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Moving iTunes to A New Computer

Moving your iTunes Library from Vista to Windows 7 by Network, Backups on an External Hard Drive, USB Thumb drive, or CD / DVD or 'easy transfer cable'

We like to keep our iTunes Last Played, iTunes Date Modified, iTunes Date Added and iTunes Plays Count when we Move to a New Computer

REMEMBER TO DEAUTHORIZE your iTunes on your old computer if you are not keeping the computer.

iTunes always assumes your want to create a brand new library.  Last iTunes play dates, iTunes play count, play lists, file create and modified date data is lost if you just copy your library without moving some files from hidden areas in Windows Vista and Windows 7

Our old Vista computer set up:

  • iTunes is in the Public user account so that we can easily share on our network in the following folder C:\Users\Public\Music\iTunes
  • Our user account contains our playlist and other information in C:\Users\[user account]\Music\iTunes
  • User application data files are in hidden folders on your old Windows Vista computer.  You will copy them manually to your new Windows 7 computer. The folder names are listed below

Our preferred method of moving files is over out network (both the new and old computers are plugged into our router).  Please note that our old computer was Window Vista Home Premium SP 2 -  32 bit; our new computer Window 7 Home Premium -  64 bit

This procedure applies to moving data over your in-home router network.  It will be similar if you use an Easy-Transfer Cable. This procedure requires differnet steps if you are using a USB thumb drive, external USB or Firewire Drive, or DVD.  These options are not detailed here

The following steps worked for us. Please read them all the way through before you start

Preparation:

  1. Be comfortable with computers.  If you are not comfortable with how to share a drive, how to change folder options, how to use a router or Windows Easy Transfer, get some help from someone who is (in the New York City, NYC, We can help at a reasonable rate  - we've been doing computer work for 20 years - register on the contact page)
  2. Share. Right click on your C: drive on your old computer and mark the drive to be shared with both read and write access
  3. On both old and new computer, in Control Panel, open Folder Options - view tab - and modify to show hidden and uncheck Hide Protected Operating Systems Files.  This is required to see the AppData files - see below
  4. Download Windows Vista (and XP) and Windows 7 updates on both your old and new computers so you have the correct version before you continue.
  5. Update your iTunes on your old computer.
  6. Synch your iPod(s) iPhone(s) iTouch(s) and iPad(s) with your old computer before you transfer anything to your new computer.
  7. Download the correct installer for iTunes on your new Windows 7 computer. Note - get the right installer - that there are different Windows iTunes installer versions for Windows 32 bit and Windows 64 bit.
  8. Install iTunes on your new computer.  iTunes will set your library in your user profile (C:\Users\[USER ACCOUNT]\Music\iTunes) .  We keep our library in the public library so it is easier to share between our XP, Vista and Windows 7 machines. (C:\Users\Public\Music\iTunes). 
  9. Change your library location if your iTunes on your new computer if it is NOT in C:\Users\[USER ACCOUNT]\Music\iTunes
  10. We encode our CD's as MP3.  Change the iTunes preferences to MP3 if you do too
  11.  Run Apple Update on your new computer

Copying your music:

Note:  See the end of this page before you start

  1. Start up Windows Easy Transfer on your old computer
  2. Start Easy Transfer on your New Machine
  3. Transfer your C:\Users\[USER ACCOUNT]\Music\iTunes folder
  4. Also transfer C:\Users\Public\Music\iTunes if you keep your music in this and / or any other folder.  If you store in any other place than you user account, there are iTunes folders in both places - your user account - and other storage location)
  5. Authorize your new computer in iTunes so you can play anything that has DRM, play anything that your purchased from Apple
  6. De-Authorize your old computer in iTunes if you are going to remove it from your home.

The procedure to this point gives you a successful library transfer and a new iTunes Music library on your new computer.  However, we like to retain our song play count, edit dates, create date and so on so we continued with the procedure as follows

Note:  there are a lot of files in the following folders (our 'lot of files' was over 5,000, and over 1 GB). These files are related to playlists, artwork, synchs, synch backups, iTunes Updates and so on.  (We have an iPod Classic an iPod Nano, an iPhone, and an iTouch - and maybe an iPad soon)

 Continue by manually copying the following folders We copied everything in these folders - it worked for us.

You will find the folders in the same location on your old Vista Machine and the New Windows 7 Machine

(If you have Windows XP, the folder names are similar but they are in serveral different locations.  You will have to find them and put them in the correct location for Windows 7 on your new machine - we have not tested, successfully or otherwise, moving the folders from XP to Windows 7.  In fact we don't know if moving from XP locations to New Windows 7 locations works)

Complete by copying:

  1. C:\Users\[USER ACCOUNT]\AppData\Local\Apple Computer\
  2. C:\Users\[USER ACCOUNT]\AppData\Local\Apple
  3. C:\Users\[USER ACCOUNT]\AppData\LocalLow\Apple Computer
  4. C:\Users\[USER ACCOUNT]\AppData\Roaming\Apple Computer

Finish:

  1. Stop Drive Sharing and reverse Folder Option Steps 1 and 2 in the Preparation section above if you wish
  2. Open iTunes on your new computer and do an update again to be certain you have the latest.
  3.   Synch your iPods, iPhones, iTouchs and iPads with your new computer
  4. Remember to Authorize your new computer in iTunes so you can play anything that has DRM, play anything that your purchased from Apple
  5. Remember to De-Authorize your old computer in iTunes if you are going to remove it from your home.

Your iTunes library should have the same data, played dates and counts, added date and account, etc. on both your new and old computer

Note:  We did the easy transfer with only one monitor via our network router. 

  1. Set up our new and old computers next to each other
  2. Start easy transfer on our old computer
  3. Jot down the code it gives you
  4. Unplugged the monitor from our old computer - careful, don't unplug anything else
  5. Put the monitor on the new one
  6. Started easy transfer, enter the code and make your choices of what to copy

Moving iTunes  from an old Windows Vista Computer to a Windows 7 Computer

Highlights:

- Transfer using Windows Easy Transfer

- We can help in New York City - register on the contact page

- This procedure keeps play counts, last played date, create date and backups for iPods, iPhones, iTouch and, we assume, iPads

- Moving iTunes from Windows 32 bit to 64 bit Windows 7

- This procedure retains library play lists and all the account info we rely upon

- iTunes works great on 32-bit and 64-bit Windows machines

- We like to keep our iTunes Last Played, Date Modified, Date Added and Plays Count when we Move iTunes to a New Computer

- The Easy Transfer cable costs anywhere from an estimated $15 to $50. We prefer to buy a router for $50 (and cheap network cables at newegg . com)