iTunes library location automatically reset and library "lost"

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iTunes library location automatically reset and library "lost"

I'm working on a Windows PC. Long ago I pointed my iTunes library to an external drive because my local drive was running out of space. I recently moved what I thought was old/duplicate content off my local drive to a new backup on an external drive. When I next opened iTunes all my playlists and most content was gone so I cnecked my preferences and somehow (during an iTunes update?), my library was pointed back to my local drive. I still have all my content, but it's in multiple external drive backups. I guess my iPod has the most current playlists and some content, but I have no ides how to recreate my library from my iPod and all the external drive backups. Also what's up with iTunes changing my library location back to my local drive??

Posted on Apr 19, 2014 6:03 PM

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AusTX Author

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Apr 20, 2014 12:27 PM in response to AusTX

I wanted to update this with the resolution in case anyone else finds themselves in this same spot. After sifting through other discussions I found one that helped me figure this out. It seems that when running your iTunes library off an external drive, iTunes will revert back to the default local drive location if you ever start the application before connecting the external drive.

That's why my library was changed to my local drive without me making that change. I still had most of my music in a download folder that Windows dropped it in before moving it to the iTunes library on my external drive, so I didn't realize iTunes had automatically changed the library location. The rest of my content and my playlists weren't showing up because all those files were exclusively on the external drive.

When I first pointed iTunes back to the library on my external drive it couldn't find my content because I'd moved it all under an "iTunes Media" folder to match the directory structure iTunes set up on my local drive. Turns out my external drive library is still set up in the old directory format so iTunes got confused and couldnt' find my content.I found an explanation of the old vs new directory format on this forum too, which really helped.

I finally got it all working by returning to the old directory structure and then pointing iTunes back to my external drive...whew! 🙂

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