move iTunes to a new computer?
 

I want to move a very large library (300Gbytes? 400? somewhere in that range, so too large for an ipod) from my (soon to be old) Win XP computer to a new Win 7 computer. All the files are on an external HDD right now (old XP machine could not store all the muzak plus GIS files and pics) - I want to put them on the internal HDD on the Win 7 machine. The ext. drive will then be a backup.

All are from CDs I own - none have been purchased from the Apple store.

Here is the Kicker - I do NOT let Apple automatically control my computer and scatter songs all over creation regardless of what CD they were on. Instead, I spent a lot of time to figure out how to keep all songs on a given CD in the same subdir ("folder") named with the name of the CD. All CDs from a single artist are in a main subdir with the name of the artist.

there are tons of things on das interwebs on this, but most require you to have iTunes automatically control where everything goes, or they just don't say whether that is required or not

iTunes Library Mover was written to trick iTunes somehow, but I dunno how exactly.

thoughts?

Randy,

This worked for me but iTunes by trying to be simple can make ilife difficult.

1. install iTunes on the new computer and make sure iTunes on the old computer is the latest version

2. copy the iTunes folder in the Windows Music folder on the old computer on to your external hard drive. I put it in a folder iTunes Computer.

3. delete the iTunes folder in the Music Folder on the new computer and copy the old iTunes folder to the Music folder on the new computer


iTunes should see the hard drive contents and should play just like your old computer. I know it works to this point now new territory.... for a first try, copy the iTunes Music folder to your new computer (going to take awhile) and change the destination to match your new music folder location ( under Edit... Preferences... Advanced)

Good luck, on the up side if it does not work you have not done anything to you stored music.

Ed

Maybe I am missing something, but can't you simply copy the music folder from the external to the "my music" folder on the new computer. Then open iTunes, go to "add folder to library" and select my music, and let it do its work?

This is how I moved my music over for my new laptop.

+1 if it's on an external HD, I'm pretty sure you just install the iTunes to the new computer,

Then somewhere in the preferences you point the iTunes to the location of your "library." Don't import or 'add to library' or anything.

On the Mac it' in Preferences/Advanced/ "iTunes media folder location."

Agreed. It sounds like Randy maintains his music folder manually and his current iTunes is just importing the folder. If so then yes just copy the music folder to your new machine. FYI - before you point your new iTunes to it make sure you UNCHECK the "Let iTunes completely f*&# up my existing music library" option. Not sure if the latest iTunes has that "feature" enabled by default or not.

ok, I was wondering if it was that simple...

yes, "Let iTunes completely f*&# up my existing music library" option is exactly the one I've worked to avoid while loading my CDs on the thing a couple of years ago

I just faced this last weekend.

Note the files

iTunes Library.itl
iTunes Music Library.xml

in

C:\Documents and Settings\Username\My Documents\My Music\iTunes\

Use some type of editor to open the XML file. You'll see that each song has a path to the current location. Use an editor to search and replace the path to the new locations. This was a one-step 5 second job for me, as I had moved everything from a certain folder on my C drive to a partition on a second drive.

It won't work yet because the itl file hasn't recognized any changes. So you need to ruin this file so that iTunes will regenerate it. Open it up and delete all the binary code you see there. Save the file.

Launch iTunes, and it will rebuild the itl file. This takes quite some time. Then, presto, you're done.

huh - you do that on the new (target) computer?

each song should not have a path link on the new computer 'cuz iTunes doesn't know they on there yet (in fact some aren't on there yet - 3 hrs to go on the copy operation)

and... iTunes won't take care of it if you use the Consolidate command (or whatever it is in ver. 10)?

Install iTunes on the new computer. Copy and paste the xml and itl files from the old computer's directory noted above to that directory on the new machine. Then do what I said above.

I didn't use the Consolidate command or any of the iTunes commands. I just pointed the paths to the new location and had iTunes regenerate the binary file.

- I am trying this right now - files in their lil' folders are already copied over.

When I tried the simple path the artwork went missing....

seems to work but have not checked on artwork yet

can't tell if it works for sure as no audio connected to the machine yet