How to transfer iTunes with comments and track names, but leave song files on external Hard Drive?

Hmmm.... Never tried this, but i "think" it should work. The drive will be need to named the exact something on the new computer as it was on the old one.

1. On the old computer go to {User Folder}/Music/iTunes and move the files listed below to the external hard drive.

2. On the new computer in iTunes go to Preferences > Advanced and un-select "Copy file to iTunes Media folder".

3. Still in that same window under "iTunes Media Folder Location" click change. Now select the location on the external hard drive you moved those files too.

Files to copy.

iTunes Music Library.xml

iTunes Library.itl

iTunes Library Extras.itdb

iTunes Library Genius.itdb

Moving a library: Quick answer if you use iTunes' default preferences settings: Copy the entire iTunes folder (and in doing so all its sub-folders and files) intact to the other drive, hold down the option/alt key (shift on Windows) while starting iTunes, and when requested to select a library select the iTunes Library.itl file in the copied folder.

When this is to a new drive/computer put the copied iTunes folder in the default location of Macintosh HD > Users > *User Name* > Music (or Home > 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.) Remember to authorize the computer in iTunes to your Apple ID if you use this to sync to Apple mobile devices or play DRM protected media (e.g., movies).

wtofd wrote:

Should I drag and drop the music files into the new folder?

What new folder? No where was anything said about a new folder. The whole point was you said you did not want to move the music files. What happened when you started iTunes after moving the media directory?

Have you tried my instructions? That is the easier than selecting individual files which can lead to complications that you are experiencing. An iTunes library is really all the files and folder in the iTunes folder, except in your case your description makes it sound like you have a split library where the library files are on one drive and the media files are on another. Still, as long as you are starting iTunes from the iTunes Library.itl file that you used on the old computer it should still have a listing of everything as before ad still look for media on the same external drive.