Using iTunes with multiple macs

I have a MacBook Pro and a Mac mini. I use a portable hard drive to store my iTunes library. I was able to use the same library for both Macs before and I'm not sure when (maybe before iTunes 8) but I'm not able to anymore. I can run it just fine in my MBP and when I open the library up on the mini, nothing's there. I make sure I hold down Option when opening iTunes then I click choose library and go to my external hard drive and select the right library. I also have an iPhone with 2.1 installed, not that that should matter. Any suggestions?

I am currently storing my iTunes Library on a external hard drive attached to my MacMini (10.5.4). I have my iMac 3.06(10.5.5) and my MacMini linked to that library. I just tried this so not 100% percent sure all the bugs are out, but it looks like it's going to work. I tired it with one artist that I have purchased music and imported music for. The only problem I have now is how to keep them up-to-date. If I import on one machine I also have to import on the other. Not sure if this helps but it sounds like you are already doing what I am doing. NOTE: I am also using iTunes 8. How did you keep them up-to-date when buying or import new music. If anyone know please let me know. Thanks

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Using Itunes with multiple hard drives

I'm a new mac user and have a 250GB external hard drive with two FAT partitions. They appear as two individual drives to my MAC. Each partition has a lot of music. Its more that one of the partitions can hold. I can access and play songs in itunes by accesing them through the file system on the hard drives.
I saw the option to point itunes to an external hard drive in the advanced general preferences tab, but it seems to have a limitation of one location/folder. I can't seem to find a way to make itunes aware of multiple folders which could exist on multiple disk. I'm using Itunes 7.02, on MAC 10.4.8. Is there a way to do this, or is it a limitaiton of itunes?
Joe

Jeveland,
Welcome to Discussions,
Although iTunes only has one 'iTunes Music folder location', the music can be stored at any location and added to the library.
The 'iTunes Music folder location' is the location where iTunes stores ripped CDs and purchased music. It does not tell iTunes where your music is stored.
The locations of your songs are stored in the 'iTunes Library' file.
Read more about the library files here.
Uncheck 'Copy files to iTunes Music folder when adding to the library' in Preferences>Advanced>General. Then add your music to the library.
Hope this helps.
M
17' iMac 800 MHz, 768 MB RAM, 200 GB HD, DL burner Mac OS X (10.4.8) iTunes 7.0.2

How Do I Use iTunes with Multiple iPods?

How do I use iTunes and keep 2 iPods music libraries separate? When I plug in my iPod (2nd one), it brings up the music from the 1st iPod registered.
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There are a few different ways to use two iPods with one computer, have a look at this help page for suggestions: How to use multiple iPods with one computer

Windows XP Using iTunes with Multiple Identities

Hi. I'm using Windows XP and iTunes 7. I have my music files on an external drive, but all my library files are in My Music folders. I'd like to share all the music with other users of this PC (my kids) from their own identities. I was able to import the music, but album artwork that iTunes does not have that I imported on my own does not shows up on the new identity.
Also, I am guessing that, if I add a song with the original identity, it will not show up in iTunes with the new identity unless I add the library, folder, song, etc.
Is there a proper way to share iTunes music on the same PC with multiple identities?
In advance, thanks for your help.

hiya!
hmmmm. it might well be the Windows Fast User Switching causing his problem (although he isn't getting the usual problem i see associated with Fast User Switching):
iTunes for Windows: about Fast User Switching with Windows XP
love, b

Using iTunes with multiple Windows accounts

A friend of mine has 2 Windows accounts on his Win XP machine. He uses iTunes on each account, but has his music in a shared location. If he has music playing in iTunes on one account and then uses Fast User Switching to log into the second account, the current song continues to play but the next song and every song thereafter will be very jerky. Like trying to stream music with a slow internet connection.
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hiya!
hmmmm. it might well be the Windows Fast User Switching causing his problem (although he isn't getting the usual problem i see associated with Fast User Switching):
iTunes for Windows: about Fast User Switching with Windows XP
love, b

Using Aperture with multiple Macs

Hi, all -
I'm looking for suggestions on the best way to share and manage a common photo library across different Macs. I'm about to buy a 2nd Mac (my wife and I will each have our own) and I'm curious how to best share the photo library between our two computers. Assume that the photos will be stored on a common server that is accessible to both. I'd like to use iPhoto on one Mac and Aperture on the other, but I haven't come up with a good way to make each application "aware" when I upload new pics to the server.
What are other people doing to have a common photo library?
What I'm currently doing is importing files from the camera to my local computer, moving files to the server, and then using EXIFtool to rename files by date/time they were taken and sorting into a directory structure based on YYYY/MM/DD. The main photo directory on the server is then shared with the other computers.

I have two Mac's. Both happen to be MacBook Pros. One is the older 2.4 the other is the newer 2.66 (June 2009). I have always kept my Aperture Libraries on external hard drives. Currently I am Using Lacie 320 GB Firewire 800/400. However I am looking at getting the new Lacie eSATA 500 GB.
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I updated iTunes today to the new version 6.02.23 mainly because I was anxious to use the new "multiple speakers" feature. When I went to try it, though, I found no option...just My Computer and AirTunes.
All I had to do was update the firmware on my AirPort Express. Once I had done that the multiple speaker option appeared, and it works great. Now I am listening on my computer and my wife has it on the speakers upstairs.

Hi Friday56,
that's exactly what I would like to do. I have itunes 6.0.4.2. installed on my pc notebook and just updated the Airport Express firmware. The result is the same as before: i can see only the remote speakers and "my computer", but no option "multiple spaekers".
Are you sure this option is available in itunes for windows?
greetings
martin

Using iTunes with multiple libraries/HD's

Hey guys,
I am running out of space on my Mac HD. Is it possible to create a secondary iTunes folder on an external hard drive to store my least used iTunes playlists/playlist folders and use my Mac HD to store my most frequented ones?
If this is possible, would it also be possible to plug into my external HD playlists and use them alongside my mac HD iTunes folders?
Many thanks,
j

Jeveland,
Welcome to Discussions,
Although iTunes only has one 'iTunes Music folder location', the music can be stored at any location and added to the library.
The 'iTunes Music folder location' is the location where iTunes stores ripped CDs and purchased music. It does not tell iTunes where your music is stored.
The locations of your songs are stored in the 'iTunes Library' file.
Read more about the library files here.
Uncheck 'Copy files to iTunes Music folder when adding to the library' in Preferences>Advanced>General. Then add your music to the library.
Hope this helps.
M
17' iMac 800 MHz, 768 MB RAM, 200 GB HD, DL burner Mac OS X (10.4.8) iTunes 7.0.2

What are the options to use itunes with multiple accounts on one computer

I am totally confused; apple phone support seems to have no clue at least the person I spoke to. I want to get two iTunes accounts on one computer, one exists already. I am not sure what apple allows in this case. I was told at a apple store that if you create another PC profile you should be able to get the second iTunes account on the same computer with the new windows profile. There seems to be no info on the discussions board to this issue.
I do not want to share an account and have a second library I think it would be too confusing for the other person. Is this possible?

You can purchase music using multiple accounts within the same Windows profile & using the same iTunes library. I think when you log into the store it remembers the last account name used, but provided you don't let it remember your password then you have the opportunity to enter the correct details for each purchase.
If you're going to place these purchases on your respective iPod's the following may help.
*How to use multiple iPods with one computer*
The Apple support document How to use multiple iPods with one computer suggests a number of ways. I use method two (Sync with selected playlists) with a slight twist. Rather than regular playlists I set the grouping field to indicate which users should receive which tracks and create smart playlists based on the content of this field.
e.g.
"Alice's Tracks" is "Grouping contains Alice" + "Kind contains audio"
"Bob's Videos" is "Grouping contains Bob" + "Kind does not contain audio"
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etc.
I currently manage our family's five iPods using this system, each getting a different selection to suit their tastes and the capacity of their iPod. An advantage of using the grouping field is that it is stored in file tags (for non-wav audio files anyway) so that it is relatively easy to recreate the playlists should the iTunes library get trashed. Also useful if you move files about manually as playlist membership is preserved when you delete & re-import the tracks.
tt2

Using iTunes with multiple logins

Having just taken delivery of a new PC and set up user accounts for my g/f & I, I have hit a problem with iTunes. I installed it (and the latest update) under my login and copied the database from my old PC into the shared music folders, imported the library (after exporting it from my old PC) and in the advance tab re-directed iTunes to look at the shared music folders and also to share music. At this point all worked well, I plugged in my iPod to charge and it correctly worked out that no syncing was required.
I then swapped to the other login to continue setting up e-mails, etc. and it wanted me to install iTunes again, which I did and now every time my g/f logs in she gets iTunes auto-starting - but it doesn't list all the tunes despite being redirected to the shared directory. Though it doesn't auto-start for me, but I can still run it all properly from my login.
My idea was that we should both have an iTunes client in our logins that would share one iTunes database.
Has anyone else had this issue, or can anyone lead me in the right direction to resolve?
Many thanks in advance,
Nigel

These links should help (the last one more so):
Natalie Beresford: Multiple iPods/iTunes Installations
How to use multiple iPods with one computer
How to share music between different accounts on a single computer

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