ITunes consolidation creates duplicate files in iTunes Media folder
Hi,
I recently downgraded from iTunes 11.0.2.26 to 10.7 to get around an AirPlay bug i see starting in 11.0.
As a result I need to rebuild part of my iTunes library and am seeing some strange behavior.
I have some Movie files currently in the iTunes Media folder (where iTunes is pointed for the media) -- when I drag and drop these into iTunes and do "Consolidate Library", iTunes creates 2 files (1 is a duplicate) in the Movie folder. For example, if I have a movie titled "HomeMovie" I see the following folders:
"Movies --> HomeMovie" and within the HomeMoview folder I see the following 2 files: HomeMovie.m4v, HomeMovie 1.m4v
There is only a single listing (HomeMovie) in the iTunes interface, pointing to HomeMovie 1.m4v.
Strange.
I can get around this by deleting HomeMovie 1.m4v. and pointing iTunes to HomeMovie.m4v, but this is not desirable.
"Copy files to iTunes Media Folder" is disabled.
I am also seeing this behavior when dragging and dropping files from an external Hard Drive.
Any suggestions?
Thanks,
Kevin
Hi,
I have been doing some testing on this subject and I agree that PSE does leave unwanted temporary files around.
I checked out PSE 9, PSE 10 and PSE 11 and they all leave the temporary files there. I'm assuming that the files are created as a safety measure for when the main file is updated but as you have found out, PSE doesn't remove them.
By reading other forum threads, I get the impression that Adobe aren't really interested in it as they feel we should tidy up our own file system. It's like taking a walk through the park and dropping some litter - do you pick it up or leave it for the park keeper to pick up. I was always told to pick it up.
I'm not sure whether you are aware, but there is another Adobe forum for bug reports and feeback. I think Adobe may look there more than they do on this forum. I searched that forum and found a similar question asked but nobody has answered. I have added my count and comments with a link to this thread. If you can, it might be good for you to add your count.
http://feedback.photoshop.com/photoshop_family/topics/photoshop_elements_organizer_leaves_ temporary_files
Sorry it's not an answer to your problem, but you are not alone.
Brian
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ITunes creating duplicate files under a hidden folder named "Volumes".
It seems my iTunes program is secretly making a duplicate file in a hidden folder called "Volumes" on my laptop hard drive. It's now maxxed out my drive and I need to both remove the "Volumes" folder and make sure it doesn't get created and happen again.
Details:
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Help, I have 2gb of free space left!
Thanks, JamesHi I am having a similar issue, It all started when I tried to restore from the Time Machine and it threw a error back stating that there is no disk available. I was wondering how come and went to find out what is happening and was shocked to find out that actually my entire Macintosh HD has a duplicate copy inside the /Volumes folder. I went to the XTERM to investigate and found that the / (root) has a Users folder where all my stuffs like pictures, music, movies, documents reside and the same data or content is duplicated in the /Volumes/Macintosh HD/Users folder
I first thought that it was only a link, but I later found that it is not a link and it is indeed a physical copy of all my User folders inside the /Volumes/Macintosh HD/Users folder and actually occupying my Hard disk space.
I am not sure how this happened or how it is duplicating itself. I am also afraid to delete the stuffs inside the /Volumes folder as it might crash my system (it is already hidden - I assume it is hidden for some purpose). Please suggest any options, how I can get rid of these duplicated data and how to avoid such duplication in the future.
Thanks
Regards
Chelvam.S.T -
ITunes and I seem to have created duplicate files. How do I clean this up?
Hello experts. I have a conundrum I'm too inexperienced to reason out. Hoping to tap your creativity.
I have a huge iTunes library I've created over the years. 50,000+ songs. No problem, other than my desire to whittle through it slowly and pare it down to only the 22,000 or so I want to keep as my primary library. I haven't gone through the effort of creating multiple libraries yet, I simply delete songs or albums from the library as time permits without deleting the original file. I figure iTunes' database will be my primary and in the long-game, I'll create a new library that holds everything, but for now I'll just keep whittling the dB structure away until I get what I want (this is a slow, multi-year project I'm undertaking -- no rush here).
Here's my problem:
Most of these songs are physically saved in the iTunes folder on an external hard drive. Some of the songs I added to my library from the iTunes store when the external hard drive wasn't connected to the Mac - so they are on the Mac's hard drive under the standard iTunes folder structure. I have the "Keep iTunes Media folder organized" and "Copy files to iTunes Media folder when adding to library" checkboxes checked.
As I said, I've deleted songs from the iTunes app, but told it to "Keep Files" so that I could listen to them in the future if I decide to re-add them. Yesterday, I ran out of space on the startup drive of my mac, so naturally, I figured I could consolidate any files on my hard drive over to my external hard drive and delte them from the mac.
In iTunes, I went to File -> Library -> Organize Library. I checked both boxes for "Consolidate files" and "Reorganize files in the folder..." I let this run overnight to consolidate my library into one place. Today, I found that the function was unable to complete due to lack of disk space on my external hard drive. When I went to check the external hard drive, I found that iTunes had duplicated all of the songs that were on the external hard drive in their existing folders.
For example, now I have a file under the structure: iTunes library -> Music -> Blue Oyster Cult -> Heaven Forbid -> Cold Grey Light of Dawn.mp3
And I also have a file under the structure: iTunes library -> Music -> Blue Oyster Cult -> Heaven Forbid -> Cold Grey Light of Dawn 1.mp3
So now the immediate problem... The consolidation didn't finish, so I don't know exactly how much duplication iTunes created. I checked my library, and sure enough, the song in the library is pointed at the duplicate file (the one with a 1 at the end). I don't have the option to just copy the iTunes library to another external drive temporarily (or not easily, at least). I checked out a bunch of duplicate file cleanup programs, but the ones I found (and I even purchased Gemini's dupe file finder/cleanser) don't seem to inherently choose the correct duplicate file that is linked to iTunes library dB. I can't realistically pick and choose from the thousands of files that have been duplicated.
I decided to change the advanced preferences in iTunes to an entirely new folder on the External hard drive. Then I could just go back into File -> Library -> Organize library and select only the "Reorganize files..." checkbox without selecting the "Consolidate files" checkbox. I figured this would just move all the files that are in the iTunes dB to the new iTunes folder. Ummm.... but no. Apparently this "Reorganize files" checkbox is only available if you select "Consolidate files"...? To be clear, "Reorganize files" is greyed out.
So to summarize:
1. Why did iTunes create copies of existing files in the exact same location they were in?
2. What is the right (and I pray easy) way to get my library back to the right size and consolidated into one place? I'm still dangerously low on disk space on the mac...
<sigh>
Thanks for reading through all this!
Tim
Mac Mini OSX 10.8.3; iTunes 11.0.2 (26)See this thread for background on why iTunes can end up with duplicates and how they can be systematically removed. The script there is for Windows users and the "show duplicates" menus have moved around in iTunes 11, but the advice on clearing recently made duplicates should still hold.
As given in my older post "Reorganize library" is meant as a one time command to change the structure of a pre-iTunes 9 library into the newer layout that places music in its own subfolder of the media folder. Once used, if the option becomes available again that suggests that a file called .iTunes Preferences.plist in the media folder has been deleted or editied.
See also this post.
tt2 -
Is consolidating library necessary if you have the "copy files to itunes media folder" box checked?
Like the title, Since I've had iTunes I've always had the box checked for "copy files to itunes media folder"... if I want to backup my itunes folder now, do I still have to consolidate the library? I just copied it over without consolidating and it took like half an hour, so I'm just wondering if I should do it again after consolidating? I'm assuming it's fine. It seems to have transfered all 70G of my music.
Sharing,
What Consolidate does is look thru your iTunes library, and for any track that is not already in your iTunes Media Folder, it puts a copy there.
If you have always had Copy checked, and have never moved your iTunes Media Folder, and have not manually put any files elsewhere, then you probably already have all your files in the iTunes Media Folder, and would not need to run Consolidate. However, it would not hurt. -
ITunes adds duplicate songs when importing but not making copies in the iTunes Media folder?
This is an irregular problem and does not happen at every new import, but every now & again iTunes is creating duplicate files entries for the same song when I import my music folder.
Now I know many people post a similar problem, but before we start can I state that both the 'Keep iTunes Media folder organized AND "Copy files to iTunes Media folder when adding to library are turned off, and always have been.
Right clicking on duplicates of a particular song proves that iTunes is not copying the file into it's own media folder and adding that to the library.
All listed entries for a particular song iTunes direct you to the same file in the same location in the finder.
I am currently just having to delete the duplicates everytime it makes them, although this is VERY time consuming!
Any ideas on what is causing it or what will fix the problem would be great!Nevermind...I figured out my issue. The problem is that I'm an idiot.
When dragging my folders in, they not only had MP3 files, but a M3U file as well. iTunes was importing the M3U playlist, then the MP3s...that's how I was getting my dups.
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C: drive is full - move only iTunes Media folder contents to another drive without consolidating?
My iTunes library contains a combination of music/movies/etc that I've purchased or downloaded from the iTunes Store as well as music I've purchased from Amazon and my own ripped CDs (not ripped via iTunes...other software). The Amazon and ripped files have always lived on my D drive (for easier sharing betwen family members, without opening up permissions on our User folders), while the Store files all live under my User profile on C.
I'd like to move the iTunes Media folder contents off of C and onto D. All the instructions that use "consolidating" and "keeping the media folder organized" will not work for me, since I do not want all my files under the iTunes Media folder...I like them where they are now in D:\Music\Amazon and D:\Music\CDCollection.
Do I have to resort to moving the files myself, adding them into the library again, then cleaning up the orphaned library entries that are pointing to the old location?
Thanks!Copy the entire iTunes folder from your music folder to D:\iTunes.
Click the icon to start iTunes and immediately press and hold down the shift key. Keep holding until asked to choose or create a library.
Click Choose and navigate to the file D:\iTunes\iTunes Library.itl
Check the library is working properly.
Use the option File > Library > Organize Library > Consolidate Files to import any stay files to the new library folder.
Delete the old iTunes folder on the C: drive.
Ideally you will also backup this library to another drive.
tt2 -
ITunes not storing files in iTunes media folder location
A number of years ago I wanted to move my itunes media files to an external drive. At the time an article was posted that explained how to do such that. Additionally the article explained how to put the media files in one folder on the external file server and all the itunes definition files in another folder on the same external file server. It worked perfectly! All seemed well. Of course since making this change there have been many many updates to iTunes and the OS.
Recently, I was scanning through the folders of the external file server and noticed some media files that appeared in the iTunes application listing were missing in the physical iTunes media folder (folder A). After a little searching I found the media files were in the iTunes definitions folder (folder B). Initially I thought somehow I had changed the folder location under the iTunes advanced tab. I checked it stilled pointed to the ORIGINAL folder A location. Yet iTunes had for a while as it turns out had created a whole new media folder tree and was adding the media files to that media tree (folder B). This is the folder the original only contained the iTunes definitions.
Thinking I had made a mistake somewhere sometime ago, I copied all the media files to the proper folder (folder A) and reset the iTunes Media folder location to point to folder A. All was fine.
Today I added some new media to the iTunes library and once again, iTunes created a new media folder tree in folder B were only the iTunes definitions are supposed to be stored. So once again I moved the media files to the proper folder.
There is no question THIS IS A SOFTWARE BUG. It does NOT matter what folder location is specified in the Preferences->Advanced->itunes media location is specified, iTunes will either CHANGE the folder location to wherever the definitions files are located or begin putting the media files where the definitions files are located even though the iTunes media location is setting to a different folder.
when this started I do not know. I have been using itunes for a number of years and once I had my external file server set up never had reason to check it.
One might ask why put the media files in one location and the definition files in another location. That is because there was a time when iTunes for some reason would think it definition files were corrupted and start to do nasty things to the media library. Once I lost a number of songs it is then when I found a note in this forum that suggested putting the definitions in one folder and the media in another folder. It was great idea. Is there a work around of a fix for this bug?Some additional information.
When I click the apps tab in iTunes, some of the applications listed are actually songs (the songs are also shown in the music list and point to the proper location), when I click Get Info on some of the apps, it points to a song, and some apps that actually exist in the Mobile Apps folder are shown to located in a song folder. Bottom line the apps database is corrupted.
When I consolidated the music files I did not touch the mobile applications folder. As best I can tell all the movies and songs are fine (about 3000 items in total).
When I export the library it does not include the apps in the xml file. So deleting the iTunes DB and re-importing the .xml will not work.
To recap. All the songs and movies are in one folder (folder A). This is the folder listed in the Preferences->Advanced->Itunes media location. The apps folder is located in a different folder (folder B) where the iTunes definition files are located. How they got there I do not know.
How do I fix the apps tab and have the app icons (and physical applications) to point to the proper location? Also to remove the songs listed in the apps list without removing the song from the iTunes library. -
I have already copied over from the old hard drive to the new hard drive the iTunes media folder (423 GB). But this does not contain the iTunes Library .itl file which for good or bad reason has been working from the mac itself from inside the user music folder. In iTunes Preferences, Adanced Preferences window the iTunes media fold location is currently set to the ITunes Media folder on the old hard drive. How and why i set it up like this all that time ago is forgotten! Do i simply browse for a new location for the newly created duplicaye file? My worry is that i will end up with every song listed twice in iTunes, or worse manage to wipe the content like a mate did!
Okay, solved. Simple really, just moved the media folder location and there was no duplication. Phew!
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Whist moving my iTunes folder to an external hard drive, (I was following this post: http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1364) I seem to have accidentally deleted the itunes Media folder - I misread the last action point!
All the files transferred to the external hard drive as I can see them and I am able to copy them into itunes, but only links, and they're still organised.
Can anyone help me restore the folder structure so itunes can see the music?
I added a new cd to itunes so I could see where it is now saving music and it created a new folder where the music now resides (I guess as a deleted the file structure from previous it needed to create a new one). I thought I would be able to copy and paste the old music into this newly created fold but it doesn't seem to have worked.
Any advice on what I should do would be greatly received
(I'm using windows vista)Stop with the whining.
Download past purchases from iTunes -
I moved my itunes media folder to my public folder in my home folder so that my wife can share my music when she logs on as a user. Since doing this Aperture cannot locate any itunes music files and so I cannot add any music to a slideshow. All of my existing slideshows no longer play music. Can anyone help?
ThanksThank 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. -
I have files in my iTunes media folder that somehow are not in my library. How do I get iTunes to scan my media folder and add missing files to my library without making a copy of each file in the same location? If I use add file / folder to library, it scans the folder and then makes a copy of any file that is not in my library in the exact same location; I recal in older versions of iTunes being able to just drag my media folder into my library and it would update missing links.
Only the songs that are connected to iTunes will be copied when you consolidate to a new folder.
Splitting the media folder away from the usual location makes it harder to move iTunes in the future.
Are you go move everything back once you've tidied up or are you going to leave it that way? Either way I'd recommend you create an iTunes folder at the new location, an iTunes Media folder inside that, and consolidate to this new iTunes Media folder. You should also use the option File > LIbrary > Organize Library > Rearrange files in the folder "<Media Folder"> if you have not already done so.
tt2 -
Forgot to tick - Add files to itunes media folder
Hi, im new to itunes and have recently downloaded my cd collection to itunes ( 7000 odd tracks worth)
Ive just realised that i never had the "add files to itunes media folder when adding to library" box ticked.
I would like to know if im am still able to add all my music to the itunes media folder now that they are already downloaded and in my library?
I would like to know this because i would like to use some songs in windows movie maker and when i search for the music using wmm, i can find the itunes media folder but there is no music inside.
Can anyone help on this matter ,
Thanks scottIn iTunes parlance a file is consolidated if it is located inside the iTunes Media folder, and by extension unconsolidated if outside the media folder. The option you refer to, if enabled, ensures that all tracks added to the library thereafter are consolidated, though it won't affect tracks that are already part of the library when you make the change.
Having the files consolidated means that iTunes can, if you wish, also update the file and folder names to reflect changes that you make to tags. A fully consolidated library where the media folder is a subfolder of the main iTunes library folder is also portable making it much easier to backup, restore, move or migrate.
You can consolidate your entire library with File > Library > Organise Library > Consoldiate files, or selected files by right-clicking on them and clicking Consolidate files.
tt2 -
Duplicates in iTunes Media Folder
Okay, so first a little background. I had to reformat my Mac awhile back due to an issue with some beta software. Now, my Mac is back to working again... but since I had to redownload everything from iTunes Match to keep from having to redo the match/upload process and restart all that. But now, my iTunes Media folder has at least two of every file. (It's on my External Hard Drive, so I didn't lose my music with the reformat) I did this because I have movies, TV shows, and other content that I could not download from iCloud.
My question doesn't necessary apply to just iTunes Match though, just the duplicates. My iTunes Library has one copy of each, although Finder has two or more. I would like to erase the duplicates without messing with the songs currently in my library from iTunes Match. I would prefer to not need to delete it all and redownlad my thousands of songs from iCloud again. It seems like there would be some way to do this, and I would really appreciate any help I could get.You could try using Robert Jacobson's script itunes_remove_notfound, or install iTunes Folder Watch and set its option to check for dead tracks on startup, or you can make a set of Lost & Found Playlists and delete what is in lost, assuming you're certain there is nothing in there that you want to repair.
I've also got a script for cleaning real duplicates. The current version just ignores missing tracks but I'm contemplating an update which would safely eliminate the broken link while preserving ratings, play counts, playlist membership etc, assuming a live duplicate to merge this data to has been found.
tt2 -
I back up files constantly to an external drive. I went to back up again & my iTunes Media folder is gone & I can't find it anywhere (including Trash Bin). Will I have to uninstall then reinstall iTunes to get that venue back? I've even tried changing the location in my preferences of where new file should go to & nothings doing.
Compacting is deleting messages marked for deletion. It has nothing to do with trying to squeeze out just a little more space in an already full folder.
Here are some good articles that you could probably benefit from reading.
http://kb.mozillazine.org/Thunderbird_:_Tips_:_Compacting_Folders
http://kb.mozillazine.org/Keep_it_working_-_Thunderbird
https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/archived-messages
You could also create folders under Local Folders and move the older message there. -
So I just bought a new computer and want to transfer my itunes library over. I went through the organize library option and consolidated the files to the itunes media folder, but when i checked the folder it was missing many files still. I tried to consolidate again and it didn't do anything. How can I fix this?
Just to clarify ... you still have media files that are linked correctly from iTunes (i.e., right-click > Get Info, File tab shows the correct location), but these have not been moved to the "expected" location - assuming your iTunes folder is in the default place - C:\Users\username\Music\iTunes\iTunes Media\Music\artist_name\album_title - correct?
There are a couple of other scenarios in which iTunes may not be able to complete the consolidation process:
Some folders in the iTunes Media hierarchy might be set to read-only - to fix this, right-click on your iTunes Media folder in Windows Explorer and select Properties. On the General tab there's a check box labeled "Read-only" - click the box so that the flag is unchecked and the box is white. Click OK, and then OK again when the "Apply changes to this folder, subfolders and files" option selected.
Windows permissions issues are preventing iTunes from moving your media files (there's some anecdotal evidence of a change in this behavior in iTunes 12). See turingtest2's notes on Repair security permissions for iTunes for Windows for advice on fixing this.
Then try the consolidation process again ... if it still doesn't work as expected we'll need to dive further into details of how your media is currently organized and how the non-moving items appear in iTunes.
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