Transfer my itunes library to an external disc drive?

Question

I recently bought a lap top and ideally would like to transfer my itunes library to an external disc drive so that I can use it with my main pc and laptop (and also to reclaim space on my main pc)

I have almost 120GB and a solid 6 months hard work put in to getting everything on itunes and want to do this right with all the artwork in place (much of which I had to put on there myself) and all the little extras like 'gapless album' on live cd's in place etc

Has anyone a link to or know of a fool proof system ?

Answer 1

Yes, this is possible. What you have to do is locate your iTunes Library database file (.xml), most likely under ~user/music/iTunes, and replace all of the entries in it that point to your current hard drive location (ie. ~user/music/iTunes/iTunes Music), and replace it with the new location (ie. MyBook/music/iTunes Library).



You can do this using a text edit program with a find and replace function, or copy and paste the content of the database file into Word and use the find and replace function there. Copy and paste it back in, and boom. Make sure to make a backup of the original...just in case.



From there, you create a new iTunes folder on your external, dump over all of your music to your new drive (just as your previous iTunes playlist was), drop the xml file, and if all goes well, your library will be moved, and even your playcount, ratings and album art will be maintained.



This is the way I did it a couple of years ago with an older version of iTunes, however Apple has a tutorial on their website regarding library changes that may be a bit easier.

Answer 2

You can use the iPod touch as a hard drive. Plug it in, and chuck all of your music and stuff onto it (it may require a few trips). Plug it into your laptop and voila. It's also possible to do it over a network.

Answer 3

Just transfer the folder or folders containing your mp3's onto your external drive.