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

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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

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ideapower Author

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Oct 8, 2007 7:30 PM in response to ideapower

Anybody? How do I re-import my music that's not in my newly-restored Library, without having to spend hours doing it manually?

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Answer 2

ideapower Author

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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 3

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 4

ideapower Author

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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 5

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 6

ideapower Author

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Oct 11, 2007 7:56 AM in response to joshz

Ok... thanks, but WHICH files is the question... if I do that, it's hours of picking out the new files. I'm trying to find a way for iTunes to just FIND the files that aren't already in the Library.

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Answer 7

Chris CA

Level 10

82,434 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

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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

82,434 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

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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

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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 12, 2007 10:27 AM in response to ideapower

Because that's the correct/preferred way.

Tracy

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Answer 14

ideapower Author

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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 15

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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