Just got back from a three day trip and after I opened iTunes and started trying to play some of the songs in my library for each one I get a prompt stating that iTunes cannot locate the song and if I'd like to locate it manually. This comes after I just moved my entire library over to an external hard drive because it was taking up too much space on my iMac's HDD. If I locate the song manually there is no problem but there's no way I'm going to do that more than 1,000 times. Does anyone have any ideas? My external HDD is connected and the songs are there---I can get it to work if I locate them manually---but why is this happening? And for the record, I have it set to the location on my external HDD in the advanced setting of the preferences of iTunes so that shouldn't be the problem.
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iTunes asking me to locate every song in my library! HELP!
- Thread starter Apple!Fre@k
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Well, I just moved the "iTunes Music" folder over, not the whole "iTunes" folder, so yes, it's pointing to the correct folder. Within the folder it's linked to "iTunes Music" is all the folders for the different music artists, and within those, the songs for each.
Dumb question, but I assume you have quit and restarted iTunes for it to recognize the changes after you redirected it to the new location.
Also, I think there is a way, holding down, option while clicking on the iTunes icon to launch that will rebuild the library. iPhoto does it too. I might be off on the keystroke. If not somethig like Apple(command) option + launch.
Also, I think there is a way, holding down, option while clicking on the iTunes icon to launch that will rebuild the library. iPhoto does it too. I might be off on the keystroke. If not somethig like Apple(command) option + launch.
Yup. I've restarted the whole computer in fact. I've also tried to rebuild the library holding down the option key while starting iTunes. No dice.
You can't just move the files to your external. All the references in the iTunes database are now pointing to non-existent files on your internal drive—it has no idea you moved the files, so it's still looking for them where it expects them. Here's the proper way to move your iTunes library:
This means you need to move your folder BACK to your internal drive first (before you do the above steps), so iTunes becomes un-confused about where the files are living. (This also means that, after you move your files back to your internal, you might need to RE-re-link the files you've already located as being on the external volume).
- Set your iTunes music folder to a new folder on your external drive.
- Make sure you have "Keep iTunes music folder organized" and "Copy items to iTunes music folder" checked.
- Go to the Advanced menu and choose Consolidate Library.
- Now your library has been copied to your external drive and the iTunes database is referencing those new files. Verify this by doing Get Info on a few random tracks in your library.
- Once you've verified that everything has been moved and works, you can delete the folder on your internal (leaving your iTunes Music database and XML file alone, of course).
This means you need to move your folder BACK to your internal drive first (before you do the above steps), so iTunes becomes un-confused about where the files are living. (This also means that, after you move your files back to your internal, you might need to RE-re-link the files you've already located as being on the external volume).
Another idea (perhaps a little more time consuming but would do the trick) is to delete the library (but do not remove file from computer) and then import again from your external HDD. Terrible that you've had to do this to begin with as I was considering getting an external HDD sometime this summer. I know it's the long way to do it and you shouldn't HAVE to do this, but that would do it ( i would imagine )
Well yes, but then you lose play counts, ratings, date added info, all that stuff. By consolidating to a new folder, you avoid all that and get a seamless move, it's just that most people don't know about it.
I keep hoping that eventually iTunes will stop keeping its own database and just rely on extensible filesystem-based metadata for its organization needsbasically just be a music player/interface for data that's already in the filesystem (and easily accessible to other apps). Basically, make it more like BeOS, Apple!
Well yes, but then you lose play counts, ratings, date added info, all that stuff. By consolidating to a new folder, you avoid all that and get a seamless move, it's just that most people don't know about it.
I keep hoping that eventually iTunes will stop keeping its own database and just rely on extensible filesystem-based metadata for its organization needsbasically just be a music player/interface for data that's already in the filesystem (and easily accessible to other apps). Basically, make it more like BeOS, Apple!
Great point, I didn't see your solution as I was typing mine. Mine was the "DOH!" Homer Simpson way...
He was absolutely right, as can be found here:
http://www.ilounge.com/index.php/articles/comments/moving-your-itunes-library-to-a-new-hard-drive/
http://www.ilounge.com/index.php/articles/comments/moving-your-itunes-library-to-a-new-hard-drive/
OK, problem. Everytime I try to consolidate my library I get this error message about 75% of the way through---it ends up transferring 382 of the 503 artist folders in my iTunes library.
![screenshotdk8.jpg]()
Any suggestions?
Any suggestions?
OK this is getting me frustrated. I moved all my iTunes files back to the same location they were in within the iTunes folder in the Music folder and yet more than half of my songs/TV shows/Movies in iTunes now require that I locate them manually. Some work and some don't. Currently, I have iTunes pointed to look for everything in the default location, which is where they are right now. And yet, I am still required to locate the stuff manually. What gives?
Can't I just delete everything in iTunes, copy everything in the folder, drop it in iTunes and it will work? As has been said the only thing I would loose is the play counts, date last played, etc, right? There must be a file that contains all of that info that I can somehow have iTunes locate, right?
Can't I just delete everything in iTunes, copy everything in the folder, drop it in iTunes and it will work? As has been said the only thing I would loose is the play counts, date last played, etc, right? There must be a file that contains all of that info that I can somehow have iTunes locate, right?
Because it stopped part-way through the consolidation, I'd imagine. Did something happen to interrupt your copy? Knocked cable? Run out of free space? Crash?
I don't worry too much about playcounts, ratings, etc. I just listen to the goodies.
I really hope you get this fixed, i'm watching this to see how it all turns out.
Well yes, but then you lose play counts, ratings, date added info, all that stuff. By consolidating to a new folder, you avoid all that and get a seamless move, it's just that most people don't know about it.
I keep hoping that eventually iTunes will stop keeping its own database and just rely on extensible filesystem-based metadata for its organization needsbasically just be a music player/interface for data that's already in the filesystem (and easily accessible to other apps). Basically, make it more like BeOS, Apple!
not if you copy the .xml and the library files to say a usb drive. itunes will then recreate these files when you move all the songs back. then just put the ones on the usb drive and replace the ones that were there
iTunes isn't user friendly!
I follwed instructions on uTube on how to back up my itunes library on to an external hard drive and it worked great. Now, BIG problems!! My itunes is not reconizing my music unless I copy and paste the location into the prompt. It already shows in my prefrences the location is C:\Documents and Settings\HP_Administrator\My Documents\My Music\iTunes\iTunes Music but only works if my external hard drive is connected. PLEASE HELP!!!!!
I follwed instructions on uTube on how to back up my itunes library on to an external hard drive and it worked great. Now, BIG problems!! My itunes is not reconizing my music unless I copy and paste the location into the prompt. It already shows in my prefrences the location is C:\Documents and Settings\HP_Administrator\My Documents\My Music\iTunes\iTunes Music but only works if my external hard drive is connected. PLEASE HELP!!!!!