iTunes to use my external HD

[thesneekytiki]

Hello All:

What I would like to do is have my external HD hold most of my music and video. I would like itunes to know that the media is there and be able to play it without me importing it into my library. If so could this be done over my AirPort as well?

As things are now I have a select few playlists that I use but I keep my macbook HD clean of the 30-40 odd gigs of music on the external HD. I realize that while I am on the go I won't have access to many of these files but again I make specific playlists for all of that stuff.

Any help is appreciated!

 

[Small White Car]

Even if you're going to use the drive wirelessly later, hook it up with a cable for the first transfer. It will take forever otherwise.

On that drive, make a folder named 'iTunes Music' or whatever you want.

Then go into iTunes preferences and click 'Advanced.' Make sure "Keep iTunes Music folder Organized" is checked. Also make sure "Copy Files to iTunes Music Folder" is checked.

Then click the "Change" button above that. Find the folder you made on the external drive and select it.

After that, leave preferences and go to "FILE" -> "LIBRARY" -> "CONSOLIDATE LIBRARY."

Now, leave it alone. It will copy all your music to that external drive.

Once it's done, pick a song in iTunes, right click it, and select "Show in Finder." It SHOULD take you to the version on the external drive. If it does, you know it worked and you can erase the music from your internal drive.

Now, BE CAREFUL. The iTunes library directory is still living on the internal drive. You DON'T want to delete that. Go to your home folder -> MUSIC -> iTunes

There is a folder called "iTuens Music." Leave that folder there but go inside it and erase all the music that's in there. Leave all the other files you see around that music folder. They're still important.

And you're done! Whenever you import anything songs or videos the future, it will get copied to the external drive.

(As iTunes libraries go, this is going to become more common. I REALLY wish Apple would create a Windows-styled Wizard to do all this. I know that's not the Apple way, but in this case it would help a lot of people!)

 

[thesneekytiki]

Thank you for the detailed reply!

Would this essentially make my external HD my dynamic library to build on when I am buying new music and ripping CD's?

Could I have doubles, 1 copy on my ExHD and 1 copy on my macbook HD to take on the go with me? Not of the entire music library but just of a few playlists I have put together. Or would iTunes not be looking at my internal HD anymore?

Can you have music on your playlists that are not imported into your library?

I guess this question is a bit harder to ask than I thought. Sorry

 

[Small White Car]

Would this essentially make my external HD my dynamic library to build on when I am buying new music and ripping CD's?

Yes, everything you put into iTunes will live in that folder from now on.

Could I have doubles, 1 copy on my ExHD and 1 copy on my macbook HD to take on the go with me? Not of the entire music library but just of a few playlists I have put together. Or would iTunes not be looking at my internal HD anymore?

It gets tricky, but it is possible. Hold 'Option' while opening iTunes. You can create more than one library and switch between them by shutting down iTunes and holding 'Option' every time you open it. I've never done this, so I don't know exactly how it works, but that's what you'd do.

But managing two different libraries could be complicated. You could also just make folders in Finder on the internal drive and make manual copies of some songs there. Use Quicktime to play them when you're away from home instead of iTunes.

But it's really up to you. If you can figure out how to manage 2 libraries, go for it! That's why the feature exists, after all. Just because I don't know how doesn't mean it's impossible.

Can you have music on your playlists that are not imported into your library?

No. Everything in iTunes is in the Library. But like I said above, you can make as many libraries as you want and just load the one you want.