Q: iTunes can't find my music

See Make a split library portable for general background on moving working libraries around.

If you moved the whole library you may be able to shift-start-iTunes to reconnect to it.

If you moved the media folder only and iTunes is full of broken links you might want to shuffle things around so that it is the same as if you had moved the iTunes folder in one step, then shift-start-iTunes to reconnect to it. See also Re: How to populate iTunes from My Music file for more on broken links.

If you're not bothered about ratings, playlists, play counts etc, then you can import the media into a new library. I would recommend that you set this out in the portable layout for best results in future. Rebuilding the library like this tends to have an impact on any synced devices too.

If you tell me which bits of your library are stored where and what you see in iTunes compared to what you expect to see, I might be able to make useful suggestions.

tt2

The core data for an iTunes Library is the iTunes Library.itl file. This holds a record of which media files have been added to the library, where to find them, what playlists they are in, and any other metadata that isn't be stored in tags such as ratings and play counts.

This file would normally be in the ..\iTunes folder not ..\iTunes\iTunes Music as you seem to suggest.

See Open a different iTunes Library file or create a new one - Apple Support for the steps to open a library on a different path. Specifically you don't do this by adjusting the setting of the media folder.

See Empty/corrupt iTunes library after upgrade/crash if you've put the library in the correct place, or connected to the right iTunes Library.itl file but it has come up empty.

tt2

See Recover your iTunes library from your iPod or iOS device, or Recover media from an iPod if it is an older device. However if the media is on the hard drive then there isn't any need to extract it from your iPod.

Can you post a screenshot of what you see in iTunes and iTunes Music? I suspect you need to move the library files up one level into the iTunes folder (there may be another set there already which is what is actually opening). rename iTunes Music as iTunes Media, connect to the relocated .itl file, and then fix broken links.

tt2

As I suspected you have two sets of library files. The iTunes Library (Corrupt).itl file also hints at previous problems. What are the respective sizes and last modified dates of the iTunes Library.itl files in iTunes and iTunes Music? It is also possible that the most representative version of your library could be in iTunes\Previous iTunes Libraries or iTunes Music\Previous iTunes Libraries (if that exists). Typically the largest .itl file will be the active library.

Once you know which file has the information I suspect the best plan will be to move things around to match the standard layout as show in the right-hand image in Make a split library portable. Active library files and album artwork folder in iTunes, media inside iTunes\iTunes Media with artist folders down inside iTunes\iTunes Media\Music. Once in this layout and connected to the right library file so that all of your tracks and playlists are shown we can then move on to fixing the broken links (exclamation marks) that are likely to arise.

tt2

Sounds promising. Now take a look at Re: How to populate iTunes from My Music file.

tt2

The script iTunesITLPath can reveal the path, assuming that iTunes is creating the XML file. See About iTunes library files - Apple Support for more. If you shift-start iTunes and use the choose option it should also reveal the folder currently being used.

tt2

You need to enable the sidebar, then expand the device, and select either the Music playlist to import all lists, or a playlist folder or regular list if you only want a selection or a specific list. In this example the Classic Creedence list would be imported.

tt2