[ph0ust]

hi all. i am going to rebuild my imac and install tiger on it. i will be backing things up soon, but wanted to clarify a few things. where are the itunes song ratings stored? ideally, they would be in the songs, but i doubt that is the case. are the in the itunes library database file or in the xml file? thanks.

[nbn22385]

/user/Music/iTunes/iTunes Music Library.xml

[ph0ust]

thanks! so if i want to maitain those.... always copy that xml along with the music files.

what is the "itunes database file" then?

[Angus_D]

Actually, AFAIK the primary location is the binary "iTunes Library" file. The iTunes Music Library.xml file is just a copy of that in a more readable format.

[ph0ust]

so let me see if i get this right:

itunes uses the "database" file, while the xml is a more user friendly output version of that other file.

that makes sense, but is it correct? thanks!

[CaptainHaddock]

A suggestion I heard: if you don't want to risk losing your song ratings, make a playlist for each rating: i.e. a five-star list, four-star list, etc. Then if you accidentally lose your ratings but don't lose your playlists, you can easily select and re-rate all your songs.

[Andrman]

I think if you just copy the iTunes Library folder you should be safe, as that will include everything it would need.