song could not be used because file could not be found
I recently had to purchase a new computer which came with the new Windows Vista. I had Windows XP before and from that computer I backed up ITunes on external hard drive. I have authorized this computer and installed Itunes and added the music back to folder. I can see all the music but I cannot play them due to the error song could not be used. I am having problems with the IPod and need to hook it up to computer to reset it. I am afraid it will mess up. What do I need to do? How can I get the music to play in library and if I hook up IPod will it mess it up more? Thanks for any help!!
They show in ITunes as AAC. I need to reset the Ipod and I am afraid that if I hook it up with the files being like this then the IPod may not work right.?????
Right, if they won't play in iTunes, there's no way they will be transferred to the iPod.
So, if you convert one of these bad ones to MP3, will it play in iTunes?
Just do one, so we can figure out what is going on here.
You'll have to change your iTunes import preferences to MP3 so you can convert the one song.
I'm having the same problem. I have like 2400 songs in iTunes, and likely half of them give me this message. I was wondering if clearing the entire library and then using the iPod as a remote hard drive to re-load the library might work. I don't want to risk loosing my library, as I have a lot of purchased songs and videos.
you can reset your ipod without hooking up to itunes.
i think its holding the center button and the menu button at the same time for a few seconds. you can verify in help. ive had to do that a couple of times and no songs were effected on the ipod.
if you wipe out your library on the computer, you should be prompted to transfer from ipod to computer when you plug in. the songs probably are not phisically in the library and thats why you are getting the error message. open the library and double click on a song to play it. see what happens...
I'm an Apple N00B and would be nice to see this answered (by Apple or someone that knows whats going on) - I realize this is a public forum, but in Googling "song could not be used because file could not be found" you (and me!) are not the only ones having this problem -
My situation is, that I BOUGHT a song from iTunes last night, it synched to my iPod OK - but in going thru iTunes today, I see the bang "!" next to the song... and not knowing all the icons yet for iTunes - it gives me that error - Saying it can't locate the song - would you (me) like to find it? - Yes, I BOUGHT it so would be nice to HAVE...
Point being, it IS on my iPod Classic - but is not on my PC??? How is this possible -
Furthermore - Since I bought it - and obviously I have it on my iPod now, but somehow is now "lost" on my PC (iTunes folder shows empty - for that song) - You'd think that either iTunes would be SMART enough to pull it from my iPod and save it to the folder (as the Album art shows in iTunes too???!) - Or that iTunes home page would recognize the "sale" and the "missing" song, and re-download it?? W-T-F Apple?
FWIW, for grins, I went back and tried to re-download the missing song - and was eager to SELL it to me again...
Again, I'm new to Apple and iTunes - so maybe there's a quick and easy fix for this - Yeah yeah - call me a Windows idiot - but suspect I'm not alone with this problem... or that it's not just a Windows issue -
Usually this happens when you manually organize songs or rename the files or change the location of your music library. Another possibility is that you deleted the song file using windows. I've found that letting iTunes organize your library and letting it make copies of songs into said library is the most foolproof way to manage music and you can manage these two settings via the iTunes preferences->Advanced. Use whatever the Vista copy of the Mac's Spotlight function is to locate the song file on your computer. Then use the Get Info selection for the song in iTunes to see where iTunes is looking for the song and put the file back. I've found that usually the file is somewhere to be found. If that doesn't work look through the threads for applications to copy files from your iPod to your computer.
I can't speak for "Mobile1's" orginal question/problem -
But as for me, I'd agree with your scenarios (renaming/moving files) but honestly, I just downloaded a bunch of songs straight from iTunes direct to my laptop and synced it up last night... and out of the 20 or so songs bought (and yeah, it shows in my purchesed list and folder) - it just "can't be found"...
Anyway - as already mentioned - the fact that it's on my iPod already - and did not remain on my PC (or I'll go hunt for it now) - is suspect at best.... I see now after poking around here more, there are others that are having the same problem... but they've moved folders or changed PC's which is not the case for me...
Either way - thanks for your answer - and will try to hunt the file down - If it's somehow magically dissapeared is the only recourse to somehow move it from my iPod back to my PC using some non-Apple 3rd party software? (I've learned about this too - changing from my desktop iTunes to my laptop iTunes - and the
inability to share legit files - yet another "feature" from Apple that is stuck in my craw - or pure B
S IMHO) - but I'll digress....
You'd think (esp. with the artwork showing in iTunes) that iTunes would be "smart" enough to recognize the one missing song and take action (?) -
i've gone thru this whole process of "locating" my songs because the "song could not be used because the original file could not be found". I chose to locate each song individually to where it was stored on my external hard drive - a frustrating process for over a thousand songs. for me the whole problem started when i switched from pc to mac and tried to import my library of music. i don't store my music on my computer because i have over 15 gigs and there's not enough room on my 160 gig hard drive. Now i'm doubly frustrated because it's happening again. those "!" are appearing once again next to about 2000 of my songs, and i'm dreading having to "locate" them all over again. I don't know if this is because i disconnected my external hard drive at one point or what.
if anyone has any suggestions as to what to do to fix this problem and prevent it from happening again i would greatly appreciate it.
suffering same problem.
all my tunes are from itunes store but every now and the i get the ! mark and have to manually locate files which up to now were physically in the correct place. Now i have just had same messgae but find several files are actually missing!!!! *** is going on??
This is an expensive bug as i paid for all my tunes....doh!!!
I think that Advanced --> Consolidate library will do what you need. I used it when I had music files all over my computer. I'd make a backup copy of your files on an external drive if possible just to be safe.
All my tunes are in one place ( external HDD) as the iTunes location in the program so consolodating will not help other than to make duplicates ( what happened on another machine some time ago), also it seems to change all the order of the tracks/artists which i don't want to happen.
Any other thoughts?
