If you’re simply looking to move your iTunes library to an entirely new computer, the process is actually quite a bit simpler than relocating the content, provided certain conditions are met:
- You are moving your iTunes library between two computers using the same operating system and iTunes version; and
- You plan to store the iTunes library database and content in the same relative locations on the new computer
If you have changed your iTunes Media Folder location from the default, simply make sure you copy that to the corresponding location on the new computer as well. In other words, if you have your iTunes Media folder set to D:\Music then you must copy it to D:\Music on the new computer—remember that iTunes stores the full path to each music file in your library, so your music files must be in the same place on the new computer in order for iTunes to find them.
Note that if you’re using referenced files—those stored outside of your iTunes Media folder—you can copy these to the new computer as well; simply ensure that they are copied to the same relative locations on the new computer as they were stored in on the old one so that iTunes will be able to find them.
You’ve probably read about issues with synchronizing your iPod or iOS device to a new computer. This is not a problem when you’re moving your entire library, however, since iTunes associates your device with the library database rather than the physical machine. This means that once you’ve copied your iTunes library database over to your new computer, you can continue syncing your iPod or iOS device to it in the same way as you did previously—iTunes won’t even notice the difference.
To actually copy the files between computers you can use any file transfer method you normally would for any other type of data, including an external hard drive or USB memory key, a home network between the two computers, or by burning your iTunes data to CDs or DVDs.
Note: If you have previously run iTunes on the new computer at all, even if you haven’t done anything with it, chances are that there will already be an “iTunes” folder present. Unless you’ve already started using iTunes on the new computer and adding content to it, you can safely overwrite this folder as it simply represents the empty database that iTunes initially creates.
Generally, minor differences in operating system versions will not be an impediment to moving your iTunes library directly over to a new computer, nor will moving to a later version of the same operating system (e.g. Windows XP to Windows Vista or OS X Snow Leopard to OS X Lion). Likewise, you can transfer your library to a computer with a newer version of iTunes than the one on your original computer without any problems—iTunes will simply upgrade the database when you start it up on the new computer.
Note that your iTunes preferences are machine-specific, and you will need to go through and re-configure these the first time you run iTunes after copying your library over to the new computer. You can locate the preference file itself on the original computer and copy this over, however this is not recommended as there are frequently machine-specific settings in these preference files that may not translate properly onto the new computer.
If you have any content purchased from the iTunes Store, you will need to re-authorize the new computer for your iTunes Store account. Computer authorization is machine-specific. You should also make sure you DE-authorize your old computer if you no longer plan to use it with iTunes.
If you plan on putting your iTunes Media folder in a different location on the new computer you will want to read on for the process of relocating the iTunes Media folder itself. Whether you choose to do this before transferring your library to your new computer or afterwards largely depends on your specific situation. For example, if your media folder has been stored on a drive on your original computer that does not exist on the new computer, you will need to consolidate your library before moving it to the new computer. Similarly, if you plan to keep your iTunes library on an external hard drive, it makes more sense to consolidate the media folder onto that external drive from your original computer and then just copy the iTunes library database over to the new machine and let it pick up the media from the external drive. (source from http://www.ilounge.com/index.php/articles/comments/moving-your-itunes-library-to-a-new-hard-drive/)
The Second Way: Remove DRM and convert the iTunes music from old computer to the new computer
Another easier way is use a third-party app to remove the DRM and convert the DRM iTunes music to MP3 for transferring to an external hard drive, and plugin the external hard drive to your new computer, and then import the MP3 files to iTunes. Here below is how.
Download Noteburner DRM music Converter trial version for free (Windows version)
Step 1. launch Noteburner Audio Converter
On the main window of NoteBurner, click Setting and set the MP3 as the output format, and go to MPW tab check the ID3Tags, then click OK.
Step 2. Create a playlist to contain the song you need to convert.
Step 3. Choose NoteBurner as CD burner, and then burn the playlist.
Before the burning starts, you will be prompted to choose CD burner. You should:
•Choose NoteBurner Virtual_CD_RW as the CD burner
•Select Audio CD as Disc Format
•Check the "Include CD Text" option
Step 4. Click Convert button to convert this itunes song to MP3.
Step 5. Get the MP3 files to external hard drive: Plugin external hard drive to the old computer, copying the convert drm-free songs to the external hard drive without any restrictions.
Step 6. Import the converted iTunes MP3 songs to your new computer. You can create a new playlist for all these iTunes music, and import the songs from the external hard drive to iTunes on the nw computer.
If you are running a Mac OS, Noteburner Audio Converter for Mac can help you convert the DRM iTunes Music to MP3 on Mac.
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