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Moving itunes to save on external hard drive

B

barely working

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Dec 8, 2005
15
0
Is there a way to save the itunes library in the same format on my new external hard drive? Currently, the external hard drive gives a series of folders that list the various bands. Can I make the external hard drive "look" like itunes?

I need to know if there is anything I can do as I need to start to erase songs from itunes as my hard drive is full.
Thanks.
 
barely working said:
Is there a way to save the itunes library in the same format on my new external hard drive? Currently, the external hard drive gives a series of folders that list the various bands. Can I make the external hard drive "look" like itunes?

I need to know if there is anything I can do as I need to start to erase songs from itunes as my hard drive is full.
Thanks.
Click to expand...
This should be fairly simple - your iTunes music is stored under the 'Music' folder in your user directory. It should be somehwere like:

Macintosh HD > Users > Username > Music > iTunes > iTunes Library

If you copy that folder your music will be safe, however some music may be in other places, for example if you tragged a song that was on the desktop into iTunes it will play it, but it may not copy it to your iTunes folder. You can change this in the iTunes prefrences. It's always a good idea to backup your Music, just make sure everything is in the iTunes folder and you'll be fine when you back it up. :D
 
Ok. did that.

There is now one folder in my external hard drive named itunes. Double click on it and there are now two folders, itunes library and itunes music. The itunes library's icon is a page with a music note in it with a subtitle of "DATA." The folder will not open.

The second folder is a blue folder. I can double click on it and my whole library is opened up with a new blue folder for every band or artist that has been recorded.

So my question is, how to I get this list to look like itunes?

thanks
 
i don't understand what you are asking, you want the folder to look like itunes? or do you want the folder to be organized, or do you want the songs in the external HD to be in you itunes libarary?

Please clarify.
 
I want to be able to use open and use itunes on my external hard drive like I can use itunes regularly.

My hard drive is full so I need to start deleting files (music). But first I want to make sure the files are backed up on the external drive as they appear on the itunes on my ibook.

thanks
 
barely working said:
I want to be able to use open and use itunes on my external hard drive like I can use itunes regularly.

My hard drive is full so I need to start deleting files (music). But first I want to make sure the files are backed up on the external drive as they appear on the itunes on my ibook.

thanks
Click to expand...

Ok this is what you have to do then:

1. Drag iTunes Music Folder into the new HD [i think you said you already did this]

2. Once step 1 is done, go into itunes and delete your library; select all of the songs in the list (again, this is to be done in the itunes window) and delete them

3. Then, go into the itunes> Prefrences > Advanced > General
This will allow you to change the location of where your music is
stored, click the Change button and locate where your new iTunes
folder is.

4. After you change that, you can now click ok in the Prefrences window (or close it). Now go to File> Add To Library...

5. This will automatically add all you music into iTunes, once you locate the folder on you new HD again. Once it is done loading, it should work like normal.


Hope this helps.

Ryan.
 
Ok. Thanks. i'm a little nervous about deleting all the music though. I hate to delete before it is set up in the external hard drive.

thanks. I'll give it a shot.
 
Sweetfeld28 said:
3. Then, go into the itunes> Prefrences > Advanced > General
This will allow you to change the location of where your music is
stored, click the Change button and locate where your new iTunes
folder is.
Click to expand...

NOTE: Doing it your way (Add files to Library) won't preserve playcount information, and anything other information that is in the iTunes Library file that isn't stored in the files themselves.

IIRC Step 3, with "Keep your library organized" set is all you need. Give it a new location for the library and iTunes will move the files for you.

EDIT: Previous thread on the same topic with more info on letting iTunes handle the move.
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/165282/

B
 
barely working said:
Ok. Thanks. i'm a little nervous about deleting all the music though. I hate to delete before it is set up in the external hard drive.

thanks. I'll give it a shot.
Click to expand...
i have done this, i would personally suggest keeping your itunes on your main HD, (thats just my opinon) but if this is what you want to do it will definitely work, just make sure that you transfer them first (verify that they are occupying space on your external) then delete them and change your itunes library location is the settings.

good luck!
 
wnameth said:
i have done this, i would personally suggest keeping your itunes on your main HD, (thats just my opinon) but if this is what you want to do it will definitely work, just make sure that you transfer them first (verify that they are occupying space on your external) then delete them and change your itunes library location is the settings.

good luck!
Click to expand...

I would love to keep them but I am out of space and have a ton of more things to add.

Thanks everyone for your help.
 
When you delete from iTunes ... the first delete is removing from the iTunes database ... another dialogue box will pop up and ask you if you want to move them to the trash. You don't have to permantly delete you music files until your ready. When you are just use the Finder to delete them from your HD.


peace | neut
 
I did a test and only erased some songs from my hard drive. I went to the external hard drive and the song are erased from there too. What did I do wrong?
 
Hmmm. Not sure what you did, but i have done this moving of the iTnes Folder multiple times, and it has workedd for me every time.

Lets us know if you have figured it out.
 
barely working said:
I did a test and only erased some songs from my hard drive. I went to the external hard drive and the song are erased from there too. What did I do wrong?
Click to expand...

Sounds like you have your iTunes library pointed at the external when you thought it was pointed at your internal drive. makes sure you know which drive you've told iTunes to look for music when you start deleting stuff.

this really isn't all that difficult. you just need to think about what you're doing.


peace | neut
 
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