iPod External Hard disk as ipod-like device on iTunes???

[Duda]

I've read many post in which people wanted to back-up their library on an external hard-drive. What I want is to keep my laptop's library as it is, but using my Lacie firewire hard disk as it were an ipod or a shared library.

I think the solution will come by putting a new "itunes library.xml" into the hard drive. But i've tried many times and it doesn't recognices my hard drive.

Anyone knows how to solve this problem?

Thanks.

 

[swiftaw]

If i understand correctly, you want to libraries, one on your local HD and one on your external HD?

If you hold the option key while opening iTunes you can manage multiple libraries.

 

[Duda]

Yes, i want two libraries and i know that method of managing libraries by pressing control as i open iTunes. But you can only choose one library, the one in the laptop or the one in the hard disk. What i whant is to open my laptop library, and occasionally when i plug my hard disk, itunes recognices my hard diska library as it were a device (an ipod) or a shared itunes library.

Is there any solution?

 

[swiftaw]

Why not just have one library, with the library file on your laptop which indexes all the music in both places. Then, when your laptop is not attached some of your music will simply be marked as unavailable in iTunes.

 

[Duda]

I'm actually doing this way, but I consider that it's more clean/clear to have separate libraries. For example, when you want to play a song that you think it's on your laptop's hard drive and it isn't, what a ****! If you have two separate libraries you can easyly view which songs are really on each hard drive.

I think, the device menu that appears on itunes when you plug an ipod is clear and simple. You can make separate playlists for each device and play songs without having to import them to your laptop's hd.

I know the solution it buying an 80gb's ipod, and maybe that's what i'll do, but i whant to wait till the next generation ipod, with flash memory and better displays with multitouch capabilities.

 

[swiftaw]

I don't think it'll do what you want, but what you could do is create a playlist that contains all the local songs, that way when your external HD in not connected your can refer to that list rather than the whole library.

 

[Duda]

Thanks Swiftaw! I'll follow searching if it's possible to do what i want. I remenber that 3 month's ago when I plugged a friend's external hd to my mac, I saw that it was recogniced as a device on itune's source list. Maybe I dream it

 

[JonHimself]

haha I think you may have dreamt that.. BUT if you didn't.. I would also like to know how it's possible!
As to your question, I second the idea of creating a playlist with your local music to prevent the frustration of thinking a song is there when it isn't.
What I've started to do (but only with movies) is have them all stored on my external drive, then held down Option while I dragged the movie onto iTunes. This makes it act as a reference point and doesn't actually copy the file from the external drive into iTunes, but instead just a shortcut.
Good luck!