An iTunes library problem?

[ArcticStones]

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Today, I’ve been importing a lot of CDs into my iTunes library. But I just noticed a problem – or rather, a potential problem.

You see, I have my iTunes library on my external FireWire disk, which of course is attached at the moment. Nevertheless the 30 or so CDs I’ve imported today are being stored on my PowerBook disk (in an "iTunes library" there)! I suspect this is because two days ago I imported a wav-file with a message left to my answering service – and that somehow this has altered the iTunes settings.

What do I do? The files that are in the wrong place take up a valuable 4.2 Gb on my laptop, and definitely want my iTunes library all in one place. Is there an easy way to move them? Can I just grab the subfolders and move them to the other disk, directly into iTunes? I’ve heard that that causes problems...

Any good help would be greatly appreciated!

With best regards,
ArcticStones

PS. I will have to import other wav-files in the next two months, as I’m updating the Web diary of an Arctic explores who now heads for the North Pole. But I want all this to go on the right disk.

[hayne]

two days ago I imported a wav-file with a message left to my answering service – and that somehow this has altered the iTunes settings.
I suspect that if the iTunes library location is not found when you launch iTunes (because the external disk was not connected?) then iTunes will create a new Library folder on the internal disk and switch to using that.

What do I do? The files that are in the wrong place take up a valuable 4.2 Gb on my laptop, and definitely want my iTunes library all in one place.

Make sure you have the preference option set to copy songs into the iTunes library folder. Then drag the songs into your iTunes library (or use the menu item to import songs) and the songs should get copied to the right place. Then you can delete them from your internal drive.

[ArcticStones]

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Hayne, thanks once again. :) I’ll try that.

[ArcticStones]

Make sure you have the preference option set to copy songs into the iTunes library folder. Then drag the songs into your iTunes library (or use the menu item to import songs) and the songs should get copied to the right place. Then you can delete them from your internal drive.

Changed the preference setting. iTunes immediately starting updating the library of its own accord. Then I got the following message:

Would you like iTunes to move and rename the files in your new iTunes Music folder to match the "Keep iTunes Music folder organized" preference?

In this case, I haven’t a clue as to what this means and what I should choose. And which is the "new" folder? If its the one I really want, on my external disc, what is it then that gets moved and renamed if I answer "Yes"?

Sorry that I’m still confused.

- ArcticStones

[hayne]

Here's what it says on Apple's iPod support page:
http://www.apple.com/support/ipod101/tunes/6/
If you want iTunes to automatically manage your music whenever you import tracks from CDs or add files to your iTunes library, select the "Keep iTunes Music folder organized" checkbox. iTunes will create a folder hierarchy of artist and album names that contains all relevant audio files with the correct track names and order. To keep all your music in one place instead of having iTunes point to various files all over your hard drive, select the "Copy files to iTunes Music folder when adding to library" checkbox.

But you should just do some experimenting (with a few songs) and see what happens and if that's what you want.

[ArcticStones]

I suspect that if the iTunes library location is not found when you launch iTunes (because the external disk was not connected?) then iTunes will create a new Library folder on the internal disk and switch to using that.
Is there a way to lock the iTunes Music folder location, to prevent this undesired redefinition of the iTunes folder?

I would really prefer not to have to remember to redefine the location every time I have launched iTunes intentionally or by accident, without my Firewire disk attached.

ArcticStones

[mkoreiwo]

You can leave your iTunes library on your laptop.... that is only th database of what music you have and shouldn't be that large with 4000+ songs mine is only 5.8 Mb.

My music resides on a second hard drive, my library is in my /user/music/iTunes folder. There is a reference (alias) within my music folder that points to a "music" folder on my data drive...

The screenshot shows the path. notice the little alias arrow on the music folder under the iTunes folder.

Does this help?

[ArcticStones]

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Ok, yeah, I see that my iTunes library only takes 15.4 Mb. Looks like that, in itself, is staying on the Powerbook.

Thanks!

[mkoreiwo]

Soooo.... You could create the Music Folder on the Firewire drive, then point the iTunes library to that location.....

...Now I don't know what will happen when you launch iTunes without your Firewire connected.... But you can always move things back and you should be OK....

[ldrury]

If you launch without the FW connected the library comes up as normal, but music stored on the FW drive won't play.
You can have a "dual-library" this way - if you want some music always available, just change the location of the library before you import it (then tell iTunes not to move all your music), then change it back before importing to the FW drive. Not the most elegant situation, but until iTunes supports multiple libraries easily, seems to work OK......