User profile for user: pking1601
pking1601 Author
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Old iTunes library on external hard drive won’t play songs on a new laptop

Morning

I start with an apology as no doubt I’m everyone’s worst nightmare to be posting this as I’m not the most tech savvy bloke.

I had a very old computer with iTunes on that was failing very slowly. I backed up my iTunes library to an external hard drive to keep a copy.

A couple of years later I have just got a new laptop so thought I would put the library onto the new laptop from that hard drive that seemed very straightforward.

Only problem is that every time I go to play a song now on that new laptop, the song will not play, it comes up with an exclamation mark against it and asks me to locate the file.

BUT

if I keep the external hard drive connected with iTunes open and play that same (or any other song) it plays???

So in my small tech brain it seems to be telling me the only place that file exists is on the hard drive and not on the laptop.

I have uninstalled and reinstalled etc etc but get the same results.

Sorry but if any one can help and keep a solution simple, I would be very grateful

Thanks

Posted on Feb 20, 2024 11:12 PM

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User profile for user: the fiend
the fiend
User level: Level 7
23,812 points

Posted on Feb 21, 2024 12:57 AM

pking1601 wrote:

So in my small tech brain it seems to be telling me the only place that file exists is on the hard drive and not on the laptop.

It seems likely that this is correct.


When you added the music files on the external drive to your iTunes Library what you actually did was tell iTunes where the file for each song is located. Unless you specifically switched on the Copy files to iTunes Media folder when adding to library, all iTunes did was note that the files are on that external drive. So each time you want to play that song or copy it to a portable device (iPhone, iPod etc.), iTunes looks in that location and uses that file. If the drive isn't connected and ready to read, iTunes will return that error message.


Your options are:

  1. ensure that each time before you start iTunes the external drive is connected to your computer, with the same drive letter as it had when you added the files to iTunes, and that the drive is ready to read
  2. use the Copy files to iTunes Media folder when adding to library is turned on. Then add new music to the external drive, which will then be copied to your computer's drive and that is what will be used. Note that this option may not be suitable:
    1. it won't add the music that you've already told it about, so you will have to manage that yourself
    2. your computer's storage drive may not have enough capacity
  3. copy all your music to the computer's drive and then make sure that you regularly backup that music to your external drive, as you have done up to now


If the storage drive on a your laptop isn't large enough, then the first option (number 1) is the most likely one to work for you.


Remember, at no time is your music "in iTunes". Instead, iTunes is a database. You tell iTunes where the file is located and iTunes uses that location whenever it needs that file.

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User profile for user: the fiend
the fiend
User level: Level 7
23,812 points

Feb 21, 2024 12:57 AM in response to pking1601

pking1601 wrote:

So in my small tech brain it seems to be telling me the only place that file exists is on the hard drive and not on the laptop.

It seems likely that this is correct.


When you added the music files on the external drive to your iTunes Library what you actually did was tell iTunes where the file for each song is located. Unless you specifically switched on the Copy files to iTunes Media folder when adding to library, all iTunes did was note that the files are on that external drive. So each time you want to play that song or copy it to a portable device (iPhone, iPod etc.), iTunes looks in that location and uses that file. If the drive isn't connected and ready to read, iTunes will return that error message.


Your options are:

  1. ensure that each time before you start iTunes the external drive is connected to your computer, with the same drive letter as it had when you added the files to iTunes, and that the drive is ready to read
  2. use the Copy files to iTunes Media folder when adding to library is turned on. Then add new music to the external drive, which will then be copied to your computer's drive and that is what will be used. Note that this option may not be suitable:
    1. it won't add the music that you've already told it about, so you will have to manage that yourself
    2. your computer's storage drive may not have enough capacity
  3. copy all your music to the computer's drive and then make sure that you regularly backup that music to your external drive, as you have done up to now


If the storage drive on a your laptop isn't large enough, then the first option (number 1) is the most likely one to work for you.


Remember, at no time is your music "in iTunes". Instead, iTunes is a database. You tell iTunes where the file is located and iTunes uses that location whenever it needs that file.

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User profile for user: pking1601
pking1601 Author
User level: Level 1
8 points

Feb 21, 2024 2:48 AM in response to the fiend

The fiend


Thank you so much for your reply which makes complete sense as to what’s happening.

I would have just copied straight from the ITunes file onto the hard drive without adjusting any settings needed. I had my old computer for years and bought the hard drive as a back up to preserve the library I had on that computer.


I take it I can’t even send/copy the files on the hard drive to another new hard drive just to give me a 2nd copy effectively, just in case that original hard drive stops working and I would lose thousands of songs of old CDs and downloads, some of which aren’t available on iTunes or Spotify etc hence why I wanted to create a new iTunes copy.

Thanks for your help, it was much appreciated.

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Old iTunes library on external hard drive won’t play songs on a new laptop

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