HT201269: Transfer content from your previous iOS device to your new iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch

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jredis
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Q: I have years worth of music on my PC that is about to die.  If I get an iPad is there anyway to get the music from my PC onto the iPad? I have the iCloud but my understanding is only music actually purchased from iTunes lives int he cloud.

I have years worth of music on my PC that is about to die.  If I get an iPad is there anyway to get the music from my PC onto the iPad? I have the iCloud but my understanding is only music actually purchased from iTunes lives int he cloud. I have music that was legally purchased and loaded to my iTunes account from cd's that I no longer own.  I need a new laptop and am deciding between the iPad and the Mac book.  I use the computer for music, photos, and web - nothing else and nothing fancy.  I don't know that there is a way to save my huge music library without saving it to an external hard drive and then loading it to a new one (does the iPad have a port to plug an external hard drive into?)

Posted on Jan 3, 2015 8:45 AM

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jredis

Q: I have years worth of music on my PC that is about to die.  If I get an iPad is there anyway to get the music from my PC onto ... more

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  • by ChrisJ4203,

    ChrisJ4203 ChrisJ4203 Jan 3, 2015 8:48 AM in response to jredis
    Level 9 (59,779 points)
    iPhone
    Jan 3, 2015 8:48 AM in response to jredis

    First, you would need to make a backup of the entire iTunes folder on the PC. You could get music to the iPad if the PC was still functioning, or you would have to move the music to another computer. An iPad is not a laptop, and does not have a port to plug an external drive into. You can sync music to the iPad from the computer, but you are correct, unless you get iTunes Match, you would need a computer to copy the music to and then sync to an iPad.

  • by jredis,

    jredis jredis Jan 3, 2015 9:02 AM in response to ChrisJ4203
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jan 3, 2015 9:02 AM in response to ChrisJ4203

    Thank you for your reply!  Does iTunes Match guarantee that all my music will transfer? I have music made from mix cd's and such that wasn't "purchased" or loaded to my PC iTunes from the original CD.And I can't backup the iTunes folder because that's precisely the problem with my PC-no more storage space!

  • by Mtwees,

    Mtwees Mtwees Jan 3, 2015 10:15 AM in response to jredis
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jan 3, 2015 10:15 AM in response to jredis

    If your computer is dead or dying.   You can take The hard drive out an  put it in to a case that at  makes It an external  drive.   You can then plug it into another computer and use the music files still.  I did this with my dead laptop.  External case cost me 20$ from a local computer shop. Hope this helps.  .