Buying new home comp to use with 3 iphones...ques on sync and keeping phones separate

[EC99SS]

Hi all
We just bought 2 new iphone 4S and have an old itouch. Wife and I with the iphones and kids with the itouch. We're looking to buy a new home computer to keep all our songs/movies/apps centralized (especially when we start using devices like AppleTV or similar).

The intent I'd like to do is be able to sync ONLY music/videos/movies/apps.

However, I definitely don't want to sync contacts, notes and stuff like that. I also love UFC, mixed martial arts, and war/violent movies that I don't want to kids to be able to sync to their itouch.

Right now I'm thinking of setting up the computer with separate user accounts now(forever I've just used one account for the house hold). Here are some of my questions:

1) To give everyone access to the existing music/videos to be able to sync with their own iTunes (within their own user PC user accounts), do I just need to place that folder in a "shared" location (like a networked external drive or "shared" folder within the computer)?

2) Does iTunes keep the individual libraries (per user account) separate? For example, if everyone is able to do #1 above and access a universal media file, does this mean everyone can also see each others' iTunes libraries? Sorry if this is dumb...I'm really new to Itunes.

3) More of a PC question (remember I've never used separate user accounts before). Now to the videos/shows/movies that I don't want the kids to have access too. Can I keep those within my own user account and have ITunes sync it to my Iphone? Without anyone else being able to access them?

4) Now what about apps? My wife's phone and mine have different itunes store accounts. Is there a way to put apps universal somewhere (like songs/movies) and have each Itunes pull it in?

I've read of ways of sharing apps. For example if I wanted my wife's apps, I would have to log into my PC user account, load my Itunes, plug her phone in (disable auto sync), log into iTunes using her Itunes account, and download purchased which puts it in my Itunes. And vice versa. I also understand that I can't update any apps that were not mine initially.

5) Lastly, what about purchased music for Itunes. Is there a way to get it into the universal media folder or does it work like #4 in which whatever device wanted the new song, they would have to download the purchased song from whoever bought it and have it transferred into their Itunes account.

Thanks much and apologize for the newbie questions.

 

[daaneel]

1. to give everyone access to music/videos i believe you have to put them in the 'public' documents which is viewable by every user. however i don't think itunes makes a library in the 'public' files. U could however just put the music/videos into the public folders and then drag+drop into itunes which will save it into itunes however keep the file location in public.

2. yes itunes separates individual libraries

3. i believe when you make a new user you are given the option to make ur files private to that user only which means you have to be signed in on the desired user to access the files, while on some accounts u can make the files shared throughout every user on the pc

4. not sure/maybe you have to sign into your apple account?

ive answered this questions to the best of my knowledge so some of them may not be accurate or up-to-date

i think your best option would be to make a user account for every user of an i-device, that way they can keep their libraries to their own liking