Two quick questions about Library after moving beginning on a new computer

Question

Level 1

10 points

Two quick questions about Library after moving beginning on a new computer

Hi there,

I just moved from Windows to Mac, meaning I had to move my iTunes library from the old PC to my new MBA.

Just a couple of quick questions.

1. When I started iTunes on my new Mac, in the preferences I directed the media folder to the folder with all my itunes music/podcasts etc, and then I imported the Library XML file. Is this incorrect? Should I have imported a different file? Should I have used the itl file instead?

If so, should I delete the library and start again? (if this is the case, please suggest the best way of doing this without affecting my media)

- a kind of sub-question to this one: some of the media files arent showing up in the iTunes library, but they are in the media folder on the ext HDD. Is there a way I can find out which ones havent been recognized by iTunes? Whats the best way of getting them in to my library?

2. Pretty much half of my podcasts have not been loaded in the new iTunes. The ones that havent were ones that I subscribed to on my iPhone, whereas the ones that show up in iTunes were ones I downloaded from iTunes. When I connect my iPhone and sync it with iTunes, will those podcasts show up in iTunes? Or is there a risk that they will be deleted from my iPhone?

Cheers,

Posted on Sep 21, 2014 4:56 PM

Reply

Answer 1

Limnos

Level 10

411,229 points

Sep 21, 2014 5:38 PM in response to snakenuts

Quick answer if you use iTunes' default preferences settings: Copy the entire iTunes folder (and in doing so all its subfolders and files) intact to the other drive. Open iTunes and immediately hold down the option (alt) key (shift on Windows) so you get a prompt to choose a library, then select the copied iTunes folder.

If this is to a new computer and you put the copied iTunes folder in the default location of Macintosh HD > Users > *User Name* > Music then you don't even need to start with the option key held down, iTunes will automatically look for it there. (Make sure there isn't anything already in the iTunes folder there that you want to keep since you will be replacing it with the one you are moving.)

Windows users see tip at: https://discussions.apple.com/thread/4095896?answerId=18879381022#18879381022

Consider moving everything from your Windows PC to your Mac in a single move, including your iTunes library: About Windows Migration Assistant - http://support.apple.com/kb/ht4796 - Learn about how to use Windows Migration Assistant to migrate your files from a Windows PC to a Mac.

Mac iTunes cannot read Windows media files. Those are best converted on the PC prior to bringing over to the Mac.

Reply

Answer 2

snakenuts Author

Level 1

10 points

Sep 21, 2014 7:33 PM in response to Limnos

Hi Limnos,

actually, I opened itunes without holding down command, and then made the media folder on my ext hdd as the default folder (my media folder was too big for copying it over the one on the Macintosh default folder).

and then I imported the library.xml file.

Should i start again? Pretty much most of my files are in the library and I can play them (I never changed the file type before copying onto my ext hdd. Although the drive is a Mac OS journaled drive)

a lot of album art has been lost, and as I said in original post, some files didn't turn up in the library at all although theyre still in my media folder (about 150 files out of 30000)

any suggestions?

but but your info is kinda helpful. Cheers

Reply

Answer 3

Limnos

Level 10

411,229 points

Sep 21, 2014 7:50 PM in response to snakenuts

The .xml is lacking some information such as ratings, date added, and play count. Using the .itl includes this information but cannot be imported using the method you did.

A complete library is everything in the iTunes folder. By using the method you did you left the artwork behind in the artwork folder on the other machine.

Selecting the media folder in preferences does not get iTunes to recognize the media. All it does is tell iTunes to start storing new media in that location.

Using the method I outlined nothing will be missed (with the exception of WMA) because you aren't rebuilding your library, you are using the one that already exists.

You don't have to re-copy everything as long as you get the stuff you missed and re-assemble it all as it was before except not on the Mac.

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

What are all those iTunes files? - http://www.macworld.com/article/139974/2009/04/itunes_files.html

Where are my iTunes files located? - http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1391

Reply

Answer 4

snakenuts Author

Level 1

10 points

Sep 22, 2014 7:35 AM in response to Limnos

Hi Limnos,

Thank you for the very helpful info.

So, now that I know the itl is the one with all the playlists and metadata, can I import that into my current iTunes library without it doubling all the itunes files or anything like that? Should I just go to import library and import the itl file to get my playlist and album art back? Will that work? The forum links you provided dont really address this particular question

Seeing as though I am currently using my new HDD on itunes worry free, I dont think I need to re-do the whole thing. The only thing I'm worried about is the handful of songs that iTunes hasnt loaded into the library (but are, as I said, still in the media folder however).

Cheers,

Reply

Answer 5

Limnos

Level 10

411,229 points

Sep 22, 2014 7:56 AM in response to snakenuts

You can't just do as I instructed in my first post and copy the entire iTunes folder to the new computer? If you do that then apart from the time it takes to copy it will take you about 10 seconds to start the library on the computer with everything there exactly as it was before. You seem determined to do this in an excessively involved way. Since you already have some things on the new computer you could try copying the iTunes folder minus the media folder to the Mac, then insert the media folder you copied earlier into the correct location and start iTunes using the method I provided.

I have never tried importing a .itl I don't know if it is possible (if you have a .itl then why bother importing it -- just use it as the library file when starting iTunes!), and if it is you may still end up with some incomplete data since you are technically adding the files again.

I don't know why those songs are not loading. They may be fine if you transfer the library the conventional way and the whole issue is moot. The files may have been corrupted on the way over. It would help to know the file type.

Reply

Answer 6

snakenuts Author

Level 1

10 points

Sep 22, 2014 8:39 AM in response to Limnos

Hi,

First of all, I am grateful for your time to discuss this. Sometimes googling things doesnt always help out.

Buuut,

I just did what you said, and now all of my songs and stuff in my iTunes library have ! next to them.

I held down alt key, opened iTunes, and when it prompted me I selected the iTunes folder with all the itl files, xml files, and media files, etc.

So, it seems like I am now going to have to delete the library, and start again, unless you can suggest something that recovers the previous library.

When I copied my mp3s from my last hdd to the new one, i copied everything, itl files, xml files etc. Basically I copied the whole iTunes folder. My library was always going to be stored on my ext hdd because I have a 300gb library and a 128gb hdd on MBA. So, when I first opened iTunes on this MBA a few days ago, I connect the HDD, went into preferences and chose the folder with all the mp3s (the file type you would like to know about) as the default media folder. Then, because nothing was coming up in iTunes, I exported the xml file as it seemed to be the only way to get my songs up in itunes.

So now that I have done what you have suggested, how do I get it back to how I had before? It seems like my way had worked anyway, although missing a few bits of metadata, and a handful of files in the library.

Reply

Answer 7

Limnos

Level 10

411,229 points

Sep 22, 2014 11:08 AM in response to snakenuts

iTunes works this way. You add a track/file. iTunes makes a note of where that file is on your computer. It puts that in a database file (.itl) along with information it gleans from the file's tags, plus some that are only in the .itl file (ratings, date added, play count). If you then move that file, or in moving bits and pieces around you make it so that location information is no longer valid, you get !. iTunes does not actively track files being moved, it assumes its database is correct. If you are using iTunes default preferences settings and you move the whole library (iTunes folder) as a parcel iTunes can keep track of the fact you moved it to a different drive. You don't have to do it in one move but you do have to make sure it all gets back together again which is why I suggested you just do it all over again the easy way.

I have helped dozens (hundreds?) of people move libraries this way in the past. It works unless there is something unusual in the layout of the library. I think it more likely you didn't get all the pieces back together correctly. Rather than my question you one by one on the things you did with exact locations to which they were moved it is easier to just re-do it. 🙂

Reply

Answer 8

snakenuts Author

Level 1

10 points

Sep 22, 2014 5:53 PM in response to Limnos

Hi,

So I decided to redo the whole thing from scratch, and do it your suggested way, and it is still not working. Now I cant play any of my files.

Steps I took. I quit iTunes, copied the itl and xml files onto the desktop for back up, and then opened up itunes so it would "reset" so to speak. I then copied the itl and xml files from the original ext hdd into the new ext hdd where I want my itunes files to go. I then then restarted itunes while holding down the option key, and selected the iTunes folder (the one with everything in it).

But it still came up with all the !! marks.

So I deleted this library, and decided to use the old ext hdd because I figured it wouldnt be corrupted by all these complications.

So I repeated the steps for resetting the library as suggested on the Apple website. Then I did what you wrote, I held option key and opened the iTunes and then chose the itunes folder on my "back up HDD" - but it is till the same thing - all the songs have ! next to them.

My itunes was fine before I did the things you suggested - my original question was to ask how to find which songs didnt get imported into the library (even though the files were still in the media folder) after I had "succesfully" (excluding the handful of "missing files") moved my iTunes library from my old to my new one.

How can I restart completely? I dont know how to do that, or I should say, I dont know the "best way" to do so. Shall I delete all my files, reinstall iTunes, etc, etc?

Im beginning to think if I'm just going to have to try and start from the beginning and lose my playlists and some metadata. It's a small sacrifice to get my functioning library back.

Reply

Answer 9

snakenuts Author

Level 1

10 points

Sep 22, 2014 7:13 PM in response to Limnos

Just wondering if this option might help -

opening ing itunes and selecting all songs and delete them (but keep files in folder)

then quit itunes, copy the XML and itl files from the old ext hdd into my main one I use for itunes,

then open itunes while holding option and selecting the itunes folder?

I to know of one way to get my library back and that would be to do as written above, but instead of selecting a library after an itunes prompt I can drag the folder of songs into itunes interface, although this would create 50000 duplicates and id have to delete all the doubles

((or could I do that and just uncheck the "keep itunes folder organized" button before I do so so it doesn't create doubles)?

im just trying to work out how recover my library after all the confusion, and there are so many different solutions for different problems, my problem now seems to be a mixture of a couple! Haha

Reply

Answer 10

Limnos

Level 10

411,229 points

Sep 22, 2014 7:32 PM in response to snakenuts

my original question was to ask how to find which songs didnt get imported into the library

Understanding the "Automatically Add to iTunes" folder. - http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3832

As for other things, once you start moving about the components of a complete library individually you have to really, really understand how iTunes operates so you know what you can do an you can't. I'm not tracking on what you have where. I was working on the assumption you had your whole library contained in one location on the internal drive of your computer. Now you're talking about moving just .itl and .xml (and the .xml isn't actually even used by iTunes) but I don't know where you have moved them in relation to the rest of the library files. Obviously in the wrong place because otherwise iTunes would find the media files. iTunes is particularly sensitive to things being moved fro one drive to another.

If you think you have a working .itl file with all your content, try finding hte location of one of your media files and see if iTunes offers (and is able to) find others based on that file.

Reply