iTunes music transfer question

[xrMike]

My daughter's iTunes music collection is currently on our home desktop system. She wants me to transfer it to her laptop. Can I just copy all of the music files in her iTunes folder on the desktop system to a USB stick, and from there, paste them into the same folder on her laptop?

Any problems with this? Thanks.

[glock_this]

Should not be an issue BUT if there are some of the paid songs from the store, you will likely have to "Authorize" that computer to play those and you can only "Authorize" like 5 computers at a time just FYI.

[dls]

If it's all purchased on iTunes just plug in the iPod to Her lap top and "transfer purchases".

if not you have to go into your computers music file and move the itunes flie to your external drive and move it that way.
something like this--> http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1364

[StratORcaster]

Just did this. I think you have to "consolidate" your library into a folder first then, transfer onto an external drive and re upload onto your laptop. Pretty easy.

[Boristheblade]

The other thing you should be able to do with purchased songs if you can't transfer them is burn to music CD then import into new computer.

[high_revs]

The other thing you should be able to do with purchased songs if you can't transfer them is burn to music CD then import into new computer.

This is what I do so I have a backup on mp3. That way, I don't always have to authorize my machines since I usually re-image between 6 mos to a year.

Is there a reason she needs to keep/use iTunes proprietary files? Burn on CD, rip to wav, compress to mp3... she can still re-create the same playlist and you don't have to worry about this whole authorizing issue and treat the proprietary files as backup.

[xrMike]

Just did this on Saturday, worked like a charm via USB stick.

Should not be an issue BUT if there are some of the paid songs from the store, you will likely have to "Authorize" that computer to play those and you can only "Authorize" like 5 computers at a time just FYI.

Yes! I had to do this after adding several thousand new songs to the iTunes library on her new laptop. Many of the new songs would not play until I "authorized" the laptop.

If it's all purchased on iTunes just plug in the iPod to Her lap top and "transfer purchases".

That would have been easier, but strangely, my daughter only had a small portion of the songs in her library actually ON the iPod. So she would have lost a lot of music that way. Now she's got everything.

Is there a reason she needs to keep/use iTunes proprietary files? Burn on CD, rip to wav, compress to mp3... she can still re-create the same playlist and you don't have to worry about this whole authorizing issue and treat the proprietary files as backup.

No, no reason. Maybe I will do this going forward, for her music and mine...

Thanks for all the info, guys.

Oh, one last question... What is the best compromise in music sampling rate (KBPS) versus file size? In other words, what is the lowest sampling rate that yields the best quality music (such that the human ear can't tell anymore if you go higher than that)?

[high_revs]

sorry 4 delay responding.

i go with 256k if i have space on ipod or something. 128 is my norm. 64 or 92 was the lowest i went. i'm trying to extend use on a 256kb mp3 player (iriver) by going lower sampling to squeeze more.

can i notice? no.. not with ipod and bicycle or exercise machine.

p.s. see ya in PA soon. :d

[barbasol]

Yes you can. Make sure to drag the entire iTunes folder and not just the iTunes Music Folder. You need the iTunes Library.xml file in the itunes folder.

When you put on the other mac hold the option/alt key when launching iTunes and it will ask choose iTunes library. Find the new iTunes folder you just put on the mac and it will open exactly the same as the other computer. And you will probably have to authorize the computer.