ITunes doesn't play files stored in iTunes media Folder

Question

Hi, have this problem:
I had deleted my files from iTunes media folder, but as luckily I had the same files located in other place I just copied them to the iTunes Media but iTunes rejects to play them (in my iTunes Library). I'm only able to play them if I go through the procedure as followings: Play - "iTunes unable to open this file because the original file not found. Do you want to find it?" (or smith like that) - Find - Open  and then it plays, but I have to perform these actions with every file separately and I have quite a lot of them. Oh, and after that first popping-up window the next one appears "Would you like iTunes to find other missing files from the same location as [the file's name]?" But when I click on "Find" it says "iTunes were unable to find other missing files". Why? How do I accomplish the same task but with all my albums at once without necessity to add them one by one?  Does there some way exists to tie the tracks from my albums with original files without importing them to my iTunes library?
Thank you

Answer 1

Understand how iTunes works.  iTunes does not actively look for files.  When you add a file to iTunes the location of that file is saved in the iTunes database (library file).  When you try to play a track iTunes looks in its database for where the linked file is to be found and tries to play the specific file it has listed in that location.  If you deleted the file then it no longer exists.  I think even if you replace it with one that is identical, iTunes is still looking for that specific file.  You can link the track listing to a new file using the process you have done.  In theory iTunes should be able to find others but the files have to have been organized by iTunes in the past because it will be working on the basis of how it thinks they should be arranged. Additionally the files you replaced have to have exactly the same name as the ones you deleted because iTunes will expect them to be named how it would name them when they were first entered into your library