iTunes - consolidated libraries but not all tracks are in iTunes folder

[andysdad]

As above on a Win 7 PC - I have Consolidated the library but a lot of tracks are still in C\User\My Music and NOT copying into C\User\My Music\Itunes (NB I have put iTunes folder as a subfolder of My Music).

Sort of half and half; 50% in My Music (the usual PC location) and 50% in the iTunes folder.

Reading Apple's instructions, Consolidate should copy all relevant media tracks to iTunes folder leaving the originals in place (i.e. in My Music), but this is not happening. Only then should you delete from My Music when transferred.

Any ideas/suggestions please?

A

 

[cookie]

Do it manually?

Unlikely, but Maybe some of the files are in a format iTunes won't deal with?

 

[andysdad]

Do it manually?

But I hardly know you

Hadn't thought of that - but is it a simple drag/drop? I thought iTunes renames/checks track listing order etc as part of the consolidation so it is more like importing.

All are .mp3 as I had ripped music before iTunes came along.

A

 

[cookie]

Can you separate the files that aren't transferring? Then just drop one into the iTunes music Library and see what happens.
You should be able to drop folders of tunes, or multiple folders into iTunes and it should sort itself out. Just try a few to start with.

I've never used the Consolidate function, so can't be much help with that. I'm more a hands on, manual kind of guy

 

[andysdad]

Thanks Cookie

for the suggestions so far.

It's more complicated than I thought. Click on many of the songs in iTunes and the error message "The song "title" could not be used because the original file could not be found. Would you like to locate it?"

If I select Yes, an explorer box opens but the file is not automatically shown.

The only ones that actually play were the ones ripped by Itunes. If I copy the tracks manually from My Music into Itunes, they still don't play, even after re-Consolidating the library. Confused.

Furthermore, the tracks not yet in iTunes (but in My Music) have a separate issue (I think) in that I have lots of single tracks - they're from compilations on an old MP3 player which used a clunky naming system which listed each track under their original album listing, not under the compilation listing IYSWIM.

Help me, someone, please!

A

 

[cookie]

it sounds like itunes has lost the location of the library, i've had that myself.

it was along time ago, and i think i just deleted all the titles in itunes and reimported them again, but i'm not sure. i think there is a way of pointing itunes to the library, but i can't be sure about how it's done. i expect it is in one of the Preference tabs on a mac install, but you're probably on windows.

it does also suggest that the bought tunes are in a different library too. right click on one and then "Show in Finder" or windows equivalent and see perhaps.

 

[andysdad]

Fixed it

Cookie - thanks for the help so far (again!)

Apparently in Windows 7 the iTunes folder SHOULD be in the My Music folder.


Here is how I fixed it - may not be the best solution but may help others. Apologies for the long post.

The problem was that the original links for the sound files in the iTunes Music folder were to a directory that no longer exists (I will call these invalid links Copy 1). I had assumed they would point to the actual source files in My Music but somewhere down the line (moving from XP to Vista to Win 7?) the links got broken. You can check the source file location by right-clicking an iTunes song entry and looking at Get Info.

After lots of surfing, the solution was simple-ish.

I added the Folder C\User\My Music to Itunes library again; this generated duplicate links to all the original files but with one difference - the new entries point to where the source files are NOW (good links to My Music = Copy 2).

After importing, I Consolidated to copy the actual source files into the Itunes Music folder, leaving the originals still in the My Music folder as well. (NB make sure you have enough HD space for both copies - I had 80GB of duplicates (2 x 40GB)).

Then I sorted the Exact Duplicates in Itunes (hold down Shift key then select View\Show Exact Duplicates). The Duplicates are Copy 1 = original older invalid links and Copy 3 = new links to good files in iTunes (which have been copied into iTunes by Consolidating the Copy 2 links)).

Then right click anywhere on the headers of the list (e.g. on Name) and click to add new Column called Date Added. Then sort by Date, select the old versions (copy 1 = invalid links) and delete. When asked "keep files" it doesn't matter as they cannot be found anyway.

After all that, I deleted the source folders (the good source files "Copy 2" in My Music) because the new copies are Consolidated into iTunes (as Copy 3) as above.

Long-winded perhaps, but with 16000 tracks it was better than moving them manually!

Now have 1 folder in My Music called ITunes; inside that there is iTunes Music containing ALL my tracks (70GB)

Simples!

 

[cookie]

Simples!

glad you got it sorted