Q: iTunes forgets media folder is on external hard drive
Hi
I have recently started using a Time Capsule with an external hard drive attached. I have moved my music and video to the external hard drive to free up space on my MacBook Pro hard drive. I have set up iTunes to play from the external hard drive (which works fine), however, although I have changed the location of the iTune media folder in Preferences it keeps reverting to the iTunes media folder on my Mac's hard drive. Is there a way to stop it doing this?
Thanks
Rob
MacBook Pro, Mac OS X (10.7.2)
Posted on May 9, 2012 6:13 PM
If you have iTunes set to default preferences this is the way to move it:
iTunes: How to move [or copy] your music to a new computer [or another drive] - http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4527
Quick answer if you let iTunes manage your music: Copy the entire iTunes folder (and in doing so all its subfolders and files) intact to the other drive. Start iTunes with the option (shift on Windows) key held down and guide it to the new location of the library.
While you can move just media (and leave the iTunes library files on the computer) I personally don't see too much advantage in doing just that, and several disadvantages. In other words I do not recommend: iTunes for Mac: Moving your iTunes Media folder - http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1449
If you're starting to work with this, these link might help undertand:
What are the iTunes library files? - http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1660
More on iTunes library files and what they do - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ITunes#Media_management
iTunes 9: Understanding iTunes Media Organization - http://support.apple.com/kb/ht3847
Posted on May 10, 2012 9:32 AM