chrob61

Q: I have a new computer, I have itunes library on an external drive.  How do I configure my new computer?

I have a new Windows 7 computer.   On my old XP, I had my iTunes on an external hard drive that I still want to use, but now I need to figure out how to set up my new computer to do this.   Do I do a fresh install of ITunes first, on my new computer?  Any help would be greatly appreciated!  I am so glad that I recently synched my ipod.

iPod classic, Windows 7

Posted on Jan 1, 2015 12:22 PM

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Q: I have a new computer, I have itunes library on an external drive.  How do I configure my new computer?

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  • by Phil0124,

    Phil0124 Phil0124 Jan 1, 2015 12:26 PM in response to chrob61
    Level 7 (26,926 points)
    iPhone
    Jan 1, 2015 12:26 PM in response to chrob61

    Yes install iTunes on the new computer first.  After its installed, close it down if its open, and then hold down the shift key on your keyboard and open iTunes again.

     

    itunes will open and ask you to choose the library you wish to use or create a new one. Click on Choose Library and just navigate to the iTunes folder in your external drive.

     

    iTunes: How to open an alternate iTunes Library file or create a new one - Apple Support

  • by chrob61,

    chrob61 chrob61 Jan 1, 2015 12:33 PM in response to Phil0124
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jan 1, 2015 12:33 PM in response to Phil0124

    Thank you for that quick reply!

     

    On my external drive, it's called "J" drive, I have a file that is called "Automatically add to iTunes", then there are sub-files, one is "Automatically add to I Tunes", which looks empty,  and the other two are Ipod Games, and "Music", which has all the files that I had when I did my original migration to the external hard drive.

     

    Since I did the original migration, however, I have loaded CDs into my iTunes and these songs don't show up in the Music file.

     

    Also, do I need to organize my library again?

     

    Thank you!

  • by Phil0124,Helpful

    Phil0124 Phil0124 Jan 1, 2015 1:43 PM in response to chrob61
    Level 7 (26,926 points)
    iPhone
    Jan 1, 2015 1:43 PM in response to chrob61

    How did you migrate to external drive originally?

     

    Was your original iTunes setup set to keep all files in the same location, i.e. consolidated on your external drive?

    Did you actually move your iTunes library out to the external drive, or did you only changed the location of the music files, and then reimported them into iTunes?

     

    Sounds like you simply moved your files out to the external drive and reimported, but the library itself was still pointing to your internal hard drive. Which means anything you added after the migration was kept in the internal iTunes library folder rather than in your external drive.

     

    If you still have the old XP computer around you amy be able to salvage what you imported afterwards from there.

     

    Otherwise, you basically have only the part of the library you moved out.

     

    To have correctly moved your library you needed to have moved a folder named iTunes from the Music folder in XP.  That would contain all your iTunes library information including music, videos apps etc...

     

    iTunes: Understanding iTunes Media Organization - Apple Support

  • by chrob61,

    chrob61 chrob61 Jan 1, 2015 4:25 PM in response to Phil0124
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jan 1, 2015 4:25 PM in response to Phil0124

    I went back into my old computer and hooked it back up.

    I opened up iTunes.

    I right clicked a newer song, and then right clicked an older one.

     

    The older songs were stored in my H Automatically Add to ITunes music file

    The newer songs were stored in C/My Documents/My Music/iTunes/iTunes media

    Under the preferences tab, under advanced, my media folder location was C/My Documents/My Music/iTunes/iTunes media

    I checked the boxes for "keep folder organized" and "copy to iTunes media folder"

    I created a file on my external hard drive, and I called it "recent music" and copied all the C/My Documents/My Music/iTunes/iTunes media into it

     

    So it looks as if I did a migration to an external hard drive, but the newer music was left on my computer.

     

    I have my music all on the hard drive, so what would be my next best step?

  • by Phil0124,

    Phil0124 Phil0124 Jan 2, 2015 9:51 AM in response to chrob61
    Level 7 (26,926 points)
    iPhone
    Jan 2, 2015 9:51 AM in response to chrob61

    You need to copy the entire iTunes folder. Not just iTunes media folder. the iTunes folder contains the files you need to rebuild your library. Xml and db files among other things.

     

    After you've copied your entire iTunes Folder. you can again open iTunes holding down the shift key, and pointing iTunes to the copied iTunes folder on the external drive so it can load your library that way it was.

  • by chrob61,

    chrob61 chrob61 Jan 2, 2015 1:52 PM in response to Phil0124
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jan 2, 2015 1:52 PM in response to Phil0124

    I didn't want to lug out my computer again and reconnect, so, I added files to my library directly from my external hard drive.  There are something like 6,944 songs in total.

     

    Next step, I think is to organize the library?? So, I should check the boxes for keep folder organized and copy to iTunes media folder.

     

    Under edit/preferences/advanced, where should I call the place to keep the iTunes media file?

     

    Can I make the media file on my external hard drive as well?  The idea is to not have my music on my computer.

  • by Phil0124,

    Phil0124 Phil0124 Jan 2, 2015 3:35 PM in response to chrob61
    Level 7 (26,926 points)
    iPhone
    Jan 2, 2015 3:35 PM in response to chrob61

    Yes, after you've Organized all the media files, and have iTunes copy them to the iTunes Media folder, and closed iTunes, copy the iTunes folder out onto the External Drive.

     

    Then when opening iTunes again hold the shift key, and choose the library you just copied out to the external drive.

     

    This will point iTunes to that library, and anything you add in the future will be placed in the external drive, in that library.

     

    you are then free to delete the library in the internal drive in the Music folder.

  • by chrob61,

    chrob61 chrob61 Jan 2, 2015 5:02 PM in response to Phil0124
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jan 2, 2015 5:02 PM in response to Phil0124

    Sorry to be such a pest, but now I am all messed up.

     

    I thought I had my library all set, but when I hooked up my external drive, there are several duplicate entries.  I am talking not one or two songs, but hundreds.  I go to each copy and the file origin is the same.

     

    J: ITunes\ITunes Media\Music\.......(the artist and the song)

     

    So I have two songs pointing at the same file?

     

    I have some room on my external drive so I have decided to get all my music files (the songs that were in iTunes before) that I have stored on my external drive and copy them into a file called "All My Music".   When that is done, can I then go back in to iTunes and delete this library and start over again?  I am losing my patience.  I thought having a new computer would be great but I am spending way too much time trying to figure out how to handle iTunes.  The more things I try the worse it seems to get.

     

    I thank you for your input and your patience with me!

  • by chrob61,

    chrob61 chrob61 Jan 2, 2015 5:19 PM in response to chrob61
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jan 2, 2015 5:19 PM in response to chrob61

    I have found out a possible problem.  Somewhere in the creating a library, in my J drive under automatically add to iTunes, there is a file called "itunes1" which must have been created by iTunes when I did something??

     

    In that itunes1 file is almost the entire library, which I could be OK with just having that be my iTunes.  I want to delete all the other files that are duplicates, but want to make sure I save this one "itunes1" file that is on my external drive.  I think I should make this be the file that I call out under edit/preferences....

     

    In this "itunes1" file there are these sub directories:

    Album Artwork

    ITunes media

    I tunes library extras

    I tunes library genius

    I tunes library

    I tunes library (this is an xml file)

     

    Am I getting close on this issue??  Please say yes!!

  • by chrob61,

    chrob61 chrob61 Jan 2, 2015 6:25 PM in response to chrob61
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jan 2, 2015 6:25 PM in response to chrob61

    Another update....

    I set the iTunes media to be in the J Automatically Add to iTunes/iTunes1 folder, then a pop up asked if I wanted to organize the library to match, I said yes.

     

    Now all the duplicate files are showing the ! mark in front of the file.  This I think means that iTunes can't locate that file.

     

    Is there a way to just get rid of all those ! files?