How to transfer iTunes music from an old to a new computer

How to transfer iTunes music from an old to a new computer

Note: eHow has recently canceled its writers program and I am republishing on my blog here. All comments and edits are welcome.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy 

Things you will need: 

1) Old Computer 

2) New Computer External drive

3) High capacity USB drive

Instructions:

The iPod has become an iconic device for consumers. So many have been sold, that it seems everyone has one. And even if you have one, a new version comes out every year virtually assuring you will upgrade and buy a new iPod.

Apple makes it very easy to switch out or add a new iPod, but what happens to all of when you buy a new computer? What happens to all of those songs, video, and podcast iPod files on your existing computer? Do you have to start over?

Thankfully, moving files from one computer to another is almost as easy as moving from one iPod to another. Of course, you need to stay in alignment with Apple's policies...but the technical solution is pretty straightforward. This eHow should assist in taking those steps.

Old Computer New Computer External drive or High capacity USB drive

1) Download iTunes onto your new computer. You can find this application on www.apple.com or www.itunes.com. The link to download should be obvious on both sites.

2) On your "old" computer, find the file named "iTunes." On a Mac, this file should be in your Music folder. On a Windows PC, it should be on the Music or My Music folder.

3) Plug in your external drive / USB thumb drive into your old computer. Open up this folder on your computer.

4) Copy the "iTunes" folder in the Music / My Music folder of your old computer onto your external drive / USB thumb drive. To do this, simply select that iTunes folder, right-click "copy" and then "paste" the file into the external drive folder.

5) On your "new" computer, find the music / My Music folders. You can use the computer's search capability to do this, or on a PC, look in the "My Documents and Settings" folder.

6) Once you find the Music / My Music folder, delete any "iTunes" folder that exists. Don't worry about losing anything. Since you haven't transfered files yet, there should be nothing in this folder.

7) Unplug the external drive / USB drive from the old computer and plug it into the new computer. Select "My Computer (or the "C" drive) on the new computer and find the file entitled "My Music." Open the external drive and find the folder you just copied from the old computer. Select that file and choose copy from the FILE menu (or via a right click). Now Paste that file into the My Music file on the new computer.

8) Start iTunes on the new computer. iTunes should automatically find your files and show them in the application. Now, all you need to do is plug in your iPod and set your iTunes preferences again. Now you should be ready to use your new computer with your iPod.

Tips & Warnings

1) Be sure to confirm the size of the iTunes folder before copying it over to the external drive / thumb drive. Songs, video, podcasts, etc. can be very large files. If you have a substantial amount of music / videos, you will need a large external drive.

2) A good rule-of-thumb to decide how large an external drive / USB drive you require is to look at the iPod you own. If all of your files fit on your iPod, your drive does not need to be any bigger that your iPod. Said another way, if you have a 16G iPod, and the iPod has all of your files, you only need a 16G external drive. If you have a 1G iPod Nano...a USB thumb drive should work.

3) If you have bought iTunes music from the store that are not unlocked, you will have to authorize those files for the new computer. ITunes can walk you threw that.

4) Be sure to confirm that all songs, videos, MP3s, podcasts, etc. are in the Music / My Music folder of your old computer prior to moving the files to the new computer. If files are in different places, move them to the Music / My Music folder. This way, when you follow the directions above, you will capture all of the files.

How to Shop Online (Without Getting Scammed or Becoming a Victim of Identity Theft)

So...I got asked this question recently and thought I would put some thoughts in writing. Hope this helps you keep from being scammed!

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The Internet has made shopping incredibly easy for almost everyone. Whereas shopping used to be something that was only done in person and in-stores, today, you can literally buy almost anything from the comfort of your own home...even in your pajamas.

But shopping online does have some unique risks. While buying something over the Internet is generally safe (thank you Paypal and Amazon!), there is still a big difference between going to a store, buying something, and taking it home with you and clicking on a web page and entering your credit card number. Yes, it usually works out just fine...but you still need to be careful.

Step 1: Only shop at reputable websites. This may seem the most obvious of all the advice, but it is easily the most important.  The Internet is a huge place, and not every website can be trusted. In fact, setting up a website and collecting credit cards is very easy. Stick to only websites you know. And when that doesn’t work? My advice? When in doubt, shop Amazon.

Step 2: Check that the website is validated by Verisign or another trusted company. Verisign may not be a company that many people know, but if you have shopped online you have probably seen their logo when checking out or buying something. Basically, Verisign’s job is to ensure that a website is in fact, legitimate and that your information (and credit cards) is safe. Companies pay for this privilege and you benefit from it. 

Step 3) Always use a credit card. Credit cards come with a multitude of protections that protect you from theft and misuse. While you may be fearful of your credit card being stolen, the fact is, unless you are significantly remiss in your behavior, you will not be held liable for any misuse of your credit card or unauthorized purchases above $50. Sure, you will have the hassle of replacing your credit card if it is stolen, but beyond that, credit cards are the safest way to buy something online.

Step 4) Never use a debit card. Using a debit card to buy online is actually a bad idea. While the odds are that nothing will happen, when something does, your liability is much higher. In fact, if your debit card information is stolen and someone raids your account, you have only two days to report any misuse to have the same $50 protection that you automatically get with a credit card. And what happens after two days (and up to 60 days)? Well, you could be liable up to $500. Beyond 60 days? You could be on the hook for everything...or never see your money again.

Step 5: Shopping from a public Wi-Fi hot spot: It seems that Internet hot spots are sprouting up everywhere. On the plus side, these public hot spots make browsing the Internet from almost anywhere very easy. On the downside...these public hot spots are also the places where a hacker can most easily access your personnel information and steal literally from “thin air.”

If you absolutely must use a public hot spot...use it only for Internet “window shopping.” Wait until you get home before you buy anything on line.

Step 6: Never wire money to pay for something. In the pre-Internet days, wiring money was about the only way to send cash from one person to another without sending cash or a check. And just like those days have passed, so have the days or wiring money to pay for items. In fact, if you buy something on line (e.g. Ebay) and the person on the other end asks you to wire them the cash (instead of using Paypal, etc.) odds are you are about to get scammed. Don’t do it. Ever.


DANGER: Never, ever click on a link in an unsolicited email. Even if it looks legitimate. Sending email out to redirect you to a bogus website is one of the most common scams on the Internet (often called Phishing, or Spear Phishing). If you see something in an email that looks interesting, rather than clicking on the link, retype the website address in your web browser. (ending at .com or .biz, etc.) That way you can usually be safe in your browsing.

Here are a couple of other good How Tos I recently saw. Check them out too!

1) How to Spend Less Money and Save More: http://www.ehow.com/how_6042890_spend-less-money-save.html

2) How to Get Your Credit Card Debt Under Controlhttp://www.ehow.com/how_5493185_credit-card-debt-under-control.html

Aliens Invade Centreville, Virginia

Wow...this one is a little too close to home. While I don't live in Centreville, Virginia, I do live somewhwere close by and so the thought of an alien invasion makes me shudder just a bit. Of course, the odds that this is a real alien invasion are pretty low...though since we live near Washington, D.C. if the Aliens are going to come, they'll probably come here first (assuming New York is destroyed). As for the milder explanation that this is just another plane landing at Dulles Airport (about 10 miles away), well, that is no fun. So let's go with the Alien invasion thing!

United Squeezes One More Passenger On-Board

Well...here is something you don't often see...but I guess happens all of the time. On my flight from Denver to Dulles last week, I happened to look out the window to see United add just one more passenger to its flight. Apparently, sold out doesn't really mean sold out sometimes. 

Holy crap!

Circular Rainbow (with plane inside)

So...here is my once-in-a-lifetime event. My wife and I were flying to Miami a little while ago and happened to look out the window to see this amazing circular rainbow. Now, I know "all" rainbows are in fact circular, but given that 99% of us see them from the ground, it almost never looks that way.

Then it didn't end there. While we were mesmerized by the rainbow itself, as we watched, things got even more amazing when we noticed the shadow of our plane *inside* the rainbow.

Absolutely amazing. Has anyone ever seen this phenomenon?

Full disclosure...other than adding a little contrast via Picassa, I have made no changes to these photos. And if you want to know more about circular rainbows...check out this link: http://www.wonderquest.com/rainbow-circle.htm

Myers Briggs Battle

So...took my first Myers-Briggs test today in probably 15 years and it was pretty enlightening. Now, I don't think I am a "journalist" like these results say...but I do agree with the general conclusion. More importantly, it seems that this does help to highlight one of the key challenges I have had recently with some co-workers. For better or worse, I have not been able to "connect" with these folks recently...often leading to frustration on their part and mine. There are probably lots of reasons for that...but this test could be highlighting one of the most obvious ones. It won't solve the communications issue...but it should help with understanding where we are all coming from.

So...what are you?

ENFP - "Journalist". Uncanny sense of the motivations of others. Life is an exciting drama. 8.1% of total population.

Take Free Myers-Briggs Personality Test

I'm Going to Put You in the Auburn Store!

Some things require no explanation. And strangely, those things often occur in the South...where football and tradition reign supreme. That is why I couldn’t help but love this recent video of a child who has clearly been raised “right.” And by right, I mean to loath Auburn University the way so many other SEC fans do. So, enjoy this great video for what it is. Now, does anyone know if there is a LSU store?