I have multiple library entries for the same physical files in iTunes. I am running Windows 7. Can I copy the physical files to a flash drive. Uninstall iTunes. Reinstall iTunes and then add the files to the library?
Windows 7
Uninstalling & reinstalling iTunes has no impact on the library. You could delete your current database & start over, but that wipes out ratings, play counts, playlists, date added, etc.
Duplicates in iTunes are usually the result of reimporting content located outside of the media folder when your settings allow for imported songs to be copied into the media folder. iTunes doesn't keep a record of the external paths, so if you add the same folder twice you get two copies. The kind of duplicates you describe (what I call logical duplicates) are typically created if you start iTunes with media on a disconnected external drive, then connect the drive and add folders to iTunes.
Apple's official advice on duplicates is here as given above: Find and remove duplicate items in your iTunes library. It is a manual process and the article fails to explain some of the potential pitfalls such as lost ratings and playlist membership, or that sometimes the same file can be represented by multiple entries in the library and that deleting one and recycling the file will break any others.
Use Shift > View > Show Exact Duplicate Items to display duplicates as this is normally a more useful selection. You need to manually select all but one of each group to remove. Sorting the list by Date Added may make it easier to select the appropriate tracks, however this works best when performed immediately after the dupes have been created. If you have multiple entries in iTunes connected to the same file on the hard drive then don't send to the recycle bin.
Use my DeDuper script (Windows only) if you're not sure, don't want to do it by hand, or want to preserve ratings, play counts and playlist membership. See this thread for background, this post for detailed instructions, and please take note of the warning to backup your library before deduping.
(If you don't see the menu bar press ALT to show it temporarily or CTRL+B to keep it displayed.)
The most recent version of the script can tidy dead links as long as there is at least one live duplicate to merge stats and playlist membership to, and should cope sensibly when the same file has been added via multiple paths.
tt2
Uninstalling & reinstalling iTunes has no impact on the library. You could delete your current database & start over, but that wipes out ratings, play counts, playlists, date added, etc.
Duplicates in iTunes are usually the result of reimporting content located outside of the media folder when your settings allow for imported songs to be copied into the media folder. iTunes doesn't keep a record of the external paths, so if you add the same folder twice you get two copies. The kind of duplicates you describe (what I call logical duplicates) are typically created if you start iTunes with media on a disconnected external drive, then connect the drive and add folders to iTunes.
Apple's official advice on duplicates is here as given above: Find and remove duplicate items in your iTunes library. It is a manual process and the article fails to explain some of the potential pitfalls such as lost ratings and playlist membership, or that sometimes the same file can be represented by multiple entries in the library and that deleting one and recycling the file will break any others.
Use Shift > View > Show Exact Duplicate Items to display duplicates as this is normally a more useful selection. You need to manually select all but one of each group to remove. Sorting the list by Date Added may make it easier to select the appropriate tracks, however this works best when performed immediately after the dupes have been created. If you have multiple entries in iTunes connected to the same file on the hard drive then don't send to the recycle bin.
Use my DeDuper script (Windows only) if you're not sure, don't want to do it by hand, or want to preserve ratings, play counts and playlist membership. See this thread for background, this post for detailed instructions, and please take note of the warning to backup your library before deduping.
(If you don't see the menu bar press ALT to show it temporarily or CTRL+B to keep it displayed.)
The most recent version of the script can tidy dead links as long as there is at least one live duplicate to merge stats and playlist membership to, and should cope sensibly when the same file has been added via multiple paths.
tt2
I have multiple library entries for the same physical files in iTunes. I am running Windows 7. Can I copy the physical files to a flash drive. Uninstall iTunes. Reinstall iTunes and then add the files to the library?
