I have Roon set up on my desktop computer but I think it will be more useful on my laptop. That way, when I travel, I will still have access to my music. How do I do this?
I tried service but likely categories returned “You are not authorized for this topic.” Can’t find anything on how to do this…
Please advise.
Thanks,
Mike
Just download Roon on your laptop. When installing you will be prompted to opt for using it as a Remote or as a Core. Upon selecting Core the system will force you to de-authorize your desktop as a Core (only one Core per subscription) and there you go, it’s really straightforward.
Note: by doing it this way you will lose your current library and all the manual edits you may have done to it (a new fresh library will be automatically created from whichever folder you tell Roon to watch). If the first install is very recent and you didn’t do much it doesn’t matter, but otherwise you may want to transfer the library (aka database) to your laptop (the process is described many times on this forum).
These instructions should help migrate your database if you do want to maintain your edits, playlists, favorites, and more.
Mike:
I found the Roon folder but I don’t see a database file there… The file contains 63 sub folders. Is this the file that I want to copy to my laptop as part of setting it up as the “Core”?
Thanks,
Mike
Are you trying to move over all your user data, or just set up a new Core?
Mike:
I am trying to set up my laptop as my core Roon device so that I can travel with it. According to the instructions you posted, I need to back up my “Roon folder” and acording to “hdls” above, I need to then copy my “library” to the laptop and select the laptop as my “Core.” At least this is what I think I want to do… I am hoping to take my laptop to another city for six weeks and be able to listen to my music. Leaving my desktop computer at home turned on does not seem like a viable solution…
Neither the location or identification of this Roon folder is explicit, so I can’t tell you definitively what the answer to your question is… It seems to me that “just set up a new Core” implies that my desktop will be running the whole time I am on the road. For many reasons, this is not a reliable solution…
Please advise.
Thanks,
Mike
Ok, understood. A Roon license allows you to use one computer to manage your library, and moving that license over to the laptop should be straightforward – just install Roon on the laptop, and choose to manage your library during the initial setup. You’ll be prompted to authorize the laptop, and you’re done.
My question was about moving over your user data and settings – this would require moving your music library as well. So two questions:
Have you generated anything in Roon you want to move over to the laptop? This would be things like your play history, your favorites, playlists, edits, etc.
And, where is your music currently stored when running on the desktop, and do you plan to move it to the laptop as well? Will the storage device change?
Mike:
I think that I can let go of the few playlists, favorites at this point. I’m only two months or so into my Ron use. My music is currently stored on an external USB drive attached to my desktop. But I have a back-up copy that I want to take with me on the road. So, yes, my storage device will change as part of this re-configuration.
ALSO, I do have a Time Machine backup of all my desktop files, so I still need to back up my Roon file. Is this the 63 files I mentioned earlier?
Thanks,
Mike
Ok, if you’re ok with starting over fresh, that will be much simpler – if you’re installing for the first time on the laptop, this should be it:
And if you’re going to start fresh, you can just set up the 2nd copy of your music as a watched folder, and you should be good to go.
Moving on;
I’m not 100% clear what the 63 files are, or what desktop files you’re thinking about here, but if you want to backup Roon, you need to make a copy of the entire Roon folder. More details here, but again, if you’re going to start fresh on the laptop, this won’t matter.
Let me know if that’s clear, Mike – thanks!