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.