Reformatting. How to backup 3412 songs? (Itunes)

MannieFr3sh · Jul 7, 2006, 05:27 AM

I'm planning on reformatting my pc very soon (as in a day or 2) and i need some help.

I have an itunes music library of 3412 songs. I also have a 30gig ipod that i'm using to back up all my important stuff. The ipod also has the 3412 songs on it. I didn't get/download ANY of my songs from itunes. I got ALL OF THEM through other means and ALL of the songs are mp3 files stored in folders on my harddrive. I just add the songs from the folders to the itunes library so they can be synched to my ipod. So to make this clear so noone gets confused, ALL of my songs are stored in separate folders (which are mostly stored in one big folder) on my harddrive and they're MP3 files. So they have nothing to do with that itunes legal song crap.

The problem is that i need to back up all of my songs one way or another and be able to transfer them back to my reformatted-fresh HDD and i'm not sure how to do this. I know that i can just copy the folder/folders where all my songs are stored and put it on my ipod and then copy that folder back to the HDD once i reformatted and then just add the songs to the Itunes library again. However, i've had to rename and edit the info of many songs in my itunes library and i don't want to have to redo that. So how do i transfer all the songs back to my HDD and itunes library so it was exactly the way it was before i reformatted with the same playlists, song info, etc?

Thanks for all the help

PangingJr · Jul 7, 2006, 06:53 AM

i've done something like this once for my kid, and didn't use any third-party program...
if you can wait for not more than two days, until i can get to my backup system, i have a note about how i did it and i keep the note on the system... i can tell you what files/profiles you can save and to use them to restore all of the itunes libraries, settings and etc. while waiting you can back up the big folder on to another partition, hard drive or CDs/DVDs. or maybe someone around here who has some experiences on this can help you first.

Dark Lord · Jul 7, 2006, 06:57 AM

i do it 2 ways and ive got a hair under 10,000 songs. i either back up everything i need to a second computer and then transfer it all back over, or i just burn it all to cd and then transfer it back later.

for only 3500 songs you can probably do it quite easily with the CDs. any more hten that and id suggest trying to get your hands on a dvd burner.

MannieFr3sh · Jul 7, 2006, 12:50 PM

PangingJr, Thanks for the help. I'll deafinetly wait until you get your pc back up before i reformatt.

Darklord, I know i can easily backup the song files. I can easily put all the folders on my ipod. But that's not the problem. That will just backup the song files where i could just add the songs to the itunes library again once i transfer them back. However, this will only backup the actual "music and song" and not the itunes playlist, editted song info, playcount, ratings, etc. And i've edited the song info for over 1000 songs and don't want to have to do that again. It'll probably take days.

**temeteus82** · Jul 7, 2006, 02:35 PM

this is the main reason I have multiple HD's on my system, no need for backup

Sandok · Jul 7, 2006, 03:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by temeteus82

this is the main reason I have multiple HD's on my system, no need for backup

Ditto! Makes life much easier!

PangingJr · Jul 7, 2006, 03:50 PM

you can change the itunes music folder from the default location (\doc and settings\your Windows log in name\my doc\my music\itunes music) to other partition, but for a complete backup, you still have to save all of the user profiles that the itunes and quicktime programs have been creating... all of these user profiles will be updated when you change anything like adding more songs in to the itunes and the iPod.

btw, that's not what i meant, actully.
i'm not running the system backup... it's just that the system that i use to store most of my back up files are at the workplace and i will not be at the place for a few days.

PangingJr · Jul 11, 2006, 04:13 PM

Here are all of the user profiles and the directories for the itunes's that i've saved, and then i restore them along with the itunes music folder right before i made the itunes installation.
when i opened the itunes for the first time it has all of the previous settings...

\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Apple Computer
\Documents and Settings\<Your Windows Log in name>\Application Data\Apple Computer
\Documents and Settings\<Your Windows Log in name>\Local Settings\Application Data\Apple Computer
\Documents and Settings\<Your Windows Log in name>\My Documents\My Music\iTunes

to backup and restore these profiles you can use a zip utility like WinRAR to create the SFX archives and enter an absolute path to extract them...

Jul 7, 2006, 05:27 AM	#1
MannieFr3sh IFinallyGotSomeATiLovin!! Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Florida Posts: 6,178 Rep Power: 0	Reformatting. How to backup 3412 songs? (Itunes) I'm planning on reformatting my pc very soon (as in a day or 2) and i need some help. I have an itunes music library of 3412 songs. I also have a 30gig ipod that i'm using to back up all my important stuff. The ipod also has the 3412 songs on it. I didn't get/download ANY of my songs from itunes. I got ALL OF THEM through other means and ALL of the songs are mp3 files stored in folders on my harddrive. I just add the songs from the folders to the itunes library so they can be synched to my ipod. So to make this clear so noone gets confused, ALL of my songs are stored in separate folders (which are mostly stored in one big folder) on my harddrive and they're MP3 files. So they have nothing to do with that itunes legal song crap. The problem is that i need to back up all of my songs one way or another and be able to transfer them back to my reformatted-fresh HDD and i'm not sure how to do this. I know that i can just copy the folder/folders where all my songs are stored and put it on my ipod and then copy that folder back to the HDD once i reformatted and then just add the songs to the Itunes library again. However, i've had to rename and edit the info of many songs in my itunes library and i don't want to have to redo that. So how do i transfer all the songs back to my HDD and itunes library so it was exactly the way it was before i reformatted with the same playlists, song info, etc? Thanks for all the help Last edited by MannieFr3sh; Jul 7, 2006 at 05:45 AM.

Jul 7, 2006, 06:57 AM	#3
Dark Lord HardwareHeaven Extreme Member Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Grand Rapids, MI Posts: 5,945 Rep Power: 125 System Specs	i do it 2 ways and ive got a hair under 10,000 songs. i either back up everything i need to a second computer and then transfer it all back over, or i just burn it all to cd and then transfer it back later. for only 3500 songs you can probably do it quite easily with the CDs. any more hten that and id suggest trying to get your hands on a dvd burner. __________________

Jul 7, 2006, 06:53 AM	#2
PangingJr Member Join Date: Mar 2003 Posts: 5,989 Rep Power: 70	i've done something like this once for my kid, and didn't use any third-party program... if you can wait for not more than two days, until i can get to my backup system, i have a note about how i did it and i keep the note on the system... i can tell you what files/profiles you can save and to use them to restore all of the itunes libraries, settings and etc. while waiting you can back up the big folder on to another partition, hard drive or CDs/DVDs. or maybe someone around here who has some experiences on this can help you first.

Jul 7, 2006, 12:50 PM	Thread Starter #4
MannieFr3sh IFinallyGotSomeATiLovin!! Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Florida Posts: 6,178 Rep Power: 0	PangingJr, Thanks for the help. I'll deafinetly wait until you get your pc back up before i reformatt. Darklord, I know i can easily backup the song files. I can easily put all the folders on my ipod. But that's not the problem. That will just backup the song files where i could just add the songs to the itunes library again once i transfer them back. However, this will only backup the actual "music and song" and not the itunes playlist, editted song info, playcount, ratings, etc. And i've edited the song info for over 1000 songs and don't want to have to do that again. It'll probably take days.

Jul 7, 2006, 03:50 PM	#7
PangingJr Member Join Date: Mar 2003 Posts: 5,989 Rep Power: 70	you can change the itunes music folder from the default location (\doc and settings\your Windows log in name\my doc\my music\itunes music) to other partition, but for a complete backup, you still have to save all of the user profiles that the itunes and quicktime programs have been creating... all of these user profiles will be updated when you change anything like adding more songs in to the itunes and the iPod. btw, that's not what i meant, actully. i'm not running the system backup... it's just that the system that i use to store most of my back up files are at the workplace and i will not be at the place for a few days.

Jul 11, 2006, 04:13 PM	#8
PangingJr Member Join Date: Mar 2003 Posts: 5,989 Rep Power: 70	Here are all of the user profiles and the directories for the itunes's that i've saved, and then i restore them along with the itunes music folder right before i made the itunes installation. when i opened the itunes for the first time it has all of the previous settings... \Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Apple Computer \Documents and Settings\<Your Windows Log in name>\Application Data\Apple Computer \Documents and Settings\<Your Windows Log in name>\Local Settings\Application Data\Apple Computer \Documents and Settings\<Your Windows Log in name>\My Documents\My Music\iTunes to backup and restore these profiles you can use a zip utility like WinRAR to create the SFX archives and enter an absolute path to extract them...