Q: locating files

Are you sure you followed ALL the steps in the "Restore your iTunes Library backup" from this link:

<<Back up your iTunes library by copying it to an external drive - Apple Support>>

The "missing file" error happens if the file is no longer where iTunes expects to find it. Possible causes are that you or some third party tool has moved, renamed or deleted the file, one of its parent folders, or the drive it lives on has had a change of drive letter. It is also possible that iTunes has changed from expecting the files to be in the pre-iTunes 9 layout to post-iTunes 9 layout, or vice-versa, and so is looking in slightly the wrong place.

Select a track with an exclamation mark, use Ctrl-I to Get Info, then click No when asked to try to locate the track. Look on the summary tab for the location that iTunes thinks the file should be. Now take a look around your hard drive(s). Hopefully you can locate the track in question. If a section of your library has simply been moved, a folder renamed, or a drive letter has changed, it should be possible to reverse the actions. If the difference between the two paths is an additional Music folder in one path then this is a layout issue. I can explain further if that is the case. If everything is where it is supposed to be try Repair security permissions for iTunes for Windows.

In some cases iTunes may be able to repair itself if you go through the same steps with Get Info but this time click Locate and browse to the lost track. It may then offer to attempt to automatically fix other broken links. Although it says something like "use the same location" I think it expects to find the tracks in the same artist & album layout they were in previously, with one systematic change to the path.

If another application like Windows Media Player has moved/renamed the files then the chances are that subtle differences in naming strategies will make it hard to restore the media to the precise path that iTunes is expecting. In such cases, as long as the missing files can be found somewhere, you should be able to use my FindTracks script to reconnect them to iTunes. See this post for an explanation of how it works.

If you want me to try to provide specific advice please post back the following details:

1. The location of the media folder under Edit > Preferences > Advanced
2. The location of a sample missing track shown under Get Info > File > Location that begins file://localhost/
3. The true path to the file whose details you gave in 2.

tt2

iTunes is looking for the file at:

     C:\Users\James\Music\iTunes\iTunes Media\Oasis\Don't Believe The Truth\01 Turn Up The Sun.m4a

however in a modern library I would really expect to see it at:

     C:\Users\James\Music\iTunes\iTunes Media\Music\Oasis\Don't Believe The Truth\01 Turn Up The Sun.m4a

Is that where the file 01 Turn Up The Sun.m4a is? If not search the entire computer for a file with that filename. What is the path?

Assuming the file is where I would expect it to be then close iTunes. Download and install Notepad++. (Regular Notepad doesn't handle the file we want to edit properly). Use Notepad++ to open the file:

     C:\Users\James\Music\iTunes\iTunes Media\.iTunes Preferences.plist

and change the line that reads:

     <integer>1</integer>

to read

     <integer>0</integer>

Close and save changes, then fire up iTunes. It should now see your content.

Note the file .iTunes Preferences.plist is normally hidden. You can either change settings in Windows Explorer to show hidden files or, having installed Notepad++ with the default options, copy and paste the following command line into the search box that opens when you click the start button or use WinLogoKey+R to open a run dialog:

     Notepad++ "C:\Users\James\Music\iTunes\iTunes Media\.iTunes Preferences.plist"

tt2

If you've installed Notepad++ then triple-click the line below:

Notepad++ "C:\Users\James\Music\iTunes\iTunes Media\.iTunes Preferences.plist"

which selects all of it. Press Ctrl+C to copy the selection, then hold down the Windows Logo Key (between Ctrl and Alt at the left of the keyboard) and tap the R key, then press Ctrl+V to paste the command and click OK.

Like this (the first part of the text is hidden because the box isn't wide enough to show all of it):

This will open the Notepad++ revealing the file that needs editing:

Change the 0 on line 8 into a 1 and save. Like this:

tt2