Weird iTunes bug - a mystery!

[r-sparks]

I'm using iTunes on a Mac Powerbook G4. I've just downloaded a load of MP3s to the desktop. To import them into iTunes, I wanted to click and drag them onto the iTunes window.

So I highlight all (Apple+a) and then un-highlight various files and folders that aren't MP3s. When I drag these onto the iTunes windows, the program starts to go crazy, seemingly downloading .wav, .mov, .aif files and more. I don't know where these are coming from.

They're sound effects (bird calls?) and jazzy snippets of music, usually less than 20 seconds long. Movies are things like flowers opening and industrial scenes. Typical filename = AU000063. The directory created within iTunes is called "Movies".

Thinking about it, the files are probably from the installation of World Book 2005. The movies have voice overs explaining what they are. But how have they ended-up in iTunes? Why did they choose to import at that moment?

I'm 100% certain that I only highlighted the MP3 tracks, and no other folders. I've opened a terminal window and there are no hidden files/folders, apart from .DS_store and .localized.

It's like dragging the files from the desktop has caused iTunes to scan the entire hard disk for files to import.

 

[Applespider]

You didn't accidentally drag Macintosh HD from the desktop into iTunes?

 

[r-sparks]

You didn't accidentally drag Macintosh HD from the desktop into iTunes?

Ha! Mystery solved.

I'd downloaded around 60 MP3 tunes (from http://pianosociety.com, if you're curious).

It appears when OS X runs out of desktop space, it starts to pile icons on top of one another. What happened was that 10 MP3 icons covered the Macintosh HD icon. From a quick glance, all I could see was one icon with a particularly dense drop shadow.

So Apple+a selected everything. I pruned out what I didn't need but the Macintosh HD icon was "buried", and I didn't see it.

Rather odd policy of stacking icons on top of each other, especially burying something as important as the Mac HD icon. I'm not sure how Windows or GNOME/KDE handle this. IIRC Windows just doesn't show the icons and you have to browse to the directory using Explorer to see them.