iTunes Libary Issues

[emoin]

I've had a lot of problems with my iTunes library, so I have a few questions about it..

1. How can I clear out the entire library database but NOT delete any of the files? Somehow a lot of single files got duplicate or triplicate entries, so I'd like to just dump everything and start over. (But NOT delete the files)

2. I keep all of my MP3's on an external drive, so I don't have anything in the actual iTunes Library folder. Could that be affecting anything? Because I've found that after a while, for some reason, iTunes will simply skip over certain songs in my library for no reason -- the files are still there, and if I play them manually (by double clicking on the file in Finder) they're fine, but in the playlist it skips them.

3. Is there any way to eliminate the Album subfolder in the organization system? It's a huge hassle for me since none of my music has the album field filled out in the ID3 tag.

4. Speaking of ID3 tags, I try to fill them out for all of my MP3's, but on some of them, it appears that there simply isn't a tag in the file; the fields won't let me type anything into them either, to "create" a tag. Any way to get around this? It's really annoying.

You'll all have to excuse my incredible obsession with well organized MP3's Thanks in advance!

 

[Foxer]

Re: iTunes Libary Issues

Originally posted by emoin
I've had a lot of problems with my iTunes library, so I have a few questions about it..

1. How can I clear out the entire library database but NOT delete any of the files? Somehow a lot of single files got duplicate or triplicate entries, so I'd like to just dump everything and start over. (But NOT delete the files)

If I'm not mistaken, if you drag a file from the playlist to the trash, doesn't iTunes ask if you want the file removed from iTunes or deleted entirely? I seem to think it does. Of course, I'm at work right now on a PC, or I'd haev checked before responding.

 

[emoin]

Re: Re: iTunes Libary Issues

Originally posted by Foxer
If I'm not mistaken, if you drag a file from the playlist to the trash, doesn't iTunes ask if you want the file removed from iTunes or deleted entirely? I seem to think it does. Of course, I'm at work right now on a PC, or I'd haev checked before responding.

Nope. That's what I expected it to do, but it places the entire folder in the trash. I switched over from PC about 5 months ago, and this is the only Mac thing that's really bothering me (PS - Real Jukebox for Windows did that, which is why I thought about my switch.)

 

[Jaykay]

Maybe you should re-install itunes or you could dump the library file, id try it myself but i have better things to do than import about 4,000 songs back into itunes but it 'should' work.

 

[arn]

Re: Re: Re: iTunes Libary Issues

Originally posted by emoin
Nope. That's what I expected it to do, but it places the entire folder in the trash. I switched over from PC about 5 months ago, and this is the only Mac thing that's really bothering me (PS - Real Jukebox for Windows did that, which is why I thought about my switch.)

Try selecting a file in iTunes and hit "Delete" on your keyboard.

that shouldn't move the file into the trash.... or it should ask u.

arn

 

[mkubal]

Delete

Hitting delete will delete what is highlighted on the playlist or library. It will ask you if you are sure before you delete it, but you can turn that off so it won't ask you anymore. If you delete it from a playlist it won't be deleted from the library, but deleting from the library will delete it from all playlists. This will not delete the files however.

It might be skipping over the songs because it doesn't know you've moved a song to the external drive and now you can't find it. If that's the case it should come up with an exclamation point to the left of the song. You can double click the song and it will ask you if you want to find it manually and then you can go select it from wherever you've put the file.

I don't think you can eliminate the album subfolder. It sounds to me that you have the songs being copied to your iTunes music folder as well as keeping them on your external HD. Is this the case? If so you could be wasting a bunch of hard drive space on your computer.

As for the ID3 tags, are you editing them within iTunes?

Matt

 

[irmongoose]

Re: iTunes Libary Issues

1. Search (apple-f) for 'iTunes Music Library' and delete that file, open up iTunes again and it should be empty.

2. Make sure the check mark exists next to the song title... if not put the check. iTuens will skip over any songs without the check, and it will also not put it on the iPod.

3. Control(right)-click on the white menu bar above the playlist (containing text such as Song Name, Time, Artist, etc. You will get a contextual menu and just check off what you don't want to appear.

4. Can't help you much with that... just try clicking on the song (once) and pressing apple-i to edit the tags there.



irmongoose

 

[Jaykay]

Originally posted by irmongoose
1. Search (apple-f) for 'iTunes Music Library' and delete that file, open up iTunes again and it should be empty.

????????

Originally posted by Jaykay
Maybe you should re-install itunes or you could dump the library file