<p>Trust me, this is a tough one. D just got her new MacBook for college. She is currently using a low-end 2002 iMac (the cute one with the dome base and the screen on an adjustable arm) with–and here’s the rub–no DVD drive. Of course she has a huge number of iTunes downloads stored on the old computer and on her iPod Touch. The new laptop comes with a utility for transferring the files–but it’s on a DVD, so it can’t be installed on the iMac. Does anyone have a brilliant workaround for getting her music library onto her new laptop? We’ve looked online, but neither of us understands much of what we’ve read. We need some advice on a “for Dummies” level. </p>
<p>Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. I know we can go to the Apple store for help, but the last time we approached them with an issue about her iMac, they could barely believe anyone was still using one without a DVD drive and seemed quite shocked and befuddled, as if it were my bad idea to manufacture it with that configuration. I felt like I had taken a Model T into a Ford dealership for a tuneup.</p>
<p>DD just transferred her music to an external hard drive and then plugged the hard drive into the new computer and copied them to the new computer. Don’t forget to transfer your subscription, too, by deactivating the old computer. .</p>
<p>I usually use our home LAN to move files from one computer to another. I have an FTP server on my desktop and laptop (FileZilla Server) and an FTP client (FileZilla Client). I just fire up the FTP client on the computer, connect to the FTP server on the other computer and drag and drop the files that I want to move.</p>
<p>I only have 10/100 Ethernet so the transfer isn’t as fast as using a hard drive but I don’t have to play around with cables with this approach.</p>
<p>I am no itunes expert but I thought you could plug your IPOD into the computer and download the music from it. My daughter got a new IPOD and gave me her old one and the tons music (most of which I will delete when I have time) from her old IPOD is now on my Itunes on my computer.</p>
<p>oldfort, I did stumble upon that article, but if I’m reading it right, the transfer method using an iPod isn’t available for the iPod Touch (which is what D has), and she could only use a CD for the other method since she has no DVD drive—so far as I understand, CD’s hold so little data that the process of transferring her entire library of a zillion songs (more or less) would take approximately forever. Is that not the case?</p>
<p>swimcatsmom, the problem isn’t getting the music downloaded into her iPod, it’s getting it uploaded into the new computer, which is where you want it stored permanently so it’s accessible if the iPod is lost or replaced.</p>
<p>BCEagle91, thank you, but I haven’t a clue what you’re talking about! </p>
<p>singersmom07, that solution sounds like a plan–I’d have to buy an external hard drive (would one of those little thumb drives work?) and figure out how to hook it up–I guess the iMac must have a USB port? I’m the PC user in the house so I’ve never monkeyed around with the iMac. Back when S was the resident techie in the house, we just left computer problems to him, but now that he lives elsewhere he weasels his way out of such duties by claiming he can’t help from long distance.</p>
<p>FTP is a protocol used to transfer files from one computer to another over the network connection. If both machines are on the same network, then you can copy files from one system to the other over your network using FTP. Mac OSX (the latest version) comes with an FTP server. You just have to set it up and then set up a client on the other system.</p>
<p>Alternately, I just opened up System Preferences -> Sharing and see that there are options for DVD or CD sharing along with File Sharing. It might be possible to use the DVD drive in your newer system from your older system. You might also be able to setup Apple File Sharing from one computer to the other and then just do a drag and drop.</p>
<p>MommaJ, I know more or less what BCEagle is talking about. (Our home computers are all networked and I’ve used FTP to upload files for printing postcards.) Maybe your daughter has a computer geek friend who could help her?</p>
My daughter downloaded (uploaded? I don’t know) the music from her ipod to my computer, not the other way round. I don’t know how, but it did not require any special software. I assumed it was something easy/normal to do. I haven’t even tried using the Ipod since she gave it to me so I am clueless other than I know that is how the music got onto my computer (her computer was in her apartment and she was here with her Ipod and my computer).</p>
<p>You should have some external storage anyhow for backing up your system. You know it is not if but when you are going to need that back up. The new ones are cheap, we just got a 320 gig drive for under $90. No software needed. Just plug in and you treat them like another place on the computer, drag and drop to copy files. As easy as a thumb drive but bigger. Not sure but I think MAC has 2 different kinds of connections so make sure you get a drive that says it connects to the Mac.</p>
<p>Yes, get an external hard drive so you can back up your songs and everything else. A thumb drive might work if it’s big enough–just have your daughter check to see how much space her itunes library is. If you do get a hard drive, make sure it is Mac compatible though. They all say they are but some are better than others, I’ve heard. And what singersmom said about dragging and dropping is true. Even I figured it out the first time. And the good thing about it is your whole family can back up their files on the one hard drive.</p>
<p>This doesn’t really seem like a “tough one”. Is there something I’m missing, or is it just as simple as copying the music to an external hard drive (could even be the iPod touch you already have) and moving it to the new computer?</p>
<p>Unless this has something to do with anti-piracy limitations, such as not letting the song play on a different computer.</p>
<p>My son got a <em>wireless</em> external hard drive and transferred all his music onto this thing that looks like a red candy box. The plan is that when he gets a computer for college, he has it all on a drive that he can take with him. This was what the Apple store recommended.</p>
<p>If all that’s needed is an external hard drive and a simple transfer of files, I’m wondering why programs like Senuti (there are others) exist. Lifehacker made a big deal of the fact that Senuti was just made available for the iTouch. The directions Apple provides for transfer via DVD are a bit complicated, so maybe it’s not as simple as it seems to get all the music onto a storage device and then on the new computer in the same format it was on the old one. I’m a bit terrified that D could mess up and lose it all. I do know you can’t use the iPod itself as the hard drive.</p>
<p>First, I would strongly recommend that you get an external hard drive and convince your daughter to do regular backups. My daughter’s laptop hard drive died suddenly, for no apparent reason, and having everything backed up was a lifesaver. My husband’s has died twice in a few months. There is nothing worse than having all your notes for a research paper disappear when your hard drive dies. </p>
<p>Anyway – there is a cord you can buy, don’t ask me what it is because I don’t know – that you can use to connect one Mac to another one and transfer all the data. No one transfers stuff using CDs – takes too much time. We’ve used this cord to transfer data between several machines with no problem. </p>
<p>Hopefully you bought Applecare along with the laptop (if not, it’s worth buying it). Just call and ask them what to do.</p>
<p>Apple sold music with DRM in the past and I’m not familiar with their DRM system though people I work with have had some issues with moving their music around from system to system. They now sell MP3s which can just be copied around from system to system - but you still need to be able to move files around. I generally prefer doing this on the network as you don’t need any hardware. It does require learning more technical skills though.</p>