How to make iTunes scan for music files INSIDE the iTunes Music folder?

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Level 1

15 points

How to make iTunes scan for music files INSIDE the iTunes Music folder?

I recently had to revert to a 4-month old iTunes library file, and I need to update it with all the music I've added since then, still in the "iTunes Music" folder, filed by artist, etc. I tried "Consolidate Library" but that seemed to only scan for music elsewhere on the computer.

It also shows several missing files that are actually there as well (the little exclamation mark symbols).

Is there a way to make iTunes scan for these, or is there a third party app that will fix this?

Thanks

G5 1.8Ghz, Mac OS X (10.4.10)

Posted on Oct 8, 2007 2:35 PM

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Answer 1

ideapower Author

Level 1

15 points

Oct 12, 2007 10:41 AM in response to Tracy Reynolds

Actually the correct/preferred way would have been for iTunes to have not screwed up my library (and caused me to need to go through all this) to begin with 🙂 I see no difference in using either method for adding new files individually, but it's good to know that if I ever need to "repair" my music library again, I will use this method. Thanks.

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Answer 2

nysepete

Level 1

29 points

Oct 13, 2007 8:54 PM in response to Tracy Reynolds

ok -- here is my variation on the problem...

i have 2 folders -- one with some of the songs -- the other with ALL of my songs.

and i have close to 15k songs with exclamtion marks next to them because they arent in the old folder.

i switched my itunes library folder to the new one -- something on itunes went screwwy and i had to reload my i tunes "info library" but when i switched folders -- itunes is still looking in the old folder

does this make any sense?

if not -- i outlined it here also:

http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=1177470&tstart=0

what can i do to make my computer switch to the new folder and search for all songs in that folder so i can lose 10's of thousands of !'s without having to do a search for every single song?

thanks......

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Answer 3

ideapower Author

Level 1

15 points

Oct 9, 2007 4:43 PM in response to ideapower

I hate to be a pain, but lots of people have viewed this but nobody has responded so far. If this is not possible to do, would someone tell me as such? Otherwise, my search continues, and if this can't be done then I need to buckle down and do it manually.
Thanks in advance.
Kevin

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Answer 4

joshz

Level 4

3,290 points

Oct 9, 2007 5:56 PM in response to ideapower

you aren't being a pain; we're just looking for solutions.
Try clicking the songs with exclamation points/control clicking and seeing what options you have. If one of them is search, click it and iTunes should find your songs using Spotlight search features.
Good luck!

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Answer 5

ideapower Author

Level 1

15 points

Oct 10, 2007 10:21 AM in response to joshz

Thanks, but my main concern here is finding the songs that are in my music folder (having been imported in my previous library), but aren't even in my current library which I restored from my backup. Any idea how to make iTunes scan for "new" items inside the iTunes Music folder?

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Answer 6

joshz

Level 4

3,290 points

Oct 10, 2007 1:15 PM in response to ideapower

You could try dragging the files into the iTunes window (Shift click on the first in a folder, hold shift, click the last, drag in). The files have built in 'tags' to show the artist and album and album artwork.
Good luck!

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Answer 7

Chris CA

Level 10

82,719 points

Oct 11, 2007 9:52 AM in response to ideapower

*I tried "Consolidate Library" but that seemed to only scan for music elsewhere on the computer.*
Consolidate looks at the iTunes library and copies all of the song files into the iTunes music folder. It doesn't "find" music and add it to iTunes.

Drag the iTunes music folder onto the library icon in iTunes.
Or File -> *Add folder to library* and select the iTunes music folder.

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Answer 8

ideapower Author

Level 1

15 points

Oct 11, 2007 1:05 PM in response to Chris CA

Ok, I'll feel stupid if it's this simple, but if I drag my entire iTunes Music folder into the iTunes window, will it not add duplicate files of everything else that's in the library already, or would it skip those and only add the "new" ones?

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Answer 9

Chris CA

Level 10

82,719 points

Oct 11, 2007 1:17 PM in response to ideapower

It shouldn't add duplicates.

Open Music/iTunes and make a copy of the iTunes library file and put it on the desktop.
If you get duplicates, you can copy this back into the iTunes folder and replace the one there, which will bring you back to exactly where you are now.

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Answer 10

ideapower Author

Level 1

15 points

Oct 11, 2007 8:24 PM in response to Chris CA

That didn't work - I tried a single artist folder as a test. Not only did it add duplicates into the library, but it re-copied files, so now that artist folder has double the number of files.

Any other ideas?

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Answer 11

Oct 11, 2007 8:59 PM in response to ideapower

Well, I have two computers which use the same folder (on an external hard drive) for the library. When I add songs with one computer I go to the other computer and used Add to Library and point to the artist's folder I just added to on the other computer. The second computer is usually able to determine which files have already been added and won't add them.

Another alternative that is mentioned in other posts is creating a new library. Hold Option while opening iTunes to create a new library. Add everything to this new library. If you have playlists you can export them from the original library first and then import them into the new library.

Tracy

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Answer 12

ideapower Author

Level 1

15 points

Oct 12, 2007 7:45 AM in response to Tracy Reynolds

Ok, thanks everybody!! As it turns out this worked:

File > Add to Library...
Select: Music > iTunes > iTunes Music [folder]

It took a while but it only added songs that weren't already in the library. Somehow this method works entirely differently from dragging files into the library.
Thanks again!

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Answer 13

Oct 13, 2007 5:30 PM in response to ideapower

ideapower wrote:
.....I see no difference in using either method for adding new files individually.....

iTunes does. That's why iTunes offers File/Add to Library. You shouldn't be dragging files from the hard drive to iTunes. Work in the program. iTunes will do it for you (and do it without duplicating what's already in iTunes).

Tracy

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Answer 14

ideapower Author

Level 1

15 points

Oct 14, 2007 3:08 PM in response to Tracy Reynolds

Shouldn't I? I've been a Mac user for a long, long time, and "drag and drop" is pretty much standard workability for almost everything - I don't understand why iTunes would be different, and if it's not "right" for iTunes to accept files dragged into it, then the application shouldn't allow it. If I've got a new file that I know isn't already in my library (something I downloaded from Emusic for example), what is the actual, practical difference between dragging that in and adding it from the menu?

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Answer 15

Chris CA

Level 10

82,719 points

Oct 14, 2007 7:32 PM in response to ideapower

Yes, dragging and adding should work exactly the same. iTunes seems to have a slight quirk at times with adding files.

"You shouldn't be dragging files from the hard drive to iTunes" is not applicable.
You can do it either way.

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