Pearljamluvr
Level 1 (4 points)
Apple TV

Q: iTunes is not locating my music library.  Any suggestions?

I've been reading dozens of different questions and answers on this forum in regards to this topic.  However, none of them are speaking directly to what I am trying to accomplish.  Please forgive me if I missed the answer some where along the way.  I recently moved my iTunes library from my internal hard drive to an external hard drive.  The transition was fine.  (I did have this same problem described below in the beginning.  However, it solved itself somehow when I sent it to locate the files.)  It was a temporary fix.  I needed to upgrade my internal hard drive but until I did that I wanted to be able to add more music or movies etc.  I recently installed my new internal hard drive.  I cloned my old internal hard drive and the transition was relatively smooth.  However, today when I moved my iTunes library from my external (temporary) hard drive to my new internal hard drive I came upon a problem.

 

Every time I double click on a song it says:

 

Screen Shot 2012-07-05 at 4.39.46 PM.png

 

I then have to go into my files and find the song.  (Which is no big deal for one song, but for over 3300 songs?  Doesn't sound like a good time.)

 

Once I choose the song it gives me this:

 

Screen Shot 2012-07-05 at 4.40.55 PM.png

 

To which I click Find Files.  Then this appears:

 

Screen Shot 2012-07-05 at 4.41.09 PM.png

 

My entire library (other than the songs I have gone in and found individually) are marked with an exclamation point.

 

This is where my iTunes library is located:

 

Screen Shot 2012-07-05 at 4.42.49 PM.png

 

The location stated above is also the location where all of my music is.  So I'm confused as to why iTunes isn't looking for it there.

 

Any suggestions?  I really would rather not go in song by song to locate each song.  Any help would be appreciated.

 

Running iTunes 10.6.3 and OS X 10.7.4.

MacBook (13-inch Aluminum Late 2008), Mac OS X (10.7.3)

Posted on Jul 5, 2012 3:51 PM

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Pearljamluvr

Q: iTunes is not locating my music library.  Any suggestions?

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  • by Limnos,

    Limnos Limnos Jul 5, 2012 9:21 PM in response to Pearljamluvr
    Level 9 (54,642 points)
    Mac OS X
    Jul 5, 2012 9:21 PM in response to Pearljamluvr

    Actually that is not where your library is located.  That is where you have told iTunes to store just media.  The rest of your library (the all-controlling library.itl file, the artwork folder, various other less important files) were still on your internal drive and controlling iTunes from there.  You have not provided details on the exact steps you did in "moving the library" but likely the library.itl file is still looking for media on the external but now that you moved them from there (I assume you deleted the files on the external) it cannot find them.  iTunes is bad at keeping tracks of files when you drag them from place to place unless you move the whole iTunes folder and all its contents in doing a library move (the correct way to move libraries).  It is particularly bad at doing this when moving from one drive to another.  You have to let iTunes do the moving, not you (with the exception of moving the whole iTunes collection as one complete folder).

     

    iTunes: How to move [or copy] your music to a new computer [or another drive] - http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4527

     

    Quick answer as to how this should have been done if you let iTunes manage your music:  Copy the entire iTunes folder (and in doing so all its subfolders and files) intact to the other drive.  Start iTunes with the option (shift on Windows) key held down and guide it to the new location of the library.

     

    What you need to do now is move your media back to where iTunes can find it.  Hopefully you can get it all back to status quo in doing this.  Then you will need to move media by selecting a folder called "iTunes Media" inside your iTunes folder on the internal drive in preferences. When it asks you if you want to move all media to this location, say yes.  Hopefully this will get all of iTunes' files back into their proper order as indicated in the links below:

     

    What are the iTunes library files? - http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1660

     

    More on iTunes library files and what they do - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ITunes#Media_management

     

    What are all those iTunes files? - http://www.macworld.com/article/139974/2009/04/itunes_files.html

     


    iTunes 9 [and later]: Understanding iTunes Media Organization - http://support.apple.com/kb/ht3847

     

    Image of iTunes folder structure Dec. 2011 - https://discussions.apple.com/message/16923545
    see also:
    Image of folder structure and explanation of different iTunes versions (turingtest2 post) - https://discussions.apple.com/message/13025536 and https://discussions.apple.com/message/17457605

  • by Pearljamluvr,

    Pearljamluvr Pearljamluvr Jul 6, 2012 10:12 AM in response to Limnos
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Apple TV
    Jul 6, 2012 10:12 AM in response to Limnos

    I don't know if this changes your answer or helps me or not, but when I originally moved the music I ONLY moved the file titled: iTunes Media.  I left all other iTunes folders where they were.  When I moved it back I followed the same protocol.  Also, when I get the error that the music can't be found and I go in one by one to find the songs the location from the screen print above IS exactly where they are.  So why do you say that's not where they are?  (I'm sure you are right I just don't know why.)

     

    Both of the files, iTunes Library.itl and iTunes Library.xml are in the location specified in the link you sent, i.e.

     

    /Users/username/Music/iTunes/iTunes Library.itl

    /Users/username/Music/iTunes/iTunes Library.xml

     

    Also BTW I did NOT delete the iTunes media folder from the external drive as you thought I may have above.  I left them there.  I was not sure the move was going to work so I didn't want to delete them yet.

     

    I guess my question now is if my music isn't where I stated above (which is where I'm finding it one by one) then where is it?  You mention above:

    What you need to do now is move your media back to where iTunes can find it.  Hopefully you can get it all back to status quo in doing this.  Then you will need to move media by selecting a folder called "iTunes Media" inside your iTunes folder on the internal drive in preferences. When it asks you if you want to move all media to this location, say yes.  Hopefully this will get all of iTunes' files back into their proper order as indicated in the links below:

     

    But as I see it I have the music in the file listed above.  That is where I replaced it and that is where I am finding it if I go one song by one song.  So if it's not there where is it?  Or rather how do I find it?  (As I know you don't have access to my computer or drive.)

     

    I just want to be able to put things back together.  I obviously didn't do it correctly, I just want to fix it.  Thanks in advance for any help.