How to transfer WMAs and iTunes 8 library from Windows to Mac

"My laptop HDD recently failed, so I replaced it with an iMac. Fortunately, my iTunes library was on an external HDD, so I have copied it across to the iMac. However, the songs that I have purchased from iTunes do not seem to be available. They have copied across, but are 'greyed out'. I have authorised my new computer to play purchases. Is there anything else I am forgetting?"

It is relatively painless to switch over from Windows to Mac as Mac has support for a lot of commonly used files like Microsoft Word documents, Powerpoint slideshows and Adobe PDF files. So, compatibility is hardly an issue. What you do have to take note of however while switching over to Mac are your iTunes library and WMAs. Note: This tutorial was written under the assumption that you are running the latest version of iTunes ( iTunes 8 ) on both your Windows and Mac.


1. Add WMAs to iTunes on Windows

iTunes for Windows is built with Windows Media Audio (WMA) support - it is able to play and convert WMAs. However, because WMA is a proprietary codec, it isn't available in iTunes for Mac. If you're not careful, you'll be left with a lot of WMAs which will be unplayable on your Mac.

The easiest way to dodge this problem is to convert all the WMAs you have while you're still on your Windows machine. In your iTunes General preferences, under 'Import settings', make sure to have AAC or MP3 selected. Configure the bit rate if you like but because you will be converting from one lossy codec to another, there's bound to be a profound loss in quality.



However, if the WMAs are DRM protected, it will be a little bit difficult. One method of dealing with the DRM protected WMAs is to get an audio converter. Make a simple Google search and you will get a lot of converters that can convert WMA to MP3. However, those that can convert DRM protected WMA to MP3 are rather limited. The one that attracts my attention is TuneClone Audio Converter (fow Windows only), which isn't free but very well worth a shot if you have lots of DRM protected WMAs ready to be switched to Mac. TuneClone Audio Converter is capable of removing DRM protection from WMA files and convert WMA to iTunes (both Windows and Mac) compatible MP3 format by installing a virtual CD burner. Here is the guide: http://www.tuneclone.com/how-to-convert-wma-to-mp3-for-ipod.php

Apart from that, TuneClone Audio Converter can also be used to convert iTunes M4P (protected AAC) to MP3 for non-Apple MP3 devices. Here is the guide: http://www.tuneclone.com/itunes8-m4p-to-mp3.php

After getting the protected WMAs converted to MP3, add to your iTunes library the MP3 files, which will be transferred to Mac along with all the music in iTunes library.

2. Backup iTunes library on Windows

In Windows, open iTunes. Consolidate your library from the 'File -> Library' menu.



This will move all the music files into the iTunes Music folder and sort them by artist and album.

Navigate to your My Music folder. It's typically found at C:\Documents and Settings\~username~\My Documents\My Music.

Copy the iTunes folder to the Desktop of your new Mac. Depending on the size of your library and the method of transfer, this could take a while.

3. Organize iTunes on Mac

If you are running iTunes on your Mac for the first time, you'll be prompted with the initial welcome setup procedure. When it asks to search your drive for music files, make sure to decline. At the end, you'll be presented with a fresh, empty iTunes library. Now, quit iTunes. By default, it would have already set up its own iTunes Music folder located in ~/Music. Go over to this location and delete the iTunes folder then copy and paste your iTunes Music folder from the desktop into it (the one which you have just brought over from your Windows computer). After all this is done, launch iTunes and you'll be rewarded with your old, personalized iTunes library.

How to Enjoy DVD/Video/YouTube/iTunes/WMA on Mobile Phone

Apart from the basic functions of calling and SMS, a mobile phone is also a pretty good multimedia player, which enables you to play games, enjoy videos and music and browse images etc., so long as the media is accepted by the specific phone. In order to know which formats the specific phone accepts, you can make a simple Google search or visit the tech specs page in the official website of the phone.

If you want to enjoy DVD movies on your mobile phone, you have to get a DVD ripping program to help you rip the DVD movies to the format (MP4, 3GP, AVI, etc.) supported by your phone. Here, I'd recommend using Clone2Go DVD Ripper, which I have been using for a long time. The main reason I am fond of it is that, apart from the DVD ripping feature, it also serves as an all-in-one video converter. Plus, it allows you to download videos from YouTube.com and convert YouTube FLV videos to any other video format you need. So this DVD ripper can help you rip DVD movies to mobile phone video, convert any video to mobile phone video and even convert online YouTube video for your mobile phone. However, it is not free. It does cost you USD39.95 to register the full version. And there really exist many counterpart freewares to do so. Yet, it is well worth a try if you want to avoid the trouble of getting these programs from time to time. Here is the screenshot I captured from Clone2Go DVD Ripper.



Personally speaking, due to the narrow screen, I don't like playing games or videos with my mobile phone. However, I do enjoy listening to all kinds of music with my mobile phone. If you have downloaded songs from a CD or a shareware site like Limewire, you can easily put them on your mobile phone. However, any song you purchased directly from iTunes store will not play on your phone, due that it is encrypted by DRM. I have found the easiest way is to burn the music to an audio CD and then rip it back to Windows Media Player or a similar program as an MP3. And Wordpress has a little tutorial that shows how to get MP3 files from iTunes DRM protected AAC (M4P) music in two different ways. One is to burn an audio CD in iTunes and then rip the CD back to MP3 as I mentioned. The other is to use a program called TuneClone, a piece of software that works extremely great for converting a large collection of DRM protected iTunes music to MP3, with the metadata of the music well preserved at the same time. Together with Windows Media Player, TuneClone can also help you get DRM protected WMA (Windows Media Audio) music converted to MP3 for your mobile phone.

At last you can get a microSD card, with which you can transfer the videos and music to your phone to enjoy them wherever you go. Of course, you can also get some software to help you transfer the output files from your PC to your phone. Many of them are available online.