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TICKET ARCHIVE -> itunes not finding songs

laney - Jan 14, 2008 - 2:58 pm

i recently got a new computer and transferred all the files from one computer to the other with firewire in target mode. i then moved the itunes library to an 80gb external hard drive. i changed itunes preferences to select this folder as the one holding my itunes library and find my music from there. unfortunately it's not finding them there and whenever i select a song to play i have to locate the file individually from the external hard drive. theres 1980 songs on there and i cant bear the thought that i am going to have to go through each album seprately and copy each song to its correct place. Is there an easier way to do this? any help appreciated, i am a complete novice.

peter_ob - Jan 15, 2008 - 6:41 am

Follow these steps:
Quit iTunes.
Locate your iTunes folder.
The iTunes folder is stored in the following locations:
/Users/username/Music

Open your iTunes folder.
Drag the iTunes Music Library.xml to the Desktop
Drag the following file from your iTunes folder to the Trash:

"iTunes Library" (in versions of iTunes prior to 4.9 this was called "iTunes 4 Music Library").
Open iTunes.
From the File menu, choose Import.
Tip: Do not add any music into iTunes at this point.

Navigate to the iTunes Music Library.xml file on the Desktop.
Click Choose.

After re-creating your library, any devices that you sync with iTunes (Apple TV, iPod, etc) will see your iTunes library as a new library and will completely resync."

If this does not work just drag the itunes music folder from the external HD into iTunes and wait for it to add it to your library.

bests,
peter

laney - Jan 15, 2008 - 3:34 pm

i have followed all the directions, but in my itunes folder there was both an itunes library and an itunes 4 music library so i moved both to the trash (i havent emptied the trash yet!) i then imported the xml file but it only sucessfully imported 92 of the 1800 odd songs and said it couldnt find the rest? I have tried the second option of locating them on the external hard drive and dragging them into itunes which seems to have worked so far, i just wanted to make sure that by doing this their location remains on the external hard drive, not on my tower,? thanks for all the help so far!

peter_ob - Jan 15, 2008 - 6:53 pm

Yes it would be in your external hard drive. If you want to be doubly sure in iTunesgo to Advanced> Consolidate library. This would copy all your songs in your prefered location which in your case is the external hard drive. If you wish you can delete the songs in your iTunes folder in the tower.

cheers,
peter

laney - Jan 20, 2008 - 8:55 am

fantastic help, sorry it took so long for a response i have been really tied up with coursework. Im not sure how to check if my tower is holding the tunes, but i can get my mum too check that for me. it seems to be running at the same speed so i think its okay. just wondered hat bi do with the xml that is on my sedktop? is it an alias can i delete it? thank you so much guys!

TechSupport - Jan 23, 2008 - 9:00 am

We apologize for not being able to resolve the issue you asked of us. It is the absolute worst case scenario for us to do this. In our review of why this happens, it generally is related to either the particular issue being addressed or frequently, incomplete or incorrect information provided. We hope by moving your request to the public forums that you will be able to get a solution without leaving you empty handed.

Your ticket has been closed with our support team. Your request has just been posted to Mac OS X System & Mac Software and is available for your viewing at:

http://macosx.com/forums/showthread.php?t=297904

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