Itunes cannot see media on external drive

Hi
I ran out of space on my drive so moved my itunes folder onto an external drive. All the files and folders are there, so I know they went across OK. I then trashed and deleted my original itunes folder. When I load up itunes now it does not see all the music on the external drive . It just looks like a brand new fresh instal of itunes waiting for some music. After a quick search I though I may have moved across the libraries. Have tried holding the option key on loading and selecting the choose library option, but when I point to the folder created on the external drive, it just says "An itunes library file could not be found in the folder "itunes media" ( that was the name i gave it) I guess i need to get itunes to point to this folder but i have no idea how. Help please

No there isnt any files call library in the folder i created I am now in the process of copying them back but I guess I will loose all my playlists and playcounts. I do have a Copy of my drive that i made with carbon copy cloner. So maybe it will be best to boot from there, restore and start again.
Chris it was just the media folder. I was following the instructions on the apple support page. Got to point 14 didn't get the warning but did seen to have a brand new itunes, so emptied the trash as they said expecting everything to be fine but it wasnt.

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No there isnt any files call library in the folder i created I am now in the process of copying them back but I guess I will loose all my playlists and playcounts. I do have a Copy of my drive that i made with carbon copy cloner. So maybe it will be best to boot from there, restore and start again.
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No there isnt any files call library in the folder i created I am now in the process of copying them back but I guess I will loose all my playlists and playcounts. I do have a Copy of my drive that i made with carbon copy cloner. So maybe it will be best to boot from there, restore and start again.
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Hello all,
I followed the instructions for moving my iTunes media folder to an external drive (it had taken up most of my mac book's memory) and at first I was able to access the DVDs and CDs I had ripped but no longer. I can go into the external drive and they are still in their respective folders but only the music and movies I have purchased from the iTunes store show up in my library. Does anyone know how to get my iTunes to accept these into my library without re-importing the into my hardrive?
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Which instructions? There's lots out there and some are flat wrong.
Close down iTunes. Turn on the external drive and start iTunes again. Does it work? If not try to play a track. When it asks you to find the file it should play, find that file on the external drive. It should ask if you want it to find the rest.
I suspect you have omitted details in describing the situation. Normally iTunes does not lose links to external files unless the drive is not on when iTunes is started. Even then trying to play a file will get it to do a second check and find the drive is really there. You probably have to do something such as renaming the drive, or have a completely corrupt library in order for it to lose track of the media.
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_*"The finder cannot complete the operation because some data in "NAME.mp3" could not be read or written. (Error code -36)_"*
This is the error message I get when trying to copy my iTunes music folder to an external drive. I am following Apple's knowledge base article, so yes, I have consolidated my library, have closed iTunes and there is plenty of room on the external drive. For what it's worth, I am also getting this error when trying to do the same thing with my iPhoto library.
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I had a lot of people telling me to re-format, erase, reinstall, run utility programs ... yada, yada, yada.
First off, test to see if it is the connection type (firewire). I reconnected the offending external drive via USB, restarted the drive and ... BINGO! ... all transfers went perfectly.
Once i knew it was the firewire connection and not the drive itself i simply unplugged my iSight camera (the only other firewire device connected to my machine), reconnected my external drive via firewire and the problem is now corrected.
Firewire buses seem to be very finicky things ... i would suggest eliminating all firewire devices from the machine (except, of course, the external drive you're trying to transfer to) and see if the problem goes away.
Like i said, i simply unplugged my iSight camera and the transfer to my external drive went perfect and my transfer rates went from an average of 4MB/sec to over 19MB/sec.
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Consolidating in iTunes once iTunes has been moved to external drive

Hi there,
I am hoping somebody will be able to advise me. I followed the instructions on this video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CbGmDJtQTGQ
to move my iTunes folder to an external hard drive so that I can free up space on my internal hard drive. I have also told iTunes in Preferences to look for the iTunes Media Folder location on my external hard drive:
Volumes/MacBook Air Backup Drive/iTunes/iTunes Media
iTunes now works when my external drive is connected to my laptop (and doesn't work if my external drive is *not* connected); all that is fine. I have now saved space on my internal drive by deleting the iTunes folder that was on my internal hard drive.
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When I consolidate files in "Organise Library"-does this get saved onto my *internal* hard drive, and if yes, does it take up space? Does it matter that my iTunes library is now located on my *external* hard drive?
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Hey guys,
Yes, there is the portable library as well. I worked with Kirk at Kirkville (Mac expert dude), and I basicallly had a portable setup, but he said the portable library left you open to functionality problems over time and I notiece that I didnt't get the "Script," dropdown menu in iTunes wihen it wasnt' set up like I suggested. Also, from time to time you'd possibly lose files, run into sync issues. He's a pretty knowledgable guy about iTunes, IMO he' the best but it's debatable, and he recommeneded highly leaving the library files on the local HD.
Initially I didn't have it set up this way, all my library files were in my external. But I was starting to run into functionality, and like once a week I was having to locate a file or two and it was just a pain. I"d try to delete or move the library file to the local, but they'd show back up on the external. Finally, he had me delete iTunes, download it fresh and then all the library files were forced into the local drive. As I understand it, most of the "right way," "wrong way," descriptions of how to move your files to extternal follow this method. I suppose it's personal preference though, if you're not having any problems.
I like this way, because it functions just like it would on an HD. Since my media is on an external anyway, if I ever need to move it, I can connect the new client or drive to the extternal wirelessly or cabled, and simply transfer them. As long as the media is on an external, moving should be the easy part.
Psych, I'm going to suggest if you like, message me and I can help you via email. Then I can forward my correspondence with Kirk, and you can see exactly what he suggested and walked me through. You may have already done much of it, but it's a good failsafe, as after I was done with his help....man the files now work just like they would if all on local.
Those plist files should be on the local. Did you look in your library? Click on "Go," whle holding option. You'll see library added in as an option (other ways to access, but i use this one). Then go down to your ituens foflder and rummage around in there, see wha'ts all around.
I just double checked my external, and the only library file I have there is the iTunes Music Library.xml.
Psych, did you perhaps drag or copy your library initially, before realizing there was a "proper," way to move the library? I ask this, because I did.....and it was the root of a ot of my problems. I moved it all back, then used the prooper way, but it never fully worked properly until I uninstalled iTunes and reinstalled. And hte big issue was teh library fiiles kept going to the external. What happens, is that iTunes is built to work with iMovies, preview, and many, many other applications that may use music or othher media. Those apps don't know to look on the external, but will look in the user file, where their taught to find iTunes. Having all the library files in the local, creates liek a "mirror," that tricks these apps into thinking they're accessing the media files, and functioning as if it was located llocally and not on external. If library files aren't on local drive, then you're going to have problems.
To be honest, what I thnk consoldiate does, is just organizing the files. For example if you had a media file of all your music, but it was created manually, and eadch file was in the file loose. "Consolidate," creates an "artist," file and then puts the songs in subfiles. I think under artist is album befor song. If your external is doing this....then it's consoldiating.. That's the best thing I can suggest to verify it andput your mind at east.

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Hopefully you moved the entire iTunes Media (or iTunes Music) folder to a new path on your external drive. Copy your iTunes library folder out to the root of the external drive, e.g. X:\iTunes (where X: is your external drive), then move the media folder inside it. Hold down shift as you start iTUnes and keep holding untila asked to choose or create a library. Choose the library at X:\iTunes\iTunes Library.itl. Should all be good.
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tt2

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below is screen shot of what is on the new mac mini
and what is on the external drive now connected to the new mac mini..
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