HT201272 the original file can't be found (TV episode)

I am getting this error message on my PC when attempting to watch a Downton Abbey episode I bought with the season's pass:
The TV show "Episode 4 (Original UK Version)" could not be used because the original file could not be found. Would you like to locate it?
I've spent two or three hours on this problem. I googled it. I searched the Apple support pages. I followed several different suggestions. I found where all the other files for this TV series live. Episode 4 is listed there, but when I attempt to open it, I get the error message, and the file is marked with an exclamation point. I checked my trash bin. It wasn't there. I tried to download it again, but the Apple store tells me it IS downloaded. I can watch all the other episodes. This latest one, Episode 4, just won't let me in.
I posted this problem a couple of days ago, and can't figure out how to get back to that discussion and see if anyone can help me.
I am not impressed. I want my money back. I will never buy an iTunes product again if I don't get this episode to work. There are other ways to download media. You are not the only game in town. Downton Abbey is a continuing story. Missing an episode is the same as if you took one of my books, yanked 50 pages out of the middle of it, and told me, "here, read this." Seriously annoying.

Have you deleted the music tracks from your computer or moved where they are stored on it ? Do you have a copy of your library on a backup ?
If you are in a country where you can re-download music, and if they are still in the store, then you might be able to re-download them via the Purchased link under Quicklinks on the right-hand side of the iTunes store home page on your computer's iTunes. If they appear in there but without the cloud symbol next to them for re-downloading then try deleting one of them from your library first (where you are getting the 'unable to locate' message) and it should then get the cloud symbol next to it for re-downloading (iTunes will see that entry in your library and assume that you still have it somewhere and that it therefore doesn't need re-downloading), and if that works do the same for the others.

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I can't play my songs on my computer because the original files can't be found. I can, however, play them on my ipod. I tried to re-download my purchases but itunes won't allow me to do so. What can I do to retrieve my music files on my computer?

If you still have the 'pointers' to the tracks on your computer's iTunes (even if the files themselves aren't on there) then it won't let you re-download them as it assumes that they are still there - if you delete the 'pointers' then you should be able to copy your Apple purchases back from the iPod via File > Transfer Purchases, and depending on which country that you are in you might also be able to re-download them for free. For music bought from other sources or copied from CDs you will either need to copy them back onto your computer from a backup, or you need to get a third-party program that can copy them off the iPod

Itunes can't play the file because the original file can not be found

There is many things wrong with that message and I don't know why.
I had around 30 songs off an album on my computer
I put the album on Itunes
I edited them and then they played fine
I put them on my ipod and then deleted them off coz i wanted to put something else on
but i found out I had more space to put the other 30 songs I had from before back on so I went to the album
when I wanted to play a song it said "Itunes Can't play the file because the original file can not be found"
1) The original file was on my computer, in the exact place where I left it last time when Itunes played it
2) I did not change the file path name
3) I did not change the folder path name
4) The songs aren't corrupted
5) They play fine on other programs
I deleted them all off and took them on again and they played fine but whey did they keep stuffing up before?

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Select a track with an exclamation mark, use Ctrl-I to get info, then say no when asked 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. I can provide a step by step guide if you give me the two paths.
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My iTunes is having problems. I download new music and then later that night my library shows up, but says:
The song "insert name here" could not be used because the original file could not be found. Would you like to locate it?
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Well, I got it fixed...
1 I found the nearest Apple Store. I think you can get to a list via Apple.com/retail
2 Made an online appointment with the GENIUS BAR folks at the store.
3 They went into Edit, Preferences, Advanced, and checked "Keep itunes music folder organized" and "Copy files to itunes music folder when adding to library" and "use itunes as the default player for audio files"
after a few other gyrations that I could not keep up with, my music library looked normal and i will only have to reload a few numbers that did not find there way back into the library. Some of the gyrations were deleting the duplications that occured in the fix process.
When I returned home, I duplicated the process on my other computer and it seems to WORK... now, AMAZING that TWO computers developed the SAME problem on the SAME day when BOTH had worked perfectly before hmmm?
GOOD LUCK, EVERYBODY!!!
It would sell a a lot more ipods if apple had a better online support program, but the real people at the store were fantastic...
Mike

My songs won't play because the original file can't be found. Please help.

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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.
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Can't play libray 'could not be used b/c the original file can't be found"

Dell Inspiron 9300 Windows XP
When I try to play the songs In my library I get an error message saying " could not be used because the original file could notbe found. Would you like to locate it?" This is the same for both my uploaded and purchased music. This happened all of a sudden and I don't know why. I did not remove any music files from my computer. Can anyone help me please?
Dell Inspiron 9300 Windows XP
Dell Inspiron 9300 Windows XP

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I have some albums on my itunes that were transfered from my ipod, and some that were put on itunes from CDs. Now the 1st 10 songs of every album say that the original file can't be found, and i cant find them anywhere.

One day, they were there and working, the next they were all like this. There is a lot of money in these, and i would like to be able to keep using them.

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How do i fix all the things that say "The song "Song name here" because the original file can not be found." It does the same thing with more than half of my apps and WAY more than half of my songs. Please help me.

Just tell me how to fix it. PLease

Hey xxCreepyFiaxx,
First, I would try the following suggested steps for when you don't see content in iTunes after updating:
Quit iTunes.
Download and install the latest version of iTunes.
Use the Finder (Mac) or Windows Explorer (Windows) to go to the iTunes folder that contains the iTunes library files:
Mac OS X
/Users/username/Music/iTunes/
Microsoft Windows Windows XP and Windows 2000
\Documents and Settings\username\My Documents\My Music\iTunes\
Microsoft Windows Windows Vista and Windows 7
\Users\username\Music\iTunes\
Drag the iTunes Library file from the above location to the Desktop.
Open the Previous iTunes Libraries folder in the iTunes folder.
Locate the file named iTunes Library YYYY-MM-DD where YYYY-MM-DD is the date you upgraded iTunes (Year-Month-Day).
Drag this file to the iTunes folder (the enclosing folder).
Rename this file to iTunes Library.
Open iTunes.
You should now see your missing content in iTunes.
via: No content shows up in iTunes after updating
http://support.apple.com/kb/TS1967
If that doesn't resolve the issue, then I'd go through the steps in here:
iTunes: Finding lost media and downloads
http://support.apple.com/kb/TS1408
Have a good one,
Delgadoh

Some of the songs I have downloaded onto i tunes won't play when I select it to do so. The error message I get is "The song could not be used because the original file could not be found. Would you like to locate it?" How can I get my songs to play?

Some of the songs I have downloaded into i tunes won't play when I select it to do so. The error message I get is "The song can not be used because the original file can not be found. Would you like to locate it?" When I select yes I'm sent to a screen that has my i tunes library listed. When I select the song in question I'm asked if I would like to open the song. When I select this option I get nothing. The songs I have downloaded must be somewhere because they are listed in my i tunes library and on the screen I've been sent to. I can't the songs to play however. This is not true of all of my songs but it is true of quite a few of them. Actually, one song is too many. How do I get my music to play that seems to be locked up somewhere in the computer?

Presuming they're on your computer, right click on them and then follow the prompts to locate hte file on your computer.

I dropped my external hard drive which contained my iTunes library and it is no longer readable. I attempted to upload my library from iPod and while all the songs appear to be in iTunes I get a message telling me that the original file can't be located.

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A Couple of questions..
Is the location shown under preferences/Advanced/General still showing the correct location?
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Error " song can't be used because original file can not be found"

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Roberta hello,
The remedy is very easy...
Open the iTunes folder and select the iTunes Library file and type command -D
this will make another copy for safe keeping, if anything goes wrong you can always return this copy ... leave the duplicate file where it is.
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From the file menu select 'add to library' and choose the iTunes Music folder.
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iMac 800MHz PowerPC G4 17 Flat Screen. G4 iBook. Mac OS X (10.4.3)

Help--Original File Can't be found

I am getting the Original file can't be found message for a lot of my songs. Both import and iTunes Store downloads. When it asks if I want to search I do the search and the song is right where it was suppose to be. It then works. So far I have had to do this 20+ times. Do I need to rebuild the database (how?)? Or is there some other solution. I am running 7.6.1 on OS 10.4.11.
Thanks

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HT201272 the original file can't be found (TV episode)

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