I’m not sure how to phrase the question, but here’s the situation: Like most people, I have both music that is downloaded from iTunes and music that I’ve uploaded from CDs. In an effort to free up computer space (and hopefully speed up my computer’s response time), I transferred the uploaded music folder to an external drive. Now, of course, iTunes can’t find the files, and I can’t figure out how to find and link its internal search engine default to the external drive. None of the drop-down menus seem to provide for this eventuality.
On a Mac, you go to “Preferences”, click on the “Advanced” tab, and at the top is a dialog box for “iTunes Media Folder location”. If you change this, it’ll change the directory iTunes looks for the music in. I think it still looks for the music in the same location relative to the new folder as the old files were relative to the old folder; in other words, if it used to be My Files/Music/The Cars/Just What I Needed.mp3 and you change “My Files/Music” to “External Hard Drive/Music”, it’ll look for that same file at External Hard Drive/Music/The Cars/Just What I Needed.mp3.
If you’re using Windows, there’s probably something equivalent, so you might try poking around with that.
Well, I saw what you were talking about and tried every which way to make it work, but with no luck. Not sure what I’m missing. The “my music\music\etc” only applies to the music downloaded from iTunes, and doesn’t include my CD music, which is in a music folder on my desktop. Should I transfer the music out of that folder and into the ‘my music’ folder along with the other tunes? Actually, now that I’ve talked through that, it seems logical to do so.
You’re saying that you have music files in two different locations? Could you keep them all in the same location? I guess your last post indicates that you are going to do that. I think it will be easier for you if everything is in one location.
There is a way to get it to work otherwise, but if you’re going to put everything in one location, then you don’t have to bother with making it work with files in two different locations.
P.S. Are you using iTunes on Windows or on Macintosh OS X?
Here’s an Apple support document iTunes for Windows: Moving your iTunes Media folder and the document has, in the first paragraph, a link with instructions for Mactinosh OS X. But this document assumes that you will have your whole library in the same place, not split into different places.
When I changed computers last time I copied all of the CD music onto a thumb drive, then put it all in a folder on the new computer’s desktop (yes, it’s Windows, BTW), figuring I’d sort it out later. I don’t remember how I was able to get iTunes to see it, but it does. I certainly could put it all in the same folder as the downloaded music, then see if a link will work. In my darker moments, I’ve been threatening to buy a new computer with 64 bit, 8GB RAM, and a massive hard drive so I don’t keep running up against the space/speed problems. Honestly, I don’t know what is sucking up all the room on this drive.
When you’re done sorting out your iTunes issue (by putting all of your music in one location - that’s your answer) then get WinDirStatand run a report on your boot drive. It’ll tell ya exactly what’s in there. For free!