Creating a New Library in Windows Media Player
Learn how to move your library for Windows Media Player to a new computer or hard disk drive or "restock" the library on your current computer.
Answers refer to Windows Media Player 10, unless otherwise noted.
On This Page
How do I move my library to a new computer?
You must perform multiple steps before and after moving your digital media files, depending upon the file types that you have. Before you begin the process, see the following questions.
| If You | See This |
Purchased any of the files displayed in your library from an online store | How do I move the licenses for the songs that I purchased from an online store to my new computer? |
Ripped any of the files displayed in your library from a CD with copy protection turned on | How do I move the licenses for the tracks that I ripped from CDs to my new computer? |
Added user ratings to any of the files displayed in your library | How do I copy the user ratings for my files to my new computer? |
Added or edited media information for any of the files displayed in your library | How do I copy customized media information for my files to my new computer? |
Created playlists or customized auto playlists in your library |
After you have reviewed the questions in the previous table and performed any necessary steps in the answers, connect a crossover cable to the Ethernet network cards (NICs) on the computers. A crossover cable, which you can find in most computer stores, lets you connect two computers together without using a network hub or router.
The following procedures for moving your library to a new computer assume that all of your digital media files are stored in the My Music, My Videos, and My Pictures folders on your old computer.
To share digital media folders on your new computer
1. | On your new computer, right-click the My Music folder, and then click Properties. |
2. | On the Sharing tab, click Share this folder, and then click OK. |
3. | If you have digital video files or digital pictures stored in the My Videos or My Pictures folders, repeat steps 1 and 2 for those folders. |
To copy files to your new computer, you must know the name of your new computer.
To determine your new computer name
1. | On your new computer, click Start, and then click My Computer. |
2. | In the My Computer window, under System Tasks (the left side of the window), click View system information. The System Properties dialog box will open. |
3. | Click the Computer Name tab and note the value for Full computer name. |
NoteYou can also display the System Properties dialog box for your computer by right-clicking My Computer on your desktop, and then clicking Properties.
You are now ready to copy the digital media files from your old computer to your new computer. To ensure that all of your playlists will work when you move them to your new computer, this procedure copies all files and folders from one digital media storage area on your old computer to the identical storage area on your new computer (for example, from the My Music folder on your old computer to the My Music folder on your new computer) without changing the file and folder structure.
To copy your digital media library to your new computer
1. | On your old computer, open the My Music folder. |
2. | In the My Music window, on the Edit menu, click Select All (or press CTRL+A) to select all of the files and folders in My Music. |
3. | In the My Music window, on the Edit menu, click Copy (or press CTRL+C) to copy the selected files and folders. The files and folders in the My Music folder are copied to the Windows Clipboard. |
4. | On your old computer, click Start and then click Run. |
5. | In the Run dialog box, in Open, type the name of your new computer as follows: \\newcomputername Replace newcomputername with the actual name of your new computer that you noted in the previous procedure. A window will open and display the folders that you shared on your new computer in the first procedure. |
6. | In the window that is displayed in the previous step, open the shared My Music folder. |
7. | On the shared My Music window, on the Edit menu, click Paste (or press CTRL+P). |
8. | Repeat steps 1 through 7 to copy any files in the My Videos and My Pictures folders from your old computer to your new computer. |
After you have copied all of the digital media files from your old computer to your new computer, you must add them to the library in Windows Media Player on your new computer.
To create your digital media library on your new computer
1. | In Windows Media Player, on the Tools menu, click Search for Media Files. The Add to Library by Searching Computer dialog box opens. (You can also press F3 to open the dialog box.) |
2. | In the Search options area, click Browse. |
3. | In the Browse for Folder dialog box, select the shared My Music folder, and then click OK. |
4. | In the Add to Library by Searching Computer dialog box, click Search. |
5. | When the Progress bar indicates that the search is complete, click Close. |
6. | If necessary, repeat this procedure for the digital media files stored in the shared My Videos and My Pictures folders on your new computer. |
How do I move the licenses for the songs that I purchased from an online store to my new computer?
Typically, licenses for songs that you purchase are valid on the computer that the song was originally downloaded to. After you move your library to your new computer, connect to the Internet, and then play the song that you purchased to acquire a new license. If you can't get a license for the song on your new computer, contact Customer Support for the online store from where you purchased the song for instructions on how to authorize playback on additional computers. The process may vary, depending upon which online store was used.
How do I move the licenses for the tracks that I ripped from CDs to my new computer?
Typically, licenses for tracks that you rip from CDs are valid on the computer that you ripped the tracks to. After you move your library to your new computer, connect to the Internet, and then play the track that you ripped from your CD. A Web page will be displayed that will allow you to download a new license for the ripped track on your new computer (a process called license migration). A license for a ripped track can be migrated to a new computer a limited number of times. For more information, see the Windows Media Player FAQ.
How do I copy the user ratings for my files to my new computer?
You can ensure that the user ratings that you create for your songs are saved by selecting the Maintain my star ratings as global ratings in the media files option in Windows Media Player.
On your old computer, do the following:
1. | In Windows Media Player, on the Tools menu, click Options. |
2. | On the Library tab, select the Maintain my star ratings as global ratings in the media files check box. When this check box is selected, the user ratings for your songs are saved in your media files rather than in your library database file. This process occurs in the background, so it may take some time before your ratings are saved to all of your media files. The next step in this procedure ensures that your ratings (and any changes that you have made to other media information) are saved to your files immediately. |
3. | On the Tools menu, click Process media information now. |
On your new computer, do the following:
1. | In Windows Media Player, on the Tools menu, click Options. |
2. | On the Library tab, select the Maintain my star ratings as global ratings in the media files check box. |
3. | Perform the procedures in the first question to copy the contents of your My Music folder from your old computer to your new computer. |
How do I copy customized media information for my files to my new computer?
When you add or edit media information manually for your digital media files, the information is added to the files after a period of time, which varies depending upon how many changes you have made and whether the Player is performing any processor-intensive actions. Before you move the files to your new computer, update the files immediately by doing the following:
| • | On your old computer, in Windows Media Player, on the Tools menu, click Process Media Information Now. |
After Windows Media Player finishes adding your media information to the files, on your new computer, perform the procedures in the first question to copy the contents of your My Music folder from your old computer to your new computer.
Why don't my playlists work on my new computer?
An entry in a playlist uses a "relative path" to identify where each digital media file is located on your computer, relative to the playlist file. Your playlist doesn't work because you copied the digital media files from your old computer to a different folder structure on your new computer and Windows Media Player can't find the file specified by the path in the playlist anymore. Use the procedures in the first question to ensure that your playlists will still work when you move them to your new computer.
How do I move my library to a hard disk drive?
If you run out of disk space on your computer, it is easy to move your library to a high-capacity external hard disk drive. However, you may experience problems if you attach the external hard disk drive to another computer and then try to play licensed files that you purchased from an online store or tracks that you ripped from a CD with copy protection turned on. Typically, licenses for these files are valid on the computer that the file was originally downloaded or ripped to. For more information, see the questions earlier in this column about moving licenses for purchased songs and ripped tracks.
This procedure assumes that you are moving your library to a new hard disk drive attached to your current computer to free up disk space.
To copy your digital media library to a hard disk drive
1. | Connect the hard disk drive to your computer. |
2. | Click Start, and then click My Computer. |
3. | In the My Computer window, under Hard Disk Drives, double-click the hard disk drive name to open it. |
4. | Create a My Music folder on the hard disk drive. |
5. | Copy your music files from the My Music folder on your computer to the My Music folder on the hard disk drive. For more information, see "To copy your digital media library to your new computer" in the first question. |
6. | Delete all files and folders from the My Music folder on your computer. |
7. | If necessary, repeat steps 4 and 5 for any digital media files stored in the My Videos or My Pictures folders on your computer. |
You digital music files are now moved to your hard disk drive. Next you must refresh the entries in your library so that the file paths are updated to include the new locations on the hard disk drive.
To update your digital media library
1. | In Windows Media Player, on the Tools menu, click Search for Media Files. The Add to Library by Searching Computer dialog box opens. (You can also press F3 to open the dialog box.) |
2. | In the Search options area, click the Browse button. |
3. | In the Browse for Folder dialog box, select the empty My Music folder on the computer, and then click OK. |
4. | In the Add to Library by Searching Computer dialog box, click Search. |
5. | When the Progress bar indicates that the search is complete, click Close. |
6. | If necessary, repeat this procedure for the digital media files stored in the empty My Videos and My Pictures folders on your computer. |
7. | Your library should now be empty. To update the library with entries from the hard disk drive, repeat steps 1 through 6, but in step 3, select a digital media folder on the hard disk drive. |
How do I "restock" the library on my computer?
If you want to "restock" your library because numerous duplicate entries to files have crept into the library over time, we recommend that you review the questions for removing duplicate entries in the column, "Cleaning Up Your Library in Windows Media Player," in the Media Advice archive.
If you want to "start over" by deleting all of the entries from your library and then creating new entries for the digital media files on your computer, you must delete the library entries and then add your digital media files to the library to create new entries and a new library database file.
To delete the library
1. | Close Windows Media Player. |
2. | Locate the library database file (a file with a .wmdb file name extension) for your user account. By default, the location on your computer is Drive_Letter:\Documents and Settings\User_Account_Name\Local Settings\Application Data\Microsoft\Media Player. Note that the library database file is a hidden file. For more information, see To display hidden files and folders. |
3. | Change the library database file name extension from .wmdb to .bak to remove the library entries from the Player. For example, rename CurrentDatabase_219.wmdb to CurrentDatabase_219.bak. For more information about renaming files, see To change the name of a file or folder. |
NoteThe .bak file is a backup of your existing library database for Windows Media Player. If you are unhappy with the results of the following procedure, delete the new database file that was created and then change the library database file name extension from .bak back to .wmdb file to return the previous library entries.
To restock the library
1. | In Windows Media Player, on the Tools menu, click Search for Media Files. The Add to Library by Searching Computer dialog box opens. (You can also press F3 to open the dialog box.) |
2. | In the Search options area, click Browse. |
3. | In the Browse for Folder dialog box, select the My Music folder on the computer, and then click OK. |
4. | In the Add to Library by Searching Computer dialog box, click Search. |
5. | When the Progress bar indicates that the search is complete, click Close. |
6. | If necessary, repeat this procedure for the digital media files stored in the My Videos and My Pictures folders on your computer. |
If you don't find the answer to your question in this column, be sure to check the Archive. Media Advice is not an official Microsoft Support channel. If you need immediate help for an urgent problem, we recommend that you visit Microsoft Help and Support.