Possible?? Moving content from external drive to iTunes media lib.

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Possible?? Moving content from external drive to iTunes media lib.

Hi all,

for historical reasons (mainly because I was coming from Windows 2 years ago) I have stored all my mp3-Files (audiobooks, songs, etc) on an external harddrive. My iTunes library is stored on the external drive, too and all media content in my iTunes library is manually linked to the external drive, however not all fileson the external repository are linked into the iTunes media library

Now, I would love to get my library moved to the mac including all relevant audio and video-files and let iTunes manage the library!

Is there any way to let iTunes MOVE the relevant files from the external drive to the MAC? Enabling the option under Settings to let iTunes manage the lib will cause a COPY (at least as far as I know)?

Many Thanks for any help!

Mattthias

iTunes-OTHER, Mac OS X (10.6.8), iTunes 10.4.1

Posted on Nov 8, 2011 12:55 AM

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Answer 1

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Lexiepex

Level 6

14,102 points

Nov 8, 2011 1:11 AM in response to Matthias N.

I would copy (there is no move between different disks!) the entire Library to

Useraccount/Music/iTunes/iTunes Music/

on your internal disk; then set this location in the iTunes Preferences/Advanced tab.

Restart iTunes.

Then "Add to Library" all other music into iTunes. So you end up having everything on your internal disk, and still have a backup on the external disk.

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Answer 2

Matthias N. Author

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Nov 8, 2011 1:18 AM in response to Lexiepex

Today I have iTunes /Settings / Advanced / Let iTunes manage your Lib UNchecked. This is because I want about 40% of the repository on the external drive to be included in my iTunes lib.

Adding ALL would cause a huge issue because a lot of the stuff is tagged very lousy. Hence I am afraid that I'll end up with an unmanageable chaos in my library.

Therefor I am searching a way to get the stuff moved (like cut/paste insead of copy/paste). Getting there would allow me to end up with a cloean lib on my mac and a remaining repositotry that I can then import the default way manually.

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Answer 3

Lexiepex

Level 6

14,102 points

Nov 8, 2011 3:35 AM in response to Matthias N.

Just do as I suggested above, and do the cleaning up in iTunes afterwards: less work, no loss because if you make a mistake you still have the "backup" on the external disk....

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Answer 4

Matthias N. Author

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Nov 8, 2011 4:22 AM in response to Lexiepex

I agree - however I have been not precise in my query above. Sorry for that!

On the external drive there is more media content than linked into the iTunes lib. Guess 50% of the entire repository are operated by iTunes. The issue is that parts of the unlinked content is badly tagged wich will (I am aftraid) cause a huge mess in my iTunes library.

Therefor I am after an automated way to split it up ...

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Answer 5

Lexiepex

Level 6

14,102 points

Nov 8, 2011 5:43 AM in response to Matthias N.

Matthias, if you want to clean up, it does not matter if it is in or out of the library... how do you expect to do an automated cleaning, you have to make choices everytime...

Just copy the library as I said, then clean it in iTunes.

After that is done, "Add to Library" the rest to the iTunes library, then clean that up...

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Answer 6

Matthias N. Author

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Nov 8, 2011 6:25 AM in response to Lexiepex

I do envisage 3 steps:

1) change the storage location of the iTunes media library from external drive to internal drive

2) initiate iTunes to manage the library via preferences

3) iTunes moves automatically the library content from external to intrenal drive

From other discussions I understand (better believe?) that this should work with the little exeption that iTunes will COPY instead of move the files.

In my view the above would result in a managed lib on my Mac and a remaining set of media files that I hold on ym external drive and can add manually to the library in a controlled manner

My issue remains the folder structure on teh external drive where selected folders and even worth in some cases only parts of folders are used by iTunes ...

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