Preserving iTunes playlists on new hard drive

I'm in the unfortunate position of having to replace my hard drive and I'm going thru all my 3rd-party software making sure I can transition it. I'm assuming I'll have to reinstall iTunes on the new drive and reimport all my music files from back-up, but that this will not reinstate my playlists. Is there a way to preserve these without starting from scratch?

Hi Chris,
Thanks for your response. Unfortunately, it didn't work for me. In fact, I lost my playlists and somehow lost over 1,000 songs!
Here's what I did...
1) Copied my iTunes library to my external drive - over 4,000 songs (23 GB).
2) Threw my old library and audio files into the Trash (and did not empty it)
3) Started iTunes with the Option key and directed iTunes to choose the library on the external drive.
This caused iTunes to "update" the library. Next thing I know, there are only 2,714 songs now... my movies are gone... and there are about half the number of playlists available.
I tried to rescue my songs and playlists by putting the original library back into it's old place and redirecting iTunes to the old library... but the songs are GONE.
Why the heck couldn't Apple build a "Move Library" feature into iTunes? Doesn't everyone need to do this at some point?

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I recently had to replace my hard drive and lost my iTunes library. When I try to transfer the content from my iPod to iTunes on the new hard drive (same computer), it would only let me transfer iTunes store purchases. How can I complete the transfer of all the content on the iPod back onto the computer?

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See this post for options on moving your iPod data back to your computer.
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wait until you reach the limit of five authorized machines. then, once a year, you will be able to deauthorize all machines, following which you can reauthorize those computers you currently use/have access to.
click here for more information.

I had a computer crash and Hard drive data lost, so I reinstalled Itunes on my new hard drive and now cannot locate ALL of the purchases I had done in the past.

I thought that ALL itunes purchases were held on the Apple server for itunes.
When I reinstalled my itunes on my new hard drive, there were NO histoical purchases on my itune account.
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Make sure you have at least iTunes 10.3.1, then go to the iTunes Store, log into your account, and click the new Purchases link under the Quick Links. The new iTunes in the Cloud service may allow you to re-download your purchased content (music, videos and TV shows not available for re-downloading in all countries at this time; movies and audiobooks not available for re-downloading at all yet). You can also do this from an iOS device.
For more information, see:
http://support.apple.com/kb/ht2519
Regards.

How do I transfer itunes library to new hard drive running lion os

I have a Mac Pro with 2 hard drives in it.
Hard drive #1 has Leopard OS and my iTunes library on it
Hard drive #2 has Lion 10.7.4 OS and this is where I want to move my iTunes library to from hard drive #1.
How can I due this insuring that all playlists, etc. transfer seamlessly. I will then only be using the new Lion OS
to run iTunes (and this will also communicate with Apple TV, etc.)
Thanks!

Copy the entire /Music/iTunes/ folder from old hard drive to /Music/ on new hard drive.
Start iTunes.
That is all.
You can also leave it where it it, hold Option, launch iTunes.
Slect Choose library... and select the iTunes folder on the Leopard drive.
This will be your iTunes for both OS, whichever you boot into.

Copying iPod content to iTunes on a new hard drive

My Windows XP crashed and I had to reinstall a new hard drive. How do I update newly installed iTunes with all the content on my iPod?
Thanks

You can't sync or drag your non iTMS music back directly from an iPod to iTunes, the transfer of music is designed by default to be one way from iTunes to iPod. However there is a manual method of accessing the iPod's hard drive and copying songs back to iTunes on Windows posted in this thread: MacMuse - iPod to iTunes
If you prefer something more automated then there are a number of third party utilities that you can use to retrieve the music files and playlists from your iPod, this is just a selection. Have a look at the web pages and documentation for these, they are generally quite straightforward. As iTunes 7 is just out some of these may not work with it yet though I haven't experienced any problems with the Mac software I use.
YamiPod Mac and Windows Versions
iGadget Windows Only
iPodCopy Mac and Windows Versions
iPod Access Mac and Windows Versions
PodUtil Mac and Windows Versions
iPodCopy Mac and Windows Versions
PodPlayer Windows Only
There is a new function in iTunes 7 under File, "Transfer Purchases from iPod" which transfers iTMS purchases. A paragraph on it has been added to this article: How to use your iPod to move your music to a new computer
If your iPod is set to update automatically take care when connecting back to your computer and an empty iTunes. If it is set to automatically update you will get a message that your iPod is linked to a different library and asking if you want to link to this one and replace all your songs etc, press *No* (or "Cancel" if you are using iTunes 7). Pressing "Yes" (or Erase and Sync in iTunes 7) will irretrievably remove all songs from your iPod. Your iPod should appear in the iTunes source list from where you can change the update setting to manual and use your iPod without the risk of accidentally erasing it. In iTunes 7 Check the "manually manage music and videos" box in Summary then press the Apply button. Don't uncheck Sync Music it will be unchecked by default when you choose the manual setting: Managing content manually on iPod
You can also use a keyboard command to prevent your iPod auto-syncing with iTunes. While connecting the iPod to the computer on Windows hold down the Shift + Ctrl keys (on a Mac hold down the Option and Command (⌥ and ⌘) keys). This will stop the iPod from auto-syncing with iTunes and the iPod will appear in the source list. Wait until you are sure the iPod has mounted, and that it will not auto sync and then you can let the keys go. This may take between 20 to 30 seconds depending on your computer.
Whichever of these retrieval methods you choose, keep your iPod in manual mode until you have reloaded your iTunes and you are happy with your playlists etc then it will be safe to return it auto-sync again. I would also advise that you get yourself an external hard drive and back your stuff up in case you have problems again. External drives are comparatively inexpensive these days and you can get loads of storage for quite a small outlay.

Installing iTunes on a new hard drive

Ok, so my laptop that i used for iTunes had a recent hard drive crash. Basically, my iTunes right now is brand new.
_*My iPod is the only thing with my music on it.*_
What can I do to get all my music back onto my 'new' laptop?

Connect your iPod to your computer. If it is set to update automatically you'll get a message that it is linked to a different library and asking if you want to link to this one and replace all your songs etc, press "Cancel". Pressing "Erase and Sync" will irretrievably remove all the songs from your iPod. When your iPod appears in the iTunes source list change the update setting to manual, that will let you use our iPod without the risk of accidentally erasing it. Check the "manually manage music and videos" box in Summary then press the Apply button. Also when using most of the utilities listed below your iPod needs to be enabled for disc use, changing to manual update will do this by default: Managing content manually on iPod and iPhone
Once you are safely connected there are a few things you can do to restore your iTunes from the iPod. If you have any iTunes Music Store purchases the transfer of purchased content from the iPod to authorised computers was introduced with iTunes 7. You'll find details in this article: Copying iTunes Store purchases from your iPod or iPhone to a computer
The transfer of content from sources such as songs imported from CD is designed by default to be one way from iTunes to iPod. However there are a number of third party utilities that you can use to retrieve music files and playlists from your iPod. I use Senuti but have a look at the web pages and documentation for the others too, you'll find that they have varying degrees of functionality and some will transfer movies, videos, photos and games as well. This is just a small selection of what's available, you can read reviews and comparisons of some of them here:
Wired News - Rescue Your Stranded Tunes
Comparison of iPod managers
Senuti Mac Only
PodView Mac Only
PodWorks Mac Only
iPodDisk PPC Mac Only (experimental version available for Intel Macs)
TuneAid Mac only (iPhone and iPod Touch compatible)
iPodRip Mac & Windows
YamiPod Mac & Windows
Music Rescue Mac & Windows
iGadget Mac & Windows (iPhone and iPod Touch compatible)
Floola Mac & Windows
iRepo Mac & Windows (iPhone and iPod Touch compatible)
iPod Access Mac & Windows (iPhone and iPod Touch compatible)
TouchCopy Mac & Windows (iPhone and iPod Touch compatible - Windows version only)
There's also a manual method of copying songs from your iPod to a Mac or PC. The procedure is a bit involved and won't recover playlists but if you're interested it's available on page 2 at this link: Copying Content from your iPod to your Computer - The Definitive Guide
Keep your iPod in manual mode until you have reloaded your iTunes and you are happy with your playlists etc then it will be safe to return it auto-sync. I would also advise that you get yourself an external hard drive and back your stuff up, relying on an iPod as your sole backup is not a good idea and external drives are comparatively inexpensive these days, you can get loads of storage for a reasonable outlay.

Recovering playlists after new hard drive installed in computer

The computer repair store explained that all of my itune music was exported to my external hard drive before they installed an upgraded hard drive into my old computer. I was able to retrieve my songs from my external drive and put them into my "new" library after I downloaded itunes software onto my new hard drive. I seem to have LOST all of my playlists during the transfer to/from the external hard drive. How do I retrieve these playlists? Thanks for your help.

Did they also copy the iTunes Library.itl file as well as the iTunes music folder? This is the database of the songs in your library and the playlists and other info.
If they deleted the file, iTunes creates a new, empty copy when you re-install it, but any playlists are lost.
If you still have them on your iPod, then a 3rd party app may help.
If you want to recover just the structure of playlists from the iPod (and not the actual song files themselves), there's iRepo for Windows. which I understand has this feature along with all the standard features for these programs.
iPodRip also has the feature enabling you to reconstruct playlists.

Move itunes library to new hard drive

ok i recently got a new harddrive because i ran out of space on my old one. i have started everything over fresh and i want to take EVERYTHING from my old iTunes and put it on my new harddrive. One thing i have tried is taking the itunes>music folder and copied onto my ipod (enable disk use) and then put it on my new hard drive. well my problem is that i dont have the same number of items and its missing all of the ratings and play counts and any of the small details like "skip during shuffle". another problem is that all of my videos are under the movie category, which will take me forever to organize. please help me because i really do not want to organize my whole library again

Then you want to clone your original HD to the new HD. See below - same concept as moving between two computers, you just do it between two HDs on the same PC..
How to Copy and Move your Music Files from One Computer to Another
This is the conceptual framework with related and important links. Apply and adapt it to your specific situation and equipment resources.
The safest, quickest, and most optimal method to move your Library to a new computer is to actually clone the entire ‘iTunes’ folder (directory) structure, rather than just copying just the song files. By copying the entire ‘iTunes’ folder and all sub-folders, you capture not only the music files, but the all-important ‘iTunes Library.itl’ database file (usually located in the ‘iTunes’ folder), which contains all the data about your songs (Playlists, Ratings, Play Counts, Last Played, Date Added, etc). See: What are the iTunes Library files?
Install iTunes on the new computer. Then go back to your old computer and move (copy) the "iTunes" folder which usually resides inside your "…\My Documents\My Music" folder from the old computer to the exact same place (both Drive Letter and complete Path) on the new computer. When you open iTunes on the new computer it will look and behave exactly the same way it did on the old, Play Counts, Ratings, Comments and all!
NOTE: It is usually safer moving files between computers with the same version of iTunes!!
iTunes Files to Copy and Move to your New PC
1) All music files in their current folder structure (usually located in and under the ‘iTunes Music’ folder)
2) The Library database file: ‘iTunes Library.itl’ located in the ‘iTunes’ folder
3) The Library XML file: ‘iTunes Music Library.xml’ located in the ‘iTunes’ folder
4) Any XML playlist files you created for Playlist retention
5) The two iTunes.pref files (optional)
-- C:\Documents and Settings\<your username>\Application Data\Apple Computer\iTunes\iTunes.pref
-- C:\Documents and Settings\<your username>\Local Settings\Application Data\Apple Computer Inc\iTunes.pref
6) The XML file of Ratings, Play Counts and Last Played attributes saved from the main Library and created by Otto’s SaveRatings script (also optional, but recommended):
“Download this: http://ottodestruct.com/itunes/SaveRatings.zip . It's a program, just run it like any other program. Run it on the machine where you're copying the info from BEFORE you move the files to the new machine. Click the "Save Ratings" button and it'll create a ratings.xml file. Now when you move the files, move the program and this file as well. Then after you make your new iTunes library, run it again and click the "Restore Ratings" button. Voila, all your information is back in the Library. Well, most of it anyway, it's not perfect. It'll tell you what songs it couldn't figure out though, and there's usually not very many.”
Here's a list of methods to copy and move your music files from one computer to another:
1) Use an External Hard Drive (ExHD) to move the complete files and Folder structures from one computer to another (my preferred option). You can clone’ the entire ‘iTunes’ folder structure in one very easy step. Also great to have available for complete backups of your Library. External hard drives now run less than $100 for 200-250GBs of storage. See This Link
2) Directly connect the two computers....
- 2a) Connect them through a Router &/or Network
- 2b) Directly connect using an Ethernet cable: Straight for using at least one Mac; or Crossover for PC/PC Instructions here.
- 2c) Connect them via a USB-to-USB Network Bridge. Example here. There are various types out there (use Google).
....Then copy the files from one computer to the other.
3) Use the iPod as a transfer device, as this extensive Apple link explains. It will be a bit easier if your iPod has a larger capacity than your music collection, otherwise you will need to perform multiple copy/move transfers. This well written process also works fine while using any other data transfer medium (ExHD, Flash Drive, DVD, CD, Zipp, Jazz, etc.).
4) Burn several DVDs (at 4.7GBs each) with your music data files and folder structure, and load them onto the new computer. Re-writable DVDs are more cost effective (if your DVD drive can manage these types).
5) Burn 6x more on CDs (at 700MB each) than in #4 above and load the files and folders on the new computer. Re-writable CDs are more cost effective (if your CD drive can manage these types).
6) Use a larger USB Flash drive (1GB - 4GB) to move the files and folders. Best if the flash drive is larger than your Library, otherwise you will need multiple copy/move transfers.
These are links to various additional instructions on performing the transfer (read them all, but some listed steps may not be required depending on your specific situation):
Switch from PC to Mac Using the iPod
hudgie: Migrating iTunes for Windows to a new PC
How to copy music between authorized computers

My old hard drive is dead and I need to move iTunes to the new hard drive

My computer's old hard drive contained some corrupted Windows files. A friend was able to get my husband's iTunes file off the old hard drive and it's saved in the My Music folder on the new hard drive. Can someone please give me super easy to understand instructions on how I get the iTunes stuff onto the new hard drive? I don't want to mess anything up because he has such a large number of albums in the iTunes folder. Thank you in advance!

It sounds like you just have 2 formatted drives (SSD, HDD) that are not configured as a Fusion drive. If so, you have to manually move files from the SSD to the HDD and visa versa.
If your system would have come configured with a Fusion drive (SSD and HDD 'fused' together) then OS X would maintain file movement from the SSD to the HDD without user intervention.
Look here then scroll down to Introducing Fusion Drive for a brief explanation.

I had to install itunes on a new hard drive and when I synced my ipod it duplicated a bunch of songs, how do I fix this?

I had to install a new hard drive on my system and download itunes again. When I synced my ipod it duplicated a bunch of songs, how do I fix this problem?

wait until you reach the limit of five authorized machines. then, once a year, you will be able to deauthorize all machines, following which you can reauthorize those computers you currently use/have access to.
click here for more information.

Moving iTunes to a new hard drive

I followed Apple's instructions to move iTunes when I changed the hard drive on my first generation MacBook Pro (i.e., consolidate, change the media folder location), but when I opened a brand new version of iTunes on the new drive (holding down the option key) and pointed to the file on the external drive, it said that it couldn't find the library file. I assume that I had done everything right up to that point, because it took more than 5 hours to move my media onto the external drive. I have most of my media on my iPod, but I want to preserve my playlists, ratings, and (if possible) date added information, which I understand will not transfer to iTunes from my iPod. I have Googled and Googled the problem but have been completely stymied at every turn. I have been iTune-less for more than 2 weeks now--please help!

Lucy Jordan wrote:
(i.e., consolidate, change the media folder location), but when I opened a brand new version of iTunes on the new drive (holding down the option key) and pointed to the file on the external drive, it said that it couldn't find the library file.
consolidating your library to an external HD only moves the media files but keeps the library files local.
hold the option key and launch iTunes. click on +choose library+ and select the iTunes folder in <MacintoshHD>/users/<yourname>/music on our internal drive.
JGG

Can't sync iTunes after installing new hard drive

My iPhone was working fine, syncing to iTunes with many songs downloaded, until my hard drive crashed. I replaced the drive and added an internal back up and can no longer download anything. I get an error message with words to the effect that I "don't have permission to download to this computer". Worse, all of my OLD songs are now erased.
How can I retrieve the music I've paid for, restore it to my iPhone, and add new downloads? (The Apple help topics don't seem to address this issue.)
Thanks for any insights.

This may be an issue with authorizing your computer.
In the iTunes menu bar choose Store>Authorize computer

Without thinking, I dragged my iTunes folder to new hard drive ...

As friendly as Macs are - and as long as I have been using them - the iTunes issues never cease to puzzle me. In this case, I hope there is an easy answer, though I fear I know differently form the posts.
I wanted to move my itunes to my new laCie hub/drive extenral to free up space for FCP on my main internal drives. So I thought (or didn't think) and dragged to make a copy of the iTunes folder from my main 'Music' location. Now, of course, I can't return it or reconnect it. I DO have my ipod fully loaded .. so assume that is an option to restore it.
So a) is there an option i don't know about (I just want it back the way it was! AaRRGGGH!)
or b) can you offer me the info on restoring from ipod (ouch)
Thanks!
Brent

When dragging a folder to another disk, Mac OS makes a copy.
You can drag the folder out of the trash onto the external and open iTunes with the Option key held or you can use the original folder on the internal.
If you want you use the external drive for iTunes.
Quite iTunes.
Drag the iTunes folder from the trash to where you want.
Start iTunes and hold the Option key. Select Choose existing library and select the folder on the external drive.
You should see all your music and playlists.
Quti iTunes.
Drag the original folder on yoru internal drive tot eh trash (don't empty it yet).
Start iTunes normally and make sure all your music works.
If so, you can delete the trash and free up all that space on the internal drive.

Preserving iTunes playlists on new hard drive

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