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iTunes songs to a new computer?
- Thread starter patseguin
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No. iTunes/iPod only sync one way 
You can:
Copy the entire library over a network/firewire connection. This is keep all star ratings and so on as well.
Use an iPod extraction utility to get the songs off the iPod onto the iBook (search on Google)
Use the Terminal. All the songs are in a hidden folder on the iPod (well 20 folders actually).
You can:Copy the entire library over a network/firewire connection. This is keep all star ratings and so on as well.
Use an iPod extraction utility to get the songs off the iPod onto the iBook (search on Google)
Use the Terminal. All the songs are in a hidden folder on the iPod (well 20 folders actually).
By far, the easiest method - mentioned above - is to transfer the folder from one laptop to the other - remembering to deauthorize the PC if he won't be using it anymore for iTunes.
You can't normally transfer songs directly off the iPod to another computer (Apple has to discourage pirating).
The easiest way to do this is using a program like Podworks
http://www.versiontracker.com/dyn/moreinfo/macosx/17443
It's shareware and it costs 8 bucks
If the songs are on the PC hard drive, you could always transfer them over using an external hard drive, a network, or even by using the ipod as an external hard drive, but that's more of a hassle. Podworks works pretty well.
The easiest way to do this is using a program like Podworks
http://www.versiontracker.com/dyn/moreinfo/macosx/17443
It's shareware and it costs 8 bucks
If the songs are on the PC hard drive, you could always transfer them over using an external hard drive, a network, or even by using the ipod as an external hard drive, but that's more of a hassle. Podworks works pretty well.
jsw said:
Do I deauthorize the PC BEFORE copying the files over? I have a LAN work setup as a domain and the PC laptop has XP Home on it. Am I to understand that I can connect the PC and iBook with a FW cable and copy the files over?
You can do it before or after. It should not make any difference. Probably the easiest thing to do is connect the laptops via a network. If you do it via firewire you will need to create a firewire network (IP over firewire) which can be tricky to get working on Windows. As long as the Windows laptop has a network port you can just connect the ports directly with a standard ethernet cable. I believe the iBook as an auto-switching port so no cross-over cable required.
Before, after, doesn't matter. And you can use iTMS-purchased music on 5 computers, so deauthorize only if you won't be using iTunes on the PC.patseguin said:
patseguin said:
Set both computers to have manualy assigned IP addresses (say 192.168.0.2 and 192.168.0.3, both subnets should be 255.255.255.0). Make sure that the folder you want to see on the PC is shared. Use the Mac server browser thing to get the files.
You'll need to assign both computers an IP (since they'll be directly connected, DHCP won't work) and then enable Windows File Sharing on the Mac in System Preferences...->Sharing; make sure the PC folder is shared. You should be able to access the PC from the Mac by connecting (?-K from the Finder) and either selecting (if found) or entering the IP address of the PC and your username (e.g., something like //192.168.1.101/bobs_pc).
This should work, IIRC.
Edit: D'oh! Shouldn't have gotten coffee before finishing the reply. See above...
This should work, IIRC.
Edit: D'oh! Shouldn't have gotten coffee before finishing the reply. See above...
This could be old info, but I think if you're using an iBook and a PC, you need to get a crossover cable, not just the standard Ethernet cable. Or use a network/hub system. Powerbooks will auto-detect whether the cable needs to be reversed; iBooks will not.
I can't confirm how the iBooks work, but a crossover cable look just like a standard ethernet cable except that one or two pairs of wires are "crossed over" - standard cables connect the same wire to the same pin on each connector.patseguin said:
patseguin said:
You only need 1 machine to have an auto switching port. It basically switches the 2 wires over internally so it's like having a crossover cable.
Benj said:
That's what I thought. So, does de-auothorizing do something to the actual files to allow them to be used on a different computer? Wouldn't I need to de-authorize BEFORE copying so that the files are modified? It wouldn't make any sense to copy the files and then de-authorize on the PC. How would the files on the iBook know that?
EDIT: robbieduncan - you are the man! Thanks for all your help/
Actually, Benj is incorrect. iTMS songs are allowed to be played on up to 5 computers. To play a purchased song, iTunes must be authorized. Here's how I understand it.patseguin said:
When a song is purchased, the account that it was purchased under is embedded onto the file. For that song to be playable, the iTunes application on the computer must be authorized to the account embedded on the song. This means the computer must be connected to the Internet and the password for the account must be known.
If a computer will no longer be used for the purchased songs, you can de-authorize that computer and get one of your 5 authorizations back. Just go into one of the menus and choose de-authorize. Keep in mind, if you re-format a machine with an active authorization, you run the risk of losing that authorization. So before you reformat, back-up and de-authorize.
I hope that helps you.
EDIT - I forgot to answer the other question. You can de-authorize either before or after transferring the songs. Doesn't matter as the files don't hold the authorization.
Also keep in mind that if you just copy over the song files, you will lose all of your playlists, song counts, ratings, etc. The easiest thing to do would be to copy the entire "iTunes Library" folder over to the new Mac. All of the necessary files will be copied along.