Q: itunes music on external drive help

Something about

When I set the Adv prefs in iTunes and point it to my music which resides on an external drive (Time Capsule) ~ that (upon launch) if it can't see the drive on the network it decides to create the default "mac hd/users/itunes" folder!!!

makes me think you don't understand fully the distinction between keeping just your media on an external drive and keeping all your library on an external drive.   Setting preferences to point to the external drive just tells iTunes where you want it to start keeping media from that point on.  If your whole library (a whole set of iTunes files and folders, including hte critical library.itl) is on the external you have to point to it by holding down the option key while starting iTunes, then guide it to the library.itl on the external drive.

iTunes is fussy with networked drives.  NAS, etc.  If the drive is not fully awake and attached when you start iTunes it will start looking for things on the internal drive.  Making sure you have the external dded to yoru startup items may help avoid this but if the external goes to sleep before starting iTunes then you have to quit iTunes and restart it.  If just your media are stored on the external, restarting iTunes may cure the broken links.  If your whole library is on the external you have to use the option key method.

Thanks for your post! I used my wife's iMac to post the above rant...

Basically you've re-explained exactly what is happening. I have always pointed to external media, so I set up the iMac the same way.

Media and Library to me are the same things, but iTunes "Library" (.itl) file includes the prefs. (Which point to the external media collection of that .itl "user"... or they should, yes??)

When the drive sleeps, or isnt mounted, an iTunes launch is just being silly be jettisoning the prefs and going back to the ol' user/music/itunes folder nonsense, etc. It should pop up a dialog letting you know that the library is residing on a drive which cannot be found. (hundreds of in iTunes??? great!!!)

It also happens upon waking from a sleep, etc.

I'm just wishing it were a bit more robust and not so easily fussed up. Having someone remember to hold OPT key before launch each time ain't gonna be hapnin'...

Friends dont let friends post drumnk...

Now everything will be in "The Cloud" so... I'm not quite sure when the Cloud rains or if it's a sunny blue-sky day (ew... too Microsofty) that what the app will decide to do to your new CD that you bought at the concert last night and you're flying it into your library or media or cloud or whatever...

A person could have multiple iTunes libraries (I do), each with its own set-up, so most settings are stored in the library.itl file.

Read the following links.  The library is a complete set of files and folders of which media are only a part.

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

If you're good with Applescripting you could try to write one that checks a specific drive is mounted before starting iTunes, and have the script then start iTunes.  I have one doing a verification step for a non-iTunes  application before starting the actual application.  Here's a link for one doing a verification for a mounted drive and maybe you can add to it:

http://forums.macrumors.com/archive/index.php/t-119882.html

I've found that using a time machine, wiether it be from apple or a 3rd party for backing up, not to use that same device for anything else besides backing up.  I have a harddrive for backing up and ran my itunes from it, and it just created havoc.  I would try using a seperate harddrive as a stand alone harddrive for itunes and keep your time capsule for backing up only. Hope it helps.