itunes music library on the LaCie HD. I tried changing, (under preferences -advanced- location change to La Cie HD), but it still opens the Mac HD, not the LaCie. I even tried changing the location, (same pref-adv-change location), and restarting, didn't work. It would still open the Quicksilver itunes. I tried changing out the itunes music folder, moving the folder from the Mac HD music window onto the desktop and moving the LaCie itunes music folder into the Mac HD Music window/folder, but it tries to copy it there ("not enough room to copy").
So - how can I use the itunes on the LaCie, where the bulk of my music is? When I updated itunes, did it not allow me to have two libraries anymore? I'm willing to sacrifice the Quicksilver itunes library to switch to the one on the LaCie. I just need to keep itunes on the LaCie because it's too big for my Mac HD. And if I have to sacrifice the Quicksilver itunes music library, how can I save the music I've bought from itunes that's only in that library? Do I have to burn it to a disc and then re-import it? I must say, there are definite advantages to just going out and buying actual cd's!
Thanks for any help you can offer! Edward

Still a little problem. I did everything you said, and it seems itunes updated with the library on the external, and I saw that the album artwork was updating. I can play songs that I click on, the only thing now seems to be that all the albums/playlists, that go with the music, are missing. Only the playlists/albums from the old internal itunes are there.
The one link you sent "Moving you iTunes Music Folder" - talked about consolidating after moving. Should I do that? It was odd, however, because some of the steps mentioned in that procedure were not available to me - like "click the new folder button in the Change Music Folder Location Window." I just did as you said and navigated to the external.
From itunes now, should I consolidate library? Once I plug my ipod into this new computer, it will be synched to it and any mistakes will be reflected on it too right? I could loose music if I hook the ipod up with itunes not being in total working order?
Thanks. I really appreciate your help. Hopefully I can cancel my genius bar appt. tomorrow and not have to lug the tower and drives in, especially because I'm leaving town early Tues. AM and have a million things to do first. Thanks.

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How to import previous Itunes database from external hard drive into Itunes on new computer

I need to know how to import a previous iTunes data base that is saved onto an external hard drive into the iTunes library on my new computer

There's only one way to do this.
Copy the iPhoto Library from the old machine to the Pictures Folder on the new machine. You have to copy it as a single item. Then open it, don't import it.
Regards
TD

I had to reformat my computer and put my Itunes on an external hard drive. Once I fixed my computer and put Itunes back I can't itunes to open on my PC. I see it but it appears locked now.

I reformed my PC and placed my Itunes on a external hard drive. I have moved them back to the PC but can not open. How are i get my Itunes working I can see them in my files but they are locked.

I'm sure when it was taken to reformat, he just put everything from my computer onto the external. I know he did't save them to any back up disc's. When he moved everything back is when I lost my Itunes library and it only shows as that XML. I do have an old back up I can restore most.
Any way to import from my touch what is on it, I have not connected it to my PC since.
I did get all my music purchased on, but under purchased I can't find my movies.
Thank you!!

I have just transferred my iTunes library from a hard drive previously connected to a windows laptop to a MacBook Pro and now all my options for editing info are greyed out. I have seen the answers if still using windows but could find a similar situation

I have just transferred my iTunes library from a hard drive previously connected to a windows laptop to a MacBook Pro and now all my options for editing info are greyed out. I have seen the answers if still using windows but could find a similar situation to this one.

Eels290776 wrote:
if my external hard drive is not connected to either of my machines, and I download something onto my iMac and then something different onto my Macbook, where are my machines going to be storing the new downloaded media
when the drive is not connected, +iTunes media folder location+ will default back to <MacintoshHD>/users/<yourname>/music/iTunes/iTunes music (or media)
and when I next connect the external hard drive how will I easily get the newly downloaded media onto the external HD
you'd have to point +iTunes media folder location+ back to the external via preferences > advanced > iTunes media folder location, then file > library, organize library > consolidate files
and essentially, to have it easily readable on both machines?
in that case it might be best to copy the entire iTunes folder to the external. then, on each machine, launch iTunes while pressing option on your keyboard. when prompted, click on +choose library+ and navigate to the iTunes folder on the external.
note only one iTunes can access the iTunes library @ a time !
also, make sure the external is mounted on either machine before launching iTunes.
JGG

I've backed up my macbook onto a LACIE hard drive but when I open my music files there's nothing on the hard drive. I've already deleted all my music files from the macbook. Help?

I've backed up my macbook onto a LaCie hard drive but when I open my music file on the external hard drive looks like is empty?

1. Yes, unless a problem occurs.
2. No, you’re not.
3. Yes.
(111564)

Just want to backup iTunes on an external hard drive

Greetings,
I've been working on this for days without success. All I want to do is back up my iTunes on an external hard drive.
Using iTunes 7.6 on an iMac G4; Music resides on an external hard drive. I want to back up to a different external hard drive.
I've tried moving folders, but when I go to test the data, iTunes can't locate songs. I tried the <option> key to redirect. I just tried adjusting preferences to new drive; then I tried "consolidate" ...took forever 90Gigs.
I just can't get everything right on each of the two drives. The folders are different.
Just when I thought I got it working (iTunes operating perfectly from alternate drive) I can't eject the first drive. I want to put one hard drive in a safe place. No other programs using these external drives.
Drive that is working looks like this:
LaCie
iTunes folder (contains all my artist folders)
iTunes library (database file)
iTunes Library.xml
Other drive that I want to dismount:
Seadisc300
iTunes folder (contains album artwork file, iTunes Library data, iTunes Music Library.xml iTunes Library.xml and iTunes Music folder (artists) plus previous library folders.
Anyone know what files / folders need to be where?
This is frustrating. Any advice most welcome.
Thanks,
Mark

1 - iTunes puts music in \iTunes\iTunes music folder by Artist\Album\song.
2 - Dunno why it's there unless you created a new library and selected that location.
3
When selecting the location under iTunes preferences... does one select a folder or the actual database file inside a folder?
You are not selecting a library. You are selecting a location for the iTunes music folder.
Do I allow iTunes to "organize" after making the adjustment?
I would. This makes iTunes oprganize the songs by Artist\Album\Song based on those fields in the ID3 tags.
4 - ???
The default for iTunes is...
Album artwork folder
iTunes music folder
iTunes library file
iTunes library.xml file
Maybe a Previous libraries folder.
If you choose to have the music folder located elswhere, it won't be in the iTunes folder.
Just a note: To make it easier to understand, don't mix up terms.
*iTunes music folder* is just that. It's where the music is. It is not the library.
*iTunes library* is what you see when you open iTunes. This info is contained in the *iTunes library.itl* file.
*iTunes library.itl* file is the database used by iTunes for all the info about your library - Songs, movies, podcasts, playlists, ratings, etc.
*iTunes library.xml* is created by iTunes for other apps to access th eiTUnes library. iTunes istelf does not use it.

Backup and restoring itunes library from external hard drive?

is there a way to backup and restore my itunes library to external hard drive and not through the internal itunes backup utility cos i have over 20gbs of music and i want to keep my album art and renamed songs etc. because i will be reformating my pc and dont want to go through painful task of manually adding stuff again.

Try this...
*Fast backup for iTunes library (Windows Only)*
Grab SyncToy 2.0, a free tool from MS. Use it to create a backup copy of your iTunes library & any other media folders onto another hard drive or network share. After making the initial backup copy use SyncToy to periodically synchronise the backup copy with your library and only the changed files will be copied saving lots of time.
When the time comes to reformat your PC, do a final sync, then open iTunes & deauthorise the PC, reformat & rebuild Windows, copy the backup folders back to the same location as they were previously, install iTunes and it should all work perfectly.
tt2

Itunes on both external hard drive and powerbook hard drive.

I currently have itunes running on my powerbook G4, but have about 300 CD's that I want to import but wont fit.
I bought a lacie hard drive with the thought that I could move my itunes application and library onto this external hard drive, import all my CD's.
What I want to do is to be able to open up itunes on the lacie drive and have access to all my music, but be able to disconnect my powerbook and be able to run itunes on it with the current library I have. Essentially keeping both applications and libraries separate from each other. When I install the application on my lacie drive, open it, change the library location under preferences to access the hard drive, import a CD, this CD now appears on the itunes app I open on my powerbook. Is there a way to keep them separate? How do I create my full library on the LaCie Drive, but be able to still maintain a more limited library on my powerbook in an easy way?

Hi donnarose -
My music set up sounds similar to what you are trying to do. I have a 250 GB external drive at home that I connect to when I want to access my entire iTunes library. I have the iTunes app in my applications folder on my powerbook. I kept the original iTunes library file on my powerbook and created a new one for all the music on the external drive. If my external drive is not connected I can ask iTunes to use the library on the powerbook, and when the drive is connected iTunes uses the library there. By holding down the option key when iTunes launches, you are prompted to choose or create a library file.
That's probably not the clearest explanation, but it's working well for me.
Good luck.
Darth

SOS!!! iTunes and new external hard drive

So I just hooked up my external hard drive (LaCie d2 160GB) and I moved all of my music onto it to free up some space on my computer. I have a lot of music (30+ GB), and my computer was sluggish because of it. Well now I have my music on this nice handy dandy hard drive, but when I open my iTunes, every song has an exclamation point next to it. I already went to iTunes preferences and changed the iTunes music folder location to the LaCie hard drive, but it still won't locate the songs unless I do it manually. I DO NOT WANT TO MANUALLY LOCATE 6500 SONGS!!!! What can I do???? I already restarted my computer, but I can't get these files recognized!!!

This is how Apple say it should be done:
iTunes: Moving your iTunes Music folder
If you moved it manually and then changed the preferences to tell iTunes where the music folder is you are really telling iTunes where to put new stuff.
Move all your music back to where it was and then follow the instructions above.
Regards,
Colin R.

How do i transfer music from itunes to an external hard drive

I'm Trying to transfer music from my iTunes library to an external hard drive. how do I go about it.

If you have set iTunes to organize your library (under Edit > Preferences > Advanced) then all you need to do is:
with iTunes not running, copy your entire iTunes library (by default, C:\Users\user_name\Music\iTunes) to your external hard drive - if the latter is drive X, you end up with X:\iTunes containing:
Album Artwork (folder)
iTunes Media (folder) containing (the exact list of folders varies with the types of content in your library):
Audiobooks (folder)
Automatically Add to iTunes (folder)
Music (folder - this will contain one subfolder per artist, each containing one subfolder per album)
Podcasts (folder)
TV Shows (folder)
iTunes Preferences.plist (file)
Previous iTunes Libraries (folder)
iTunes Library Extras.itdb (file)
iTunes Library Genius.itdb (file)
iTunes Library.itl (file - this is the iTunes database)
iTunes Library.xml (file)
sentinel (hidden file)
When everything has been copied, hold down SHIFT while starting iTunes. You'll see this prompt:
Select Choose Library ... and browse to the iTunes folder on your external drive. Select the iTunes Library.itl file and click Open.
iTunes is now running with the complete library (database, media and supporting files) on the external drive.
If you haven't been allowing iTunes to organize your library (which means that some media may be stored in other locations, i.e., not all under C:\Users\user_name\Music\iTunes\iTunes Media) then you need to do the following prior to the steps described above.
In iTunes, go to Edit > Preferences > Advanced and check the Keep iTunes Media folder organized and Copy files to iTunes Media folder ...
Then select File > Library > Organize Library ... In the next dialog check the Consolidate files option and (if not grayed-out) Reorganize files ..., then click OK.
iTunes will then reorganize your media so that you can follow the procedure to copy the complete library to your external HDD.
Last point: once you've done this I strongly recommend that you get a second external drive and use this to take a regular backup of your library,

ITunes unnecessarily spinning up hard drives

Here is a feedback I just submitted to Apple. If you know of a solution, please share it. If you don't and are bothered by the same problem, please copy it and submit it as your own feedback.
Please prevent iTunes from spinning up hard drives when I merely browse my music library. Prior to iTunes 10.4, I would have to actually click on a song before iTunes would spin up the hard drive containing it. While this was undesirable, it's gotten worse in iTunes 10.4. Now with iTunes 10.4, merely selecting an artist or album causes iTunes to spin up the hard drive, presumably so it can load an album cover to display in its lower left corner, which is new behavior, as previous versions would leave this area empty until a song was selected.
Please note that it should never be necessary for iTunes to spin up a hard drive when merely browsing the library, because it has all the metadata and art cached in its own private database. Merely clicking on a song or reviewing metadata should not spin up a hard drive. Furthermore, iTunes doesn't even try to update itself when changes have been made to songs outside of iTunes, so it's doubly unnecessary to spin up the hard drive when merely browsing songs. Browsing the library should amount to browsing the database, which is located in my system on an SSD.
Please make iTunes spin up a hard drive only when it really needs to, such as when saving metadata changes or actually playing a song. The environment will thank you for being greener, and I will thank you for reducing wear and tear on my hard drives and helping me keep the noise level at a minimum.

UPDATE: I've noticed that if I quit an application without closing its documents, and then open it again it restores all previous open documents. If I close the documents first (then quit the app) then there's nothing to restore, which seems to make things faster.
I wish things were a bit more obvious!

How do I transfer itunes library from one hard drive to another.

I want to transfer all my itunes music from one external hard drive to another. How can I do this without disrupting itunes. Thanks.

How would I transfer iTunes from one external hard drive to another external hard drive with iTunes 8 since I do not see the consolidate option? During previous attempts with version 7 I received the following error: The song __ could not be used because the original file could not be found.

HT1473 I want to keep my music on my external hard drive to free up room on my computer how do i get itunes to recognise the hard drive to play the music?

I would like to keep all my music on my external hard drive but I can't seem to get itunes to recognise my hard drive. How do I get itunes to recognise my hard drive so I can play the music off there rather than copying the files over each time?

Click the icon to launch iTunes
Immediately press and hold down the shift key
Keep holding shift until asked to create or choose a library
If iTunes opens normally close and go back to step 1.
Browse to the iTunes Library.itl file you want to open.
See also: HT1589: How to open an alternate iTunes Library file or create a new one
If you had copied across as directed there would be no need to move anything back...
tt2

Itunes and an external hard drive.

I'm using itunes with an external harddrive. Recently, after traveling with my computer, and resyncing upon returning, itunes has been unable to find any of my music. I get the ! next to the songs. I have itunes pointed to the external drive but to no avail?
I have noticed that the external drive just has the mp3's which are not in any folder at all. I would expect that the music would be in a folder named "itunes music"? I don't know if this could be the problem. I'm being really careful because this is the only copy of this music, and I don't currently have a back-up drive big enough to copy them to.
Advice? Help? Can anyone point me to any previous threads?
thanks.

As long as you follow the tip that was linked, you should be OK.
A couple of things:
1. You can't start iTunes when the ext hard drive is not connected. Doing so will result in a library messed up at least a bit, possibly a lot.
2. To safeguard against that little bit, you're going to want to backup your library files occasionally.
3. Somebody (may have been StarDeb55) suggested renaming the iTunes program link to 'check external' as a reminder.
4. If you'd like to still be able to use iTunes for some music, say, like during travel, you can make another user account, and put the desired music there (make sure it's all on the actual laptop).
5. Any ext hard drive sold nowadays should do. USB2 or Firewire.
<hr>
What are the iTunes Library files?

I just bought a MBA and I need to move my photos and itunes to an external hard drive (from my old MacBook Pro) because they won't fit on the Air. I got the photos moved fine and I followed an online tutorial to move the necessary files for itunes, but i

I just bought a MBA and I need to move my photos and itunes to an external hard drive (from my old MacBook Pro) because they won't fit on the Air. I got the photos moved fine and I followed an online tutorial to move the necessary files for itunes, but it didn't work. The files copied fine, but when I tell iTunes on the Air to look at the external drive for the library, it doesn't find anything. What I copied was the entire iTunes Media folder. So, how do I move the necessary iTunes files from my old Pro to a external drive so I can access them from my new Air? Whew!

iTunes- How to move the library to an EHD
After you move the library you need to open iTunes by first depressing the OPTION key then launching iTunes. You will be given a choice of which library to use. This can then be made a permanent change, if you wish, in the Advanced section of iTunes preferences.

Opening previous itunes on my LaCie Hard Drive

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