Tech: Copying iTunes library?

Subject: Tech: Copying iTunes library?
From: GUEST,ruth sans biscuit
Date: 01 Apr 08 - 02:16 PM

iTunes users: If i have a new computer, do I have to copy my entire library by hand from CDs into my new iTunes library, or is there a way to do this that is less labour-intensive? I'm pretty sure I can't simply download from my iPod...

Subject: RE: Tech: Copying iTunes library?
From: oldhippie
Date: 01 Apr 08 - 02:33 PM

You can, but you need "iPod Music Liberator" software from Zelek Software, or an equivalent.

Subject: RE: Tech: Copying iTunes library?
From: oldhippie
Date: 01 Apr 08 - 02:36 PM

Also, you could install iTunes on the new computer, and move portions of the library from one computer to the other with a flash drive, but that takes a lot of time.

Subject: RE: Tech: Copying iTunes library?
From: Ruth Archer
Date: 01 Apr 08 - 02:41 PM

it may take slightly less time than doing it one CD at a time though, oldhippy - it's probably what I'll do...

Subject: RE: Tech: Copying iTunes library?
From: M.Ted
Date: 01 Apr 08 - 02:54 PM

Are you going to upload the contents of your hard drive to the new computer? That would take care of it. If you're not, just upload the music folders--

As a Mac user, I can simply open one computer in Target Disk Mode and then plug a firewire cable into the other, at which time the one computer comes up on the desktop, and I can drag and drop to my hearts content--the data transfer is faster than any other way--

Subject: RE: Tech: Copying iTunes library?
From: Amos
Date: 01 Apr 08 - 02:56 PM

NEtwork the two computers, with iTunes installed on both. From the old one, open the new one as a remote volume and steer to the iTunes music folder.

From the old iTunes Music folder, drag the whole folder over to the new computer, replacing it with your prior folder, and go get some coffee.


A

Subject: RE: Tech: Copying iTunes library?
From: Ruth Archer
Date: 01 Apr 08 - 03:02 PM

upload hard drive? Network computers? What is this language you speak...?

Subject: RE: Tech: Copying iTunes library?
From: Amos
Date: 01 Apr 08 - 03:44 PM

In my world, a firewire cable between two computers enables one of them to look like an extra hard drive on the other. Just like the built in drives.

You open it up and drop the files from one to the other and bob's your uncle. If he is ask him to set it up for you!

ALternative...burn a CD or DVD with all the MP3 files you can fit, take them over to the other computer and drag them into your music folder. Repeat until complete.

A

Subject: RE: Tech: Copying iTunes library?
From: JohnInKansas
Date: 01 Apr 08 - 03:52 PM

It's not clear whether you have iTunes on your old computer, and intend to make CDs from there to move them to the new computer, or if the iTunes are now only on CDs ?????

If the files are on the old computer and simply need to be moved to the new computer, there are several methods that can be used.

1. A cable (wire) connection can be made between the two computers. With Vista, and I believe with most Macs, a suitable transfer program is present. The program is required on one or the other of the two computers, but not generally on both of them. The cable used for the connection usually is a special kind, in ancient times called a "zero-modem" serial cable. Help files on your computer should give details.

The main difficulty here is that the two computers must be located close enough to each other to stretch the cable between them.

2. You can, as you may have suggested, use the old computer to make CDs containing the files that you can use to copy the files to the new computer.

3. You can use any of several other "portable media" kinds, like thumb drives or external hard drives to copy the files to the drive, and then just connect the drive to the new computer to copy them to the new hard drive. Both of these probably will connect to a USB port on either computer, although firewire versions are available. The "extra" drive will look like "another hard drive" while connected.

4. You could find a "website storage" location and copy them to the website, then copy them from the website to the new machine. You probably should not consider this method unless you have a moderately fast internet connection for both machines.

5. You could (not really recommended) attach the files to emails addressed to yourself, send them from the old machine, and then receive them on the new machine and save the attachments. (A thumb drive would likely be quicker.)

A CD can hold about 700 MB of data. Calculate the number of CDs you'd need if you have quite a few files.

A 1 or 2 GB "thumb drive" will run about $20 (US) and they're widely available. Again, you may want to figure how many separate copy - move - copy - delete cycles would be required. Thumb drives up to about 8 GB are easily available, but prices run to $100 or more (in my local area) for the larger ones.

A portable external USB hard drive would give you an extra drive for backups after you finish the transfers. You should be able to find a 100 GB for under $100 (US) or something around 250 GB for a couple of hundred. "External backup drives" could also be used, but my experience with external "desktop" hard drives has not found them particularly reliable if moved around even a little.

There are several other possibilities, but these are perhaps the simplest.

More questions?

John

Subject: RE: Tech: Copying iTunes library?
From: Ruth Archer
Date: 01 Apr 08 - 03:53 PM

ooh, firewire. That sounds all Dr Who.

I will investigate this as an option - I think my next door neighbour does something with computers and he may have one of these firewires of which you speak.

Ta!

Subject: RE: Tech: Copying iTunes library?
From: Menno
Date: 01 Apr 08 - 03:58 PM

What kinda computer? If your old computer is running (for instance) Windows XP, and your new one is running Windows Fista (heck, spit!), then:

a) For the sake of your sanity and to double its speed, install Windows XP on your new box! MS says you can, so it's perfectly legal and your new box will work like the old one, only faster.

b) The ghost of Digital Restriction Management[1] may rear its ugly head, and not believe that you have the right to play the music.

But the important parts are: finding the files and getting them across. I don't know how iTunes stores files (I don't use it), but getting them across is easiest if both your old and new computers have a network card. That way, you can send your files over the wire from one computer to the other. Maybe you can connect both computers to your Internet modem. Then you need to share the drives on your old box and access them from the others. If this kind of stuff scares you, get a friendly geek to help you.

The other way is to save your music onto a DVD and copy them that way. Or a USB key (mine is 4GB in size, and bigger ones exist).

While you're at it, see if you can export your music files to either the Ogg Vorbis or to the MP3 file format. They're less stroppy in the face of copying.

Good luck!

[1] Don't ever let anyone call it Digital RIGHTS management! The recording industry has no say over your rights.

Subject: RE: Tech: Copying iTunes library?
From: Ruth Archer
Date: 01 Apr 08 - 04:05 PM

thanks - this gets more complicated...yes, the old one was XP, this one is Vista. I'm not noticing any material difference yet.

Subject: RE: Tech: Copying iTunes library?
From: Byker1
Date: 01 Apr 08 - 05:07 PM

Just my two cents, I used Apple's instructions:

http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=302392

Now I have a backup of my music from my old system.

Subject: RE: Tech: Copying iTunes library?
From: Amos
Date: 01 Apr 08 - 06:02 PM

I think you might be best served by getting an external HD which you drop all the music files onto from Old Machine, and then recover them from using New Machine.

The USB hard drive can then be erased and used to back up New Machine at regular intervals as John mentioned.


A

Subject: RE: Tech: Copying iTunes library?
From: M.Ted
Date: 01 Apr 08 - 07:52 PM

The easiest thing to do is to ask the folks you bought the new computer from to transfer the stuff you have on the old computer--then you don't need to figure out any of the rest of this--

Subject: RE: Tech: Copying iTunes library?
From: Captain Ginger
Date: 02 Apr 08 - 04:12 AM

I've used a USB hard disc to copy my iTunes library onto three of the computers at home now - it's remarkably quick and simple. And, as Amos says, the HD is subsequently invaluable as a portable back-up device.

Subject: RE: Tech: Copying iTunes library?
From: Ruth Archer
Date: 02 Apr 08 - 05:09 AM

Captain Ginger, that's what I'm now doing in stages. It's only a 2 GB drive, but moving the folders is proving to take far less time than copying CDs would. thanks.

Subject: RE: Tech: Copying iTunes library?
From: Amos
Date: 02 Apr 08 - 10:07 AM

Only to be expected -- CD writing is a much slower process than flipping bits in a flash memory or even a HD.


A

Subject: RE: Tech: Copying iTunes library?
From: GUEST,*Laura*
Date: 02 Apr 08 - 08:00 PM

If you want to get stuff from an iPod to a computer use Senuti. (google it)
It's free to download and stupidly easy to use (even I managed it). And really quick.