iTunes 7 is out, and it looks good so far 🙂 …. a good occasion to add a nagging tip to this little collection.
As I was trying to keep my iTunes library synchronized between my desktop (windows) and my laptop (mac OS), I found it frustrating to have to delete and reload my library each time I did a backup.
Here is the correct way of doing this :
How to recreate your iTunes Library
Click on the details for a copy of the steps in case that article changes on Apple’s website.
Quit iTunes.
Locate your iTunes folder.
For Mac OS X the iTunes folder is stored in one of the following locations:
/Users/username/Music
/Users/username/Documents
Note: You may need to check both locations.
For Microsoft Windows the iTunes folder is stored in
\Documents and Settings\username\My Documents\My Music\
Open your iTunes folder.
Drag the iTunes Music Library.xml to the Desktop
Drag the following file from your iTunes folder to the Trash:
Mac OS X: “iTunes Library” (in versions of iTunes prior to 4.9 this was called “iTunes 4 Music Library”).
Microsoft Windows: “iTunes Library.itl” (in versions of iTunes prior to 4.9 this was called “iTunes 4 Music Library.itl”)
Open iTunes.
From the File menu, choose Import. Tip: Do not add any music into iTunes at this point.
Navigate to the iTunes Music Library.xml file on the Desktop.
Click Choose.