songs in the itunes library were not copied because they could not be found

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songs in the itunes library were not copied because they could not be found

This is a reopening and extension of the same question on https://discussions.apple.com/thread/4081219?login=true

I copy the same message again that iTunes throws:

Some of the items in the iTunes library, including "xxx", were not copied to the iphone" name iPhone" because they could not be found.

Over 200 people had the same question in the link above, and the "answer" was marked as helpful by only 7, probably because it did not help most of them. My question is, how can I stop iTunes from trying to sync files that do no longer exist neither on my pc nor on my iPhone?

The voice_memos iTunes tries to sync are just old entries. But I cannot just delete them from the Music folder nor from the Playlist folder in iTunes. I am not interested at all which files are problematic, I want to stop the search for these files and delete them totally from any iTunes list.

I am asking why iTunes is not at all intuitive about this, I had such issues since my first iPhone and so often, mostly I did not know why some errors disappeared over time.

In most cases, it is a user failure because I did not understand the way the cumulative backups were working when I moved from one pc to the other or from one iPhone to the other- e.g. that you need the old backup to go on with on the other pc, else you will get into iTunes problems that cannot find the older files anymore, even if they are on your mobile phone (!!!).

Still: Is it not strange that I had ALL of the voice_memos available on my phone, and Apple software could not help me getting them in total, be it for whatever user failure reason? Please look at this in disregard of what was the actual reason was. It is just not intuitive.

Story told to an end for anyone interested:

I have made an iTunes backup and then I could extract ALL voice_memos of the last 3 years with a 3rd party tool that can extract data from the backup (there are many providers such as e.g. something like Decipher). Why do I need to use a 3rd party tool in order just to transfer to my pc all of the voice_memos that I actually had directly available on my mobile (and could listen to every single one of them), and they were all in the storage of the iPhone? Why could I access only a small part of them while the rest was not synced anymore and not occuring in the iTunes Music and Playlist folders? Why do I now get a request for old voice_memos, although I have deleted ALL voice_memos from my iPhone (Settings > Password and Accounts > iCloud > iCloud> Manage Storage > voicememos > delet all) AND the Music -- iTunes Media folder was empty after this, so that everything seems to have worked?

This costs so much time on the whole. I do not see why iTunes is so little aware of common or stupid user failures which stupid or unaware users use to cause.

I am using Windows 10. I have the small idea that Mac users have less issues :)...

iPhone 7, iOS 13

Posted on Jul 4, 2020 5:22 AM

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Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

turingtest2

Level 10

278,061 points

Jul 4, 2020 9:14 AM in response to lorenzznerol

lorenzznerol wrote:

My question is, how can I stop iTunes from trying to sync files that do no longer exist neither on my pc nor on my iPhone?

Remove or repair any dead references to those tracks from your library. After syncing they are likely to show up with an exclamation mark. See my script KillDeadTracks for an automated process to remove them, albeit slow if you've not already gathered them together. For repair advice if applicable see iTunes Original File Could Not Be Found - Apple Community.

The voice_memos iTunes tries to sync are just old entries. But I cannot just delete them from the Music folder nor from the Playlist folder in iTunes. I am not interested at all which files are problematic, I want to stop the search for these files and delete them totally from any iTunes list.

Then enable the Voice Memos section of the library, and select and delete what you no longer need. If Voice Memos is hidden hover to the right of the word Library in the sidebar, tap Edit when it appears, tick Voice Memos, then Done.

I am asking why iTunes is not at all intuitive about this, I had such issues since my first iPhone and so often, mostly I did not know why some errors disappeared over time.

Because iTunes doesn't have any built-in housekeeping tools. If you add, move, or remove anything from the iTunes Media folder using Windows Explorer iTunes doesn't know, use iTunes as is expected to add and remove content and there shouldn't be a problem. Likewise let iTunes move content to reflect metadata changes rather than moving things by hand.

n most cases, it is a user failure because I did not understand the way the cumulative backups were working when I moved from one pc to the other or from one iPhone to the other- e.g. that you need the old backup to go on with on the other pc, else you will get into iTunes problems that cannot find the older files anymore, even if they are on your mobile phone (!!!).

Backups don't include media, nor anything that is ostensibly in synced to the cloud. You should migrate the entire media library properly when you switch computers - see Move your iTunes library to a new computer - Apple Community - and keep an up to date backup of it the rest of the time (details in the same link).

Still: Is it not strange that I had ALL of the voice_memos available on my phone, and Apple software could not help me getting them in total, be it for whatever user failure reason? Please look at this in disregard of what was the actual reason was. It is just not intuitive.

You're talking to fellow users here. Use Feedback - iTunes - Apple to pass on your thoughts to Apple.

tt2

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Answer 2

lorenzznerol Author

Level 1

4 points

Jul 4, 2020 10:11 AM in response to turingtest2

Good that you say that this is a fellowship of users :), it was not clear to me. Thanks for your extra efforts here. I could now solve it slightly differently, the strange thing was that voice memos were not among the [library > hover over and go to edit on the right > checkboxes]. Instead, I simply checked any checkbox there and finally found that it was under folder ["Downloaded" > spoken memories] (I am translating here, perhaps they are called differently in English, perhaps again these are called voice memos in the English version).

(unimportant side-remark: they were also in the folder "recently added", probably because I had taken away the voice memos from the "Playlists" on the sidebar while they still were in "Music" of the Device in the sidebar anyway.)

Now the trick is to go to "Downloaded" of the "Library" in the sidebar, then click on "voice memos" or "spoken memories" or thelike, and THEN click on the 3 dots on the right and THEN delete the voice memos from the library. That means: NOT in the "Device" menu, but instead, as you suggested, in the "Library" menu, where we can really edit the library, which makes sense :).

Summary:

["Library" > "Downloaded" or "Recently Added" > "Voice Memos" > 3 dots on the right (blue button) > "Delete from Library"]

After this, it is neither in "Downloaded" nor in "Recently Added", and the strange Sync error -57 is gone, sync works again.

The only issue remaining is:

The folders "Music" and "Spoken memories"/ "Voice memos in English?" still contain the old items, just that the sync error has gone at least.

I thought solving this by, in iTunes, going to my iPhone (click on the mini iPhone symbol in the header of iTunes, so that you can see both "Preferences" and "On my Device" only) and then to [Preferences > Music > check Checkbox "Synchronize Music" > check "whole Music Library" > check "including video's" > check including "voice memos" > Apply button > Synchronize button]

But this does not show any changes, I still see all of the unneeded old voice memos in [On my Device > Music + Voice Memos]

That is why I use your script "KillDeadTracks.vbs" now. It opens iTunes, then the message says:

"Kill Empty Playlists: 7 Playlists were processed, 0 were removed."

Under [Devices > iPhone of USER > Music + Voice Memos] there are still the old items.

At least the sync is working again now (that was gone even before your script). I guess I will have to delete the items using my iPhone itself, searching for some menu in iOS where I can delete such old items.

As to your hint of how to migrate from one pc to the other, I found this out later, and I succeeded, just that I had already used the Explorer to move the voice memos somewhere, which is - as you say - not correct because anything you do should be done in iTunes, not in Windows Explorer. I guess I should have copied the files instead and then deleted them on my mobile phone and then they would have been ready for deletion also in iTunes (or the other way round? :))). Or thelike, with iTunes and this clumpsy data management of Apple which is against any normal user intuition when it cannot cope with changes in the Windows Explorer, you never know ... ;)

Result:

The question is still not answered in total, I want to get rid of the old items that are shown in my iPhone in iTunes.

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Answer 3

turingtest2

Level 10

278,061 points

Jul 4, 2020 10:54 AM in response to lorenzznerol

lorenzznerol wrote:

I was wrong to say that the sync error has gone. Now after reconnecting my iPhone with the pc, opening iTunes, the strange -54 sync error has come back as before. Thus, the whole question is still open.

Try If you see error -54 when you sync with your computer - Apple Support.

tt2

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Answer 4

lorenzznerol Author

Level 1

4 points

Jul 4, 2020 11:07 AM in response to turingtest2

Ok, that helped (the famous IT Crowd Quote: Have you tried turning it off and on again). After restart of pc and mobile phone the error has gone AND the issue is solved in total now!

Under [Devices > iPhone of USER > Music + Voice Memos] there are no old items anymore. I do not know if this is for the "KillDeadTracks.vbs" script or just for the edited library before, but this is solved now, thank you @turingtest2

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Answer 5

lorenzznerol Author

Level 1

4 points

Jul 4, 2020 10:29 AM in response to lorenzznerol

I was wrong to say that the sync error has gone. Now after reconnecting my iPhone with the pc, opening iTunes, the strange -54 sync error has come back as before. Thus, the whole question is still open.

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Answer 6

lorenzznerol Author

Level 1

4 points

Jul 4, 2020 10:52 AM in response to lorenzznerol

@turingtest2, this is off-topic, but now that I see the many vb scripts for Windows on samsoft.org.uk/itunes/scripts.asp, would you please have a look at this issue as well? https://discussions.apple.com/thread/251534441

I should have probably categorized it under "iTunes for Windows", now it is just under "iPhone Usage". I have looked through the vb scripts, there is no pdf or Books script up to now, but you seem to be the one with the skills to build one or to know where to get one :). Thank you if you take the time, no drama if you do not, of course.

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