Items in iTunes Media folder won't display in iTunes

Hi there
I just had to restore my Windows 7 PC. The iTunes Media folder has been located on an external drive (iTunes media folder location: G:\iTunes Media) and remained untouched. After restoring the PC and downloading iTunes (current version was on the computer before) I changed the iTunes Media location (in Advanced Preferences) again to G:\iTunes Media and logged in with my apple ID.
Thanks to iTunes Match, my Music is displayed in iTunes. However, all other files such as iTunesU data or iPhone and iPad Apps will not display in iTunes (although they are all right where they were before, in the indicated folder location).
Owing to a couple of print screens I took of my settings before the restore of the PC, I was able to set everything exactly the way it was in the Advanced tab of the Preferences window.
Thank you very much for any hints or advice.
Simon

Do you only have media on the external (which by the way is not a "library" because it is lacking many parts of a complete library), or do you have a complete iTunes folder with library files and support folders (a true library)?
If only media and you have both drives connected you need consolidate/organize media from one drive to the other. iTunes 12 for Mac: Change where your iTunes files are stored - http://support.apple.com/kb/PH19507 - more information at: https://discussions.apple.com/message/22026652#22026652 - and steps 5-8 in https://discussions.apple.com/message/24491967#24491967
If you have your entire library on the external drive, copy the iTunes folder from one drive to the other. Start iTunes while holding down the option/alt key and select the relocated iTunes folder on the new drive.

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Trying to move iTunes Media folder won't stick

Ok so I'm stuck trying to get my iTunes media folder moved over to an external drive. I have a My Passport for Mac that I want to move my iTunes Media folder over to. I have followed these steps to move the folder but it does not seem to stick. iTunes for Mac: Moving your iTunes Media folder Every time I close iTunes and open it back up the folder location in the Advanced Preferences it right back to the default path and none of my music or movies are download just the links to pull them back down from the cloud. If I look on the external drive the files are all there and I can see them but iTunes does not want to switch to that folder preeminently.
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Hey there MJDANO,
It sounds like you have copied your iTunes library to an external hard drive but you cannot get the library to open to your media files at all. I would use the following article to open the library, then do what you had been, and set the Advanced Preferences to point to that library again:
iTunes: How to open an alternate iTunes Library file or create a new one
Create or choose a different iTunes Library file
If iTunes is running, quit iTunes.
If you're using Windows, hold down the Shift key and from the Start menu, choose All Programs > iTunes > iTunes.
If you're using a Mac, open iTunes and immediately hold down the Option key.
You should see one of these screens:
If you don't see one of the screens above, you may want to try again. Remember to hold down the Option key if you're using a Mac or the Shift key if you're using Windows.
Thank you for using Apple Support Communities.
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ITunes Media Folder won't switch location from external hard drive

So for the last few years I've had my iTunes library stored on an external hard drive (a LaCie Quadra), but I'm out of space, so I got a new one (a Lacie Rugged). However, when I go to change the iTunes Media folder location to the new iTunes folder in my Rugged, it's not switching over, and in fact what's even weirder is I've just discovered no matter where I set the iTunes Media folder location to, my iTunes library will only play from the iTunes folder in my old Quadra. I've Reset it numerous times, and even set the location to the Desktop (on which I have no music), yet it still is playing from my Quadra. It's as if it's locked onto it.
Does anyone know what's going on here and how to fix it? I should note I think I did get it to switch to my Rugged for a bit, as the first time I switched the iTunes Media to my Rugged (which at the same time my Quadra was still connected) I bought a song, which is no where to be found on my Quadra. But ever since I disconnected the Quadra, this problem started. Also, to transfer my files from my Quadra to the Rugged, I connected the Quadra via Firewire 800 and the Rugged via USB, and I intend to use Firewire with my Rugged from now on. Could that affect what's going wrong here? And FYI, every time I've connected to the Rugged, it does go through the Consolidate Files process, but that hasn't done anything.
Thanks

Do you only have media on the external (which by the way is not a "library" because it is lacking many parts of a complete library), or do you have a complete iTunes folder with library files and support folders (a true library)?
If only media and you have both drives connected you need consolidate/organize media from one drive to the other. iTunes 12 for Mac: Change where your iTunes files are stored - http://support.apple.com/kb/PH19507 - more information at: https://discussions.apple.com/message/22026652#22026652 - and steps 5-8 in https://discussions.apple.com/message/24491967#24491967
If you have your entire library on the external drive, copy the iTunes folder from one drive to the other. Start iTunes while holding down the option/alt key and select the relocated iTunes folder on the new drive.

HT4527 I want to move my music onto my computer, I have music stored on my laptop not in itunes, how do i put it into an itunes media folder and consolidate it without itunes?

Basically I didnt have enough room to consolidate my itunes libary on my C drive, I moved them to my D, they then were no longer in my itunes libary, I moved them back but the songs are still no longer in my libary. This is not a major issue, the problem is getting all my music into a itunes media folder and then consolidating it without the use of iTunes.

Copy the entire /Music/iTunes/ folder from old computer to /Music/ on new computer.
Launch iTunes.
That is all you need to do.

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I am using iTunes 10.5 on Windows 7 (64bit). This has only started happening since the 10.5 update. When I add mp3s to "Add to iTunes" folder, the mp3s will be added to a folder within the iTunes Media\Music\ directory, but the song will not show up in my iTunes library. If I open the mp3 from its location in the directory, it will open in iTunes and be included in the Library go forward. This issue is not consistent, it has happened the first time I tried to add an mp3, and not the second that I tried to add the exact same file. Oh also, I have always had the option selected to allow iTunes to keep the media folder organized.
For the time being I have to keep a list of everything I am adding and verify whether it shows up in the library. If it doesn't I have to run a search to see what exact directory path iTunes put it in, go there and open the file - frustrating and time consuming. Even more frustrating to me however is that I really don;t know if I have recovered all the added mp3s from before I recognized the problem.
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I have been using an external hard drive for my itunes media folder. Today, I opened itunes on my PC and all of my playlists were missing, as well as the majority of my hundreds of hours of files. How do I restore?

How do I restore/reconnect my lost USB external hard drive connection to itunes on my PC?

You're welcome.
See also Make a split library portable and Backup your iTunes for Windows library with SyncToy.
tt2

Content in iTunes Media folder is not loaded on new Computer

1. Yesterday I moved my iTunes Media folder from Computer A to a external HD. Used the instructions found here and everything works/worked great. I removed my old iTunes Media folder and verified that Computer A was indeed super happy and e.g. found and played music just fine.
2. Today I setup a Computer B, since Computer A is being retired. On Computer B I went to Edit -> Preferences -> Advanced and changed the iTunes Media folder location to be the folder on the external HD from step 1 and checked 'Keep iTunes Media folder organized'. I deauthorized iTunes on Computer B.
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I am hoping I am missing some easy step.

Make sure that the structure of the iTunes library on your external drive looks like this:
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the iTunes folder includes the iTunes database - the iTunes Library.itl file that you should have copied from computer A.
the iTunes Media folder is contained within this iTunes folder
all your music, movies, podcasts, audiobooks, etc. are contained within the iTunes Media folder.
See turingtest2's user tip on Make a split library portable for more information, and details of steps you may need to take to bring your library into this layout.
Assuming your external drive conforms to these principles, connect it to computer B, hold down the SHIFT key while you start iTunes; when you see this prompt:
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Hi, I use Mac with a partitioned hard drive. It lets me use a Snow Leopard and Lion. I use a third partition fror data, this is where my iTunes media folder is. iTunes Lion uses it just fine, but iTunes on Snow Leopard doesn't work that well - it can't access the iTunes media folder on the data partition.
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Preferences > Advanced >
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By organizing it should both relocate all current media as well as start using the new location from that point on. You're mostly okay there. Where you are not okay is iTunes doesn't look at your files directly. It only really looks at one single file, the iTunes Library.itl file which tells it where everything is located. You need to get both copies of iTunes using the same complete library (media + library file). The way you do that is using the option start method. You should only need to do that once unless for some reason the library storage drive is disconnected when starting iTunes, in which case iTunes will use the default location and you will need to option start again.
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
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There are variants to the above but I am not going to type in all the possibilities unless you say something that tells me you need a different structure.

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Commway wrote:
Such a simple solution but it works.
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Hello. I have a few albums in my iTunes library that organize the artists by such folders as Artist feat. So-and-So. This makes it difficult to scroll through artists on my iPod and in my car. So I moved those songs that are in those folders to their corresponding album folder under the original artists' names. Now when I try to sync my iPod it tells me that those songs cannot be found. I completely restored my iPod and tried again after unchecking the following, but it still couldn't find the songs.
Convert higher bit rate songs to X kbps AAC
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Luckily I do still have the original CDs and can delete the albums then restore them, but I find this particular feature to be pretty ridiculous.
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The Macintosh has something called "file aliases" which allow you to move files from their original locations and applications that reference those files will still know how to find them. Windows does not have anything like that. It works off of full path / file names. So, when you moved your music folder and all your music in Windows Explorer, iTunes is still pointing to the old location.
Here is the knowledge base article with the information on how to move your iTunes Music Library without these issues, <http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=305451>

HT1449 Where is my original iTunes Media folder?

I am trying to free up space on my internal HD, so followed the instructions in this article: iTunes for Mac: Moving your iTunes Media folder http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1449?viewlocale=en_US&locale=en_US
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After the folder has been copied, locate your original iTunes Media folder, and drag it to the Trash." The default iTunes media folder location is /Users/~/Music/iTunes/iTunes Music. Is the "iTunes Music" folder the correct folder to drag to the trash (and then empty trash) to free up space on my internal drive?

Since no one responded to my post, I experimented with deleting individual albums from the iTunes Music folder and no problems were created. I then proceeded to delete (trash/empty trash) the whole folder. However this did not appear to free up any space on my internal drive. The next day my mac hung on start up no matter what I tried. It turns out that the internal drive was bad. I now have a new larger hard drive, so I can move my iTunes Music folder back to the default location.

Win-7 64bit: moving iTunes media folder from default location to D drive

Dear all,
I cannot move iTunes media folder from default location on C drive to D drive on win-7 64 bit.
What I did was:
- Under iTunes> Edit > Preferences > Advanced I choosed new location for iTunes media folder on D drive
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Next I delete iTunes media folder on C drive and hope that on re-start iTunes goes to new location on D drive and picks new file arrangement.
But it does not happen - no matter what I do iTunes goes to its default location on C drive ....
I called apple senior advisor - and she told me that it's kind of "my fault" I have windows7 installed on PC and because iTunes is Mac oriented they will not give me support... And referred me to Microsoft ... What a lousy support!. I paid for it $25!! What for?

By the way, I followed instructions as per link http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1364 - it did not work either. Can anyone share their success stories ? My C drive is not big and my music library ~ 100gB - I really need to keep iTunes media files in another location ... not a default place under User Login

ITunes not displaying current files in iTunes Media folder

My iTunes Media folder with all the Music and Applications are there but iTunes does not show all these files
E.g. My iTunes Media folder has 50 albums
iTunes only displays 20 albums.

Hi, welcome to Apple Discussions.
Unlike Windows Media Player, iTunes doesn't automatically scan your media folders for new/changed files.
*Adding new items/removing orphans*
Try iTunes Folder Watch or iTunes Library Updater. Folder Watch is much faster on the adding files front, can be set to run in the background and includes a useful exclusion feature, however it’s slower at removing orphans. iTLU is better for this although for small numbers of files doing it manually after looking at a list of proposed removals generated by Folder Watch is probably faster still. iTLU can also be set to update iTunes when you've used 3rd party tools to change tag info.
You may need to amend the list of file types these programs look for. My list includes:
.mp3 .mp4 .m4a .m4b .m4p .m4v .mov .wav .aif .mid .ipa .ipg .ite .itlp .m4r .epub .pdf
Note the last 7 types may not be recognised as already being in the library so should either be omitted from the search or you can add (at least for Folder Watch) individual exclusions for files you know are already in your library.
tt2

I have moved my Itunes media folder to an external drive and Itunes does not find the items in the folder

Running Win7. I moved my entire Itunes library to an external drive to free up space on my laptop. Itunes recognized the change and all was well. That worked fine and I have synced several times from the laptop with the library on the external drive. Now the laptop is in the shop (sigh, not Itunes related a dead network card). I connected the external drive to my desktop, made sure my software was up to date. opened ITunes went to edit/preferences/advanced. Went to change Itunes media folder location and navigated to the proper folder on my external drive and clicked OK. None of the music, videos, etc, that are in that folder show up in iTunes on the desktop. Restarted ITunes, no help, reboot computer, no help. Have I done something wrong or left out a step. I could copy all the media onto the desktop individually and build new playlists but that seems like something that should not be needed? One of the reasons I moved my Itunes media folder to the external drive was so I could use the laptop for iTunes while travel and the desktop for iTunes while at home. Do I have to copy the entire folder to my desktop and take up space there? That would be counterproductive to using the external drive. I searched and saw a hint to hold down shift while starting ITunes but that did not change anything. Any help would be most appreciated!
Jim in WV

Thank you for your prompt response - I did as you said and did a drag and drop into the iTunes window - it imported and got my album art from the net. When I started Itunes with the shift key down I was prompted to choose a library but since I copied over the media folder and not the library folder I was unable to select that so I guess I will have to create a new library and add in all the music, videos, etc. unless I wait for my laptop and export the library or at least that seems to be the case? In short, all my data (iTunes media folder) is on my external drive and can be added to the blank iTunes screen but I can not choose a library folder. Is there anyway around completely making all those playlists again? I am not sure my laptop will survive the shop with data intact and really hate to start over on those.
In an unrelated question - I collect old TV shows from the 1950's. Can I make playlists within the home video folder somehow? In other words like one for Quiz shows, one for comedies, one for police and detective shows, etc. while I am remaking all my playlists for my music if I end up having to go that route?
Once again thank you for helping me out. I am not too Itunes savvy and really appreciate you taking the time to answer.

HT1364 If I already moved Itunes media folder to external drive and now music is not matching up in iTunes?

Dear Itunes Community~
This is my first time using glad you are here, but all the passwords!!
Question/Quandry:
If I already moved Itunes media folder to my external drive and now my music is not matching up in iTunes, what should I do? I have tried my solution !?, and now I have 17,000 songs, instead of 9,000!
Should I just uninstall Itunes, and then reinstall Itunes, and let it do it's thing, and then figure out how to move to the external hard drive later?
Help, I screwed it up all on my own!
Any/all help and Itunes educated suggestions appreciated!
Thank you very much,
Doris =:o
PS ~~ Is there anyway to easily delete duplicates?? Seems not?

I have a very similar problem. Hope I don't confuse people trying to help us since the solutions may be different.
I had my iTunes path directed to a 2nd internal hard drive. Everything was working fine - except I found that purchased Apps were still being downloaded to the Mobile Applications folder on my main hard drive instead of the 2nd internal drive. I decided to retry directing the iTunes path to my 2nd internal drive, hoping that might get iTunes to save my Apps there. Big Mistake. Suddenly, there were no Apps showing in my iTunes Library Apps window at all. I verified the downloaded apps are still in my main hard drive's Mobile Applications folder, but I cannot get iTunes to display them in my Apps Library window anymore.
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Items in iTunes Media folder won't display in iTunes

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