Easy Question - Playing song through iTunes when song is on external drive

iTunes is set up as the default music player. When I play a song that's on an external hard drive it appears that iTunes not only plays the song but it also copies it to iTunes permanently. Am I correct? Is this an option that I can turn off? Thanks.

It seems that in both cases the song will be added to the library if I checked the box that says: "copy files to i Tunes music folder when adding to library" Can you confirm this?
In both cases, a reference to the song appears in the iTunes Library. What the setting controls is whether or not the song is copied to the iTunes Music folder.
(38092)

Similar Messages

Migration Assistant problem? : New iMac's iTunes doesn't see the catalog or playlist of my old Mac's songs on an external drive

So I just migrated from a 10.7.5 iMac 27" from 2009 to 10.9.4 on a 2013 27" iMac with Fusion Drive.
I don't use Time Machine. There are no backups involved here.
Used Ethernet. Only took 20 hours... (BTW, it stayed on "less than 1 minute left" for like 12 hours but luckily I was away and just left it going in hopes it would work... and it did!)
Anyway, back on my OLD iMac, I kept all of my songs on an external drive because my internal drive was too small. So iTunes looked at that drive for the music it was playing. I turned that drive off, even disconnected it, during the migration process because I thought it was confusing it during the first attempt which took 10 hours and nothing happened.
So now it worked, finally. On my new iMac, running Mavericks, I now have two user accounts... the one that was set up when I started the computer the first time, and the new one that transferred over via Migration Assistant. No problem. I can live with that. The only thing is, I would still think the old XML files and library stuff would migrate over... but iTunes doesn't see it. When I open up iTunes, in *either* account, iTunes behaves as if it's brand new. Repeat: the old and new account on the new iMac, both, do not see an old iTunes library which IS on the old iMac. Only the music is on the external drive from what I understand.
I've done this before so I know it's possible. I remember upgrading a long time ago and got iTunes to see my old library... even though some of the music was no longer there. It just puts "!" marks wherever there is no link. I was hoping that that's what I would find when I launched iTunes, but no luck. Even connecting the old hard drive to the new Mac (via USB) doesn't make iTunes all of a sudden "see" the old library. That data doesn't seem to be there. It didn't transfer over. Did it not transfer over because the songs weren't on the internal volume? Should I have left my external hard drive on?
So.... now that I've spent almost 3 days total trying to get this to work, and everything is running... I don't want to have to start over in order to get iTunes to work. Is there a way I can just drag over some XML files or something from the old computer? I don't want to lose all of the ratings and personal notes and everything.
I should add also that I have like only four songs I've ever actually bought through iTunes. I'm still a bit old fashioned and buy CDs and rip them to Apple Lossless. So I hope it's not an authorization / reauthorization issue because I have like 1400 albums ripped.
Thanks in advance for any help.
--Jeff

iTunes does not use the .xml it uses the .itl
If you are sure your old library file migrated across (does the file size and modification dates suggest it has?) start iTunes while holding down the option/alt key and guide it to the .itl file to get it to use that one.

Trouble playing music through iTunes

A problem has recently occurred with regards to playing music through iTunes. Whenever a song reaches around the half-way mark, it suddenly starts slowing down and becomes riddled with crackles. This only started last night, and is the first time I've ever had this problem. Does anyone know what the problem, and how to rectify it?

Does this happen in other programs? Have you tried updating your soundcard drivers?
Updating the drivers on your Windows PC
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=300252

I cannot play music from my library on either my external drive or my laptop - keep getting same message "___ song (all of them) could not be used because the original file could not be found. I have tried changing the path in prefernces many times.

I cannot play music from my libray on either my external drive or my laptop. I keep getting the same message - "___ song (all of them) could not be used because the original file could not be found. Would you like to locate it?" I have changed the path several times under preferences and it still won't recognize any songs from either my laptop hard drive or my external drive. I can't play any music at all.

I think I've fixed this on my machine. If you look in the ITunes folder there is a subfolder called Previous iTunes Libraries. In my case for some reason this contained the one which had always worked and a new one was in the main folder. I closed iTunes, deleted the new one, and moved the old one back to the main folder, then opened iTunes. It then rebuilt the library and it plays correctly. Hope it works for you.

Itunes can't locate songs stored in external drive

i had created playlists and added songs to the playlists in itunes 7.02. these songs are stored on an external drive. i did not sync my ipod immediately but tried it a few days later. despite the external drive being connected to my laptop, when i tried to sync the ipod with itunes, for 90% of the songs there was an exclamation mark next to the song & i had to manually double click on a song name in itunes, and locate it in the external drive, in order for itunes to be able to sync it.
i can't do that for 3000+ songs. why can't itunes recognise and locate these songs when they have been stored in the itunes library from the external drive? isn't there a way to tell itunes to locate songs in the external drive? especially when they had been added from there in the first place?

Hi there,
I'm having the same problem, I'll list it in case I'm somehow different from the other case but unfortunately directing iTunes to that folder doesn't seem to do the trick...?
Have bought a Seagate 320GB external drive, copied my iTunes library (that was located in my /Users/Shared folder) to a new location on my external drive and redirected iTunes to the new location. It said it was updating the folder which took a while and I assumed was a good sign due to my 8948 songs but alas the dreaded exclamation mark has appeared next to every track. If I redirect one to the new location it works fine but f*ed if I'm gonna do that for the other 8947. If I quit iTunes and reopen it, it's still directed to the same correct place and the previously located still works but the rest don't. Is there a) some reason this may not be working correctly; or b) a quick way to redirect every song to their location? Thanks so much for your help.

TS5376 What happens to the audio, music, etc. that I've uploaded to iTunes that I didn't purchase through iTunes when unstalling iTunes?

With the iTunes runtime error, the only solution seems to be to uninstall iTunes. If I can't open iTunes as it currently the case because of this issue, therefore I can't backup. What happens to all the audio CDs, books, etc. that I've uploaded to iTunes that I didn't purchase through iTunes when uninstalling. Can I be assured that these are in the Cloud also?

See Troubleshooting issues with iTunes for Windows updates.
There is a link to an iTunes library backup tip within, along with other advice on getting iTunes reinstalled and working again.
You don't need iTunes to be working to backup the library. You do need iTunes to be working to backup or restore your device...
tt2

How to download all songs from my external drive into my itunes library

I have enough Gbytes to not use an external drive for my music.
How do I proceed to download all songs from the external drive on my internal drive?

Hello there, Laetidela.
The following Knowledge Base article offers up some great steps on how to move your iTunes library from an external hard drive to your computer:
iTunes: How to move your music to a new computer
http://support.apple.com/kb/ht4527
External drive
This option requires more work than Home Sharing, but it creates a backup of your iTunes library on the external drive in addition to moving your content.
Notes before you start:
You can use most iPods as an external drive.
Windows operating systems don't recognize Mac OS-formatted disks (HFS or HFS Plus formats). Because of this, you can't use a Mac-formatted iPod or external drive to move your music to a Windows PC. See iPod: How to determine iPod's hard disk format if you're not sure how your iPod is formatted.
Mac OS X can read Windows-formatted iPods and drives. This means there are many ways to migrate your information from your old Windows-based PC to your new Mac.
Mac OS X: To be sure external drives appear on your desktop, choose Preferences from the Finder menu. Be sure the options for "External disks" and "Hard disks" are enabled.
Part 1: Locating and consolidating the iTunes Media folder
Part 2: Copy iTunes folder from the old computer:
Part 3: Get iTunes ready on your new computer
Part 4: Back up any music that's already on your new computer
Part 5: Copy music to your new computer
Part 6: Add preexisting music that was on the new computer back into the library
Thanks for reaching out to Apple Support Communities.
Cheers,
Pedro.

Hi I'm trying to update my iPhone 4 to ios7 through iTunes , when I click update it tells me to change media sync options to make more storage available .... Anyone know how I do this please ... Thanks ,Helen

Hi I'm trying to update my iPhone 4 to ios7 through iTunes , when I click update it tells me to change media sync options to make more storage available .... Anyone know how I do this please ... Thanks ,Helen

You're out of space. Do you sync music to your phone? If so, try syncing it over in 128kb which will save a lot of room. Option is right in front of you in iTunes when you plug phone in.

HT1369 how to connect through itunes when activating?

how to connect through itunes when activating?

See if this helps
http://store.apple.com/us/help/iphone#carrier_info
Browse down to "Activate your iPhone"

My iphone 5g was closed through updated it and now i cannot open it through power also through iTunes when connected it on computer. i cannot know what i do ?

hi dear
my iphone 5g was closed through updated it and now i cannot open it through power also through iTunes when connected it on computer. i cannot know what i do ?

Hello alaa_altaiy1979
Start with the article below to see if you can get it to power on and working again.
iOS: Not responding or does not turn on
http://support.apple.com/kb/ts3281
Regards,
-Norm G.

HT4628 My airport seems not to be working anymore. I have internet but now I can't play music through Itunes remotely. Airport kept flashing amber. Now I have tried to reset it it only flashes briefly amber and then no more light and it seems disconnected

My airport seems not to be working anymore. I have internet but now I can't play music through Itunes remotely. Airport kept flashing amber. Now I have tried to reset it it only flashes briefly amber and then no more light and it seems disconnected?? Any help out there?

Unfortunately the Netgear DG834N router is rubbish with Macbook Pro's. I've had a few netgear routers, which were all good with my mac, which is why I bought the 'N' series one as an upgrade to the 'G' version, but basically it crashes my Mac constantly. I get the fade up grey screen forcing my to hard power off my book. everything freezes. It plain just doesn't work. wireless 'N' is still just in draft form and the difference between the Netgear and Mac version on the macbook pro just clash. Netgear haven't updated the firmware on the router since last year, so hopefully the will soon, but I've just gone back to my old 'G' version, and stuck the DG834N on ebay. I tried all the configs, with and with out security and no luck, it always disconnected, froze and crashed.

Moving songs to an external drive

Hi,
I know this may sound like a stupid question, but I'm not an iTunes user, my husband is... My hard drive is completely full because he has downloaded too many songs. We have a huge external drive. How do I physically move the songs to my external drive so that they can play in iTunes?
Also, can I delete the songs after they are exported? HOw will I know they were moved successfully? How do I open the songs from the external drive in iTUnes?
Thanks in advance to whomever answers my questions! Happy July 4th!

The simplest way to move itunes on to an external drive is:
Close iTunes
copy your iTunes folder onto the external drive. (That's My Music\iTunes)
Start iTunes with the shift key held down and when asked to choose a library navigate to the itunes folder on the external drive and choose iTunes Library.itl.
If everything works OK, rename the iTunes folder on the internal drive and make sure everything still works.
Once you are ABSOLUTELY certain everything works OK you can delete the old iTunes folder, which you renamed.
Most peope's recycle bin is not big enough to hold all the music so don't delete things until your are sure everything is working OK on the external drive.
It is also a good idea to have a separate backup of your music.
Note that this procedure only works if you have a standard set up with all your music in iTunes\iTunes Music.

I'm a new MAC user and I'm trying to transfer my iTunes music files to my Mac, however when I attach the external drive that contains the music files, they aren't visible on the MAC (but they are visible on my old PC). How do I get my music loaded?

I'm a new MAC user and I'm trying to transfer my iTunes music files to my Mac, however when I attach the external drive that contains the music files, the music files aren't visible on the MAC (but they are visible on my old PC). How do I get my music transferred? I have already exported the purchased music from the iTunes library, but I have thousands of songs from my private CD collection that I had previously loaded through iTunes.

Paragon Software has the most reliable NTFS driver for Mac
tips on importing and organizing, transferring from Windows etc
http://www.apple.com/support/itunes
http://www.ilounge.com

Transfered all songs to an external drive and now cant access them

I thought I could move my songs to an external drive and still access them the same way I did when they were on my PC. I have the external drive plugged in Itunes gives a message "the song could not be used because the orriginal file could not be found. Would you like to locate it." I can then search and find it on the external drive one song at a time. I wnat the Itunes to work as if the song were in their orriginal location. Can this be done with out mooving them one by one back to an almost full hard drive?

Yes you could move everything back to your computer start over with a new a new library if you wish. Just so long as you aren't concerned about things like ratings or playlists or the number of times something was played etc. If the songs are all in one folder you could add that folder to your new library and it would bring all the songs with it just go to Edit>Add Folder to Library. To create or access a second (or more) library, hold down the Shift key in Windows when launching iTunes. In the resulting dialogue you will get the option to create a new library or open an existing one: Using multiple iTunes libraries -Windows

HT1449 When moving your iTunes Media folder to an external drive should the itl file be moved during the organise library process too?

I have moved all of the iTunes data to the drive, but can't seem to find the .itl folder when trying to make external drive the location for my music for a new computer.
Can anyone please assist on letting me know where the .itl file would have been copied to or whether, if I copy the .itl folder separately, would it keep play counts and ratings?
Thanks

Many people confuse moving their media folder with moving their library. A library is everything inside the iTunes folder. Unless you have a specific reason for not wanting to move the entire library it is best to do that rather than just media.
What are the iTunes library files? - http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1660
More on iTunes library files and what they do - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ITunes#Media_management
What are all those iTunes files? - http://www.macworld.com/article/139974/2009/04/itunes_files.html
Where are my iTunes files located? - http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1391
iTunes 9 [and later]: Understanding iTunes Media Organization - http://support.apple.com/kb/ht3847 - plus supplemental information about organizing to new structure https://discussions.apple.com/message/26404702#26404702
Image of folder structure and explanation of different iTunes versions (turingtest2 post) - https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-7392 and making an iTunes library portable.
If you move only media then the main library files remain on the computer. If you want to move the whole library:
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.)

Easy Question - Playing song through iTunes when song is on external drive

Similar Messages

Maybe you are looking for