Can't get new install of iTunes to recognize media on external drive

These are symptoms of a "split library" - your media is on the external drive but the iTunes database (iTunes Library.itl) is in the default location (C:\users\user_name\Music\iTunes) on your old computer. See Turingtest2's tutorial Make a split library portable for instructions on how to resolve this.

Feel free to ask questions.

Connect the external back to the original computer and double check the path to the media folder.

You can check the path to the active library file with the script TunesITLPath.

tt2

Can you please let me know the media folder path given under Edit > Preferences > Advanced?

tt2

OK. That folder is a little deeper than it ought to be.

1. If there are any files inside F:\iTunes or folders called Album Artwork or Previous iTunes Libraries move these into a temporary location such as F:\Temp.
2. Copy the library files, and the Album Artwork folder from the folder C:\Users\<User>\Music\iTunes into F:\iTunes
3. Shift-start-iTunes and open the library database at F:\iTunes\iTunes Library.itl
4. Go to Edit > Preferences > Advanced and change the media folder to F:\iTunes\iTunes Music
5. Go to File > Library > Organize Library... and tick the box Rearrange files in the folder "iTunes Music" if it isn't greyed out and click OK, otherwise click cancel and go to Edit > Preferences > Advanced, turn Keep iTunes Media folder organized off, click OK, then go back and turn it on again.
6. Close iTunes. Rename the folder F:\iTunes\iTunes Music as F:\iTunes\iTunes Media
7. Start iTunes. Check under Edit > Preferences > Advanced that the media folder has been updated to F:\iTunes\iTunes Media, if not correct it then close iTunes and reopen.
8. Double check that your library is behaving as it should. Close iTunes. Safely disconnect the drive.
9. Connect the drive to the new computer.
10. Shift-start-iTunes and open the library database at F:\iTunes\iTunes Library.itl

Get yourself another external drive and Backup your iTunes for Windows library with SyncToy or clone the library to the internal and switch to that copy if your new machine has enough room.

tt2

You're welcome. 🙂

As long as the library is in a portable shape it doesn't matter where it lives because each subsequent move of the iTunes folder as a complete unit is simple. The key is to maintain a backup of your iTunes library, and your other documents and data, so that should one of the drives fail you don't lose your stuff.

BTW there will be two .xml files in the folder F:\iTunes. iTunes Library.xml and iTunes Music Library.xml. You should delete the second of these as it is no longer being updated. If you decide to move the library to the standard location of C:\Users\<User>\Music\iTunes then iTunes will start using the other name for the .xml and you should delete iTunes Library.xml. The .xml (whatever name it is given) is automatically updated with each change in the library and is there to allow third party software to interrogate the library.

tt2

Happy to help. 🙂

tt2

turingtest2, I hope you are monitoring this thread. You seem to understand how iTunes works as regards the location of the iTunesMedia folder. I have a problem that is similar to skiman1818, but it is enough different that I am not able to transfer your solution of his problem to my problem.

Here it is in a nutshell.

1. I added a drive to my computer and installed windows 7 and iTunes 12 on it. It became my boot drive.

2. I kept the iTunes Media folder on the old boot drive, which is now my second drive. The iTunes Media folder and all of its contents are EXACTLY THE SAME as they were before, but the drive letter is now E, not C. The iTunes Media folder was being totally managed by iTunes 12 before, so everything should be completely compatible.

3. So, how do I make iTunes 12 recognize that the iTunes Media folder is now on E, not on C?

Thanks,

Ken

Start iTunes while holding down the SHIFT key. You'll get this prompt:

Click on Choose Library ... and browse to the location of your iTunes library (which, based on your info, should be E:\Users\user_name\Music\iTunes. Select the iTunes Library.itl file and click Open. iTunes will now being using E: rather than C: as the library location.

I hope the iTunes folder is also still in place on drive E:\, presumably at E:\Users<User>\Music\iTunes with the iTunes Media folder inside it. See Repair security permissions for iTunes for Windows to make sure your new account is able to properly access the files on the old drive, then shift-start-iTunes and connect to the library at E:\Users<User>\Music\iTunes\iTunes Library.itl.

You may want to move the iTunes folder up to E:\iTunes so that it is easier to clear some of the content from your old drive that you no longer need.

tt2

Thank you to hhgttg27 and turingtest2. That is very easy. So easy that I will probably remember it the next time I have to do something like this.

Thanks again,

Ken