Synchronizing iTunes libraries between Dual-booted Windows 7 and OS X

Hello everyone.

I have another question about iTunes (by the way, thanks for the help on the last one, the forums are awesome!). When you dual boot Windows 7 and OS X, you can initially set both iTunes libraries to be the same. I will reformat my iPod Video to HFS+, so I do not care to be able to sync my iPod between the OS's. However, I will be spending a large amount of time in Windows 7, and I like to listen to my music when I work My iTunes is on an external drive. (By the way, it is very easy to reference the same iTunes files on an external drive on Mac and PC: Just export the library, and then edit it in a text editor with the Replace function, replacing "file://localhost/X:/" (X being the external drive letter in Windows) with "file://localhost/Volume/ExternalDriveVolumeNameInOSX/", and vice versa) I want to be able to sync my iTunes EXACTLY the way it is between my Mac and PC libraries. I want something as pretentious as Time Machine. If I buy a song while in Windows (it will go onto the external drive), I want it to come up in OS X (without having to import it). If I change some metadata in OS X, I want it to come up in Windows (without me having to change it). I'm hypothesizing that you can export the library on one OS, edit it so the song links are consistent (as stated above), and then reimport it on the other OS, but wouldn't that create duplicate songs? Can someone help me with the syncing? Thanks!

Help?

Can anyone help me?

Hi Vassi,

I think I am actually trying to do the same thing (almost) as you. I've got a dual boot MBP with OS X and WinXP on it... I have a third partition on the harddrive where I have all of my documents, music, etc...

I want to point both iTunes libraries to look at the same set of files. I have NOT chosen to have iTunes manage my music collection however... everything is in directories I've chosen...

I've found online that you can tell iTunes to use a different library file by holding down the Shift-key in Windows (Option Key in Mac OS) before starting the application... so I just kept this "global" library file on that third partition, and had both iTunes applications look in the same place for a library file...

This "sort-of" seems to work, but as you mentioned in your post, Windows and Mac refer to the drives in different ways... so on one operating system... all the music files have the little (!) in front, and are not found.

The little flash of hope I had was that of all my iPhone apps seemed to match up ok when I did things this way. If I "right-click" on one of the apps in Mac OS and select "Get Info"... the directory was "DOCS:directory:SubDir:Subdir..." and in Windows, it is "?????" (need to check that)... but they are found in both OS's, no problem.

I was thinking if you somehow rename the directory structures in such a way that both operating systems can understand (maybe using the ":" as delimiters? or refering to the drive name rather than C: or E: ), it would fix the problem. From there all that would be needed would be to delete the .itl file and have the .xml file rebuild the library on the next start of iTunes (this is how I've fixed problems with my whole music library changing form say C: to E...

If it works I'll let you know... and hopefully some of this info is useful? haha

-Allan

Make a Fat 32 Partition and put the music in it. That way, Windows & Snow Leopard can both see it and write to it. Let each iTunes have it's own Library File on the host os drive, Add the Music Folder from the Fat32 partition to each (Windows & Mac) Library.

You should now have a shared library. Only problem will be that you will have to add all new music to that partition and re-add the folder to get updates.

@cditty That is exactly what we did not want.
@tayl3730 I saw that online too. So, you're saying that the global library method still has the (!) on the opposite OS (i.e. Import a CD in Windows = (!) on Mac and Import a CD in Mac = (!) on Windows)