iTunes files

[Sheogorath]

Hey everyone,
I have an entire iTunes account stuffed with hundreds of songs. Now I might buy a new mp3 player in the future, so I wonder how I can transfer the iTunes files to my new system. Obviously products that aren't Appel's won't be compatible with iTunes.

I also wonder how I am going to transfer my iTunes files to another computer.

I am an old lady when it comes down to technology (although I am only 18). I hope you can answer these two questions for me.

 

[Kari Suttle]

I also wonder how I am going to transfer my iTunes files to another computer.

I had this problem once when my laptop crashed. This method will only leave you with your songs in itunes in default itunes format on your new laptop. I don't know how to make them into MP3s, but given technology these days it can't be that hard...perhaps copy and save them to your computer as a different format? If you have an iphone, you can merely transfer them from your iphone to your new computer. Assuming all your songs are legally downloaded itunes songs you can go to your itunes library and click the 'file' tab and from there click 'devices' and 'transfer purchases'. Make sure to connect your iphone to your laptop via usb cord first of course.

If you're like me and don't have an iphone because yours got stolen and you had to make due with a cheaper phone...then you'll have to do it the hard way. On a microsoft operated computer (not a mac) open up 'control panel' from the 'start' thingy. From there, click 'music' and then the folder 'itunes' and then 'itunes media' and then 'music'. Here you should find all your music sorted by bands. I haven't done this before but i assume that because they're simply storage files you can save the entire 'music' folder and all its contents to a flash drive and then use the flash drive to put it on your new laptop. This won't make them into MP3s, but hopefully either another member here or google can help you with that. Google is how i moved my itunes purchases after my laptop crashed.

 

[Sheogorath]

I have my songs on my iPod touch. If I install iTunes on my new laptop and configure my iPod to it, will it empty my iPod or will my iPod store the songs in iTunes?

 

[Kari Suttle]

I have my songs on my iPod touch. If I install iTunes on my new laptop and configure my iPod to it, will it empty my iPod or will my iPod store the songs in iTunes?

I don't know. With my old iphone, it pretty much copied and pasted all the legit itunes songs from the phone into my ipod. My phone's songs were just fine. But the ipod touch is older than my old iphone 5 was and i don't know it would work with those. I'm not a techy person i just learn by playing around with it and google searching when i get frustrated until i get the result i want.

 

[wyverary]

It used to be that iTunes format (AAC) was limited to just Apple devices, but that has changed. I'd be highly surprised to run into any device that won't play it, so I don't think you'll need to do any conversion (which, in any case, would be highly detrimental to sound quality). Most players that aren't iPods can be hooked up directly to the file system, in that you just need to drag-and-drop folders onto your device as with any other computer drive.

When you say "products that aren't Apple's," do you simply mean music files? If that's the case you have absolutely nothing to worry about. Video stuff can be a problem, but even most DRM-protected stuff, such as audiobooks, you shouldn't have a problem.

If this is an extreme scenario, and your player DOESN'T support AAC or other iTunes files, there are programs you can use that will convert from one format to the other (again, as I said, with significant detriment to sound quality). If you're on a Windows machine, foobar2000 is an excellent tool (with a bit of a learning curve), or on a Mac, XLD, but really, you can even convert, say AAC to the much more standard and common MP3 from within iTunes itself!

 

[nowwhat]

Google is your friend. There used to be several free converters. I haven't had to convert files lately, but I'd bet money on there still being such applications available. Beware of malware and adware (Google can warn you of this, too), and look around some.