Running Itunes library on a new computer off of an external hard drive

Hello, I've recently purchased a Macbook and an external hard drive. I transferred all my files from my old Mac onto my external and would like to try to run my itunes library from there through my new laptop as opposed to putting all the files onto the new computer.
Is it possible to have the files exclusively running off the hard drive and never going onto the new macbook? How might I go about doing this?
I've tried following some of the video tutorials but that just seems to route you to do it from your old computer off of a external hard drive, and nothing to do with using it on a new computer.
Basically what I want to do is get everything running off the external (all the old computer's data) and none of it ever to set foot on my new Macbook.
Thank you all in advance for your help!
-Rob

Assuming you use the iTunes default settings where iTunes copied added items to your iTunes folder and organizes your library (meaning - everything is all self contained in the iTunes folder), then all you have to do is drag & drop your iTunes folder (not just the iTunes Music folder you find inside the iTunes folder) to the external drive and copy the entire thing.
If you want to test that it worked or would like to actually start using it from that location instead, use these instructions when you start iTunes to point it to the new location...
How to open an alternate iTunes Library file or create a new one
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=304447
If you are just testing to make sure a backup copy works and still want to use the internal location, then close iTunes after you verify it works, and restart iTunes again with the same instructions and point it back to your internal drive (original) location. Otherwise you are all set to use the library from the external location.
When you move the external drive to another computer, use the same start up instructions above to point your iTunes on that computer to the library on the external drive.
Additional info...
Back up your iTunes library by copying to an external hard drive
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=307074
Cheers,
Patrick

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HT201269 I have my iTunes library on my Windows 7 machine on an external hard drive. I purchased a new Macbook and would like to point my new machine at my iTunes library without losing anything and then deactivate iTunes on the Windows machine, help ple

I have my iTunes library on my Windows 7 machine on an external hard drive. I purchased a new Macbook and would like to point my new machine at my iTunes library without losing anything and then deactivate iTunes on the Windows machine, help please

Sorry, but this does not seem to be an iPad question. I'd therefore suggest you ask in the iTunes for Mac forum.
Regards.

Transferring Itunes Library to a new computer with songs on External HD?

I have a similar problem
I need to transfer my itunes library to my new laptop
I believe i have to install a new version of itunes on the new laptop
My mp3's and videos are all manually arranged on an external harddrive. Only the itunes program is on the internal harddrive of my computer
Is it possible to transfer my itunes library to the new laptop? I want to preserve my playlist.
A mistake i did....
Few months ago, i reformatted our old computer. Installed the new version of itunes. I also copied the .itl, xml music file from old itunes folder to the new itunes folder (re-installed itunes). When i opened the new itunes, my library was blank. What mistake did i make? Should i have hold the SHIFT key (i use windows) while i open the itunes so that it'll ask me to look for an old library?

There is a simpler way.
Copy the iTunes folder containing your library files from My Music onto the external drive, but not into the music folder. It is best to avoid confusion by keeping them separate.
Install iTunes on the new PC. Don't add any music yet.
With iTunes closed, drag the iTunes folder out of the Music folder to the desktop.
Plug in the external drive and copy the iTunes folder from the old PC into the Music folder.
Adjust the permissions on this folder so the account you are using has full control. Here is help if you don't know how:
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/
Before attempting to open iTunes make sure your external drive has the same letter as it had before - I think you already know how to do this.
You should also check the permissions on your music folder as above.
Fingers crossed, when you start iTunes things should be as they were on the old PC.
The crucial thing is that the path to the music files has not changed.

Need Help! I lost entire itunes library after copying "My Music" folder to an external hard drive.

I was recently hire by one of my sisters friends to set up a new computer and to repair wireless router. The client asked me to copy music files from their old computer to an external hard drive so that they could be transfered to the new computer. So I connected the external hard drive to the old computer and copyed the entire "My Music" folder to it. I never deleted files from the old computer. I did however uninstall a few applications at the clients request such as Microsoft Office and Kodak EasyShare which have nothing to do with itunes. I got a call from the client a few hours later stating that their entire itunes music library is no longer there. I do not have much experince with itunes this just doesnt make any sense to me. I am sure the music is there but itunes is not pulling it up. Can someone please tell me how to fix this problem?
Thanks so much

I was recently hire by one of my sisters friends to set up a new computer and to repair wireless router. The client asked me to copy music files from their old computer to an external hard drive so that they could be transfered to the new computer. So I connected the external hard drive to the old computer and copyed the entire "My Music" folder to it. I never deleted files from the old computer. I did however uninstall a few applications at the clients request such as Microsoft Office and Kodak EasyShare which have nothing to do with itunes. I got a call from the client a few hours later stating that their entire itunes music library is no longer there. I do not have much experince with itunes this just doesnt make any sense to me. I am sure the music is there but itunes is not pulling it up. Can someone please tell me how to fix this problem?
Thanks so much

New computer, transfered music via external hard drive, library there but music wont play, message "The song " " could not be used because the original file could not be found. Tech did everything, said call Itunes support

New Computer
transfered Itunes library via clickfree backup. New computer Tech support(Premier PC) did this, Now can not play library within Itunes. Message says "The song " song name " could not be found. Would you like to locate it? Same Tech tried different things via on line support could not fix and said call itunes support and say Itunes will not play on new computer.

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

Hello, I'm trying to transfer my old itunes library to a new computer using home sharing. It's switched on in both computers, but I can't see the old library in the new computer. But I can see tracks from the new computer on the old one. Please help.

Apologies for poor syntax, my arm's a little sore. Yes, one computer (old) is vista, new is Windows 8. Shouldn't I be able to import the whole library using home sharing? Am I doing something wrong? Thank you in advance

I am having the same issue. I recently purchased a new laptop and I have spent the last 3 days using the home share to slowly transfer all 22,000 songs. However yesterday morning when I turned on both computers to continue the process I am having the following issue:
both computers are running the same windows OS (8)
both computers are running the same version of itunes
both computers are logged in with the same apple ID
both computers have home sharing turned on
Now however I can see the NEW computers itunes library in the drop down box on the OLD computer, however I can not see the OLD computers itunes library on the NEW computer. I can no longer see "HOME SHARES" on the drop down LIBRARY list on the new computer. I've taken the following steps to correct the error:
reset the router
completely shut down BOTH computers and brought them back up
reopened itunes
re-logged in on both PC's
re-activated both PC's with home share
The articles and help from the apple sites are worthless and it says if you can't see a library just turn home sharing off then back on - I've completed the above steps NUMEROUS times. After spending 4 days on transferring my music I really do not want to have to start over by using an external hard drive and then importing that way. I would like some help on discovering why the new laptop is no longer seeing my old library. (When it has been working up to this point)
Thanks in advance.

How do I get my iTunes library onto my new computer when my old computer died?

How can I upload my iTunes library onto my new computer from my iPod or iPad? our old computer died and now I cannot move my iTundes library from my iPod or iPhone onto the new iTunes. Anyone have a workaround for this?

It depends on what you mean by "died".
If the old computer is a Mac, you can try starting it up in "Target Disk Mode" - it doesn't attempt to start up like a computer, it pretends to be an external hard drive so it might work even if your old computer still has power (even if it's otherwise unusable). You then use a firewire cable (or or firewire to thunderbolt adapter) to plug the old computer into the new one, and can copy the music off the old hard drive.
OS X Mountain Lion: Transfer files between two computers using target disk mode
Or, if you're handy with a screwdriver, open up the old computer and take the old hard drive out. How easy that is depends on what model computer it is. You can then pop the hard drive into an "external enclosure" (about $20 from any computer parts store), plug that into your new computer's USB port and copy away - and you even get to keep using the old hard drive as an external hard drive. But that's assuming it really is the computer that "died" and not the hard drive itself.
Finally, if it's the hard drive in the old computer that died, but the computer itself is still good, you can try using a utility like DiskWarrior or TechTools Pro to try to recover the old hard drive, then use one of the above methods.
if you want to copy the music directly from you ipod, you can try these instructions - How to transfer music from an iPod to your computer | How To - CNET

I have copied my iTunes library onto a new computer, but when I play back the songs there seems to be random "miss" or "drop out". No probs with old computer, just the new one. I'm onto my third new computer - same problem. Any suggestions please?

I have copied my iTunes library onto a new computer, but when I play back the songs using the new computer, there seems to be random "miss" or "drop out" during play back, similar to a small scratch on a vinyl record. Although when I play the same song over again, the "miss" occurs in a different location during the song. No probs with old computer, just the new one. I'm onto my third new computer - same problem. Any suggestions please?

You don't say which version of iTunes you are using, but the symptoms you describe have been encountered by some users with the 64-bit version of iTunes 12.1.
There is an alternative version for 64-bit editions of Windows here:
iTunes 12.1 for Windows (64-bit — for older video cards)
that seems to address the most of the playback issues that some users have been reporting with the full 64-bit version of 12.1.0.77 - including problems with Bluetooth speakers where either sound is degraded or completely absent. The alternative installer here is the same architecture as most previous "64-bit" versions of iTunes, i.e., a 32-bit application with a 64-bit installer. The "for older video cards" label appears to be something of a misnomer as some people have reported that this corrects problems found on current / high-spec systems.
Some users have reported that after installing this alternative version it is necessary to adjust the "Play audio using" selection (normally to "Direct Sound" rather than "Windows Audio Session", though this may vary based on your audio hardware/drivers) in Edit > Preferences > Playback to restore glitch-free audio (one part of the reported symptoms is that the "Direct Sound" choice isn't available, usually in Windows 8). It may also be necessary to ensure that your Bluetooth speakers are active and selected as the default audio device before you run iTunes.
If this doesn't address the issue, you may want to think about reverting to iTunes 12.0 - see Turingtest2's notes on Troubleshooting issues with iTunes for Windows updates for steps needed to completely remove all installed iTunes components, and for links to the 12.0 installers.

How do I get the music from my iPod into my iTunes library on a new computer without erasing all the songs on my iPod?

My itunes library is empty on my new computer, but I have a full library on my ipod. How do I "reverse" sync? I don't see an option in itunes to put all the info from my ipod onto my computer. I see it the other way, which would then erase all the data on my ipod. Help!!

Your i-device was not designed for unique storage of your media. It is not a backup device and media transfer is designed for you maintaining a master copy of your media on a computer which is itself properly backed up against loss. 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 purchased content.
iTunes Store: Transferring purchases from your iOS device or iPod to a computer - http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1848 - only media purchased from iTunes Store
For transferring other items from an i-device to a computer you will have to use third party commercial software. Examples (check the web for others; this is not an exhaustive listing, nor do I have any idea if they are any good):
- Senuti - http://www.fadingred.com/senuti/
- Phoneview - http://www.ecamm.com/mac/phoneview/
- MusicRescue - http://www.kennettnet.co.uk/products/musicrescue/ - Mac & Windows
- Sharepod (free) - http://download.cnet.com/SharePod/3000-2141_4-10794489.html?tag=mncol;2 - Windows
- Snowfox/iMedia - http://www.mac-videoconverter.com/imedia-transfer-mac.html - Mac & PC
- iexplorer (free) - http://www.macroplant.com/iexplorer/ - Mac&PC
- Yamipod (free) - http://www.yamipod.com/main/modules/downloads/ - PC, Linux, Mac [Still updated for use on newer devices? No edits to site since 2010.]
- 2010 Post by Zevoneer: iPod media recovery options - https://discussions.apple.com/message/11624224 - this is an older post and many of the links are also for old posts, so bear this in mind when reading them.
Syncing to a "New" Computer or replacing a "crashed" Hard Drive - https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-3141 - dates from 2008 and some outdated information now.
Copying Content from your iPod to your Computer - The Definitive Guide - http://www.ilounge.com/index.php/articles/comments/copying-music-from-ipod-to-co mputer/ - Information about use in disk mode pertains only to older model iPods.
Get Your Music Off of Your iPod - http://howto.wired.com/wiki/Get_Your_Music_Off_of_Your_iPod - I am not sure but this may only work with some models and not newer Touch, iPhone, or iPad.
Additional information here https://discussions.apple.com/message/18324797

I recently purchased a new PC. I had backed-up my old computer on Carbonite, so I was able to transfer my iTunes library to the new computer when I downloaded my info from Carbonite. Is there a way to restore my playlists?

I recently purchased a new PC. I had backed-up my old computer on Carbonite, so I was able to transfer my iTunes library to the new computer when I downloaded my info from Carbonite, but the playlists are gone. Is there a way to restore my playlists?
Most of my playlists are on my iPod. If I use my iPod to transfer, will the songs double in my library? Also, how do I do this?
Thank you for any & all info you can provide!
Julie

If you had backed up and restored your library properly you should have ended up with the playlists too. Did you import the media folder from the backup drive into a new library rather than restoring the entire iTunes folder?
See also Recover your iTunes library from your iPod or iOS device.
tt2

Hi-how can i transger my itunes library to a new computer without having my old computer in my presence?

Hi,
I recenlty bought a new computer, a Windows one and my old computer was a Mac. I am trying to move my itunes library to my new computer, however, I do not know how to do this. I downloaded itunes on my new HP and I have logged in to itunes and have authorized this computer on the account. I cannot seem to find any of my songs or how to bring them up in my itunes account. I do not have my old computer in my presence. If someone has an idea, please let me know. I just want to listen to my music!!
Thank you,

If you do not have access to the iTunes Library on your Old computer... or its Backup...
See these 2 Links...
Recovering your iTunes library from your iPod or iOS device
https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-3991
Syncing to a New Computer...
https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-3141

How do I move my itunes library to a new computer

how do I move my itunes library to a new computer
I now have a HP with Windows 8 and need to move my itunes library from my Lenovo..

Welcome to the Apple Support Communities
Connect an external disk, go to My Music folder and copy iTunes folder to your external disk. Then, connect the external drive to your new computer, copy iTunes to My Music and open iTunes. If your library doesn't appear after opening the application, open iTunes holding Shift key and go to the folder with your library

How do I transfer my itunes library to a new computer from my iPhone. The old one no longer works.

How do I transfer my itunes library to a new computer from my iPhone. The old computer no longer works.

You should be able to:
Backup the device to the new installation
Transfer your purchases into a newly authorized library
Recover any other media using third party tools as suggested in this post from forum regular Zevoneer
Restore the device from the backup
This process should switch the association of the device to the new library, preserving the data and settings in your apps.
May also be prudent to attempt a backup to iCloud directly from the device before you start... Settings > iCloud > Storage & Backup > iCloud Backup > On. It won't save any media but it would preserve the general account settings and documents in case anything goes wrong while you are trying to extract your other data.
When you get it all fixed, make a backup!
tt2

I scraped my old computer disc and lost all my data including my itunes library backup. I recreated a new itune library on my new computer but it only contains my purchased music,apps,books and movies. I Can I reverse a sync Ipod to Itunes?

How can I rebuild my itunes library on my new computer that will include all my downloaded CD's. My new library only contains my purchased music,apps.books and movies, (My library on my old computer is scraped)
The library on my ipod is intact. I don't dare to sync with the library on my new computer because I will loose my cd music. Can I do a reverse sync IPOD to Itunes?

Browse the app store. You will need a special purpose app to help you.

After transferring my itunes library to a new computer, i lost half of my music! how do i get it back

i recently had to transfer my itunes library to a new computer, i lost half of my music!! how can i get it back?

You obviously didn't transfer all music.
Following the instructions included with this link will transfer your iTunes library as is from one computer to another.
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1751

Running Itunes library on a new computer off of an external hard drive

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