File could not be found Error

Just thought I'd mention something I've run into recently with my old Shuffle.
I have things set up to be manually managed because Syncing is a mess dealing with all my iDevices so I've grown accustomed to dragging over music manually to my 2nd Gen Shuffle but I've run into this error when doing so:
"iTunes could not copy "song name" to the iPod "iPod name" because the file could not be found."
Which is bizarre because the song is already in iTunes. The way to fix it is to turn OFF "Convert higher bit rate songs to 128 kbps AAC".
It only happens on some songs and I can't find a commonality between them at all. Also I've noticed that when iTunes throughs up this error the Shuffle mounts on the desktop briefly then unmounts. I have it set to not use it as a disk in iTunes.
Has anyone else seen or dealt with this error?

Fantastic, thanks so much for figuring this out.
I was having the same problem, with the same three files failing every time I tried to sync my iPhone. But iTunes could locate them fine via Show in Finder. Even tried making copies of the files, deleting them old ones (from both my Library and the machine), and then importing the copied files back into iTunes. And the same "file could not be found" message still came up, every sync, now on the cloned files.
Turning off the AAC conversion made it go away. Completed sync on the first try, no errors.
Thanks again!

Similar Messages

  • Deleting Duplicates creates "original file could not be found" error

    I am not running iTunes 8.2.1.6 and trying to delete duplicates that were created as I tried to move my iTunes Library to other drives. Now I have many duplicates - sometimes 3-4 of the same song. If I delete them I begin to get "original file could not be found" error when trying to play the one version I kept.
    Is there some magic to which one I should keep?

    iTunes doesn't help you distinguish between duplicates that are two identical copies of the same file or two separate references to the one original file. If the later is the case and you delete any reference allowing the source file to be deleted then ALL other references to the file become invalid. You can either check the properties of each file before deleting and choose whether to keep or delete accordingly or use itunesremoveduplicates from Teridon's iTunes Scripts.
    tt2

  • Original File Could Not be Found error

    Hi, I'm sure that I'm missing something obvious here, but seem to be stumped. I recently bought a new iMac and migrated my Itunes folder and other stuff to the new iMac from my old ibook and external drive (location of old itunes folder). Everything was fine for a month or so and then the trouble started. Now when I click on a song within itunes, I get an error message state that the original file could not be found and asking me if I want to locate it. If I navigate to my itunes folder and double click on that song (file), it plays just fine.
    How can I get Itunes to recognize where all of the songs in my library are?
    I tried opening itunes while holding the Option key and choosing the itunes library location to be where it is, but I still get the same error.
    I'm not sure what I did to create this error. The only thing that I can think of is that I synched my old shuffle for the first time since I bought the new imac. My iphone, which I have synched numerous times, seems to work just fine (songs play fine, the appropriate files are synched to it).
    Any hints greatly appreciated.

    No, I haven't found an answer. Even more bizarre, it now seems that some of the songs in the library don't generate the error message while others do. Does not seem to be any discernible pattern (e.g. purchased, artist, etc.)

  • Itunes 9.1.1 'File Could Not Be Found' Error

    I'm sure I'm not the only one this is happening to and quite honestly this has got to be one of the most annoying things yet in the world of Itunes errors!
    I ripped numerous CD's as well as added a bunch of existing files into my library. When I sync up at the end of it all I get a warning... XX amount of files could not be copied to my ipod because the file could not be found.
    HEY ITUNES... YOU RIPPED THE G.D. CD SO IT MAKES SENSE THAT YOU'D KNOW WHERE THE FILE IS!
    Is there any way around this issue that doesn't involve trying to delete and re-import a ridiculous amount of files? Am I waiting for Apple to get it's s**t together and patch it?
    Any help would be super appreciated!

    Fantastic, thanks so much for figuring this out.
    I was having the same problem, with the same three files failing every time I tried to sync my iPhone. But iTunes could locate them fine via Show in Finder. Even tried making copies of the files, deleting them old ones (from both my Library and the machine), and then importing the copied files back into iTunes. And the same "file could not be found" message still came up, every sync, now on the cloned files.
    Turning off the AAC conversion made it go away. Completed sync on the first try, no errors.
    Thanks again!

  • "original file could not be found" problem

    Please help.
    I have a home network of 4 PCs. One PC is being used somewhat like a server ie. all of our MP3s are on that PC in a shared folder. Somehow (my kids won't admit to it) the Microsoft firewall was modified not to allow file sharing. As a result, iTunes on my wife's PC became disassociated with the files on our "server" PC. I corrected the fire wall problem and my wife's PC can now see the shared folder but everytime she clicks on a song she gets the "original file could not be found" error with the exclamation point.
    She has well of a 2,000 songs in her library and does not want to individually find (reattach) each one. Also, she does not want to reimport all of the MP3s into her library because a lot of the MP3s are music that she does not have in her library and does not want there.
    My 2 kids' PCs have the same problem and of course their iTunes libraries have a different mix of music from the "server" PC.
    Any ideas? TIA

    hmm, did you change it yourself without restarting iTunes?
    Because, when my external HD is not turned on before I start iTunes, I get all the ! not found which never fails to make me gasp in dismay.
    But then I just close iTunes, start the exHD, re-open iTunes and everything is OK.
    Tell me, do you happen to be in the practice of backing up the itl and xml files?
    What are the iTunes library files?
    If you have saved copies of those, you could just put them back in place, snip-snap, problem solved.

  • On some of my files there is a ! in front of it, if I try to play the song, I get an error message; "The song "_____" could not be used, because the original file could not be found. Would you like to locate it?" Then when I click "Locate", I get nothing.

    I'm really dumbfounded on this one and it's driving me bonkers!!!! On some of my music files there is a ! in front of it, if I try to play the song, I get an error message; "The song "_____" could not be used, because the original file could not be found. Would you like to locate it?"
    This began to happen when Chuck made playlists2burn on2CD-and then he would delete the playlist; sending all the song files into oblivion. Certain songs have a ! right next to the file name, and as I stated before, i get that error message:
    "The song "_____" could not be used, because the original file could not be found. Would you like to locate it?"
    So I click on "Locate". No help. I get a menu with folders that say "catroot" and other folders which names I cannot remember, but I scroll PAST the file folders, & it's just a bunch of ".DLL" files.....I don't understand what any of the names of the folders mean...it's frustr8ing-coz this is my 2nd iTouch, my 1st one got stolen & I can't afford2buy my music back at this time & i NEVER before had a single problem with losing song file locations.
                  Is there anyone out there who has been through this frustrating game of chasing your tail?....<that's how I feel>
    If so I would be ever so gr8ful if maybe someone with the knowledge would be so kind as 2 tell me how/where 2 retrieve these songs & how to put everything back where it belongs, I would be 4ever gr8ful !!!
    I can't afford 2 replace the songs just like I'm unable 2 buy back my old music from my stolen iTouch....man that was an awesome collection-someday I'll be able 2 afford 2 do that & I would like 2 have all the new music that I paid 4 but cannot find when I got my new iTouch....that would just be  wonderful.
                 I hope someone sees this post that can help me retrieve these files....losing $100.00 of iTunes is a REAL BUMMER!!!!!!
                                                      ThanQ SO very much!
                                                                             [email protected] or [email protected] or [email protected] .
                                                                                               You can also find me on Facebook, my given name is Tiffinie Trimmer, &
                                                                                                that's my Facebook "handle".    ThanQ 4 taking the time 2 read all of this!
                                                                                                hope 2 get a reply someday....I'll B checking all my emails & my Facebook, as well
                                                                                                as marking this page in my FAVORITES so I can find it fast! Take Care!!!

    I was not complete clear.
    Since you never changed the settings in the advanced section of iTunes preferecnes, you have to chech that your music is really in the location setted in the folders reported in the advanced section.  If not you have 2 ways: reset the position of this folders or in the actual disk organisation or in the pointing on the preferences.
    If you press the reset button you just give to itunes its default setting as for the position of the music files: probably this will be a good choice if you have never changed any default preference.
    But before I would check the folders and see if the songs are really there
    In my iTune I have this, and I believe it is the default.
    Users/YOURHOMEFOLDERNAME/Music/iTunes/iTunes Music

  • Library Lost - Please HeIp I tried updating my old ipod & now all 10,000 songs in my library have an ! next to them and I get the error message "song " " could not be used because the original file could not be found" on every song I try to play

    Please help - this morning I tried updating one of my old ipods for my wife (this ipod hasn't been updated in 2-3 years).  I plugged it into my pc, it was recognized and the software updated.  I created a new playlist and tied to sync the ipod.  This ipod had never been used on this pc/itunes since the pc is only 2 years old.  When I tried to sync the ipod it stated that it would have to erase all the old songs on the ipod prior to syncing.  I clicked ok and it proceeded to wipe out the old ipod and sync the new playlist (~1000 songs).  When the sync was complete there were only 6 songs from the new playlist (all purchased this morning from itunes) on the ipod and to my horror all ~10,000 song on my pc in itunes now have a ! next to them.  Only my recent purchases from itunes do not.  When I click on a song with the ! I get the error message "the song " " could not be used because the original file could not be found."  How do I correct this issue - I am scared to hook my ipads or other ipods to my pc for fear of losing everything?!?!?  I spent 100s of hours burning the 10,000 songs from my cd collection and do not want to have to do it again. 
    Any help is greatly appreciated.

    This "original file cannot be found" thing happens if the file is no longer where iTunes expects to find it. Possible causes are that you or some third party tool has moved, renamed or deleted the file, or that the drive it lives on has had a change of drive letter. It is also possible that iTunes has changed from expecting the files to be in the pre-iTunes 9 layout to post-iTunes 9 layout,or vice-versa, and so is looking in slightly the wrong place.
    Select a track with an exclamation mark, use Ctrl-I to get info, then cancel when asked to try to locate the track. Look on the summary tab for the location that iTunes thinks the file should be. Now take a look around your hard drive(s). Hopefully you can locate the track in question. If a section of your library has simply been moved, or a drive letter has changed, it should be possible to reverse the actions.
    Alternatively, as long as you can find a location holding the missing files, then you should be able to use my FindTracks script to reconnect them to iTunes .
    tt2

  • I recently reset my computer and copy my music from an external hard drive to my itunes library.  When I click on a song to play i get an error message that says " the song could not be used because the original file could not be found".  need help

    I recently reset my computer and copy my music from an external hard drive to my itunes library.  When I click on a song to play i get an error message that says " the song could not be used because the original file could not be found".  But when I have my external hard drive plug in the song will play with no problem.  What do I need to do to play my music without having the external harddrive plug in ????????  Please help

    Because the location for each song in your library is on your hard drive.  If the hard drive isn't there, how can iTunes play it?
    You'll have to move/copy the music from your hard drive to your computer's hard drive.
    Basically, EASIEST way to do all this, if you don't care about your play counts, etc...
    -Delete EVERYTHING from iTunes, so that your library is now empty.
    -Go to "Advanced" inside of the "Preferences" window, found in the "Edit" drop-down.  You can also access Preferences by pressing Ctrl+, (Press Ctrl and the comma key)
    -Change your iTunes Media Folder Location to something simple, but on your computer. I use C:/iTunes.  Make sure "Keep iTunes Media Folder Organized" and "Copy files to...." are both checked.  You can close Preferences now.
    -Now, drag and drop your music from your hard drive into your iTunes library.  iTunes will automatically add the music to your library, as you would expect, and also creates a copy of each file to place into that iTunes Media Folder you just created.
    Shouldn't have any more problems...

  • Error message when trying to play music on computer states The song ... could not be used because the original file could not be found.  However, my library shows how many items and the GBs used.  How do I locate the files?

    When I try to play my iTunes music on my computer, an error message comes up and state "The song (title of song) could not be used because the original file could not be found.  Would you like to locate it?
    When I click on Locate It, I cannot find where the music file may be located.  Does anyone have any suggestions?
    This all occurred when I attempted to do a backup to an external hard drive.  Unbeknownest to me, the files did not copy over and do not appear on the external hard drive. 
    When I open my iTunes library, at the bottom of my music list it shows how many songs and the GBs, so it appears that the files are still there; however, cannot be located.
    Thank you.

    Hi angela dfromtx,
    When tracks in iTunes display a it means the file cannot be located; it may have been moved or deleted. You'll have to locate the file manually if it is still available. For more information refer to the following article:
    iTunes: Finding lost media and downloads
    http://support.apple.com/kb/TS1408
    Alternatively, if your media was downloaded from the iTunes Store, you may be able to download it again free of charge:
    Downloading past purchases from the App Store, iBookstore, and iTunes Store
    http://support.apple.com/kb/HT2519
    Thanks,
    Matt M.

  • I tried to play my iTunes and suddenly get an error message that says "The song (name) could not be used because the original file could not be found.  Would you like to locate it now?"  It happens on all my tunes and each one I select ends up with a "?"

    I tried to play my iTunes and suddenly get an error message that says "The song (name) could not be used because the original file could not be found.  Would you like to locate it now?"  It happens on each tune I select and a "?" appears beside the song.  Does this sound familiar to anyone?

    I was not complete clear.
    Since you never changed the settings in the advanced section of iTunes preferecnes, you have to chech that your music is really in the location setted in the folders reported in the advanced section.  If not you have 2 ways: reset the position of this folders or in the actual disk organisation or in the pointing on the preferences.
    If you press the reset button you just give to itunes its default setting as for the position of the music files: probably this will be a good choice if you have never changed any default preference.
    But before I would check the folders and see if the songs are really there
    In my iTune I have this, and I believe it is the default.
    Users/YOURHOMEFOLDERNAME/Music/iTunes/iTunes Music

  • Recently bought  a new computer and all my music appears in iTunes as well as on my computer in a saved folder. When I try to play the music in iTunes I get an error that reads"the song could not be used because the original file could not be found."

    Recently bought  a new computer and all my music appears in iTunes as well as on my computer in a saved folder. When I try to play the music in iTunes I get an error that reads"the song could not be used because the original file could not be found. Would you like to locate it?" Hope you can help me solve this issue.
    Thanks,
    Shellyboo

    This happens if the file is no longer where iTunes expects to find it. Possible causes are that you or some third party tool has moved, renamed or deleted the file, or that the drive it lives on has had a change of drive letter. It is also possible that iTunes has changed from expecting the files to be in the pre-iTunes 9 layout to post-iTunes 9 layout, or vice-versa, and so is looking in slightly the wrong place.
    Select a track with an exclamation mark, use Ctrl-I to get info, then cancel when asked to try to locate the track. Look on the summary tab for the location that iTunes thinks the file should be. Now take a look around your hard drive(s). Hopefully you can locate the track in question. If a section of your library has simply been moved, or a drive letter has changed, it should be possible to reverse the actions.
    Alternatively, as long as you can find a location holding the missing files, then you should be able to use my FindTracks script to reconnect them to iTunes .
    tt2

  • Error code; original file could not be found, would you like to locate it?

    when i try to transfer songs from my library to my ipod shuffle, i get this error message (error code; original file could not be found, would you like to locate it?). Then an exclamation point(!) in the first column it appears next to the song in the library.
    When i go to the folder mymusic/itunes/itunesmusic folder, the song is there, but why is there an exclamation point next to the song in the library? And how do I restore all these songs, and what causes this?

    Sounds like your iTunes .ITL library file got corrupted.
    What are the iTunes library files?
    There are some posts around here by Buegie on how to fix that...

  • When selecting a song to play in iTunes, I get an error message indicating the song could not be used because the original file could not be found.  Would you like to locate it.  I have no idea where to look since the library hold all my files.

    When selecting a song to play from iTunes library, I continually get an error message indicating the original file could not be found.  Then asks, would you like to locate it?  Does anyone know how to fix this?   I'm not even able to play the songs I purchased due to this error message.  Any ideas how to remedy this problem? 
    Thanks

    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.

  • When I try to play a song in my itunes libery I get an error saying "this song could not be used because the original file could not be found".  I do I restore the file?

    When I rry to paly a song in my itunes libery, I get an error saying "this song could not be used because the original file could not be found". I do I find the orginal file?

    Hello crispinofromfl,
    Thank you for using Apple Support Communities.
    For more information, take a look at:
    Where are my iTunes files located?
    http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1391
    Have a nice day,
    Mario

  • "The attempted operation failed. An object could not be found" error when double clicking on an ics file

    Operation System: Windows 8 Pro
    System Type: 64-bit Operating System
    Office: MS Office Professional Plus 2013
    I am getting "The attempted operation failed. An object could not be found" error when I double click on an .ics file to an appointment to my calender. My outlook.com account's data file is set as default and this error only occurs if
    that is the default data file. I thought that maybe my profile is corrupted. So, I opened up a new profile with the below steps and only add my outlook.com account there:
    1-) Open up the Control Panel and go to Mail section
    2-) Click "Show Profiles"
    3-) Click "Add" and give a name to your profile.
    4-) Configure your outlook.com account (with Auto Account setup, not manual steps)
    5-) Finally, set that profile to be used always.
    Then, I opened up the Outlook 2013 and clicked on the .ics file to add that appointment but got the same error.
    Is this a known issue or specific to me?
    Thanks!

    yes, I have the same problem.
    The workaround of saving the ICS file and then importing it into the current calendar
    works, 
    but the ICS calendar
     displays in other section, NOT in the section of my old events.
    why  ??

Maybe you are looking for

  • Hibernate Error while deploying : java.lang.NoClassDefFoundError: org/hibernate/MappingException.

    Hi, We are migrating to weblogic server. While deploying the EAR in Production WebLogic server I am getting the following - "Class Not found Exception" .  I have local version of weblogic server which is coupled with eclipse is not giving me any erro

  • [SOLVED]Conky Align Text Center

    I am trying to align my conky so that the middle of the text is in the middle of the top of the screen. My screen is 1200x800. Any suggestions? use_xft yes xftfont cure:size=8 update_interval 1 own_window_colour black own_window_hints undecorated,bel

  • Arabic character set

    HI oracle 10g under win ex i have data arabic and english , which charachterset is support ?

  • Enum class

    i have written the code like the below. iam using Enum abstract class it is giving an error at class position. plz help me how to use the Enum class in our own classes. import java.io.*; import java.lang.*; public static final class MyBaseFrameworkEn

  • Keyboard Shortcuts Incomplete Functionality

    Keyboard Shortcuts Incomplete Functionality Bug in the software.  In PS CS6, when using the keys to access different tool they would cycle through the key accessed.  Example:  If you were in the eraser and then hit the B key you would get the brush.