Transferring iTunes playlists etc to new computer

Hi, i currently have all my music saved on an external hard drive & when i want to play music, i connect my hard drive via USB to my computer, startup iTunes where all my playlists which i have created etc are & it reads the music from the external hard drive.
I have now got a new computer & have installed iTunes.
My question is:
How do i now get the iTunes on my new computer to read my external hard drive like my old computer did & still have all my playlists etc there without having to re-sort all my songs?

If the ENTIRE iTunes folder including the iTunesLibrary.itl file is on the external hard drive, simply point iTunes there by holding SHIFT while launching iTunes.
If the iTunesLibrary.itl file is on the old computer then it becomes a little more complicated. Post back if further instructions are needed.

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Transferring iTunes from iPod to new computer

I have damaged my Apple PowerBook (containing my 'master' iTunes library) beyond repair and am unable to access any data on the drive.
Having purchased a new MacBook I am attempting to move the library of music and images from my 5th Generation 30gb iPod onto the new computer.
I have followed the instructions given here:
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=300173
Which suggests removing the iTunes folder from the new computer and replacing it with the iTunes folder from the iPod.
But when I open up the iPod icon on my desktop there are only four folders: Calendars/Contacts/Notes/Photos.
There is no iTunes folder?
Can anyone help please.
MacBook & G4 desktop Mac OS X (10.4.8)
MacBook & G4 desktop Mac OS X (10.4.8)

Since you have a Mac you can use a program called Senuti. It transfers all your material from your iPod to your computer. Download Senuti, then in the preferences, set your destination folder to the iTunes music folder. All the content on your iPod will be placed in there and then all you have to do is transfer that to your new iTunes library. Hope it works out.
http://www.macupdate.com/info.php/id/14982

How do you transfer an iTunes playlist to a new computer so that it stays in the same order?

How do you transfer a large playlist to a new computer so that it stays in the same order?

Hey HalSF,
iTunes allows you to sync music with your devices in several different ways, including by playlist. See the iPhone user manual for how to -
manuals.info.apple.com/MANUALS/1000/MA1565/en_US/iphone_user_guide.pdf
Specifically page 19.
Thanks for using Apple Support Communities.
Be well,
Brett L

Transferring Itunes (playlists etc) from my old G5 to my new MacPro

Hi
I put the music on my computer but I don't have the playlist and it lost all the ratings, play count, Equalizer settings. Is there anyway to transfer without having to start all over?

Oh dear. What you should have done was copy the entire iTunes folder across as your playlists etc are in the 2 database files : iTunes Library and iTunes Music Library.xml.
Assuming that that folder is still on the G5, then copy the whole folder across (or all except the iTunes Music folder you already got, then move that folder into it). Make sure iTunes isn't running when you do this.
If you already got some new music on the new computer, then you will have to copy it to a new location to make sure you don't lose it.

Transfering iTunes/iPod to a new computer

Hello!
I recently purchased a new PC and am trying to transfer all of my files from my old machine (Windows XP) to the new one (Windows Vista). I am wondering a few things...
1- is there a way to transfer my playlist names/content from my old computer to my new one?
2- is there an easy way to move my Apps from my iPod Touch to my new computer? As of now, when I try to sync my iPod to my new computer, it says that it will delete all of my Apps because they are not in my iTunes on my new computer. Do I have to download them all over again on my new computer, or can I somehow transfer a data file from my old PC to the new one?
If I can clarify anything or make things clearer, please let me know.
Thanks for any help in advance!

How to Copy and Move (Clone) your iTunes Library from One Computer to Another – or Archive Prior to a PC Re-Image or Reformat
This well-written iLounge Article is a must-read for anyone considering moving their Library to a new computer or a new location. Or, just wants a better understanding of how iTunes manages your music.
Below is the conceptual framework with related and important links. Apply and adapt it to your specific situation and equipment resources.
The safest, quickest, and most optimal method to move your Library to a new computer is to actually clone the entire ‘iTunes’ folder (directory) structure, rather than just copying just the song files. By copying the entire ‘iTunes’ folder and all sub-folders, you capture not only the music files, but the all-important ‘iTunes Library.itl’ database file (usually located in the ‘iTunes’ folder), which contains all the data about your songs (Playlists, Ratings, Play Counts, Last Played, Date Added, etc). See: What are the iTunes Library files?
Install iTunes on the new computer. Then go back to your old computer and move (copy) the "iTunes" folder which usually resides inside your "…\My Documents\My Music" folder from the old computer to the exact same place (both Drive Letter and complete Path) on the new computer. When you open iTunes on the new computer it will look and behave exactly the same way it did on the old, Play Counts, Ratings, Comments and all!
Preserving and transferring the original Library Database file (iTunes Library.itl) is most critical with iPhones as they can sync with only one iTunes Library at a time. This is managed by the ‘Library Persistent ID’ hardcoded within each iTunes database file. If your ITL file has a different ID, your iTunes/iPhone attachment will be seen as a new Library and you will need to completely re-sync your iPhone. This may or may not be an issue for you. See how to manage the LPID via This Link.
NOTE: It is usually safer moving files between computers with the same version of iTunes!!
iTunes Files to Copy and Move to your New PC (for iPod, iTouch &/or iPhone – use as needed)
1) All Music Files in their current folder structure (usually located in and under the ‘iTunes Music’ folder)
2) All Application Files in their current folder structure (usually located in the ‘Mobile Applications’ folder)
3) All Album Artwork Files in their current folder structure (usually located in and under the ‘Album Artwork’ folder)
4) The Library database file: ‘iTunes Library.itl’ located in the ‘iTunes’ folder
5) The Library XML file: ‘iTunes Music Library.xml’ located in the ‘iTunes’ folder
6) The iTunes Library Extras.itdb and iTunes Library Genius.itdb files, also in the ‘iTunes’ folder
Some additional files to consider also include in a backup:
7) Any XML playlist files created for Playlist retention
8) The two iTunes.pref files (optional)
i) C:\Documents and Settings\<your username>\Application Data\Apple Computer\iTunes\iTunes.pref
ii) C:\Documents and Settings\<your username>\Local Settings\Application Data\Apple Computer Inc\iTunes.pref
9) The XML file of Ratings, Play Counts and Last Played attributes saved from the main Library and created by Otto’s SaveRatings script (also optional, but recommended):
“Download this: http://ottodestruct.com/itunes/SaveRatings.zip . It's a program, just run it like any other program. Run it on the machine where you're copying the info from BEFORE you move the files to the new machine. Click the "Save Ratings" button and it'll create a ratings.xml file. Now when you move the files, move the program and this file as well. Then after you make your new iTunes library, run it again and click the "Restore Ratings" button. Voila, all your information is back in the Library. Well, most of it anyway, it's not perfect. It'll tell you what songs it couldn't figure out though, and there's usually not very many.”
10) The folder(s) used to store and sync photos to your iPhone (if applicable)
11) The iTunes created Backup of your iPhone usually located at:
C:\Documents and Settings\USERNAME\Application Data\Apple Computer\MobileSync\Backup
Here's a list of methods to copy and move your music files from one computer to another:
1) Use an External Hard Drive (ExHD) to move the complete files and Folder structures from one computer to another (my preferred option). You can clone’ the entire ‘iTunes’ folder structure in one very easy step. Also great to have available for complete backups of your Library. External hard drives now run less than $100 for 500GBs-1TB of storage. See This Link
2) Directly connect the two computers:
2a) Connect them through a Router &/or Network
2b) Directly connect using an Ethernet cable: Straight for using at least one Mac; or Crossover for PC/PC Instructions here.
2c) Connect them via a USB-to-USB Network Bridge. Example here. There are various types out there (use Google).
--Then copy the files from one computer to the other.
3) Use the iPod as a transfer device, as this extensive Apple link explains. It will be a bit easier if your iPod has a larger capacity than your music collection, otherwise you will need to perform multiple copy/move transfers. This well written process also works fine while using any other data transfer medium (ExHD, Flash Drive, DVD, CD, Zipp, Jazz, etc.).
4) Burn several DVDs (at 4.7GBs each) with your music data files and folder structure, and load them onto the new computer. Re-writable DVDs are more cost effective (if your DVD drive can manage these types).
5) Burn 6x more on CDs (at 700MB each) than in #4 above and load the files and folders on the new computer. Re-writable CDs are more cost effective (if your CD drive can manage these types).
6) Use a larger USB Flash drive (1GB - 4GB) to move the files and folders. Best if the flash drive is larger than your Library, otherwise you will need multiple copy/move transfers.
These are links to various additional instructions on performing the transfer (read them all, but some listed steps may not be required depending on your specific situation):
Switch from PC to Mac Using the iPod
hudgie: Migrating iTunes for Windows to a new PC
How to copy music between authorized computers
Also, remember to Deauthorize your PC before you reformat it, dispose of it, or retire it from iTMS use (if applicable).
Best of Luck

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.

Transferring all files etc to new computer

I have an iMac with 2 users, me as administrator and my son as a user. I am buying him a macbook air. I would like to basically transfer the contents of the iMac to the MB-air upon purchase of MBair. now i know this is done a number of ways, and you are prompted your options to do this when you first start up the new computer. If I do this will it basically mimic the ibook with me as administrator and my son as a user? almost like a clone?
roger

For more details, see Best Practices and Setup new Mac.

Transferring Itunes from old to new computer

I have been trying to export all of my itune songs from an old PC to a new laptop. I'm only getting a portion of the songs transferred. When uploading from a separate harddrive its says that "songs cannot be found". So in a file that I might have 50 songs, I only get 2-3 transferred. I have quite a few songs that I uploaded from CD's and these are what are not being transferred. Is there a way of transferring the individual files with all the music therein, rather than putting everything in the "all" file. Some step by step instructions would help as what I have found on the internet still does not transfer all my songs.

Just checking. Have you done the steps listed here?
About Authorization and Deauthorization.

Transfering songs from ipod to new computer

Hello..Please forgive me but I not very computer literate...I have a new computer and want to put the 101 songs that are currently on my Ipod classic onto the itunes playlist for the new computer. How do I go about doing this?? Using the SYNC function won't work because it tells me that all of the songs that i currently have on the ipod will be areased..any assistance in this matter would be greatly appreciated
Thanks..
John

1). Connect your iPod to your computer. When you get the message that it is linked to a different library and asking if you want to link to this one and replace all your songs etc, press "Cancel".
2). When your iPod appears in the iTunes source list change the update setting to manual, that will let you use your iPod without the risk of accidentally erasing it. Check the "manually manage music and videos" box in Summary then press the Apply button. Also when using most of the utilities listed below your iPod needs to be enabled for disc use, changing to manual update will do this by default: Managing content manually on iPod and iPhone
3). Once you are safely connected there are a few things you can do to restore your iTunes from the iPod. There are a number of third party utilities that you can use to retrieve the music files and playlists from your iPod. You'll find that they have varying degrees of functionality and some will transfer movies, videos, photos, podcasts and games as well. Have a look at the web pages and documentation, this is just a small selection of what's available, they are generally quite straightforward. You can read reviews and comparisons of some of them here:
Wired News - Rescue Your Stranded Tunes
Comparison of iPod managers
TuneJack Windows Only (iPhone and iPod Touch compatible)
SharePod Windows Only (iPhone and iPod Touch compatible)
iPod2PC Windows Only
iDump Windows Only
iPodRip Mac & Windows
YamiPod Mac and Windows
iPod Music Liberator Mac & Windows
Floola Mac & Windows
Music Rescue Mac & Windows (iPhone and iPod Touch compatible)
iGadget Mac & Windows (iPhone and iPod Touch compatible)
iRepo Mac & Windows (iPhone and iPod Touch compatible)
iPod Access Mac & Windows (iPhone and iPod Touch compatible)
TouchCopy Mac & Windows (iPhone and iPod Touch compatible)
If you have any iTunes Music Store purchases the transfer of purchased content only from the iPod to authorised computers was introduced with iTunes 7. You'll find details in this article: Copying iTunes Store purchases from your iPod or iPhone to a computer
There's also a manual method of copying songs from your iPod to a Mac or PC. The procedure is a bit involved and won't recover playlists but if you're interested it's available on page 2 at this link: Copying Content from your iPod to your Computer - The Definitive Guide
4). Whichever of these retrieval methods you choose, keep your iPod in manual mode until you have reloaded your iTunes and you are happy with your playlists etc then it will be safe to return it auto-sync.
5). I would also advise that you get yourself an external hard drive and back your stuff up, relying on an iPod as your sole backup is not a good idea and external drives are comparatively inexpensive these days, you can get loads of storage for a reasonable outlay: Back up your iTunes library by copying to an external hard drive

Transferring Itunes Playlists onto new computer!!!

This weekend I purchased a HP 64 bit tower with Windows Vista. My main concern with making a smooth transition from my old computer: *How do I transfer my Playlists from my old computer (or from my ipod) to my itunes library on my new computer? I have about 10,000 songs, so you can imagine how long it will take for me to reconstruct all of my playlists if I lose them Thanks!*

johnnc46lp wrote:
I just transferred my 16,600 songs from my iTunes on old HP DEsktop to new HP Envy Desktop
Copy the entire /Music/iTunes/ folder from old computer to /Music/ on new computer. Do not copy only the songs.
Open iTunes.
That is all you need to do. Your library is moved with everything the same.

HT201272 I have tried several ways to transfer my itunes library and Playlists to a new computer. I get the music library but not the playlists. Can you advise? 2nd I purchased 21 new tunes yesterday on the new computer worked great but when I made a disc

I have tried several ways to transfer my itunes library and Playlists to a new computer. I get the music library but not the playlists. Can you advise?
2nd > I purchased 21 new tunes yesterday on the new computer> worked great> but when I made a disc to transfer the playlist. I get the music but no album info just 1,2,3,etc. So I have signup both computers to share thinking that would work. But no to that also.
Please advise.
Thanks,
Bob

Copy the entire /Music/iTunes/ folder from old computer to new computer.
See this -> http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4527

I wanna purchase new laptop, pls tell me how to do it so that all mu iTunes playlists etc stay same and also the data on iPhone4 is unaffected

I wanna purchase new laptop, pls tell me how to do it so that all mu iTunes playlists etc stay same and also the data on iPhone4 is unaffected

copy the entire iTunes folder (not just the iTunes music or media folder) from the old computer to the exact same location on the new machine.
your iDevice will just continue to sync with the same old library as if nothing happend.

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

Help please... Transferring a separate iTunes Media Folder to new computer.

I keep my iTunes folder on my C drive on my old laptop but my iTunes Media folder is on my D drive (separate physical drive).
I have purchased a new laptop with a single drive, (C drive) however, I can no longer access my old laptop's C drive to transfer the entire iTunes folder onto the new laptop. I do however have access to everything in my iTunes media folder that previously resided on my old laptop's D drive.
I thought I could just download the latest version of iTunes and copy my iTunes media folder that I had on the D drive over. I have done that but the only media that shows up in iTunes is what I've actually purchased from iTunes. Even that it wants me to download from the cloud. All the songs that I've ripped from my CD's are missing even though they are actually in my new iTunes media folder. All my playlists are also missing.
I do have a 6 month old backup of my iTunes folder on a backup drive but I've downloaded and ripped music since then.
What do I need to do to transfer all my media, playlists and genera tags to my new laptop?
Do I actually need to transfer my entire iTunes folder to the new computer or is there a way I can only transfer my iTunes media folder and get everything back?
As much as I like iTunes, I really wish there was a easy foolproof way to transfer all your media...
Thanks,
Tom

Restore the 6 month old backup of the iTunes folder into the current User's Music folder.
Make sure the D: drive has the media folder on the same path it was on previously.
Check the library works, make sure the correct media folder is selected.
Add the media folder to the library to add in any new content.
See make a split library portable and Backup your iTunes for Windows library with SyncToy.
tt2

Just transfered my itunes account to a new computer ,when i try to sync i get a 'the ipod is synced with another itunes account'

I have just transferred my itunes account to a new computer and when i try to sync , I get a 'this ipod is synced with another itunes library ,do you want to erase this ipod and sync with this itunes library.will answering 'yes' erase what i currently have on my ipod.i'd like to get an ipad 3, if i cant sort out my account ,I'll get the galaxy note 10.1 !

"I have just transferred my itunes account to a new computer and when i try to sync , I get a 'this ipod is synced with another itunes library ,do you want to erase this ipod and sync with this itunes library"
Correct.
"will answering 'yes' erase what i currently have on my ipod"
Yes.
If you copied everything from your old computer to your new one, as you should always do, then the content will be put right back when you sync.
"i'd like to get an ipad 3, if i cant sort out my account ,I'll get the galaxy note 10.1 !"
OK. We are all itunes users like you. You threat of buying a different device means nothing here.

Transferring iTunes playlists etc to new computer

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