Can I use my iPod as the only source for my music?

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Level 1

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Can I use my iPod as the only source for my music?

I have iTunes backed up from my old computer on an external hard drive, but don't want to use up nearly half of the hard drive space on my new computer for music storage. My iPod is 160 gig, so there's enough storage for music files. Just added the library to the mac mini and synced the ipod but don't know if I should delete the library (on the mac mini) after I go into prefrences and change the location of the media folder to the ipod.

Mac mini (Late 2012), OS X Mountain Lion (10.8.2), Use a G4, iPod, iPod mini, & iPhone

Posted on Mar 21, 2013 7:33 AM

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Answer 1

varjak paw

Level 10

170,200 points

Mar 21, 2013 11:32 AM in response to Silver Apple

I would not recommend keeping your only copy if your music on your iPod. Too many things can go wrong that might cause you to lose your library. Unless your "new" Mac is a used model with a small hard drive by today's standards, any library that would fit on a 160GB iPod would by no means use up half the space on the mini's hard drive, so I'd strongly recommend you keep your library there as well as on your iPod, and in fact would recommend that you keep another copy elsewhere unless all your tracks are from CDs which you could reimport should anything happen to your computer and iPod.

Regards.

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Answer 2

roaminggnome

Level 10

106,365 points

Mar 21, 2013 12:01 PM in response to Silver Apple

You should never have only one copy of anything.

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Answer 3

Silver Apple Author

Level 1

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Mar 21, 2013 12:28 PM in response to varjak paw

Thanks for responding. It's a new mac mini but there's only 250 gig of storage. Close to 80 gig used for cd's and I haven't even begun to transfer vinyl (at least four times larger). I've got an external drive for backup, so it's an issue of, first, where to put all the data, then, how to access and manage files. Just wondering if the application would run just as well through the iPod, freeing up my computer for other files. Cheers.

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Answer 4

varjak paw

Level 10

170,200 points

Mar 21, 2013 1:36 PM in response to Silver Apple

You must have gotten an SSD in your mini, then: I didn't think of that initially.

While it is technically possible to mount an iPod and use it in disk mode to store an iTunes library, the iPod's drive is very slow and not designed for the sort of continuous use having it store your iTunes library would put it to, so I would not recommend using it as such. If you don't want to keep your library on the mini, use the external drive, or perhaps better buy another one to use for your library. You can pick up a 500GB USB drive for under $60 if you shop around.

BTW, marking your own post as being the one to solve your problem isn't a good strategy unless you did indeed find the solution yourself and do not need any further responses.

Regards.

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