Where's the Power Search in iTunes 11?

I believe a System Restore might be the answer (to get the old iTunes back).

Think I'll try that...😉

On search on comments field? What Apple employee should be an ex-Apple employee for that absolutely totally moronic decision???????

I don't think System restore would work. I will get you back to Itunes 10.7 but your library will not work

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/4557327?answerId=20598554022#20598554022

LDMartin1959 wrote:

On search on comments field? What Apple employee should be an ex-Apple employee for that absolutely totally moronic decision???????

How about the decision to remove the "Display Exact Duplicates" function?

Or the decisdion to force the cloud on me, something I have no need for, do not have confidence in, and do not want to use?

Or the decision to make changes that prevent a third party library updater (ITLU) from working (in the absence of a much needed native refresh function)?

Apple easily could do so much to defuse the animosity created by these changes by just a few simple things yet they remain silent.

First, they could simply acknowledge they understand there are issues and these issues are being addressed. It now appears there is just no interest to do anything different.

Second, and probably most important, provide reasons for these changes rather than leave the clear impression in there is simply no regard for the needs and wants of their customers, the people that keep them in business.

I spent a lot of money on a number of great pieces of Apple hardware. Unfortunately for me, and all other Apple customers, the relationship with Apple must last for the life time of the product because ongoing software and Apple server support is essential for the product to be useful. Apple has gone to extremes to maintain themselves as the only provider of these services by intentioanlly locking out third party providers. To say that I am angry would be an understatement. I can't even refresh iTuners anymore to recognize new MP3 files on my NAS in a filing system convenient for me because Apple has now made changes that prevent ITLU from working.

For purely emotional reasons, stemming from this big straw that broke the camel's back, my wife and I are done with Apple products. So, why do I continue to monitor this forum and post my opinions? Because I do indeed like the Apple hardware and am hoping to see indication that Apple is going to start being responsive to their customers. We need to replace our 32 Gb iPhone 4s because our music library has grown too big for the available memory. We would really like to replace them with iPhone 5's but I will not now do so unless I see something change.

Yeah, I realized that there would be problems with that outcome, even before I posted that comment. The biggest issue with that idea (at least as I see it) is that, as soon as I purchase a new laptop (an inevitable fate we must all face at one point or another in our lifetime), I would then be stuck with this new crappy version of iTunes FOREVER (that would then be the only version available for download).

So, I've since just decided to try to make the best of this newer version (I never did, nor will I in the future carry out the System Restore task --- at least not for the purpose getting the old iTunes back).

Barryng wrote:

How about the decision to remove the "Display Exact Duplicates" function?

Yea, now the duplicates function finds anything with the same title by the same artists, even if it isn't the same (live version versus studio version, for example).

System restore does work, I did it without issue using that method, but I guess it depends on a few caveats (like having a recent usable restore point for starters).

I also have to use "repair" to fix V10.7 and get around the library error. Then copy a recent backup version of the library to the iTunes folder. I was lucky and managed to have all my ducks lined up. Others may not be so fortunate.

Good luck. Gotta say getting rid of v11 and getting 10 back was a wonderful thing.

FOUND IT. At least for iTunes 10.7; I won't be, er, "upgrading", to iTunes 11 any time soon.

First you have to do a search on something in the iTunes window titlebar. (I just enter a space, " ".) Then on the results page is a button to the Power Search.

You can also go one step further: right click on that "Power Search" button, "Copy Link" to clipboard, paste the link in your Web browser URL bar, hit Return to visit it (which will want to open the link in iTunes), and then bookmark the darn thing. So every time you visit that link in the browser, it will make iTunes go there.

Alternately, you can copy the link below. It's the one generated by the above except with the cruft scraped off the end.

http://ax.search.itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZSearch.woa/wa/search

What the ****?

The ability to search the Comments field is absolutely vital to my use of iTunes as a library! It is how I sort, categorize, filter, and compile my music within the genres and sub genres of electronic dance music. I use it to qualify tracks according to mood, so I can recall them when creating playlists. What is the point of having a database if you can search in it?

What was the point of spending countless hours making descriptions in the comments field if they are not searchable? Honestly, this the stupidest thing I have ever seen Apple do. Truly, I am so frustrated about this, I can't even begin to explain. It renders all of the metatag "comments" work over the past 10 years useless.

I repeat: Search is a VITAL function of a library.

Thus begins my move away from Apple as my one stop provider.

Here is a YouTube video that walks you through reverting to iTunes 10.7:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=be09gGFw-Y4

(Or search "downgrade itunes 11 to 10.7" in YouTube, and it's the first hit.)

It includes how to restore to an older library file, prior to the disastrous update to 11.

I see the comments to the video are mixed. Some are elated with success. Others distraught at things badly. Not sure if user savvy or subtle system idosyncracies are to blame.

Anyway, I'm about to try it out.

Hey, Barryng, I enjoyed your articulate posts. Good to see someone not cowed by the attention-deficit TLDR crowd. You might want to check out Media Monkey. I have used it for a few years now, and love it. It is the most useful (and powerful) music organizer and manipulator out there, by far. It might simplify your path from purchased music to where and how you enjoy it.

Hallelujah! I have been delivered from evil !

I followed that YouTube instructional vid on reverting to iTunes 10.7, and life is good again. Even the iTunes store mostly acts like it used to. You do have to go to that menu item "Store / Search" to get to Power Search, but you CAN get there that way, which is all I really care about.

I do hope that Apple does not pull support of 10.7 any time soon. I hope they realize that they have a segment of heavy-buying customers who rely on this tool, among others that were trashed in the ignominious 11.

The designer (or team) of the iTunes Store site who decided to remove power search ought to be fired. They obviously do not use the iTunes site themselves! It should be a requirement that every designer of a site ought to be a user themselves. No user of iTunes would ever have decided to remove Power Search!

It just dawned on me that the deletion could have been by mistake. It may have been inadvertantly deleted, in which case they need to add it back ASAP!

Not ideal, but i've discovered a way of getting around the lack of Power Search in iTunes...Use Google! Seriously!, I entered the name of the song (in quotations), the artist and then added "iTunes" and it took me right to the song I was looking for on the the web based version of iTunes! I then clicked on "View in iTunes," and it took me right to the correct item!

Trying to use this same method within itunes itself yielded nothing - or rather it yielded too much, but not what I was looking for! I haven't tried searching with additional criteria, but it's a start, and better than iTunes search!

Really, Apple? You are making us use Google in order to find things in iTunes???

Message was edited by: Sacharissa2

Apologies if I'm pointing out the obvious: note that you can still use smart playlists to search within the comment field. This isn't a remedy for what many people are lamenting, but at least there are still ways to make use of comments. (I agree the change is annoying - I've used the comments field a lot!)

I just want to clear the air about something here. Although my gripe here was never about the Power Search function (or the lack thereof). But instead my earlier complaint was just a general rant about how much (I thought at the time that I hated the new version of iTunes (vs the older incarnations)).

But I can now say, having spent a great deal of time and effort becoming more familiar with this newer version, that I actually DO like this newer edition, and would therefore like to retract all of those negative things I said about it earlier.

Thank you.