'Updating iTunes library...' takes FOREVER

Question

'Updating iTunes library...' takes FOREVER

I have around 100gb of music that is stored on a WD external 250gb HD, the actual itunes library files are stored locally on my MBP. The past couple of times I have downloaded an iTunes update and then opened iTunes I get stuck waiting hours upon hours for the library to be updated, I can force-quit and reopen iTunes but it usually doesn't help and will still pop up 'Updating iTunes library...', everyonce in a while it won't and I will be able to use iTunes normally again. I have found other people having problems with this but they were using their music in Mac and Windows OS, I just use Mac. My main questions are:
What exactly is being "updated"?
Is there a way to stop this updating of the library and just use itunes?
Would moving my iTunes folder with library files etc. to my external make this go faster?
Any help would be creatly appreciated as this has become extremely frustrating.

Mac Book Pro 15", Mac OS X (10.5.8)

Posted on Apr 29, 2010 4:53 PM

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Answer 1

dknightd

Level 3

705 points

Apr 29, 2010 5:14 PM in response to Jack Holbrook

I've learned the hard way to always backup the existing itunes files, then perform the upgrade, then restart itunes and let it run all night if needed to update whatever it likes to update. Force quit is not a good idea - better to let it finish what it wants to do.

But I'm getting sloppy. I used to rely on http://mac.oldapps.com/itunes.php
having an old version of itunes in case I needed to fall back. But that seems to have gone away. I hope this 9.1.1 is a good one. . . In case not, anybody know where I can find a 9.0.3 install image?

Edit: I'm not sure what it is updating - I think it might just be scanning your whole library, and all its music files, to make sure they agree with each other. Letting it do this might prevent problems later . . . Might have something to do with a slightly different library file format (I wonder if they will ever use a real DB program for this)

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Answer 2

Mak1394

Level 1

0 points

May 1, 2010 4:45 PM in response to Jack Holbrook

Disconnect your WD drive and start iTunes. It should update very fast, then close iTunes, reconnect your drive and you should be good to go.

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Answer 3

payjulay

Level 1

0 points

May 17, 2010 8:27 AM in response to Jack Holbrook

I am having this exact problem also since the iTunes udate to 9.1.1. I have let the computer sit for hours without any luck, the updater always get stuck at the same position (about 3/4 done) and then I get the spinning beach ball of death. HELP!! This happens with or without my external HD connected to my Mac everytime I've tried for the past two weeks. Please someone HELP ME!!!

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Answer 4

May 18, 2010 12:26 PM in response to Jack Holbrook

Mak1394 is right. Here's what I posted in another discussion ( http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=10580238):

I have over 300 gigs of music on a network drive. When I upgraded to iTunes 9, my machine took over 24 hours (I don't even know how much longer than that it took...I went off to work!) to do the "updating iTunes library" followed by a second step. So imagine my horror when I installed 9.0.2 and that process started YET AGAIN!! Here's the workaround I came up with. I forced iTunes to quit, then logged off the network drive. I relaunched iTunes, which performed its update in a minute or two. I quit iTunes again, reconnected to the server, started up iTunes again, et voila! It's working fine, but perhaps some features will be affected without the update? Only time will tell.

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