Using iTunes or iPhoto with a Different Library

My main iTunes and iPhoto libraries are on my dual G5 PowerMac (PM). There’s just not enough room on my MacBook Pro’s (MBP) hard disk to copy them over, so I’ve been looking for some way to use the MBP with the PowerMac’s libraries other than having to turn the PM on, connect it to the network, and use the network to Share the library.

Trying to open a library by switching the Library location in iTunes Preferences hadn’t worked well. The application kept trying to copy the data in the main library to the MBP, and that would have run me out of room in no time. I found a setting that turned the propensity to copy off, but still didn’t find myself booting into the PM’s iTunes library hosted on a backup Firewire hard drive.

I managed to find an article on Apple’s Support site that told me how to get the whole thing to work exactly the way I wanted. The trick is to use the Option key.

Holding down the Option key before starting iTunes will boot it into a window that asks if you want to copy or choose another library. In my case, I turn on the FW400 Maxtor hard disk that holds the back up to my G5 (including my iTunes master library), hold down the Option key, click on the iTunes icon in the Dock, and wait for the dialog. Once it appears, I click on the “Choose Another Library” button and navigate to the iTunes folder on the backup hard disk, and click on the iTunes Library file. iTunes then opens the library on my G5, and I can access and play everything there with abandon. However, if you do the same, do it using a machine already authorized by iTunes to play purchased music on that account or you’ll have to connect to the Internet to get the iTunes Music Store to authorize the machine (Each account allows five machines to play purchased music. See the iTunes Help file if you need more info about authorizing or deauthorizing computers to play iTunes DRM protected files.)