Sharing Itunes library using boot camp?

[booser9]

First post here. I'm running boot camp on leopard with XP loaded; i also installed macdrive to see the OSX folders on XP.

My Itunes library is located on the OSX side, but i would like to point XP's itunes to it without taking up the space it would require for two copies.

When i change the location of the itunes library in "Preferences:Advanced" to the OSX library, nothing happens and the library doesn't populate. Any ideas? I have software to run that is windows only, i'm sorry to say. Thanks in advance for any help...

Booser

[Satcomer]

Windows can NOT natively read OS X HFS+ hard disks. To make Windows SEE OS X HFS+ disk read HOWTO] Make Windows see HFS+ formatted drives.

[booser9]

Sat,
Thanks for the reply - I have macdrive installed and can actively navigate the OSX side (even through Itunes). It is opening my library on the windows side that has been problematic...

[Satcomer]

In OS X are you "Sharing" the iTunes Music Library?

[elander]

Try doing it the other way around: move the library to your windows partition. Then you should be able to use it in both OS X and XP (just make sure to change the settings in iTunes so you don't copy the music files in OS X).

[mvcube]

I tried to it under Parallels and it is "kind of" possible. Two problems:

1) iTunes assumes its database files in a fiolder named "iTunes" under your default music folder. You cannot point iTunes to a different directory, just the media files can be put outside the default path which is "<Music Folder>/iTunes/iTunes Music".

2) The database files contain absolute path names to the media files which differ between operating systems even if the physical lcation is identical.

What can be done:

1) Copy the iTunes folder to the correct location in Windows ("My Documents\My Music") but leave out the iTunes Music folder with the media files.

2) In Windows, you will notice that your playlists are there but the titles are inaccessible. Now point iTunes to the location where the files exist (~/Music/iTunes/iTunes Music). It will rewrite the database files.

If you add music on either side, you have to copy the corresponding database files to the other side manually and change the location once to force the update. Do not change the Windows registry to point your music folder to the Mac Music folder, because the database files are not compatible due to the file naming conventions.

Marcus

[ElDiabloConCaca]

Originally Posted by mvcube

1) iTunes assumes its database files in a fiolder named "iTunes" under your default music folder. You cannot point iTunes to a different directory, just the media files can be put outside the default path which is "<Music Folder>/iTunes/iTunes Music".

Hogwash.

Look in iTunes' preferences, under the "General" tab of the "Advanced" section. You can put the entire iTunes library (database, XML file, album artwork, etc.) anywhere you like. The iTunes library defaults to the Music folder in your user's home folder, but by no means must you keep it there. You can put it on an external hard drive, a network share, a flash drive, or wherever else you please.

[mvcube]

I wish you were right! In preferences, I can move the folder "iTunes Music" but not the rest of it.

I've just found a trick in the help: Start iTunes with the Alt key pressed. The you can then start it with a different iTunes library. But beware: The incompatibilities between Windows and Mac OS are still there. You should not share the database files between these two operating systems!

I digged a little further and found the following explanation: http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=93732-de

The article states, that the XML file is just a (stripped down) copy of the binary database file and that the windows incarnation of the latter is seperate from the Mac OS copy. So if you point Windows and Mac OS to the same physical location to find the iTunes Library, the libraries are kept seperate because the files are different, but the XML file is the same for both. Updates to the XML from either side will mess up its contents for the other side.

I assume that the binary lib files are recreated by the respective iTunes versions from the XML file, if the latter exists and the binary copy is not available, but I'm not sure about it.