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Hard drive nearly full/iTunes query
Ricardodaforce
29-12-2008
I will try to explain my problem concisely!

My laptop hard filled up yesterday. I have a huge iTunes library plus thousands of tracks still on the hard drive in their original formats. So, a lot of the music in my iTunes isn't actually in the iTunes music folder, but just in the c-drive music folder.
I think this means that I have thousands of tracks that are stored in 2 different formats on my laptop. But I can't delete the stuff that is not in the iTunes folder because some of my iTunes library links to stuff that isn't in that folder.

Any solutions as to how I can free up some space without actually losing stuff from iTunes??
player1
29-12-2008
Originally Posted by Ricardodaforce:
“I will try to explain my problem concisely!

My laptop hard filled up yesterday. I have a huge iTunes library plus thousands of tracks still on the hard drive in their original formats. So, a lot of the music in my iTunes isn't actually in the iTunes music folder, but just in the c-drive music folder.
I think this means that I have thousands of tracks that are stored in 2 different formats on my laptop. But I can't delete the stuff that is not in the iTunes folder because some of my iTunes library links to stuff that isn't in that folder.

Any solutions as to how I can free up some space without actually losing stuff from iTunes??”

You could "consolidate" your iTunes library ( check out iTunes help ) ...or since external USB hard drives are really cheap just buy a big HDD and move your music there ?
Ricardodaforce
29-12-2008
Thanks for the reply. If I choose the consolidation option (my preferred one) then "Files located outside the iTunes folder remain in their original locations, and copies are placed in your iTunes folder. " Which sounds like I will fill up the hard drive with the copies before the job is done. Have I understood that right?
player1
29-12-2008
Ah...you are correct...sorry , I was at work and didn't fully think that through. Looks like you will need that external HDD after all...at least to let you get your music copied / consolidated into iTunes at which point you could delete the "source" files outside iTunes ( assuming you had selected option to "let iTunes manage music" which would copy all your music into iTunes directory.

I can lend you a hard drive ...once you are done with it no need to go to the bother of deleting all that music

Joking
mimi dlc
30-12-2008
I was about to post a similar query, but ricardodaforce has phrased it so much better than me.

I have just got a 120GB ipod, so will take forever to fill its memory, but my problem is similar in that i am using my laptop as my itunes "home" and there is only 8GB left in hard drive memory.

I intend to get a portable external hard drive and then back up all my music and photos to there. Then i guess i will have to delete itunes folder from laptop HD to free up space...(um whole itunes folder or just itunesmusic sub-folder?)

Do I then
have to only use itunes in ex hard drive, via laptop?
Or can I have a laptop only version of itunes, and transfer stuff from laptop to ex hard drive as and when i need to?

sorry if this question comes under the heading of "ble*eding obvious", but I am a newbie at ipodding and only have basic computer skills.

Any replies very welcome as long as you keep the techie stuff simple!
marleyme
30-12-2008
I have bascially the same question as the above post and possibly the OP - so any replies gratefully recieved.
Ricardodaforce
30-12-2008
I've bought an external hard drive and transferred all my music onto it. All is fine EXCEPT for some reason I can no longer add album art in iTunes. I'm baffled!
mimi dlc
31-12-2008
After posting yesterday, i decided to do a bit more searching for info and found this article.

http://www.ilounge.com/index.php/art...rd-drive-2007/

Although it looks dauntingly long, a lot of it is background so that you understand the itunes filing system.
I'm a technophobe, but most of it made sense to me.

It includes the Wrong way to move your library of music (which is definitely the way i would have approached it!)
then tells you the Right way to do it.

A bit down the article it specifically gives info on how to run itunes with external hard drive and a laptop with not enough memory which is exactly what I need to to.

So now all I need is an external hard drive and another 10,000 albums to import...
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