Today I am writing about all you need to do to have an iTunes library on USB Stick or a USB flash memory. This method will run the iTunes program entirely in your storage device, making it easy to manage your iTunes library from any location.Having a specific library on a single computer is a frustrating way to enjoy your music.
What pushed me to write this is my brother buy music from iTunes at work and sync with iTunes is on my home computer. Usually we buy music and go down directly to the iPod, but he is CPA and travels from place to place to audit and never uses the same computer. He loves his music. The solution was to run iTunes from a USB flash memory to manage your music library.Here, I will clarify that how to install iTunes on flash memory and make an autorun file starting your iTunes library automatically with the flash memory and put iTunes on different computers and make use of your music library from any USB stick. Of course this method also works on your internal or external hard disk. This basically works with any mass storage device on your system. If you are looking for a good strategy for managing your iTunes music library, I recommend doing this process on external hard disk at least 120GB. So here we go:
Here's a quick summary for this:
- Make an autorun file in the USB Drive
- Create a script (batch file) to routinely launch iTunes as of any computer
- Install iTunes on your USB Stick
- Install iTunes in any computer for running it from your USB
It is worth to mention that this does not get the licenses that allow you to buy music with iTunes, this is a method for managing your iTunes library from one location to multiple computers.
Creating autorun file:
The autorun file informs host computer that what you wish to accomplish while USB device is plugged in computer. This step creates an automatic starter with the one-click iTunes.
Open Notepad and type the following:
Code:
[Autorun]
icon = \ iTunes.ico
open = iTunes_mobile.bat
action = Mobile iTunes
label = Mobile iTunes
shell \ open \ command = iTunes_mobile.bat
shell \ open = Mobile iTunes
Save the Notepad document as 'Autorun.inf'
If you want a good looking icon then pay attention to the first line that says 'icon = \ iTunes.ico' and put your. Ico file in the path of your USB drive. If you are interested in a good icon, then delete that line.
Creating the script (batch file):
The next thing is to create the script to automatically run iTunes when you connect your USB memory. You need the XP Service Pack 2 or Vista for this feature to work.
Open Notepad and type the following:
Code:
September APPDATA =% ~ dp0Application Data
if not exist "% ~ dp0Application Data" mkdir "% ~ dp0Application Dataset HOMEPATH =% ~ dp0Documents and Settings
if not exist "% ~ dp0Documents and Settings" mkdir "% ~ dp0Documents and Settingsset USERPROFILE =% ~ dp0
September ALLUSERSPROFILE =% ~ dp0
miss starting iTunes
start \ iTunes_programs \ iTunes.exe
Save the file as 'iTunes_mobile.bat'
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