Ken Jancef

Q: After hard drive replacement, iTunes points to wrong drive

I have my iTunes media on an external drive, and the drive failed. Luckily I had a backup, and I also had a spare drive to replace the bad one with. So I set up the replacement drive on my Mac Mini, naming it the same as the old drive (iTunes Library). I then copied the data from the backup onto the replacement drive. I then connected the replacement drive to the Mac, and started up iTunes. From the looks of everything, it looked like all was good, all of my Music, Movies, etc. was there. So yesterday I happen to look at the path for one of my Music files, and I see that now iTunes is pointing to my iTunes Backup drive, named "iTunes Backup", instead of my regular iTunes drive, named "iTunes Library".

 

I had thought that iTunes would still know that the replacement drive, named the same as the old one, would still point to it, but apparently I was wrong. I even went to "Preferences" and pointed the Media location to the replacement drive, not the backup.

 

So, my question is: How can I get iTunes to point to the right drive? Do I have to open iTunes with the "Option" key and have it point to the replacement drive? Is there something else?

 

At least I had a backup, and both replacement and backup drives seem ok...

 

HELP!!

Mac mini, OS X Mavericks (10.9.5), Late 2012, 1TB hard drive, 16GB RAM

Posted on Oct 3, 2014 8:04 AM

Close

Q: After hard drive replacement, iTunes points to wrong drive

  • All replies
  • Helpful answers

  • by Limnos,

    Limnos Limnos Oct 3, 2014 8:40 AM in response to Ken Jancef
    Level 9 (54,277 points)
    Mac OS X
    Oct 3, 2014 8:40 AM in response to Ken Jancef

    Which method you use depends upon exactly what you have on the external and your present daily running configuration.  I am not clear if you have all these drives running at the same time and if you had iTunes running from the backup for a while?  If you have your entire library (the entire iTunes folder with library files and folders) on the library drive you do it by starting with the option key held down and selecting the library on the drive.  If you only have media on the external then some other things that you are not telling us must have happened to get it all linked to the backup instead of the library drive.

  • by Ken Jancef,

    Ken Jancef Ken Jancef Oct 3, 2014 8:51 AM in response to Limnos
    Level 1 (109 points)
    iPhone
    Oct 3, 2014 8:51 AM in response to Limnos

    Hopefully I can answer all that for you:

     

    The way I have (had) iTunes running was ALL of my Media (Movies, Music, etc.) was on a 1TB external hard drive, due to the fact that I was running out of room on the Mac Mini's internal drive. But when I initially moved the media to the external drive about a year ago, I DID NOT move the library files to the external drive. At the time I didn't know I could, so I left those on the Mac Mini.

     

    So 3 days ago I tried emptying my Trash, and I got an error saying that I needed to repair the external drive named "iTunes Library", which was the 1TB drive with media (I called it Library even though the actual library files were on the Mac Mini). So I quickly found out that the external drive couldn't be repaired, so luckily I had a backup, and a spare 1TB drive. So I closed iTunes and copied my backup to the new external drive, and named it the same as the old one, "iTunes Library". So after the copying was complete, I opened up iTunes and saw all of my stuff, so I ASSUMED it worked. This was 2 days ago.

     

    So last night, in doing some maintenance on my Music, I happened to notice the location of one of my music files, /Volumes/iTunes Backup/..... It should have said /Volumes/iTunes Library/..... So I sorta freaked out. I guess somehow iTunes switched to the iTunes Backup drive instead of iTunes Library.

     

    Now, I'm not worried too much, because I still have a backup of everything, and the only thing I did since setting up the new external drive was import 3 CD's, which I can do again. I just want iTunes to point to the right drive.

     

    And since the library files are on the main Mac Mini drive instead of in the iTunes drive, this might be a good time to find out how I can get the library files sitting on the external drive with all of the media.

     

    So I hope that all makes sense, and hope this long description didn't put you to sleep...

     

    Thanks for the help!!!!!!

     

    Ken

  • by Limnos,

    Limnos Limnos Oct 3, 2014 9:36 AM in response to Ken Jancef
    Level 9 (54,277 points)
    Mac OS X
    Oct 3, 2014 9:36 AM in response to Ken Jancef

    So your library is working but it is somehow working off your backup drive?  Strange.  That goes contrary to everything I have learned.  It should have told you there were a bunch of broken links since it could no longer find the files on "library drive".  Then when you set up a new drive with exactly the same name it should have been tricked into working again.  I have no idea how it automatically switched to using your backup drive.

     

    Again, do you keep both drive on all the time?  If you do, try turning off the backup drive, start iTunes and see how iTunes reacts.  It should give you  bunch of broken links.  Try repairing one by finding the appropriate file on the library drive and then let iTunes find others when it offers.

     

    turingtest2 article: Make a split library portable - https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-7392

  • by Ken Jancef,

    Ken Jancef Ken Jancef Oct 3, 2014 9:52 AM in response to Limnos
    Level 1 (109 points)
    iPhone
    Oct 3, 2014 9:52 AM in response to Limnos

    Yes, both drives are on at the same time, and both are separate external drives.

     

    I will try turning off the backup drive to see what happens.

     

    Is there a way I can rebuild the iTunes Library files and store them on the external drive, so all will be together? If so, would this be the right time to do that? It might be easier at this point.

     

    Thanks again!

     

    Ken

  • by Limnos,

    Limnos Limnos Oct 3, 2014 10:09 AM in response to Ken Jancef
    Level 9 (54,277 points)
    Mac OS X
    Oct 3, 2014 10:09 AM in response to Ken Jancef

    As long as the library is working there is no need to rebuild.  Look at the link I posted.

  • by Ken Jancef,

    Ken Jancef Ken Jancef Oct 3, 2014 10:35 AM in response to Limnos
    Level 1 (109 points)
    iPhone
    Oct 3, 2014 10:35 AM in response to Limnos

    Ok, read the article.

     

    I want to make sure I got this right, so sorry if I seem confused...

     

    First thing is to close iTunes and disconnect the backup drive. Then open iTunes to see if it complains about missing files. But this part confuses me:

     

    If you do, try turning off the backup drive, start iTunes and see how iTunes reacts.  It should give you a bunch of broken links.  Try repairing one by finding the appropriate file on the library drive and then let iTunes find others when it offers.

     

    It will probably do that for the 10,000 or so music files and 200 or so movies files I have in iTunes. In reading the article, it says that I can copy the iTunes library files onto the external drive, then open iTunes and have it point to them. Can I do that in this situation?

     

    Again, sorry for being confused, but I sorta hate the way Apple makes this process so complicated.

     

    Thanks.

  • by Limnos,

    Limnos Limnos Oct 3, 2014 11:21 AM in response to Ken Jancef
    Level 9 (54,277 points)
    Mac OS X
    Oct 3, 2014 11:21 AM in response to Ken Jancef

    Well, it is complicated in the way your public library does things is complicated.  iTunes keeps a catalog of media files and assumes from that catalog that the file exists where it was noted to exist when it was added to the library.  Just as with my public library, there can be off-site storage too, but they have to make sure somebody hasn't moved their books without telling them or they are in a mess.  As I said earlier, I have no idea how your catalog on the internal drive got into its head to use the files on the backup drive.  That goes completely contrary to how iTunes has ever operated from all the topics I have seen on this site for 10+ years, unless there was something else you did that I am not hearing. No matter, if this is truly the scenario.  What I am having you do is deliberately break all the links to the files on the backup drive and hopefully rebuild links to the files on the new library drive.  Then you will be using the other document to change the location of the rest of your non-media library files so it is all together on the library drive for easier moving in future.  I guess you could do it in either order.  The thing is, the library file (iTunes library.itl which ties all iTunes together) is telling you (according to what you report) that when you request track XYZ in iTunes it should be going to the backup drive and play file xyz, but you want it to go to the library drive and use the file there.  If you simply copy the library file to your library drive it will still be trying to find the music file on the backup drive.  The only ways to change the designation are to either breaks the links and take advantage of iTunes' re-linking tool, or to use the editable .xml version of the library file to hand-edit the file paths and use that file to rebuild the library file with come concurrent loss of data that is only in the .itl version.

     

    What are the iTunes library files? - http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1660

     

    More on iTunes library files and what they do - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ITunes#Media_management

     

    What are all those iTunes files? - http://www.macworld.com/article/139974/2009/04/itunes_files.html

     

    Where are my iTunes files located? - http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1391

  • by Ken Jancef,

    Ken Jancef Ken Jancef Oct 12, 2014 10:33 AM in response to Limnos
    Level 1 (109 points)
    iPhone
    Oct 12, 2014 10:33 AM in response to Limnos

    Limnos,

     

    I thank you for all you're doing, but I am SO CONFUSED at this point... I just want this working again. I even tried calling Apple Support, and they just made it worse.

     

    Here is how I have things set up:

     

    iTunes library files (iTunes.itl and all that...) INCLUDING album artwork is on the "Macintosh HD" of my Mac Mini. My Media (music, movies, etc...) is on an external drive, in the same structure it was when the initial external drive failed. I open iTunes, and for some reason iTunes is looking for my external drive that I use for backup. I just want iTunes to point to the right external drive (labeled "iTunes Library"), and preferrably move the iTunes.itl and stuff off of the "Macintosh HD" onto the same drive with all of the data. it just seems like this is being more of a job than it should be, or I need to start from scratch. I don't know what to do at this point. All I know is that now my system is set up EXACTLY the way it was before the external drive crash, and iTunes can't point to the new drive with the data set up EXACTLY as it was.

     

    I'm thinking after all this time if I started from scratch I'd be up and running again, but I thought this would be a quick fix......

  • by Ken Jancef,

    Ken Jancef Ken Jancef Oct 22, 2014 12:16 PM in response to Limnos
    Level 1 (109 points)
    iPhone
    Oct 22, 2014 12:16 PM in response to Limnos

    Ok, so here is an update...

     

    Limnos, I thank you for your replies, and know that you do know a lot about iTunes and such from reading previous posts, but nothing seemed to work.

     

    So... I ended up starting from scratch. I reformatted my external drive and directed iTunes to create a new library on that external drive. Then I dragged and dropped all of my content from my backup drive into iTunes. I had already backed up my playlists, and I don't use ratings or play counts, so after about 12 hours I got everything into iTunes the way I wanted it, imported my playlists, and now all is right with the world again.

     

    Actually, after I figured iTunes was stable, I upgraded to Yosemite and iTunes 12... and still all is good. And I finally got all of my data and library files onto one drive, which was what I had been wanting to do since February or so.

     

    So thanks again Limnos, your tips and help are amazing, but for how much my setup was messed up nothing worked.

     

    Ken