How to effectively rename songs and albums in iTunes (PC)?

Tell me which of steps 1 to 4 you didn’t understand and I’ll try and explain

Gobbledygeek wrote:

... I'd really like to find a free way to solve this issue, if I can.

iTunes, but hey, you're free to ignore my advice.

I'm obviously not getting through.

I had a similar issue. I write and record my own music and when importing them into iTunes and editing the song info it would leave them in the Unknown Artist folder. I went to preferences and changed the box to automatically keep iTunes music organized. When I added the song it was an unknown artist, after editing it, iTunes didn't move the file. After clicking the box it's now organized.

Gobbledygeek wrote:

The issue here is, I can rename the songs, albums and whatnot in the backup folder, but how can I sync the modified folder to my current Library?

I've tried to point iTunes at that folder, but iTunes only offers to import the whole folder, not replace the modified songs/albums,

The use File/Add File to Library, as I suggested previously. That way you can choose the specific song you want, although I thought one of the major problems was that you were unable to change the names.

So, I'm a bit confused...

Gobbledygeek wrote:

I've tried to point iTunes at that folder, but iTunes only offers to import the whole folder, not replace the modified songs/albums, and since the actual songs aren't stored on the PC's hard drive,

It doesn't matter if songs are not on the PC's hard drive, just as long as the drive they are on is powered and ready to read before you start iTunes. If not, iTunes will not find those songs on subsequent start ups.

But it's not just that. In you first post you stated that you had a backup of the xml file, but not the songs. But now you're saying you do have the songs themselves. None of this addresses the original problem you complained about - songs without track names and the fact that you said you could not change the titles. And yet, now you say:

The issue here is, I can rename the songs, albums and whatnot in the backup folder,

whereas before, you couldn't.

I can only assume that the reason you could not change titles is because the files are on a drive which is set to read only, or the files themselves are set to read only. This would make sense if the files are a backup. Often, a backup is a one-time snap shot of a drive and is therefore read only. Further, if you use backup files as your main source, because they are now your only source, then they are no longer a backup.

• First of all, decide where you are going to store all your music; either in one location or several, that's up to you, depending I guess on the capacity of your storage locations.
• Having decided that, make sure that those locations have write capability, not just read.
• Make sure you understand the steps I outlined in my previous post about importing music into your iTunes library, using Sync to manage the Library onto a device (such as your iPhone), and the principles of the hard drive being the back up the phone, and the need for a further backup (of your Library, which is on your computer) to another location. Until you understand how this works, you will be chasing your tail trying to manage your music, as you appear to have been doing up to now.
• Once you understand the above, add any music not already in your iTunes Library by using File/Add File to Library for individual songs, or File/Add Folder to Library for a whole folder of music, as I previously suggested. When using these commands, you simply need to navigate to the location of the stored music, where-ever it is.
• Remember to backup this Library, by making a copy of your iTunes Folder, including the files that iTunes uses to manage your music.

Martin has neatly summarised what I've already told you, in my third post. If you choose to ignore good advice, it's up to you.

I will just try to emphasise the following in response to your comments:

if, say, you've got two albums by the same band, with one bearing the "Unknown Album" label, that album will be ignored when you want to listen to all songs by the same artist; you'll have to play the "Unknown Album" manually,

I have never known iTunes to be able to play everything by one artist if half of that artist's music is listed as unknown. Just how did iTunes (or your phone) work out that a particular unknown song, by an an unknown artist, belonged to one particular artist rather than another? It defies logic.

As for iTunes, I've always considered it to be needlessly complicated and counterintuitive to use. I may be wrong, but I really can't wrap my head around it.

Then re-read what both Martin and myself have written already.

For example, how come the offer to sync a library in iTunes with the actual content of the phone can result in the music on said phone being deleted.

Why not the other way around? After all, if that's what I wanted, I would simply delete the music.

Because that is how iTunes was designed.

Why can't iTunes offer to mirror the content on the phone with that in the Library?

Well, strictly speaking (the way you have written that), it is what iTunes is doing. (I realise that English is not your first language. That's all the more reason why you should carefully read what Martin and I have written, rather than being quick to dismiss us with your own pre-conceived ideas and interpretations.)

A Sync is making the content of the phone look like the Library. And that's why - if the songs are not in your Library, it deletes them from the phone.

Just accept that and ensure that the songs purchased from the iTunes Store directly on your phone are set to be added to your iTunes library (so sign into the store from your iTunes Library).

I suggested at the beginning that you need to ensure that music imported into your library from CD is not allowed to import as an unknown album. Rather than go on about unknown albums, take steps to prevent them being listed that way.