PC help: Moving an iTunes library

Q I have a PC with a hard disk that is nearly full, as it contains 40GB of iTunes music files. I am about to buy a new notebook computer and I’d like to know how I can transfer the library from the old PC to the new one. I have an external hard disk, which already has all my iTunes backed up on it.
Andrew Kent

A You can copy your library but the process depends on a few things.
You’re off to a head start, though, because you already have the music files on a hard disk. The first thing to do is copy those files to the My Music folder on the new computer (in Vista, it’s just called Music).

If you’re not bothered about keeping the old ratings and playlists from your old computer, you can simply run iTunes now and tell it to organise your library. It will then scan all the tunes and put them in the correct folders for you.

If you do want to keep the information from the old computer, the process is a little more complicated and there are several ways to do it. Some more information, and step-by-step walkthroughs of the various methods, can be found at Kadavy.

Finally, if you have songs you have bought from the iTunes music store (as opposed to files that have been downloaded for free or that have been copied from your CD collection), there are a couple of extra steps.

First, you’ll need to follow one of the methods from the website linked above to make iTunes play them (you’ll also need to sign in to iTunes on the new computer with your old username and password).

Second, you should deauthorise the old computer if you’re no longer going to be using it. That’s because iTunes only allows bought songs to be played on five computers, so you need to remove the old one or you may run out in future.

To do so, click the Store menu and click ‘Deauthorize computer’ (it may be in the Advanced menu on some versions of iTunes). Sign in if you are asked to do so and follow any prompts that appear.