When I try to direct my iTunes library to my USB hard drive, it stays in 'connecting' status. Why?

I have an airport extreme that has a USB hard drive. I had my iTunes on my MacBook pro directed to the hard drive. It stopped using the hard drive and now I can't direct it to the hard drive. The Airport utility can see the hard drive and I didn't change any set ups. I have tried powering down and powering up the Airprot extreme. I have tried disconnecting and reconnecting the hard drive.
My husband was able to see the hard drive on his PC lap top and now he can't either. When he tries to connect the hard drive directly to his PC, it asks him to reformat the drive, which we don't want to do (won't that erase everything on the drive?)
What should I check?
Thanks...

Thank you for your response. I have done this...when I open the iTunes folder copied from my old computer, each song appears only once. When I open iTunes each song appears twice. Should I uninstall the iTunes folder from my old computer and reinstall it? It make no sense that I have 2 of everything in iTunes. Thank you for responding - I really appreciate it, as I don't want to have to delete each duplicate song

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Moving entire iTunes library to external USB hard drive

My internal hard drive is nearly full. I need to move the entire current 10 GB iTunes library of songs, podcasts, album art, etc. to a 300 GB external USB hard drive with plenty of space. Within a few weeks I'll get a new replacement computer with a much larger internal hard drive and will want to relocate the iTunes library again onto the new machine. The iTunes Help Forum had some tips but explained "From now on, new songs & other items are stored in the new location. Songs you've already imported stay in their current location." That doesn't help. I won't be importing anything new until I've gotten my new computer and am running iTunes on it. Any help is very much appreciated.

Copy /Music/iTunes/ folder to the external.
To use this folder, hold Shift and launch iTunes.
Select *Choose library*.
Select the iTunes folder you copied to the external.
Make sure the external is connected and ready before launching iTunes.
When you get your new computer, copy the entire iTunes folder from the external to /Music/ on the new computer.

When i try to copy my iphoto library to my external hard drive i get this error message, The operation can't be completed because you don't have permission to access some of the items.

iphoto 8.1.2
os x 10.6.8
I'm on a macbook 2ghz processor and 2gb memory
my iphoto library is about 80gb
I'm trying to back it up so that I can delete the photos and clear up space on my HD.
I already made sure that my permissions on iphoto were set to read and write.

You answered half of the questions - and WiFi is not a possible way to use an iPhoto library
And critically
What is the format of the EHD (it must be Mac OS extended (journaled) )
And for using the iphoto library you can not access it wirelessly - it must be on a fast hard wired connection like ThunderBolt, FireWire or USB 2 or 3
LN

I recreived an IPOd classic from a friend. When I try to download my Itunes Library it says I don't have access priviledges. How can I fix this?

I received an IPOD classic from a friend. When I try to download my Itunes library it says I do not have access privileges. Help, how can I fix this?

Here is an old post which might help you.
https://discussions.apple.com/message/9644723#9644723

I recently transferred my itunes library to an external hard drive. Now I get the error message 'the original file could not be found. Could you like to locate it' when i try to open songs. My iPod syncs ok.

I recently tranferred my iTunes library to an external hard drive. Now I cannot open songs and get the error message ' The song "***" could not not be used because the original file could not be found. Would you like to locate it'. This applies to all 9742 songs!!. My iPod still syncs ok, but I can't play songs on the PC. Can anyone please help.

It would help to have more background about your iTunes collection such as if you keep it on an external drive, or if you have moved or renamed anything recently. iTunes is very sensitive to you renaming or moving files or folders involved with your media. iTunes only keeps a reference to where a media file is located and then goes to look for it when you try to play it. If you have changed things since it was added to itunes then it's like me sending you to look for a friend in my addressbook but that friend has moved.
The other possibility is your computer is starting to lose files. Again, the computer uses a reference database to tell it where on the drive to look for a file. If that database gets corrupt then it starts losing files. Use Dsk Utility's first aid to verify your hard drive.

HT1751 I have followed the steps to back up my itunes library to an external hard drive but when I try to drag my library to the hard drive it does not work. Any suggestions?

I have followed th steps to back up my itunes library to an external hard drive but when I try to drag the itunes folder to the hard drive it does not let me. Any suggestions?

Go through the below forum with similar issue and follow the process mentioned by "Macjack" in the beginning.
https://discussions.apple.com/thread/4499820

When i try to open my iTunes library in my Mac Pro say error13001 do you know what is that ?

when i try to open my iTunes library in my Mac Pro say error13001 do you know what is that ?

Click here and follow the instructions. You may need to completely remove and reinstall iTunes and all related components, or run the process multiple times; this won't normally affect its library, but that should be backed up anyway.
(99773)

I moved my itunes library to an external hard drive and now when I try to sync my ipad it says it is already synced to another library.

I moved my itunes library to an external hard drive and then I tried to sync my ipad. I got a message that says my ipad is synced to another library and it will erase my ipad, which I don't want to do. I'm not sure how to fix this problem, any ideas?

Ok. progress...
So is your media folder called iTunes Music or iTunes Media? And does it have a folder called Music inside it?
Before going any further you should first attempt to use File > Library > Organize Library > Rearrange files in the folder "<Media Folder>" (ignore if grayed out). This will make sure that any iPod Games or Mobile Applications get placed inside the iTunes Media folder which is needed for portability.
If your iTunes Media folder is called iTunes Music, close iTunes, rename the folder as iTunes Media and start iTunes again. iTunes will automatically adjust. Close iTunes again.
On your external drive rearrange the folders that you have already copied there so that they match the layout in your active library. You should end up with a folder called X:\iTunes where X: is the external drive letter, and the media folder is X:\iTunes\iTunes Media. If the library layout was upgraded then you will need to create a Music folder inside this and move all the artist folders and Compilations into Music. You will also need to copy iPod Games and Mobile Applications from your internal drive into the new media folder. Next copy the files iTunes Library.itl, iTunes Library Extras.itdb, iTunes Library Genius.itdb, sentinel and the folder Album Artwork from the internal drive into X:\iTunes. The preceding manipulations should make the internal and external copies of your library match without you having to copy all of the media over again.
Now hold shift as you start iTunes. Click choose, browse to and open X:\iTunes\iTunes Library.itl.
Finally use File > Library > Organize Library > Consolidate files. This will ensure that any stray files that might have been added from outside your original media folder will be copied into the new one.
You can now reclaim the space used by your library on the internal drive, however before you do so I would advise you to obtain another external drive and make use of this backup tip.
tt2

When my old PC died I had the tech guy place my iTunes library on an external hard drive. Just set up my new iMac

When my old PC died I had the tech guy place my iTunes library on an external hard drive. I just set up my iMac and I cannot get my library on the external hard drive to import to iTunes. I authorized my computer and had the "purchased" songs downloaded from iTunes directly, but I have 3,000+ songs from other sources that I cannot seem to get to. Help! What's the trick?!

maggiedoodle wrote:
When my old PC died I had the tech guy place my iTunes library on an external hard drive. I just set up my iMac and I cannot get my library on the external hard drive to import to iTunes.
Don't import anythiong.
Simply copy the entire /Music/iTunes/ folder from the external to /Music/ on the internal.
Launch iTunes.
That is all you need to do.

I copied my itunes library via an external hard drive. now when i connect my ipod to the new computer i can see my music but my apps are disabled

i copied my itunes library via an external hard drive. now when i connect
my ipod to the new computer i can see my music but my apps are disabled

Here are the official Apple Support instructions:
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4527
Ciao.

Moved iTunes library to an ext hard drive to make space on my int drive... Followed steps from apple. Now I cannot access my music... It says: "File could not be used because the original file cannot be found. Would you like to locate it?"

Moved iTunes library to an ext hard drive to make space on my int drive... Followed steps from apple. Now I cannot access my music... It says: "File could not be used because the original file cannot be found. Would you like to locate it?"
I moved my iTunes library to my external hard drive some time ago and I followed the directions listed here on the apple support page. It did copy my library and now is on my hard drive... I can open iTunes and use it to sync all of my devices but I would like to play my music... I can see all of my music files but can not play them if I click on an album or song it says the following: "(file name) could not be used because the original file cannot be found. Would you like to locate it?" I click locate but do not know where to go from there? I need a way to access all files and not to hunt down one at a time on my hard drive... I am pretty sure I deleted the original library to make space on my internal drive which was the reason for moving it. I have tried and tried to fix it and do not have a lot of time to do so with a one and two year old at my house who do not like it whenI sit down at my computer. What to do??? Any help is much appreciated!!!

See Make a split library portable. Move all of the bits of the library together in the the correct shape and it should work. Or undo exactly what you did and then start over.
If you're a former Windows user don't try merging two folders together that have the same name by dropping one into the same folders as the other, as that goes badly on a Mac.
tt2

I have two apple id's one from my old laptop and one from my iPhone. I saved my iTunes library to my external hard drive and then tried to transfer it to my iMac. My music skips like a scratched cd now and I can't add any to my iPhone. Help please!

I have two apple id's one from my old laptop and one from my iPhone. I saved my iTunes library to my external hard drive right before my old mac laptop died and then tried to transfer it to my new iMac. Now when I try to play my old music it skips like a scratched cd. Also, now I can't add any music to my iPhone unless it was purchased recently through itunes and downloaded through icloud. I tried to "Organize" my library in hopes of correcting the problem but my iMac just ejects my external harddrive part way through. Please help!

Ejects the harddrive?
Of what did your old Mac die?
It sounds to me like you have some file corruption somewhere. Either in the transfer of your library to the external or the external itself is flaky if it keeps ejecting.

Moving my itunes library to a removable hard drive.

I have moved my itunes library to a removable hard drive. Every time I try to trash my old itunes file and access the removable HD, I cant find it from iTunes. the only thing I can get it to do is to reload (duplicate) the entire 30gb library on the HD I want it off of. Now I have 2 duplicate versions of my library, but still can't get it to keep the files on the HD. Can someone help?
Mark

Hey Mark -
I think it's helpful to understand how this whole process works, and along the way, maybe we'll find where things went wrong for your situation.
iTunes can take as much or as little control of your library as you like, and different settings may be turned on or off for you as it's not always standardized.
If you'd like your entire iTunes Library to be transferred to one centralized, organized location (wherever - a local directory or an external drive, whatever you like), here's what you need to do (and if it's not too late, here's what you need to go "back" and do to make this transition smoother).
- Open iTunes with the default library (where you had it).
- Select iTunes, Preferences, Advanced, and ensure that "Keep iTunes Media folder organized" and "Copy files to iTunes Media folder when adding to library" are both checked. This ensures that your music files are actually going TO the iTunes folder (and not, for example, just being referenced in a downloads folder which you'll probably move or delete later, breaking all those links) and that iTunes will sort your media by Artist\Album\Track Number Song.xxx instead of just moving the file as-is to a different spot.
- Select File, Library, Organize Library and check "Consolidate files" and "Reorganize files in the folder 'iTunes Media'". These two marks take anything up-to-this-point and consolidates them into the one location, then uses its sorting structure to file it all away.
Then, Mark, I think it's appropriate to exit iTunes, take that entire library folder (YourUsername\Music\iTunes\) and put it wherever you'd like it to go. To tell iTunes where your new library is, hold the Option key and click on the iTunes application, then "Choose Library" and reference your new location.
I think it's important to follow the preliminary steps first. I've run into instances with customers where they've moved their Library file, referenced it by Choosing the new Library, and then thought everything was fine, only to find two weeks later when they try to play an audio file that the file isn't found - and this happens because the user moved the library FILE but didn't have a consolidated library TO move - the files were spread out all over the computer.
I hope that's helpful to you. I know it may be too late to "undo" yourself back to the beginning and do those organizational steps, but it's at least useful to know the process and how it might help you in the future.
Best of luck.

Can I create a "new" iTunes library on an external hard drive and transfer my iTune library to save space on my laptop

Can I create a "new" iTunes library on an external hard drive and transfer my iTune library to save space on my laptop hard drive

Yes. Just copy all your music to a folder on your external. Then delete the music on your computers hard drive.
It is not quite that simple. If you do that you will end up with many broken links and will have to re-create your library from scratch . iTunes does not like it when you move or rename files or folders and doing so between drives is guaranteed to result in exclamation marks indicating you have broken the links to all your media files.
If you are content with moving the whole library to an external drive (usually the best thing for most people), try:
iTunes: How to move [or copy] your music to a new computer [or another drive] - http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4527
Quick answer if you use iTunes' default preferences settings: Copy the entire iTunes folder (and in doing so all its subfolders and files) intact to the other drive. Open iTunes and immediately hold down the Option (alt) key (shift on Windows), then guide it to the new location of the library.

Transferring iTunes Library to an external hard drive - help needed

I recently moved my iTunes library (aka all of my 32 GB of music) onto an external hard drive so as to save space on my laptop, but I messed up somehow and now I can't add songs to my iPhone. The chain of events went something like this:
1. I copied my iTunes library onto my external hard drive.
2. I changed my iTunes library location (in the itunes settings) to it's new spot on the external.
3. I deleted the songs off my laptop.
This worked fine at first, but then I think I opened iTunes with my external NOT connected and I got a blank library. I plugged in my external but my itunes was still blank. Then I decided I'll just add everything back to my itunes library. I did that, but I lost all my playlists and whatnot, but I didn't really care - all my music was there.
Now I just tried to add new music to my iPhone and it won't let me. When I try to turn manual music management it gives me an error saying "this iPhone is synced with another itunes library".
Is there some way I can retrieve my original itunes library from before I did all this stuff? Help much appreciated.

Quick answer if you use iTunes' default preferences settings: Copy the entire iTunes folder (and in doing so all its subfolders and files) intact to the other drive. Open iTunes and immediately hold down the option (alt) key (shift on Windows) so you get a prompt to choose a library, then select the copied iTunes folder.
If this is to a new computer and you put the copied iTunes folder in the default location of Macintosh HD > Users > *User Name* > Music then you don't even need to start with the option key held down, iTunes will automatically look for it there. (Make sure there isn't anything already in the iTunes folder there that you want to keep since you will be replacing it with the one you are moving.)

When I try to direct my iTunes library to my USB hard drive, it stays in 'connecting' status. Why?

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