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Regular Backups of Music

Apple has posted a document: "iTunes: How to Use a Smart Playlist to Make Regular Backups of Your Music."

Discussion:

If you have an optical drive that can burn a CD or DVD, you can make regular backups of your music files.

To make an initial backup of all of your music files, follow the steps outlined in technical document 93033, "iTunes 4: How to Back Up Music".

Once you have backed up all of your existing music, take note of the date and time you completed the backup and then continue with the following steps.

Create a playlist of music you've added since your last backup:

1. Open iTunes.

2. From the File menu, choose New Smart Playlist.

3. Configure the Smart Playlist so that it includes all songs with a Date Added that is after the date of your last backup.

4. Click OK.

5. Name the Smart Playlist something like "Backup Playlist".

Burn a backup disc of all the files you have added since your last backup

1. Open iTunes.

2. Open iTunes Preferences.

-Mac OS X: From the iTunes menu, choose Preferences.
-Windows: From the Edit menu, choose Preferences.

3. Click Burning.

4. Click Data CD or DVD

5. Click OK.

6. Select Backup Playlist in the Source list.

7. Click Burn Disc.

8. Insert a blank disc. If you have added more songs since your last backup than can fit on one disc, iTunes can burn them onto two or more discs.

9. When iTunes finishes burning the disc, eject it and write the current date on it.

Next time you do a backup

1. Open iTunes

2. Select the "Backup Playlist" in the Source list.

3. From the Edit menu, choose Edit Smart Playlist.

4. Change the date to the date you wrote on your last backup disc and repeat steps 1 through 9 above.

by dfbills on Nov 20 | 12:23 am

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They got the order wrong.

Following Step B.9., you should immediately do Steps C.2. through C.4., so that you don't have to remember the date of your last backup.

By doing this, the "backup playlist" will be ready to go for the next time you do a backup. You can even periodically monitor the size of the backup playlist to see if it will come close to filling your CD (or other media) without wasted blank space.

Immediately after you complete the first playlist-style backup, set the date in the Smart Playlist to either today or tomorrow.

by thenightfly42 on Nov 20 | 10:54 am

Ok kids! Please answer me this question!!!! Going crazy here!! I have recently d'loaded an album from the mycokemusic www and the album is stored in my program files but i don't know how to transfer it to itunes!! I know this is basic stuff but I am going into this kindof blind...THANKS!!!

by pusscahh on Mar 05 | 2:46 pm

Just double click it

by dfbills on Mar 05 | 3:42 pm

You need to find where you downloaded your file. Have a look at your browser's preferences. You should be able to specify where to download files.

Open iTunes, open the window where your music file is, then drag it to the Library icon in the lefthand pane in iTunes. This will copy the file into your iTunes music library, given that you've set that preference under the Advanced tab in iTunes preferences. If you simply double-click the file, it will open in iTunes and play, but won't necessarily copy.

by japester on Mar 08 | 10:07 pm

If you have a fairly new install of iTunes, the default action for files which are played with iTunes is to copy them to the Library.

by dfbills on Mar 09 | 1:14 am

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Regular Backups of Music

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