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[michiganmike711]

1- I am in the process of switching from my PC to a new MacMini with the M4 chip.  I just read that I cannot transfer my JRiver PC library to the Mac.  If that is true and a transfer is not possible, what alternatives do I have? 

2- If I can function with JRiver, I assume I need to buy a Mac OS license.  Is there a discount for the new license since I have had a PC license for years?  Renewing my PC license has usually be discounted. 

3- Is there anything special I would need to do in making the switch from one license to another?

many thx, Mike

[JimH]

You can use any license to upgrade to the current Mac license. 

https://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php/topic,140669.0.html

[michiganmike711]

thanks for clarifying the license update issue.  However, that is only one answer to the questions I raised. 

I still need an answer to the PC library transfer to the Mac.  Can it be done?  I read it could not be done in either direction.  If not, my alternatives are ??

thx, Mike

[EnglishTiger]

Yes you can use a Win PC Library Backup to get the Library onto the Mac and I don't know where you read that it can't be done in either direction because a lot of people have done it.

[Awesome Donkey]

The problem with changing platforms is the changes of locations and paths (and moving of your media files if required). In Windows paths look like C:\Music\ or something like that whereas in Linux paths look like /media/Music or something like that and in macOS they can look like /Volumes/Music or something like that. It's all going to depend on where the media is stored, locally on the PC/Mac or on something like an external hard drive, NAS, etc. If it's a NAS and it's SMB, be warned that SMB support in macOS is pretty bad and slow, even after taking tweaks to improve performance, it's still nowhere close to the speeds you can get in Windows or Linux with SMB. Then you have to set up mounts to make sure the NAS always mounts at boot (which isn't fun if you've never done it before). If you are using a NAS, make sure you're using a wired ethernet connection with the Mac instead of Wi-Fi, as Wi-Fi is going to slow down SMB even more.

Finally once you have the files available (and if it's a NAS it's mounted and available on boot) you have to (carefully) use the Rename, Move, & Copy Files tool to change the paths in existing library that was restored to the new location of the files. Do only a handful at the beginning as a test and make sure they function fine before proceeding.

[michiganmike711]

I am very fond of animals, especially Tigers and Donkeys, and am heartened by your replies; many thanks!  I regret that I cannot tell you where I read that the transfer cannot be done in either direction but I think it might have been an AI response, and a rather detailed and long one, at that. 

The Flac music files and metadata are on my PC, which I think has been backed up in the MC library.  I am a bit confused by the difference in your responses, however.  In one case it looks fairly simple while the other one is complex.  Since I admit to being rather lame in the computer world, the complex route gives me pause (like a lot of stress). 

If the the Win PC Library Backup download tool will work for me, is there a guidance document I can access?  If not, another source I could turn to?

Gracias!  Mike

[Awesome Donkey]

The media files (FLAC files in this case) themselves are NOT included in library backups. You'd have to migrate those yourself using a external drive or USB stick or SD card if you have one big enough.

MC's library backups only include MC's settings, imported file data (including paths to the files, which is what needs fixed after changing OSes to point to the new file location), thumbnails (if you check the box to include them), playlist data and metadata... it does not include the files themselves.

I would highly recommend not storing your media on the same drive the OS is on because if you have to reinstall you lose your files if you don't have any backup. That's why external hard drives and NASes are popular around these parts.