Restoring Itunes from external HD

I know this question has been answered before but there is a slight difference. I was recently upgraded to Snow Leopard from Leopard. I backed up everything on the Time Machine before the upgrade including my iTunes. When I got my MacBook back, I started putting things back on the computer. iPhoto was moved pretty easily but I guess I didn't do iTunes correctly because now my iPhone 3gs won't sync. I moved the iTunes from the external to the new OSX 10.6.3 but iTunes says my iPhone is with a different library and it can only be synced with one library. I assume this means the iTunes from Leopard on my external hard drive?
Should I delete the iTunes in 10.6.3 completely and then put the old iTunes on from the external hd (and use the proper method which I clearly didn't do before)?
Delete iTunes first and then restore from external hard drive?

Drag and drop onto iTunes.

Similar Messages

  • Restoring itunes from external hard drive

    -I used WD backup program to store itunes on external hard drive
    -hard drive on mac pro crashed, replaced hard drive
    -trying to restore itunes songsa from external drive and when I copied songs from external hard drive to new internal hard drive which has itunes program, only song titles appear and track number for songs I ripped from CDs. All info is present for songs I purchased from itunes (why is there a difference in the way these two are restored???)
    -Can I restore itunes from external drive so that artist and album are associated with each song title I ripped from CDs?
    Much appreciate all assistance. Thanks.

    I know MP3 and AAC save tag data, and I believe AIFF does as well (if you want to keep them in full-quality but space-greedy format). I don't think WAV supports tagging which is why they were lost. Read:
    http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=9558241&#9558241
    This time make sure you have a complete backup of your itunes folder (which, in fact you may still have). That way you can recover your complete library and everything intact (as long as you keep your backups up to date).
    Here is a related topic
    http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=9267109&#9267109

  • How do i restore iTunes from external hard drive?

    All my music and play lists disappeared from iTunes for seemingly no reason.  Back up my PC regularily on external drive.  Using WinXP.
    How can i restore?
    Thanks.

    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.

  • Hard disc died - how to restore iTunes from external hard drive

    My son's Windows PC has died and needs a replacement hard disc. Fortunately he had backed up iTunes to an external hard disc. However, this is not an iTunes backup - but a straight copy of the PC's music folder.
    This folder contains an iTunes folder with the music folder and other iTunes files/folders.
    Can this file be copied directly back onto the new hard disc - or does re-importing need something else - and if so what?
    Thanks
    Patrick

    See Empty/corrupt iTunes library after upgrade/crash. If you restored the entire iTunes folder then you ought to have everything unless the .itl file was corrupted when it was first opened and upgraded. Double-clicking other .itl files in the Previous iTunes Libraries folder doesn't actually open them so I suspect they are "all empty" because in truth you've only been looking at the one corrupt library.
    tt2

  • How do I copy iTunes from external hard drive to iMac?

    How do I copy iTunes from external
    Hard drive to iMac?

    if your main library is on your external, then when not connected, you wont have access to it.
    so first decide, where do you want to keep the files.
    E.g. In my case, I keep my files on "C:\iTunes Music".
    I have a backup on external "Z:\iTunes Backup". If I format my laptop, this is how I restore everything.
    Edit -> Preferences -> Advanced.
    The iTunes music folder in selects as "C:\iTunes Music"
    I have checked Keep iTunes Music Folder Organized, and also Copy Files to iTunes Music folder when adding to ibrary". Click OK to save and close preferences.
    My iTunes list is now empty. I go to file, and select "Add Folder to Library". From that window, I select "Z:\iTunes Backup". iTunes then copies everything from the backup to "C:\iTunes Music". For me, backup is backup, I dont need it to play music.
    Now decide this. If you do not want to keep music on C:, but want to only connect the external to update music on your ipod, do this:
    In preferences, set iTunes Music folder as "Z:\iTunes Backup", and uncheck Copy files to iTunes Music folder, since they are already there. Then in files, select Add folder to library again to build and update the list.

  • HT1660 How do I run itunes from external Hard drive?

    How do I run itunes from external hard drive. I only have ssd on PC and media is too large to fit

    You do not.
    iTunes, like all programs is installed on the C drive.
    You can store the media on another drive.
    Assuming you are moving an existing library from another computer:
    Move or Copy the ENTIRE iTunes folder from the old computer to the new computer and put it where you want it.
    Install iTunes using the default options.
    Hold <SHIFT> while launching iTunes.  It will prompt to create a new library or locate an existing library.
    Select the option to locate an existing library.
    Point iTunes to the iTunesLibrary.itl file in the iTunes folder that was moved from the old computer.

  • Restoring iTunes from Time Machine and external HD

    Hi there,
    I've done some searching and i haven't been able to find the answer to this problem. I am wondering if someone can help me with this.
    My HD was faulty so i had it replaced.  my complete 300gb music library was backed up on an external HD. The iTunes program was running on my local HD. So i ran the local iTunes off of my ext. HD.
    Now that i have a new HD and i restored everything from Time Machine, for some reason all my playlists and songs have been emptied from the new iTunes.
    I am trying to restore it to its original state instead of readding everything from the external HD and trying to remember all the playlists.  (and that doesn't work either as it comes up with errors.)
    I have looked for the plist and or old .itl or.xml but nothing shows up.
    Any ideas?
    Ari

    docutale1 wrote:
    Hi there,
    I've done some searching and i haven't been able to find the answer to this problem. I am wondering if someone can help me with this.
    My HD was faulty so i had it replaced.  my complete 300gb music library was backed up on an external HD. The iTunes program was running on my local HD. So i ran the local iTunes off of my ext. HD.
    Now that i have a new HD and i restored everything from Time Machine,
    Did you restore the entire disk from Time Machine?
    Boot from your System install DVD then Restore from backup and select the Time Machine drive?
    See this -> http://web.me.com/pondini/Time_Machine/14.html

  • Restoring iTunes from Time Machine after losing data on iPhone. Help please

    Hello,
    I updated my iPhone 5S to the latest 7.0.5 today but for some reason it wiped my iPhone and I had to restore from an iTunes backup. However I then realised the last time I made a backup to my computer was 3 months ago, so when it restored it was only correct upto 3 months ago. All my SMS messages in that time has disappeared plus photos and old conversations I had stored on my Skype app. Strangely notes I had made in the "notes app" were still up to date?
    I then tried to restore from iCloud however it made a new backup in the meantime so also has a backup of my iPhone as it was 3 months ago.
    I do have an Iomega Ego backup drive plugged into my Mac Mini so Time Machine does back up my Mac Mini every hour.
    So my question is, can I restore iTunes as it was before I updated my iPhone to 7.0.5? Will that bring back all my old text/SMS messages, photos etc..? Or will it not work as I have now updated my iPhones to the latest OS?
    If it does work how do I actually restore iTunes, are their particular files I need to pick and is there a risk with doing this? For example will it cause conflict issues on my Mac Mini and iPhone.
    Apologies for all the questions, never had this happen before and I'm a bit relucatant to try it just in case I do something wrong.
    All help appreciated, thank you.
    I have a Mac Mini running Mavericks and an iPhone 5S that now has the very latest update 7.0.5.

    If you don't have a backup of your iPhone that you made with iTunes right before you updated to 7.0.5, then you can't restore your iPhone from that backup. You can't restore from a backup that you don't have.
    Notes.app is synced via iCloud, so that's why you still have it. Music on your phone syncs via iTunes.
    If you have your music in iTunes on your Mac, then all you need to do is select the music you want on your phone and then sync your phone via iTunes (either with a USB cable connecting your phone to your mac, or via iTunes wifi sync).
    If that music is in your external HD backup, but not in your Mac, you have to move it from the backup to iTunes in your Mac.

  • Reinstalled Windows - how to restore iTunes from backup?

    OK, here's the short succinct and none-waffley version of my question:
    Under OSX there's a whopping big (xml?) file stored in the iTunes Library folder, but where is that on Windows? I've read about a Library.itl file, is that the same thing? If so, where on earth is it please?!?
    And now for those who don't mind reading a bit, I'd like to explain my problem (a blank looking iTunes library after reinstalling Windows / iTunes) in a bit more detail. A lot of hard work and many listening hours went into crafting those smart playlists and I'd rather like to get them back if that's at all possible?
    Here's what I've got to go on:
    - the "iTunes music folder" is on a disk partition that remained untouched during the reinstallion process, so all my music's still there (else I wouldn't be quite so relaxed about it!!!)
    - my "My Documents" folder is also on another untouched partion, but I don't think iTunes saves anything there does it?
    - before reinstalling Windows I backued up my "Documents and Settings" folder from C drive. I assumed everything I'd need for restoring iTunes would be stored in the "Application Data" subfolder (or whatever Windows calls this in english - it's Anwendungsdaten in german)
    So after reinstalling iTunes and before starting it for the first time, I copied my backup of "Docs & Settings/Rich in Berlin/Anwendungsdaten/Apple Computer/iTunes" to the corresponding place on C drive (and also the same named folder from "Local Settings"). Then I started iTunes, remembered that this is a PC not a Mac and saw an empty library window. Which brought me here.
    As I wrote at the beginning, I suspect Library.itl has something to do with it. Can anybody confirm this and/or tell me where to find it, please?
    Cheers
    a computer designed by the devil Windows XP Pro iTunes 4.8 and why do so many only use this to show-off irrelevant items they own???
    BeigeG3 400/256/40 OS921, PismoG3 400/640/40 Windows XP iTunes 4.8 and why do so many only use this to show-off irrelevant items they own???

    iTunes operates as a database of information for your music files. The actual music files are stored on your PC, not within iTunes. iTunes keeps absolute references of the music file location and other information in its database file. This allows iTunes to use music files from any location on the PC: different directories/folders on the main HD, another internal drive, an external drive, or a network drive (or any combination of the above). Each song reference has a specific and hardcoded path so iTunes can find and play (or sync) it. Move the file, change the path, re-map the drive it is on, and iTunes will lose the file (giving you the '!' of a ‘Broken Link’). Lose, move or corrupt the ‘iTunes Music.itl’ file and your complete Library will ‘vanish’.
    If you delete, corrupt, or otherwise lose your ‘iTunes Library.itl’ file, you will end up with a ‘blank’ Library within iTunes. Nine time out of ten, your underlying music files are still on the PC. They can be ‘re-Added’ via the File==>Add Folder/File menu command, but you will lose some of the music meta-data. Recovering your Library via backup copies of the iTunes database file, or from importing the XML file is always preferable.
    The iTunes music information (meta-data) is stored in two places: the actual individual song files themselves, and the iTunes Library database file (‘iTunes Library.itl’). There is a corresponding XML file that is created by iTunes, but not directly used. See: What are the iTunes Library files?.
    Song attributes stored directly in each music file are as follows: Artist, Album, Song Title, Year, Comments, Compilation tag, Lyrics, Genre , Grouping, Composer, BPM, Album Artwork, Bit Rate & Kind (Both not tags - inherent to the file itself).
    Song attributes stored in the iTunes Library database file only are: Playlists, Ratings, Play Count, Last Played, Date Added, Date Modified, Equalizer, Volume Adjustment.
    While it appears that all of the music attributes (except for Album Art) are also written to the XML file, when ‘Importing’ the XML file back into iTunes, it will not capture the Ratings, Play Count, Last Played, and Date Added attributes. The XML file can be somewhat useful, but it is usually better to have legacy copies of the ITL file for restoring your complete Library.

  • Is it really possible to operate iTunes from external hard drive?

    The internal hard drive on my Mac Book Pro is full and most of it is music for iTunes. I have been told that it is possible to operate iTunes from a library on an external drive but it hasn't worked for me. I have moved the iTunes folder on to my external hard drive. Then I did two things...First, I opened iTunes while pressing the "alt" key. Then I clicked on "choose library" and directed it to the iTunes folder on the external hard drive. Second, I opened Preferences>Advanced>iTunes Media Folder Location and then clicked on "Change" and directed that to the iTunes folder on my external hard drive. It should work right? Well, it worked the day that I did it but the next day I had "!" beside every song in my library of nearly 10,000 songs. It says that it can't find the location of the song file and asks if I would like to find it. When I show it where the file is it works but it will take me forever to do that with each individual song. Can this really be done successfully?

    One question. What is NAS?
    Here is a link http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1751 . I did it exactly this way the first time I tried, including consolidating and the organize library part but it made a mess of my iTunes folder. Luckily I had it backed up on another partition of my hard drive using Time Machine. So, I deleted the iTunes folder and started over.
    I dragged the iTunes folder over last night to the partition on my hard drive that I want to operate iTunes from. It took about an hour or so to copy the files over but the iTunes folder looks organized the way it should be again. Then I Alt>Clicked on iTunes in the dock and picked create library. Then I directed it to the new iTunes folder. Next I chose preferences>Advanced>Change media folder location and directed that to the new Itunes folder. Then it asked me if I would like iTunes to organize the folder(or something to that effect). I can't remember exactly but I chose "No" or "Cancel" this time, I didn't the first time. It has been working ever since but I am waiting for something to go wrong. Because, it worked last time for a day and then stopped.

  • Running iTunes from external hard drive, new computer, where to start?

    I've seen several threads relating to this, but I'm a bit confused. For some time we have been running iTunes from an external hard drive with no issues. We now have a new laptop with windows 8, and I'm not sure where to start to set up iTunes (we replaced the computer with a laptop). Do I need to do a new install of iTunes on the laptop? Do I install it to the hard drive (C) or to the external drive (G)? My biggest source of concern is losing the library. I also want to be sure that we can continue to run iTunes from the external drive, I don't want it taking up space on the laptop hard drive.

    With more & more people looking towards external drives as a storage solution, it's important to warn them, that although using one within iTunes is a great idea, it comes with its issues & can be a step towards a disastrous sequence. In such a scenario, each time iTunes is launched it'll look for the library that resides on the external drive, & if that drive's not connected, iTunes will open with an empty library. You know what's comming next, rite ? An empty iDevice. This happens because 'by default' iTunes is set to Auto-Sync & if you're using an external drive, the potential for a messy problem goes way up.  So in short, remember these points. when using an external drive(library).
    . Always connect your external drive prior to lauching iTunes.
    . Always ensure iTunes sees your external library prior to connecting your iDevice.
    . Disable the 'Auto-Sync' feature from within iTunes prior to connecting your iDevice.
    . Always wait to connect your iDevice until thee aforementioned points are confirmed.
    As stated earlier, using an external drive with iTunes isn't a problem in & by itself. But if the external drive's disconnected & the 'Auto-Sync' feature's left at its default setting(enabled), a family member could loose all their data simply by connecting their iDevice to the PC/Mac. Or be in for a time consuming lesson.
    PS: At the very least one should research the topic themselves. http://ipod.about.com/od/advanceditunesuse/a/Itunes-External-Hard-Drive.htm

  • Moving iTunes from external hard drive to new iMac

    I will be receiving a new iMac soon. Currently my iTunes is on an external hard drive.
    What are the steps I take to move the iTunes from my external hard drive to my new iMac's hard drive?

    The PC to MAC move complicates a few things, but this article seems to solve them.

  • HT1449 how do i import iTunes from external hard drive

    I had itunes on our old PC. We moved iTunes to an external Harddrive and replaced our PC with a iMac. I would like to move my iTunes back onto the computer from external HD.  I followed some instructions posted but nothing happened.  I think I am missing something.

    Try Here...
    Move iTunes Library from PC to MAC
    http://www.macworld.com/article/146958/2010/03/move_itunes_windows_mac.html

  • Restoring itunes from all hard drive

    I apologise if this has been asked before of is somewere else, but i couldnt find it.
    I basicaly got a new computer and have my old hard drive now plugged into the new one so cant run the old itunes (so i cant consolodate or backup or anything like that)
    But i want to restore itunes onto my new computer so that i have all my playlists and song names. This is mainly because i have about 30+ playlists, and a lot of the things i had to rename because they wernt named properly (didnt have artists or standard names)
    I have access to the old itunes folder, so can copy or import settings and music.
    I have looked for hours to try and find out how to do this, but cnt seem to find anything. I am just copying the 'My Music folder' but it obviously says 'this file cannot be found' wen i try yo play it.
    Help pls!
    thanx, Ghost

    that doesnt work, cause the old one was on XP, and this is on windows 7
    Doesn't matter.
    If you copy the entire iTunes folder, it should work fine. You won't need to change any settings.
    Try this.
    1- Hold Shift and launch iTunes.
    2- Select *Choose library* and select the /iTunes/ folder on the XP drive (/username/My Documents/My Music/iTunes/).
    3- Go to iTunes prefs > Advanced.
    4 - Make sure the iTunes media folder location is set to /username/My Documents/My Music/iTunes/iTunes Music (or iTunes Media).
    5- Go to iTunes menu File > Library > Organize library and tick Consolidate.
    This will ensure everything in iTunes is in /username/My Documents/My Music/iTunes/iTunes Music/ folder.
    At this point, you can leave it like this and use it as is. iTunes will use this location for everything from now on.
    If you wish to move iTunes to the new drive, quit iTunes and copy /username/My Documents/My Music/iTunes/ folder on the XP drive to /username/My Music/ on the C: drive.
    Now hold Shift and launch iTunes.
    Select *Choose library* and select /username/My Music/iTunes folder on the C: drive.
    That is all you need to do.

  • Recently got a new computer and installed itunes from external drive - all music shows up in the library, however when i click on a song i receive this message "the song could not be used because the original file could not be found".  What do i do?

    I recently got a new computer and installed itunes from which had been saved onto an external drive - all music shows up in the library, however when I click on a song I receive this message "the song "abc" could not be used because the original file could not be found".  What can I do?

    I was given the option to locate the file where the song is held. If so select "locate" and direct it to the folder / file where the song is and open it. itunes then will give you the option to use this process to update all of your library. OK that as this will do it automatically instead of doing them one by one. I hope this helps.
    Martin

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