Welcome to the MacNN Forums.

If this is your first visit, be sure to check out the FAQ by clicking the link above. You may have to register before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages, select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.

You are here: MacNN Forums > Software - Troubleshooting and Discussion > Applications > Help after moving iTunes Library to external hard drive

Help after moving iTunes Library to external hard drive
Thread Tools
JMan09
Dedicated MacNNer
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Beaumont Texas
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Aug 4, 2011, 04:05 PM
 
I moved the contents of my iTunes Library to my external hard drive I just got, and formatted it to FAT32 so I could use it with a Windows Machine when needed. The way I moved the files were in iTunes preferences > advanced and selected change iTunes media folder location. Then iTunes took a while to transfer my music, movies, and tv shows over to my external drive.

I made sure it was there and could play then I moved the original iTunes library to the trash. Then when I opened iTunes nothing was there so I went to advanced and selected the new folder again and it took a while to categorize everything. Then I decided to sync my iPhone 4 and it acted like I've never synced it with this computer, and so I re-synced it with apps and had to re-organize them because it spread them across 7 pages, but it seems like the app info was intact.

Now I haven't synced my iPad 2 yet because it was late last night when I did the iPhone and didn't want to have to re-organize the iPad if there was a way around it.

So, I am wondering if there is a way to sync my iPad and it know that I've synced with this computer before?

The main reason I moved everything to the External drive was because my current MacBook is starting to show it's age with something spinning up every 30 sec when it goes to sleep but the screen doesn't kick on, just a spin up then down..
Anyways it was transferred incase this machine fails, and when I get my new MacBook Pro I wanted everything on the external from there on anyways.
And was also wondering if I will have to go through this re-organinzing again when I get that new machine?

Sorry for the long post but needed to describe some things, Any help or insight would be appreciated.
Thanks
32GB iPad 2 | 32GB iPhone 4 | 11' MacBook Air 1.6 i5, 4GB, 128GB SSD
     
Spheric Harlot
Clinically Insane
Join Date: Nov 1999
Location: 888500128, C3, 2nd soft.
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Aug 4, 2011, 04:13 PM
 
Next time, quit iTunes, copy the entire iTunes folder to its new location, and open iTunes while holding down the option key. Select new location, end of effort.

What you've done is to copy the contents of the library, but not the library itself. iPad will re-sync entirely.
     
JMan09  (op)
Dedicated MacNNer
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Beaumont Texas
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Aug 4, 2011, 04:30 PM
 
I knew there was probably an easier way, should have asked before. Oh well.

And when I get that MBP in the future I just select the folder on the external to be used as the library right?
32GB iPad 2 | 32GB iPhone 4 | 11' MacBook Air 1.6 i5, 4GB, 128GB SSD
     
Spheric Harlot
Clinically Insane
Join Date: Nov 1999
Location: 888500128, C3, 2nd soft.
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Aug 4, 2011, 04:44 PM
 
Exactly.
     
Brien
Professional Poster
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: Southern California
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Aug 4, 2011, 06:30 PM
 
It's a handy feature for sure. I have my iTunes library on my Time Capsule, so that way all the computers in the house can access/connect to it. FYI, you can also store your iPhoto library on an external drive as well.
     
JMan09  (op)
Dedicated MacNNer
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Beaumont Texas
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Aug 4, 2011, 07:36 PM
 
I plan to do that also. Just haven't started it yet. With that I will probably just drag and drop it over there.
32GB iPad 2 | 32GB iPhone 4 | 11' MacBook Air 1.6 i5, 4GB, 128GB SSD
     
Brien
Professional Poster
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: Southern California
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Aug 4, 2011, 07:48 PM
 
Same thing, though: hold down option when launching iPhoto.
     
JMan09  (op)
Dedicated MacNNer
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Beaumont Texas
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Aug 4, 2011, 09:01 PM
 
Thanks for the help, both of you. Just transferred the iPhoto library and it is the same as before now.
32GB iPad 2 | 32GB iPhone 4 | 11' MacBook Air 1.6 i5, 4GB, 128GB SSD
     
JMan09  (op)
Dedicated MacNNer
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Beaumont Texas
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Aug 10, 2011, 09:16 PM
 
Now I have a new problem, so I thought I would add it here since it's related to doing this media transfer.

I reformatted my external drive that stored my backups. And set up some new restrictions to exclude the desktop, and also the download folder since I read that it keeps adding to the backed up file instead of updating it after you move files to a new folder.
But now Time Machine won't let me backup the external drive that has my iTunes and iPhoto libraries on them. Time Machine has the external drive in the exclude list and is greyed out so I can't select it to remove it from the exclude list.

Is there anyway around this with changing some other settings? or Did putting all my stuff on an external cause more problems than I thought it was helping?
32GB iPad 2 | 32GB iPhone 4 | 11' MacBook Air 1.6 i5, 4GB, 128GB SSD
     
ghporter
Administrator
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: San Antonio TX USA
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Aug 11, 2011, 06:35 AM
 
Timely subject: I just got a sizable external drive and I plan to move my master library there to open up space on the 320GB drive in my iMac. But I also plan to set up a second library with the stuff I listen to relatively frequently, including the music and stuff I put on my iPhone and iPad. Would I follow the above steps and then create a new library that's on the internal drive and copy files to that new library?

Glenn -----OTR/L, MOT, Tx
     
Atheist
Mac Elite
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Back in the Good Ole US of A
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Aug 11, 2011, 06:53 AM
 
Glenn, I guess it depends on how much of the music and stuff you want to maintain on the internal iTunes library. You could just leave it be and delete what you don't want. (After copying the library to the external drive).
     
Atheist
Mac Elite
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Back in the Good Ole US of A
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Aug 11, 2011, 07:03 AM
 
Originally Posted by JMan09 View Post
Now I have a new problem, so I thought I would add it here since it's related to doing this media transfer.

I reformatted my external drive that stored my backups. And set up some new restrictions to exclude the desktop, and also the download folder since I read that it keeps adding to the backed up file instead of updating it after you move files to a new folder.
But now Time Machine won't let me backup the external drive that has my iTunes and iPhoto libraries on them. Time Machine has the external drive in the exclude list and is greyed out so I can't select it to remove it from the exclude list.

Is there anyway around this with changing some other settings? or Did putting all my stuff on an external cause more problems than I thought it was helping?
Time Machine does not support FAT32 volumes. However, you can override this limitation by issuing this command using the Terminal app:

defaults write com.apple.systempreferences TMShowUnsupportedNetworkVolumes 1

Bear in mind, this is unsupported.
     
JMan09  (op)
Dedicated MacNNer
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Beaumont Texas
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Aug 11, 2011, 11:35 AM
 
Thanks, I had a feeling that would be the problem after I saw it greyed out.
32GB iPad 2 | 32GB iPhone 4 | 11' MacBook Air 1.6 i5, 4GB, 128GB SSD
     
ghporter
Administrator
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: San Antonio TX USA
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Aug 13, 2011, 04:33 PM
 
Originally Posted by Atheist View Post
Glenn, I guess it depends on how much of the music and stuff you want to maintain on the internal iTunes library. You could just leave it be and delete what you don't want. (After copying the library to the external drive).
That is probably the more logical, as well as more elegant, way to go. I think I just planned it out based on the way it would "look" in iTunes rather than the way to make that happen.

Glenn -----OTR/L, MOT, Tx
     
   
Thread Tools
 
Forum Links
Forum Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts
BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Top
Privacy Policy
All times are GMT -4. The time now is 08:11 AM.
All contents of these forums © 1995-2017 MacNN. All rights reserved.
Branding + Design: www.gesamtbild.com
vBulletin v.3.8.8 © 2000-2017, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.,