why can't i transfer music from my old laptop to the itunes on my new laptop?

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Level 1

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why can't i transfer music from my old laptop to the itunes on my new laptop?

i got a new laptop and an ipod for christmass. i want to put all the music in my windows media player library from my old laptop onto the itunes on my new laptop. i've tried using my external hard drive to transfer the files but after i've connected the external drive to the new laptop and opened the files with itunes, the files will only play with the external drive connected as soon as i disconnect the external hard drive and try to play the music on itunes a message box comes up saying that "The song could not be used because the original file could not be found. Would you like to locate it?"

the old laptop is pretty beat up and it wouldn't recognise blank cds when i tried to burn the files onto a disk. i have itunes on the old laptop also but when i connected the ipod to it a message box popped up saying that i could only sync the ipod with one computer at one time and would i like to erase everything already on the ipod. i'm propably doing something wrong but theres got to be a way i can do this. any help or hints would be greatly appreciated.

Posted on Dec 31, 2011 9:47 AM

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Answer 1

Katrina S.

Level 7

24,131 points

Dec 31, 2011 10:37 AM in response to ryevisage

Sounds like you need to start over! Close itunes on both laptops before you start.

On the old laptop, get the itunes library database file from the C: drive and put it on the exHD.

It will be on the old laptop in this file

\Users\username\Music\iTunes\ iTunes Library.itl

Also take note of the exHD letter. It will be E: or F: or something like that.

Now connect the exHD to your new laptop and give it the same drive letter.

Here are directions for changing an ipod drive letter. It is similar to changing the exHD letter.

http://support.apple.com/kb/TS1493#changedrive

Now, put that ITL database file on your new laptop in the correct place.

\Users\username\Music\iTunes\

Start itunes, still with the exHD connected. Does it work OK up to this point? Meaning, you can play a song or two in itunes, and when you connect your ipod it doesn't tell you that message about syncing an ipod with only one PC?

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Answer 2

ryevisage Author

Level 1

0 points

Dec 31, 2011 11:28 AM in response to Katrina S.

im trying to change the exHD letter on my new laptop. the new laptop recognises the exHD as F while on the old laptop it is I.

i got as far as computer management under administrative tools, but when i clicked on disk management the messege at the bottom says "Connnecting to Virtual Disk Service..." and it hasn't appeared to do anything for the past five minutes. is it essential that i change the drive letter?

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Answer 3

Katrina S.

Level 7

24,131 points

Jan 1, 2012 10:58 AM in response to ryevisage

Hmm, maybe not. I just re-read your original post.

How was your old laptop set up? DId it have all the songs on its hard drive, or were they on the exHD?

I think what got messed up when you first tranferred everything over was, the checkbox for "Copy files to itUnes media folder" was not checked.

So, to do this over from the start. On the old laptop, copy your entire top-level itunes folder to the exHD. This will include that ITL database file and everything.

Then put the exHD on the new laptop, and copy that entire itunes folder to your laptop's C: drive in this place

\Users\username\Music\iTunes\

When you start itunes, it should all be there.

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