Starting fresh with iTunes

My dad wants to have our computer reformatted, so do I take my iTunes folder with all of my music in it and place it in an external hard drive? Can I erase the iTunes program and then just re-download it on the new reformatted computer, and then add all of my music that's in the external hard drive?
A quick answer would be very, very helpful, as we're sending it in today.
Thanks in advance!

Hello, And Welcome to Discussions.
Please make sure you backup your iTunes music folder before sending computer in for repair. Link is below. And yes when you get the machine back you can reinstall iTunes and then add music back via the saved folder.
How to back up your media in iTunes
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1382
Back up your iTunes library by copying to an external hard drive
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1751
Copying iTunes Store purchases from your iPod or iPhone to a computer
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1848
About iTunes Store authorization and deauthorization
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1420

Similar Messages

Starting Fresh With iTunes 9.0.1...best way to get music back in/import?

Had some library troubles with iTunes 9, and decided to do a clean install of not only the program, but of Snow Leopard itself. I was waiting on an iTunes update to come out before I decided to re-load my library in, since I didn't want to risk repeat problems (I've always been one of those bleeding edge-ers, and this is the 1st time I've ever had a problem/held back...guess I learned my lesson). 9.0.1 is out and seems to address the problems I'd been having, but I caught the "start fresh" bug and I want to start over with iTunes. No playlists, play counts, etc need to be saved.
I do have a full backup of my previous system (thanks SuperDuper!), and I'm wondering what the best way to get all of my music back into iTunes is.
-Do I use the Finder to simply drag the contents of my old "iTunes Music" folder into the new "iTunes Media" folder?
-Do I drag the whole folder and drop it onto the iTunes window? (I'm worried this method won't put iPhone apps, ringtones, audiobooks and podcasts in the right place).
-Do I use the import function?
Notes: prior to making the backup, I did upgrade to/select iTunes Media Organization
I did see THIS article: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1451 but it says it's old and I wonder if it applies to iTunes 9.
Thanks for any help!

You might want to check that your certificate that you made has been applied to iTunes.app
try this code in Terminal"
codesign -dvvvv /Application/iTunes.app
Does the name on the certificate match the one you created?

"Starting Over with iTunes"

I am having a terrible set of computer luck. My Windows desktop crapped out on me about 4 or 5 months ago. I had all of my itunes music sitting on my Dell laptop and regularly sync'd to my 30gb colour ipod. I went out and bought a new iMac and a Buffalo Pro Duo to act as a NAS. I spent lots of time on this very helpful board understanding how to consolidate my entire itunes library from the Dell laptop onto the NAS and then set the NAS as my default location for all of my music.
Everything was working great.
About a month ago, my Dell laptop gave up the ghost. No problem, because all of my music was safely on the NAS in a RAID 1 configuration. Because I had about 30 gb of music and my ipod only holds about 27gb (apx), I "unticked" some music but all was fine.
Over the weekend, my NAS crapped out. To make a short story long, even though I was using RAID 1, it is not cost effective to get the files off the hard drives.
Here is the question:
So now, when I open itunes on the Mac, I "see" my entire music library, but obviously none of the music is there. All of the files were stored on the NAS which is now gone. I have been in touch with Apple support and I believe I can re-obtain my purchased music, but I probably don't even need to as I understand I can get the purchased music off the ipod back onto the computer. But that only works for the purchased music from the itunes store. Has anyone tried the 3rd party solutions to get the rest of my music off the ipod and onto my computer? I was looking at Senuti, which seems good, any thoughts?
Also, how do I "get rid" of all of the songs that are listed in the library, but no longer exist, as the files are gone? When I get the music off the ipod and onto the computer, I don't want to have a bunch of extra names of songs for which the files don't exist. I guess I am asking if there is a way of "wiping the library" clean ( even though the files themselves, now only reside on my ipod, as the NAS is gone) so I can start fresh, get all of my music off the ipod and onto the computer and then just go from there.
Sorry for the long message. Hopefully this is the end of the problems. (Oh yeah, my daughter's for some reason gave me the "Restore" message and I had to wipe it clean and start over. Only problem is I have no music to put back on it until I resolve the above issue. )
Thanx
Message was edited by: Birdman325

Thanx for all the assistance. I deleted the files in the itunes folder and then when I re-started itunes, it looked clean. I then used Pod to Mac to transfer the 5000+ songs I had on my old 30gb ipod back over to the computer. It went surprisingly quick, and it seems, very smoothly.
When I reconnected the ipod back to the computer, it told me that I can only sync with one itunes library at a time, and do I want to remove all the contents of my ipod and re-sync with the "new" library on the computer. Because I was heading out to work, and I knew that it would take some time to re-sync, I said cancel, but when I get home I will do it again, and given that now, everything that is on the computer hard drive / itunes library actually came from the ipod, there should be no problem re-sync'ing. Thanx again for your help.

Reorganize/Index/Start Fresh an iTunes library.

Hello All,
Oooops!
I just reformatted my Vista laptop. The same day my new iPod touch showed up on my door step. So everything is a fresh.
I fired up iTunes and I was surprised to see that it already knew where all my music was. I had moved all music into the music folder on under my profile on the newly formatted laptop. iTunes started indexing and I stopped it! Doh! Thought it was transferring music to the iPod. That would have more than filed the iPod. Now most the music has exclamation marks next to it. After reading a few threads about consolidating and editing XML files I am still not too sure how to go about this. I am not conserned with keeping the “data dase” intact. Like favorites, number of times played. Really it needs a good cleaning.
Any ideas?
Thanks, Blake

Thanks for the reply.
Well, my music files were on the external drive. I moved them to the newly formatted HD's music folder hoping iTunes could then discover them. I tunes did not. They must have been in an odd place on the old HD. I don't remember. I really just need to start over.
What would happen if I just delete the iTunes files, change the name of the folder the music is in and then point iTunes to a new folder? Would this be like starting over?
Thanks, Blake

Easiest way to start fresh with a new hard drive?

RIP my MacBook Pro's hard drive. I got the dreaded 'this drive can't be repaired' error yesterday, so I wiped and restored with Time Machine and it seemed fine at first. This morning, the computer kept seizing up and I had to do a hard reboot, which failed. I have no reason to believe there's anything wrong with other components such as the motherboard. The hard drive gave me plenty of indications that it was dying.
I'll be ordering a new drive shortly. Any suggestions for good drive for an early 2009 17" MBP? I currently have a 320GB drive and that's plenty, no need to go bigger unless I can get a 500GB drive for the same price. I can do the switch myself.
I'm also trying to figure out the least painful way to get the new hard drive up and running. All the info I find has me transferring data from the old one to the new, but that's not possible obviously and why would I even want to since I have backups.
Can I just do a restore from the last Time Machine backup? Or do I have to install ML on the new drive and then use Migration Assistant? Would my bootable full backup be of any value?
I want as fresh of an install as possible with minimum fuss -- all my apps, all my data, none of the file permission errors, etc. Is that even possible?
Thanks!
Rae

You can boot up from the Mac OS X Install Disc that came with your machine or using the Recovery system if you have Lion/Mountain Lion installed. In the Utilities menu that will be on the top of your screen after you boot to the disc, you'll have an option to Restore From Time Machine Backup.
Once you choose that option, it will perform a full carbon copy restore from your Time Machine backup.
"Restoring your entire system from a backup
If you are restoring a backup made by a Mac to the same Mac
With your backup drive connected, start up your Mac from the Recovery system (Command-R at startup) or Mac OS X v10.6 installation disc (With the disc in the optical drive, 'C' at startup). Then use the "Restore From Time Machine Backup" utility."
http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1427
http://support.apple.com/kb/PH11192?viewlocale=en_US
Tada.
Done.

What files need to be deleted to start fresh with iCal?

Friends:
What files need to be deleted from places like the library to start with a fresh blank copy of iCal?
Thanks amigos!
Migs

Migs,
Have you tried using the iCal user interface to delete all iCal data?
You can do this by creating a new calendar, and naming the calendar. Name it "Test" for example. Then delete all of the other calendars that exist in the "Calendars" sources pane.
Quit iCal, and remove the com.apple.ical.plist file from your Macintosh HD/Users/yourusername/Library/Preferences folder. Also remove the Calendar Cache file from the Macintosh HD/Users/yourusername/Library/Calendars folder.
Then log out/in or restart, and the only calendar remaining should be the blank "Test" calendar.
;~)

Starting fresh with a SSD and I cannot find my Snow Leopard disc...

So I have a Mac Pro with OS X 10.6.8, 2 x 2.26 GHz Quad-Core Intel Xeon, 8 GB ram, and I am trying to move my OS over to a Solid State Drive. I have the original instal disc for 10.5 but I cannot find my Snow Leopard disc.
So I installed 10.5 on the SSD but can't figure out anyway to upgrade to 10.6, at which point I can purchase Mountain Lion or whatever, but you can't upgrade beyond Snow Leopard without first having Snow Leopard, right?
I know I can "clone" my original SATA drive with Snow Leopard, but part of the reason I am doing this is to get rid of a bunch of the useless crap on that drive, so I'd like to avoid a full clone.
I know it's only $20 to buy a fresh version of Snow Leopard, but on 10.5 there is no App Store, and there doesn't seem to be anyway to purchase it online as a download. So I would need to go to a real life store or have it shipped, right?
So if there is some other way to upgrade or to clone JUST the OS without any of the other crap, that would be amazing!
Thoughts?!

Why not download and look at its options? I recommended for that and other reasons.
And yes you should move all your data to another drive. Keep what you have 'as is' and pull it as extra backup or in reserve.
Before you clone, install TRIM Enabler!
And after you clone, run Disk Utility's REPAIR DISK on the SSD -- just to be on the safest side.
http://www.macupdate.com/app/mac/37852/trim-enabler
How to relocate system and user data to another drive:
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4337http://chris.pirillo.com/how-to-move-the-home-folder-in-os-x-and-why/To successfully relocate your operating system, user accounts and data from one storage device to another, meet the following conditions:
The destination storage device (SSD drive or hard drive) you are migrating to should be physically located in the same computer. Moving operating system files from one computer to another computer using software not specifically designed for that computer can cause issues due to software, hardware, and firmware version mismatches.
Always back up your storage device with Time Machine or Disk Utility before you start.
Using Cloning as a Backup Strategy
http://www.macupdate.com/app/mac/7032/carbon-copy-cloner
http://www.bombich.com/software/updates/ccc-3.5.html
Create an OS X Lion Install disc
OS X Lion Install to Different Drive
How to create an OS X Lion installation disc MacFixIt
Migration Assistant Update for Mac OS X Snow Leopard
http://www.apple.com/support/lion/installrecovery/
http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-13727_7-20080989-263/how-to-create-an-os-x-lion-ins tallation-disc
http://www.coolestguyplanettech.com/how-to-make-a-bootable-osx-10-8-mountain-lio n-disc-or-drive-from-the-downloaded-mountain-lion-app/
How to clone your system:
http://macperformanceguide.com/Mac-HowToClone-backup.html
http://macperformanceguide.com/Mac-HowToClone.html
http://www.macupdate.com/app/mac/7032/carbon-copy-cloner
http://www.macperformanceguide.com/blog/2012/20120711_2-MacPro-internal-clone-ba ckup.html
SSD: Samsung 840 128GB (500GB $320)
http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-Series-120GB-internal-MZ-7TD120BW/dp/B009NHAF06/
Sonnet Tempo Pro
http://www.sonnettech.com/product/tempossdpro.html
http://eshop.macsales.com/item/Sonnet%20Technologies/TSATA6SSDPR/
http://eshop.macsales.com/item/Sonnet%20Technologies/TSATA6SSDE/
Icy Dock $15
http://www.amazon.com/2-5-3-5-Ssd-sata-Convert/dp/B002Z2QDNE/

I would like to "start fresh" with my macbook.

i recently purchased an imac and my laptop is running super low. and if i do a complete delete, will everything be safe on an external hard drive, will is be safe? Like, itunes, mail, etc. how is this done?

Start by:
Repair the Hard Drive and Permissions
Boot from your Leopard Installer disc. After the installer loads select your language and click on the Continue button. When the menu bar appears select Disk Utility from the Utilities menu. After DU loads select your hard drive entry (mfgr.'s ID and drive size) from the the left side list. In the DU status area you will see an entry for the S.M.A.R.T. status of the hard drive. If it does not say "Verified" then the hard drive is failing or failed. (SMART status is not reported on external Firewire or USB drives.) If the drive is "Verified" then select your OS X volume from the list on the left (sub-entry below the drive entry,) click on the First Aid tab, then click on the Repair Disk button. If DU reports any errors that have been fixed, then re-run Repair Disk until no errors are reported. If no errors are reported click on the Repair Permissions button. Wait until the operation completes, then quit DU and return to the installer. Restart the computer.
If DU reports errors it cannot fix, then you will need Disk Warrior and/or Tech Tool Pro to repair the drive. If you don't have either of them or if neither of them can fix the drive, then you will need to reformat the drive and reinstall OS X.
Next:
Clone using Restore Option of Disk Utility
Open Disk Utility from the Utilities folder.
Select the destination volume from the left side list.
Click on the Restore tab in the DU main window.
Check the box labeled Erase destination.
Select the destination volume from the left side list and drag it to the Destination entry field.
Select the source volume from the left side list and drag it to the Source entry field.
Double-check you got it right, then click on the Restore button.
Destination means the external backup drive. Source means the internal startup drive.
This will create a bootable clone on the external drive. Boot from the external clone by restarting the computer. After the chime press and hold down the OPTION key until the boot manager appears. Select the icon for the external drive then click on the large arrow button on the right. Your computer should now boot from the external drive.
Erase your hard drive
1. Open Disk Utility in your Utilities folder.
2. After DU loads select your hard drive (this is the entry with the mfgr.'s ID and size) from the left side list. Note the SMART status of the drive in DU's status area. If it does not say "Verified" then the drive is failing or has failed and will need replacing. SMART info will not be reported on external drives. Otherwise, click on the Partition tab in the DU main window.
3. Under the Volume Scheme heading set the number of partitions from the drop down menu to one. Set the format type to Mac OS Extended (Journaled.) Click on the Options button, set the partition scheme to GUID (for Intel Macs) or APM (for PPC Macs) then click on the OK button. Click on the Partition button and wait until the process has completed.
Restore Your Clone
Open Disk Utility from the Utilities folder.
Select the destination volume from the left side list.
Click on the Restore tab in the DU main window.
Check the box labeled Erase destination.
Select the destination volume from the left side list and drag it to the Destination entry field.
Select the source volume from the left side list and drag it to the Source entry field.
Double-check you got it right, then click on the Restore button.
Destination means the internal hard drive. Source means the external clone drive.

HI my ipod touch 4th gen wont start sync with itunes.

Itunes recognises the ipod but keeps saying sync session failed to start. It starts off as though it is going to sync by saying step 1of 8 but times out after a few minutes without syncing very frustrating. Any ideas would be welcome. I have restored the ipod and re-installed Itunes

If it stops while trying to backup (step 1 or 2) , try to delete the latest backup in iTunes/Edit/Preferences/Devices. If iTunes can't read the backup, it can't replace it and start the sync process.
Check this article about the location of the backup folder, you might want to back it up before you delete the backup. iTunes: About iOS backups

What is the best way to start "fresh" with iPhoto '08?

I am running iPhoto '08 on a mid-2007 iMac. When I set up the machine, I moved all the photos from my PC to the Mac retaining the existing directory structure that I had on the PC. I then imported all the pictures into iPhoto with no problems.
Unfortunately, the other person who uses the Mac needs to be able to use the directory structure as it existed on the PC (that structure involves several subfolders with specific names etc.), and it appears that iPhoto is not designed to work that way. I know the photos can still be manipulated in the folders I imported, but then I run the risk of at best, being out of synch with iPhoto and at worst, corrupting iPhoto completely.
That said, what I would like to do is delete or remove the current iPhoto library (or whatever iPhoto accesses; not the whole application unless necessary) and then selectively import photos to iPhoto. That way, the other user can access the photos in the familiar folder structure and manipulate them at will without disturbing the iPhoto db and, once photos are edited etc. and ready for primetime, they can be imported to iPhoto to gain the advantages of displaying using Front Row etc.
My question is what is the best way to achieve what I am looking for? Just backup then delete the iPhoto pkg file in the HD/Library/Receipts folder? Uninstall the entire application and start over?
All assistance greatly appreciated.

ETRA
Welcome to the Apple Discussions.
You don't need to re-install iPhoto, just change the library - and you may not even need to do that.
1. You can easily recreate your Directory structure in iPhoto. Simply start at the bottom of your structure and drag a folder of images to the Source (or left hand) pane of the iPhoto Window. iPhoto will create an Album of the same name. The create your enclosing folders (File -> New Folder) and drag the albums to it. This way you can quickly recreate what you have/
2. The other user of the files can access them directly via the iPhoto Window or a Media Browser such as THIS. The advantage of this system is that your directory structure is available to them ina convenient and recognisable way. They can then drag the pics from the iPhoto Window / Media Browser to the app they as the need. (A whole lot faster than fumbling around in Folder after Folder etc, plus the advantage of keyword searching.)
3. Is this necessary for working with an editor? You can set Photoshop (or any image editor) as an external editor in iPhoto. (Preferences -> General -> Edit Photo: Choose from the Drop Down Menu.) This way, when you double click a pic to edit in iPhoto it will open automatically in Photoshop or your Image Editor, and when you save it it's sent back to iPhoto automatically. Btw this is the only way that edits made in iPhoto will be visible in iPhoto.
4. Finally, if you do wish to go as you described: Simply trash the iPhoto Library from the Pictures Folder. Start iPhoto and it will create an new empty library. If you wish to recover the files from the Library first, then Right Click on the iPhoto Library and go 'Show Package Contents'. Your files are in the Originals Folder.
Regards
TD

Anyone else get an obscenity-laden song when starting out with itunes?

I am new to the whole ipod thing.
My 8 year old son received an ipod shuffle as a gift, and I just finished loading the software and charging the battery. He also got a gift card for itunes, and he wanted to download a few songs (all Springsteen, bless his little heart!). Anyway, when I opened up itunes, there were a few songs already on there. I didn't really think too much about it, because two of them I knew were jazz & classical. I downloaded his new songs to the itunes library, and then I downloaded them to his ipod.
Later my son told me that one of the songs was full of "bad words". I listened, and I got an earful of something called "Horserace", which is loaded with every foul word I can think of. Now I've been known to use this kind of language myself, but to automatically download it into someone's library?
I hope someone from apple reads this, because I think they need to fix this little item. Its just a poor move on their part.

So when you say there were a few songs already loaded do you mean in your itunes library or on the pod? itunes won't download anything you don't tell it to. Did he buy the horseace song with the gift card? Its really up to you to decide what goes on your son's pod.
What there be for apple to do?

What is the best way to wipe Photoshop CS 3 off computer, when uninstall is missing. I want to start fresh with PS CS 5.

My iMac G5, OS X version 10.6.8 has a Photoshop CS2 and CS3 on it which have never started up, in the present configuration of the computer. (I had the capacity increased to 2 TB.)
It has not been possible for me to uninstall them.   The uninstaller cannot be located, by me and Adobe in an hour and a half phone call.
I want to get rid of PS CS 2 and 3, altogether.   Then I would like to have a new Photoshop CS 5 installed. I have Time Machine backups and LightRoom disks.   What is the right way to get this done?

Hi   -- It appears that Adobe does not provide an uninstaller, because the Adobe tech and I tried all sorts of work arounds.
I dragged things to the trash on my own, without success, before this. Then, I put them back.   I did not empty the trash.
If I again look for all the photoshop I can find, drag it to the trash, and then empty the trash, do you think something dreadful would happen?   It is pretty scary!

Is it better to purchase additional lenses for my t2i or start fresh with the 6D?

I'm looking to get into wedding photography. Is it better to purchase additional lenses for my t2i or buy the 6D body?

I am in line with cicopo and TCampbell. And, yes, this is the most important statement, "Keep in mind YOUR skill is first and foremost."
Also, I agree, lenses before body, however, sometimes appearance is everything. Doing this for so long I think I have seen about every possible circumstance possible but it never ceases to amaze me when a new one arises.
For several years I had five XTi's that I loaned to my assistants. But a few clients I interviewed have asked what equipment I use. "You don't use Rebels do you?", was a common question. My uncle Bob or aunt Bobette can do that for free. Or the neighbor down the street from me has a Rebel.
Bottom line is, how important that first quote in this post is. You must offer your customers something they can not get for free. Make it worth their money.
One is your eye and talent. The ability to see the picture before hand. And, yes, equipment that the uncle or friend does not have.
I am retired now and don't actively seek jobs but I do a few . I use all 1 series cameras plus a 5D Mk II along with a 7D.
I generally have, at least 4 or 5 cameras at each wedding. The 5D gets a 24-70mm f2.8. One 1 series gets a 70-200mm f2.8 and these two cameras do 75% of the shooting. The 7D is on a tripod with a 100-400mm zoom on it and it sits at the back of the church (or venue). My assistants have my other 1 series (one or two) with the 24-105mm f4 on them.
Another example of what perception can sometimes be, is what happened while I was at a friends studio the other day.
A lady, new customer, came in for pricing and after a short while of looking the place over she left. On her way out she commented, “I thought you used professional equipment!” We were dumbfounded at that for there was a 5D Mk III with a EF 85mm f1.2L II USM on a tripod that was in plain sight. About the same moment we both noticed a Tamron pinch style lens cap on it. She must have seen that and assumed it wasn't a Canon lens. Some photographers will buy Tamron pinch style lens caps and use them instead of the OE Canon. But the point is just beware.
It makes a big difference if you are doing this for funesy or you are putting groceries on the table.
EOS 1Ds Mk III, EOS 1D Mk IV EF 50mm f1.2 L, EF 24-70mm f2.8 L,
EF 70-200mm f2.8 L IS II, Sigma 120-300mm f2.8 EX APO
Photoshop CS6, ACR 8.7, Lightroom 5.7

How do I see whats on my time capsule/or delete it completely? I haven't used it for 6 months, my wifi changed, and I want to start fresh with it.

I haven't used my Time Capsule in months. I have new wifi and forget my old login. How do I either see what's on it or wipe it clean? I want to make sure that its not making up regularly from my laptop.

Plug in by ethernet .. then you can find the wireless password and access the disk.
If you have no mac with an ethernet port buy the thunderbolt to ethernet.. well worthwhile purchase.
But TC are easy even with wireless.. reset it.. you can do a soft reset.. press in the reset button for 1 sec.. all passwords will go to default for 5min.. you can then access it and change them.. viola done.
You can factory reset it and just do a new clean setup.. you can see what is on the drive and erase it..
Factory reset universal
Power off the TC.. ie pull the power cord or power off at the wall.. wait 10sec.. hold in the reset button.. be gentle.. power on again still holding in reset.. and keep holding it in for another 10sec. You may need some help as it is hard to both hold in reset and apply power. It will show success by rapidly blinking the front led. Release the reset.. and wait a couple of min for the TC to reset and come back with factory settings. If the front LED doesn’t blink rapidly you missed it and simply try again. The reset is fairly fragile in these.. press it so you feel it just click and no more.. I have seen people bend the lever or even break it. I use a toothpick as tool.
N.B. None of your files on the hard disk of the TC are deleted.. this simply clears out the router settings of the TC.

Starting over with Time machine - as I have been doing it incorrectly

Hello all,
Got some great advice from other posts in this discussion, but I want to clarify a few things.
I started using Time Machine without really setting anything up, and have quickly gotten to about 128 gigs of backup (in a little over a week). I want to start again, and exclude some files (libraries, caches, mailboxes, applications) to see if I can get a more manageable back-up size. I am using the same external drive for back-up that I use to store Final Cut media, so I don't want Time Machine to fill it up. Although perhaps I don't want to use the same drive for media and back-ups...
Is there a way to limit the amount of space on a given disk that Time Machine can use? Perhaps by partitioning my external disk? (500gb WDMybook)
And, at this point can I simply delete all of the back-up folders that Time Machine has created, and start fresh (with my new exclusionary settings)? I have 98% of the data backed up to other sources.
Which brings me to my last question: If I regularly back up my home folder manually, and back my personal data & settings, my iLife & iTunes via Backup, do I really gain that much from using Time Machine? Don't get me wrong - it's elegant, and much easier than manually hunting down lost info, but I've lived without it for 20 odd years of computering...Opinions, anyone?
And does the list of exclusions below look like I'm missing anything important? I've gleaned these ideas from various posts; thought we'd all benefit from a little recap. Any and all advice will be greatly appreciated. Please, weigh in, all of you macsperts..
Thanks to all in advance,
D
List of things to exclude:
Applications
Movies (I back all of these up manually)
Pictures (I back all of these up manually)
Desktop (nothing lives on my desktop)
Libraries:
iPhoto Library
Aperture Library
I keep my entourage and Mail pretty well cleaned out. Not sure how to exclude spam folders, but I think I saw it in one of these posts.
I'm also not clear on where exactly my safari and firefox caches are, but I'll keep looking.

As a part reply, remember that Time Machine performs incremental backups so the only things really worth excluding are areas where large amounts of data change on a regular basis. Also, Time Machine culls its hourly backups down to, eventually, one per week and so files which were present for a short period only then deleted tend to drop out of the backup database over time. While there are some programs and activities which create large amounts of backup data, in general there is little reason to go to great lengths to exclude things, just make sure you've got a big enough backup drive to start with (at least double the amount of data you are backing up). If you have a problem with backup size it's either because Time Machine isn't working properly or, more likely, you have a particular program or activity that is creating huge backup overhead. Better to forensically track that down and exclude it.
In response to particular questions: you can certainly partition the backup drive to reserve part of it for other things and, if you have adequate other backup, the only reasons to use Time Machine would be the ease of finding individual files for recovery and the ability to recover things you recently deleted, maybe before your other backup strategy had saved them.

Starting fresh with iTunes

Similar Messages

Maybe you are looking for