Simple iTunes Question

If you are using Windows XP, and assuming your library is in the default location ("My Music"), click the "Start" button and then "My Music." Single click the iTunes folder you will see, so that it is highlighted. When you do that, a link will appear on the left that says "copy this folder." Click that, and in the box that appears highlight the entry corresponding to the external drive. Then click "copy."

You can also accomplish the same thing via "My Computer" (in a similar manner) or "Windows Explorer" (by clicking and dragging, as was suggested above). If you are not particularly knowledgeable about computers, though, I would not recommend using Windows Explorer (which is located under Start/All Programs/Accessories), because a slip of the mouse can cause folders to be moved to unintended locations that may not be immediately evident.

Regards,
-- Al

Neal,

My response was based on the assumption that what you wanted to do was to back up (create a duplicate copy of) all of your iTunes files (music and library), to protect against the possibility of failure of your internal hard drive, software corruption, etc. Some of the other responses addressed a different goal, re-locating your iTunes music and library to the external drive (so that iTunes would actually play each selection from the external drive). Let us know which of these alternatives you are trying to accomplish.

Also, note that my instructions were to copy the folder called "iTunes," which is a top-level folder within "My Music," not "iTunes Music," which is a sub-folder of "iTunes." By copying the top-level iTunes folder you would be simultaneously backing up both the library files and the music.

As was noted by one of the others, the library files contain information about the music, which among other things is used to provide the entries (name, artist, composer, etc.) that you see in the listings that appear when you open the iTunes program.

Regards,
-- Al