I have imported my entire CD library, over 2000 CD's onto iTunes. These MPEG 4- MP3 and other audio files live on an external 500 Gig drive. The iTunes library, that is to say the directory that knows where these song files exist and what they are called resides on the internal drive of my Mac Pro. After an investment of several years of importing my disks it was clear that a lot of time and effort was at risk if I had a disk crash. So to back up my actual music files, not the library, I simply copied the 200 Gig iTunes Music folder onto another external drive. Of course its not that simple, is it. Should I have a crash of the hard drive the original iTunes Music folder lives on and wanted to start using the back up copy, the library will have no idea what those files are. Please tell me how to back up my iTunes Music folder complete with a library directory that is still accurate or direct me to an article that clearly step by step will lead me through this.
Thank you all who attempt to answer.