Starting a new iTunes library?

My old laptop with my original iTunes library broke recently. I want to transfer all my data from my iPod onto a new library without erasing ANYTHING on the iPod. I've tried doing the whole "Manually Manage" thing but it doesn't really seem to work for me because it's meant for syncing material from the new library to the iPod instead of what I need, syncing material from the iPod to the new library. Is there any way to accomplish what I need to accomplish or is it immpossible to start a new iTunes library without erasing my original data?

*Recover media from iPod*
Check out this post from Zevoneer for options on moving your iPod data back to your computer.
http://discussions.apple.com/message.jspa?messageID=11657508#11657508
tt2

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Can i start a new itunes library on a mac?

i understand that holding shift woks for windows but not mac. my specific problem is that i have 300 songs on the computer but 700 on the ipod. i just bought an album on the computer that i cant transfer to the ipod. if i can start a new library and sinc all 700 songs to it i can just move the album.

Yes, you can sync content to an iPod from a source other than the iTunes Store. iTunes won't import such content from the iPod.
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I want to start a new itunes library

I have an older itunes account that I shared with a friend. I set up a new appleid for myself, and want to have my own itunes library with all new songs. Each time i go to itunes and sign in with my appleid (new), it shows the old library, but i can't manage my new account. I have tried uninstalling itunes and starting new, but it defaults to the old account even without signing in.

Launch iTunes with the Shift key held down and create a new library, or use separate user accounts on the computer. Apple IDs are separate from iTunes libraries.
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Why am i getting an error message saying new itunes library and itunes wont start up

every time i try to start up itunes an error message comes up saying new itunes library and itunes wont start up. I have no idea why this has happened as I havent used itunes in ages and havent knowingly changed anything since. does anyone have any ideas what the problem is. the last software update i got was in december

Go into the Control Panel for progams and try to repair the iTunes installation, or remove it and then reinstall.
tt2

I have just bought a new mac book, and I want to start from scratch by syncing the content of my iPhone, but each time I try it wants to delete everything on the iPhone and replace by what on the new iTunes library, i.e. nothing! can I do the reverse?

I have just bought a new mac book, and I want to start from scratch by syncing the content of my iPhone, but each time I try it wants to delete everything on the iPhone and replace by what's on the new iTunes library, i.e. nothing! can I do the reverse, i.e. importing all my iphone's stuff on the new computer?

You need to copy some files and your iTunes folder to the new computer. Do you have a backup of your old computer (or still have the old computer?) Was the old computer a Mac or PC?
MacWorld - Move an iTunes library from a Windows PC to a Mac
Back up your iTunes library by copying to an external hard drive
iTunes- How to move your music to a new computer

My laptop recently crashed and had to be restored back to it's original factory settings. I lost my entire iTunes library and have had to start from scratch again. Is it possible to load everything i currently have on my iphone4 into my new iTunes library

When i connect my iphone to the new iTunes library it tells me that it's going to erase everything on my iphone and upload everything from the new iTunes library onto it. Is there a way to save everything on my phone into the new iTunes library?

Thanks for all of your advice.
I just downloaded a copy of TuneJack for the small price of $9.95.
It retrieved all my music from my iphone and loaded it all straight into my iTunes library for me all at a click of a button and only took a few minutes.
Problem solved I can stop stressing now!

What is causing this? The file "iTunes Library.itl" does not appear to be a valid iTunes library file. iTunes has created a new iTunes library and renamed this file to "iTunes Library (Damaged) 4". This happens everytime I start iTunes lateley. Help!!!

Everytime I open iTunes lately...I get all my music thrown out of the library and this annoying message come up...The file “iTunes Library.itl” does not appear to be a valid iTunes library file. iTunes has created a new iTunes library and renamed this file to “iTunes Library (Damaged) 4”. Is this how an apple works? It doesn't? Why all of a sudden is it doing this? Please help. Thank you.
David

Did you happen to bring this iTunes library over from a windows machine? You might read this kb article to see if it helps http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1451

HT1349 Getting an error message when trying to start itunes "new itunes library"

I keep getting an error message when trying to open itunes " new itunes library"

what error message?

I have all my music on a external HD. How can I run iTunes on my laptop with out my EHD connected? when I open iTunes I get: Afolder containing "iTunes Library" cannot be found, and is required. Please chose or create a new iTunes library.

It also tells me Choose iTunes Library
iTunes needs a library to continue, you may choose an existing library or create a new one.
I have all my music on an external hard drive (ehd) but would like to run itunes with out conecting my ehd. How can i do this? I'm

You need the entire libary on the external, not just media.
What are the iTunes library files? - http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1660
More on iTunes library files and what they do - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ITunes#Media_management
What are all those iTunes files? - http://www.macworld.com/article/139974/2009/04/itunes_files.html
Where are my iTunes files located? - http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1391
iTunes 9 [and later]: Understanding iTunes Media Organization - http://support.apple.com/kb/ht3847
Image of folder structure and explanation of different iTunes versions (turingtest2 post) - https://discussions.apple.com/message/13025536 and https://discussions.apple.com/message/17457605
Once you get a complete iTunes folder on the external drive, start iTunes with the option/alt key held down and select the iTunes Library.itl file on the external drive. You will also need to do this with your main computer or the libraries will become unsynchronized.
Alternatively you can make a separate library using the same media on the second computer. Start as you have been doing, let iTunes create a new, blank library file which will be on hte internal drive, set the media folder location in preferences to be the one on the external drive, then add the files to the new iTunes library. Unless you are a super-organized individual, or you don't care if your libraries do not have the same content, you are better off using a single library file that is on the external, not setting up separate library files.

ITunes failing to open - error message reads "New iTunes Library"

My computer turned itself off last night after overheating.. this has happened before. I went to turn it on this morning and it went through a start up process to ensure now problems occurred. It is now back up and running yet my iTunes will not open and it comes up with an Error message and a Red Cross to say "new iTunes library" when I haven't done anything. I can't open my music or even sync my phone! I have an Acer 5733 laptop and its running in windows 7. it's only a year old... help!!!

are you running any anti virus software on your machine ?

Should I create a new iTunes Library on my new iMac?

I have been using a MacPro with multiple hard drives. One such 2TB drive has been the location of my MacPro iTunes library and media files. It takes up about 1.5TB of space with all the music, video and books. I use EyeTV from Elgato to record TV shows/movies, then convert them and transfer to iTunes. I also backup my iPhone and iPad to this iTunes library. I don't use iCloud for this backup.
I then purchased a new iMac with a 3TB Fusion drive. I plan to hang on to the MacPro to use on my home network as a file server, running "headless" perhaps.I plan to continue to use it for recording TV shows/movies in EyeTV and converting the output to iTunes videos.
Now I don't know what I should do about an iTunes library on my new iMac. When I got my iMac I migrated my User over to it. However, when I open iTunes, it is asking for me to either create a new iTunes library or open an existing one.
In my mind I have these options:
1. Create a new library. Setup up iTunes Sharing. This could work for me to access my large library of music and videos. However if I start backing up my iPhone i will then have backups on both computers. I suppose I could dump or ignore the MacPro iPhone/iPad backups and just create new backups on the iMac iTunes? What about new content I want to add? EyeTV will still be adding new content to the MacPro library. My iMac has no optical drive so if I want to rip a CD/DVD I would still need to use the MacPro for this. So from that perspective, this option may work out the best. What am I missing?
2. Open the iTunes library on the MacPro and make it my iMac's iTunes library. This seems problematic. If I understand correctly, I can't open this library on both Macs at the same time as this would likley cause issues. So I'd have to make sure I close out of one Mac's iTunes before the other Mac can open iTunes. This would be a pain given that EyeTV opens it up automatically when it is converting video recordings to iTunes video. For iPhone/ipad backups, I'm not sure what would happen here. Would it still backup to the MacPro iTunes library? I suppose it would. Another concern is the the MacPro would always have to be mounted on the iMac before I could access and use the iTunes library. So this options seems potentially frought with issues? On the plus I think this would retain the star ratings and other meta data, right?
3. What about creating a new library on the iMac but then go into preferences > Advanced and selecting the iTunes media folder that is on the MacPro. This is similar to option 2 above but retains access to the existing library I have on the MacPro. However, I'd lose all my star ratings, and other meta data.
Is there another option? Which way should I go? I am guessing option 1 is the best option. If you agree, please list caveats and downsides of it. If you disagree, please let me know the best strategy I should use and why.
Thanks.

Yes. Just copy all your music to a folder on your external. Then delete the music on your computers hard drive.
It is not quite that simple. If you do that you will end up with many broken links and will have to re-create your library from scratch . iTunes does not like it when you move or rename files or folders and doing so between drives is guaranteed to result in exclamation marks indicating you have broken the links to all your media files.
If you are content with moving the whole library to an external drive (usually the best thing for most people), try:
iTunes: How to move [or copy] your music to a new computer [or another drive] - http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4527
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), then guide it to the new location of the library.

Can music already on an ipod be added to a new iTunes library ?

Hi Everyone - I recently purchased a laptop but have a dilemma with my iTunes libraries and iPods. My Nano was synched to my iTunes library on desktop PC, then I synched new classic iPod to same library, therefore both iPods had same music on them. I then set up iTunes on laptop and added some new music into the new library but then tried to merge Classic iPod (with old music) with new music in new library, but all it would allow was to synch them. This caused the problem I need help with as when synching, old music is erased and replaced with new music.
Is there any way of adding old music on an iPod to a second (new) iTunes library on a different computer ??
If there is, can you tell me step by step how to, as I'm still a novice with these things !!
Many thanks,
SC

This is copied from another thread. I think it is pretty clear. Here is the link to the thread as well. You will need to do this for each device if they all have different content on them.
https://discussions.apple.com/message/11527071#11527071
1) Without connecting your iPad to your laptop, start iTunes. Click on Edit. Click on Preferences. Click on Devices. Check the box next to "Prevent your iPod etc. from automatically syncing." Click OK.
2) Now connect your iPad to your laptop and start iTunes.
3) When iTunes starts, right click on your iPad under Devices in the left column. Select Transfer purchases etc.
4) After it finishes transferring all your apps to your new laptop, right click on your iPad and select Backup your iPad.
5) After it finishes backing up your iPad, right click on your iPad and select Restore etc.
6) After it finishes restoring, left click on your iPad , then click on the Apps tab on top, and check the box next to Sync Apps, then click on Apply below.
If everything on your iPad looks good after the sync, go back and click on Edit / Preferences / Devices and UN-check the box next to Prevent your iPod etc. The only other thing you may want to check is if your contacts, bookmarks, etc. are syncing correctly now. If not, go to the Info tab after connecting and make sure you indicate which features you want to sync with what sources.
If you have more questions, post back.

Synching Apps with new iTunes Library

My ongoing saga with iTunes continues - I've managed to get it running again by deleting the preference files and creating a new library. Of course, now it doesn't list any of my songs, movies, tv shows, or apps.
As a first step I'm trying to sync my iPhone without losing $100 worth of apps. I copied the "Mobile Applications" folder from the old iTunes library to the new iTunes library, but that has no affect. If I try to right-click on the iPhone in iTunes and select "Transfer Purchases", iTunes immediately crashes.
Any other suggestions on how I can sync my iPhone with the new iTunes library without deleting all my apps?

That actually started to work and then around the 5th app iTunes crashed.
Since my earlier posts I've once again removed and reinstalled iTunes and related programs, and even deleted all the Apple Computer appdata folders so this would supposedly be an ENTIRELY clean install. And still it doesn't work....
Does Apple offer any tech support for iTunes beyond useless e-mails to articles I've already tried? They like to claim they have such great tech support on their hardware, but my various gadgets are useless without iTunes and they seem to offer no support for that.

Will 1st gen ipod touch still work with new itunes library on new computer (transfer didn't work from old computer)

Ok, so I have a new computer and wanted to transfer my itunes library from my old computer. I could not get the files to transfer. I downloaded the newest version of itunes and see that I can download my previously purchased music to the new computer. I have mp3's that I can add in on my own so I don't have a problem starting over in itunes.
My question is what happens when I plug in my 1st gen ipod touch and try to sync??? Will it erase what is on my ipod or will I be able to move the stuff from my ipod into my new itunes library?? Any info would be great...I'm happy with how my ipod is set up so I really don't want to mess with a good thing. Also, will I need to update and of my software on my ipod since it's 1st generation??
Thanks for the help!!

You can only sync to one iTunes library/computer. If you do sync the iPod is erases and its contents replaced with what is in the iTunes library of the second computer.
To avoid that see:
Syncing to a "New" Computer or replacing a "crashed" Hard Drive: Apple Support Communities
Yes, the 1G works with the latest iTunes.
To transfer iTunes purchases:
iTunes Store: Transferring purchases from your iOS device or iPod to a computer
In iTunes 11 use Control+B to show the Menu bar then go to iTunes>File>Devices>Transfer Purchases

Can't sync iPad or iPhone - new iTunes library wants to erase contents!

Hi,
I have an iPhone, iPad & iPod touch & all are synced using my iMac. I have the latest version of iTunes and for some reason, I am unable to sync my devices because I'm getting a pop up window that says that the devices are synced with another iTunes library. I can sync with the current library but the contents of the device will be erased.
I looked in my iTunes folder: User ->music -> iTunes and found the following folders: Album Artwork, iTunes Music, Previous iTunes Libraries (imported to this iMac from my other 20" iMac but both library folders indicate they were created on Dec 8 2010 ... bought the iMac in Sept) & iTunes Media.
There are also a couple of icons in the iTunes folder: iTunes Library, iTunes Library Extras.itdb, iTunes Library Genius.itdb and iTunes Music Library.xml.
Everything synced just fine until recently. I added a couple of mv4 format movies to iTunes and can watch them in iTunes. I'd like to transfer them to my iPad so my kids can watch the movies while travelling. The syncing issues started AFTER the movies were added to iTunes so I don't know if this did anything to the original library. In the summary panel in iTunes (when looking at the info of the device connected) I have generally had the box checked off to manually manage music & videos. The box is no longer checked. Any attempt to check it and apply the change also results in the prompt that I'm dealing with a new library.
I don't have a lot of photos, music, apps on my devices so if I have to start over using the new library fine ... just can't figure out where things went wrong.
Is there a way to let me revert back to my old settings/library without messing things up????
Thanks for your help.
Brent

Thanks for the suggestion on the Time Machine ... it's on my list of items to get.
I've noticed under my iTunes preferences -> advanced that the iTunes Media Folder Location window has both boxes checked (Keep iTunes Media folder organized & Copy files to iTunes Media folder when adding to library) and the file path is users/name/music/iTunes/iTunes Media. Also, in the preferences -> general window the library name is the default name ... there's no other iTunes library that I can see so I have no idea as to where this "new" library is located.
I really don't want to lose any music, apps or photos by going with a new library. All my other settings in my iPad have been preserved & my music in iTunes on my iMac is fine and I can even watch the blasted movies that I added to iTunes ... just can't seem to get anything to sync without having to use this new iTunes Library ... getting frustrated here.
Take care,
Brent

Starting a new iTunes library?

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