Q: Location of ITunes Playlists on hard drive
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Apr 30, 2015 12:22 PMby hhgttg27,Playlists are stored, along with the locations of all media in the library, ratings, links to artwork downloaded from the Store, etc. in the iTunes database - the iTunes Library.itl file that is, by default, stored in C:\Users\username\Music\iTunes. If you want to replicate your library across multiple computers you need to copy this folder and all its contents - not just the media. See turingtest2's user tip on Make a split library portable and the official guidance on How to move your iTunes library to a new computer - Apple Support.
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Apr 30, 2015 12:53 PMby lmendol,Thanks. I looked at the Apple link, so with that and your explanation, I think I understand what to do. I also spoke with someone at Apple Tech support, and they verified that this is the ONLY way to move playlists. I just need to wait the 4+ hours to download the ITunes file onto my flashdrive, so I can try to copy it to my Surface Pro 3. Once I add the big ITunes file to my surface Pro, I then import playlists into ITunes. I assume that ITunes will simply reach into this larger file and extract the playlists from it and add it to ITunes.
Hope this works. Thanks for the help!
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Apr 30, 2015 1:00 PMby hhgttg27,"I assume that ITunes will simply reach into this larger file and extract the playlists from it and add it to ITunes."
Not exactly - you need to replace the iTunes Library.itl file on your Pro 3 with the one from your desktop. I have a similar situation to yours, but I use MS SyncToy to replicate the library to an external hard drive that I then connect to the netbook that I use when traveling (shortly to be replaced by a Pro 3!) - you can then shift-start iTunes and select the library on the external drive, without any further need to copy media or database onto a smaller capacity device.
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Apr 30, 2015 1:45 PMby lmendol,Well, believe it or not, it worked. The Apple person told me all I needed to do was import the playlist using File/Libraries/import function. But, that didn't work. So I found the ITL file and dragged it into the ITunes file - it asked if I wanted to replace the existing file, and I crossed my fingers and said yes, and it worked!
Only strange thing is that, when I tried out one of the playlists, it showed a song that it said couldn't be played because the original song couldn't be located. I just went to the album where it was and added the song back to the playlist, and it worked. Guess I'll need to check all the playlists to see if there are any more glitches like that.
Thanks again!
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Apr 30, 2015 1:50 PMby turingtest2,You may find my script FindTracks useful for fixing broken links, assuming Surface Pro 3 can run vbScript.
tt2
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Apr 30, 2015 1:51 PMby hhgttg27,You're welcome - you may find some glitches like this if the files and folders on your Pro 3 don't exactly match those on your desktop. Even if you want to have your library replicated on the Pro 3's internal storage, I'd still suggest using the SyncToy method referenced above to periodically backup your library on the desktop and then restore this to the Pro 3. Added benefit, of course, is that you have a separate backup of your library to deal with hard disc or other system failures.
