Itunes failing to recognize songs

Okay, so I'm trying to add music to my iTunes library. Except when I try to add certain songs to the library, they just won't show up. I tried adding them multiple times and these particular songs just won't open in iTunes. And the thing is, these songs used to open perfectly fine. I moved/deleted a few songs in the folder they were in, and now iTunes won't recognize them.
I don't know why iTunes won't recognize these songs any more. I use Winamp as my mp3 on my computer, and as a result all my mp3s are winamp media files. But these songs that won't work in iTunes are the same as every other mp3 I have.

I don't know for sure but when that has happened to me, the MP3 file was corrupted. I've been looking for an open source MP3 tester but haven't yet found one. When I had the same problem as you, Itunes didn't issue any error messages and there doesn't appear to be any log file.

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HT6437 iTunes fails to recognize iPhone

I am attempting to backup/restore my iPhone 4S running iOS 7.1.2, to my new iPhone 6 Plus running iOS8.1.2.
Unfortunately, iTunes 12 fails to recognize my iPhone device. Therefore, it's impossible to Backup or Synch.
Any ideas to correct this? Do I have to update my ancient iPhone 4S to iOS 8.1.2 first? I tried different USB cables, no luck. I tried stop/re-start iTunes.

Hello there, dpharbison.
When transferring content from an older iOS device to a new one using iTunes, the following Knowledge Base article offers the steps on how to accomplish that:
Transfer content from an iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch to a new device - Apple Support
Use iTunes
If you don't have an iCloud account or you just want to keep a backup on your computer, you can use iTunes to back up and transfer content on your device.
Get ready
Install the latest version of iTunes on your computer and the latest version of iOS on your original device.
You can't install a backup of a newer version of iOS onto devices that are using earlier versions of iOS. If your backup came from a device that has a newer version of iOS installed, update your new device before you transfer your data. For help, see Unable to restore from a backup of a newer iOS device.
Back up and transfer
First, back up your old device using iTunes. You can also encrypt the backup so that it remembers the passwords for your email, Wi-Fi, and more when you transfer to the new device. Otherwise, you can re-enter these passwords on the new device.
Then transfer your data from your device to your computer.
Remove your SIM card
If your device has a SIM card, use the SIM-extractor tool or a paper clip to remove the SIM from your old device and insert it into your new device. Or if your carrier gave you a new SIM card, use that instead.
Set up the new device
When the backup of your old device is finished, turn on your new device. Follow the setup assistant, which will ask you to choose these things:
Your language and country
Whether to enable Location Services
A Wi-Fi network
If you don’t have a Wi-Fi or cellular data connection, you can also activate by tapping Connect to iTunes.
Restore the backup
When prompted to set up your device, select Restore from iTunes Backup.
Connect to iTunes
Connect your new device to iTunes, using the same computer you used to back up your current device. iTunes will ask you to restore from backup or set up as new. Select the backup of your old device and choose Continue.
If the progress bar in iTunes pauses for a while, wait until the restore finishes.
Sync other content
When the restore finishes, your device restarts, and then it's ready for you to use.
Keep your device connected to iTunes to sync content that isn't in the backup (such as music, videos, and apps). To change the type of content that syncs, click the syncing tabs in iTunes.
Enter your passwords
If you restored from an unencrypted backup, you'll need to enter the password for your Apple ID, email and other accounts, and voicemail. If you've forgotten your voicemail password, contact your carrier.
If your device continues to not be recognized, these article provide further troubleshooting depending on the operating system your computer is running:
iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch not recognized in iTunes for Windows - Apple Support
or
iOS: Device not recognized in iTunes for OS X - Apple Support
Thanks for reaching out to Apple Support Communities.
Cheers,
Pedro.

Itunes fails to recognize my phone and wants me to load as 'new phone' each time I hook up. I have disabled firewalls and it will recognize one out of five times. It also attempts to sync but just runs forever, then gives error message 0xE8004006

Itunes does not recognize Iphone. It asks me to restore or add as new phone each time I sign on. It then attempts to sync, just runs forever. After five tries, it allowed me to upgrade OS, but still refused to complete a sync. I have disabled firewalls. Error message 0xE8004006
Thanks

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/2482232?start=0&tstart=0

Upgraded to latest Itunes - won't recognize songs in my external drive?

I recently upgraded to the latest Itunes. I store all my music on an external hard drive. Now I can't seem to get the Itunes library to pull songs from the hard drive - getting the message "The song __ could not be used because the original file could not be found. Would you like to locate it?" I didn't have this problem before. I tried importing the songs from the hard drive but now my library has doubled and I'm still having problems launching music. Anyone have any input? Thanks in advance.

No, my problem is when I open iTunes, none of my tunes are there because the new iTunes 8.1 looks into my hard drive iTunes for the library and it's blank. when I use preferences/advanced and choose "change" and attempt to select the library from my external drive, it's greyed out . . . not accessible.

ITunes failing to recognize location of m4a files?

My iTunes currently has an exclamation mark next to all the songs in m4a format in my library, even though these files have not moved at all and it has dealt with those files for years. Is there some way to get iTunes to recognize all those files where they are? About half my library is in mp3 format and iTunes is having no issue at all with those files. I am using iTunes to organize my music folder, but this problem with m4a files persists.
If there is a folder-by-folder solution, that would work, but I can't go locate file-by-file since we're talking 10-15 GBs of music (when I locate a file in that fashion, it does work, but it would take a prohibitive amount of time to do for each song).
I've tried consolidating the library, which accomplished nothing, and when I reimport one of the folders with m4a files, it thinks they're new songs and doesn't delete the exclamation marks on the "old" songs (that's a problem because these songs are already in lots of playlists, etc, and that info would be lost). I've also tried "repairing" (aka reinstalling) both Quicktime and iTunes using the "Add/Remove Program" icon in the Control Panel to no effect.
This is driving me crazy so any help is MUCH appreciated! Please ask if anything is unclear or more info is needed.

I could still really use help with this problem. I should add that my music files are stored on an external hard drive. This alone is clearly not the source of the problem, as iTunes has no problem playing and managing the mp3s even as it has put an exclamation mark next to all the songs stored in the m4a format.
This issue began (I think) when I imported a CD while the external drive was disconnected. This imported the songs to the C:\ drive iTunes folder. When I got back to my external drive, I reconnected to it, deleted the new songs from the library, and reimported them so that they were copied onto the library on the external drive. That was no problem at all, but then this issue with m4a files cropped up.
Alternatively, upgrading to iTunes 8 may have caused this -- I'm not sure. Either way, I could really use a solution to this.
Thanks!

Folder w/ Exclamation Point + Itunes fails to recognize Ipod

About two weeks ago, my Ipod began to act silly by apparently not being able to read certain tracks sort of like when a CD player cannot read a scratched CD. (Note I have never encountered this problem before and the Ipod functioned without any problems just the previous day). When it could not play a track, it would automatically skip to the next track to see if it could play that one. It did not matter what album or artist I was attempting to play.
Then, the Ipod began to hesitate to turn on occasionally. The infamous folder with an exclamation point would pop on the screen, especially after I would reset the Ipod and have seen the apple picture.
The final conflict exists in my Itunes program being unable to recognize I had plugged my Ipod into the computer. (Maybe the Ipod could not read the computer, I have no idea). I have Itunes version 4.7 and I have just installed 4.9 which I am about to try. I shall post an update if my Ipod then works with 4.9.
Otherwise, please help me! What is wrong with my Ipod?

To all:
You need to restore your ipod so it like it was when you received it. Then you need to instal the new version of the updater and itunes. Connect your ipod and it should take you through the process. Registering and all.
If all fails, seriously consider returning it to apple. If you still have the warranty. If this your second return under the warranty you'll actually have to pay money (around $30) If you don't have a warranty I think you can get it fixed but it will cost you a lot of money. Try getting a quote if its too expensive, consider selling on ebay and getting a way better mp3 player.
Apple SHOULD really consider recalling the ipod, this device it horrible. I my self have had 3 new ipods straight from Apple in the last year all with the same problems you all are having. I regret even getting the ipod to begin with.

ITunes fails to recognize when there is CD in CD drive

I was recently forced to upgrade to iTunes 7.0 in order to purchase music, and now it no longer recognizes when I put a CD in my disc drive, and thus I can no longer import music. However, when using another CD importing program, the drive performed perfectly. The only conclusion I was able to draw was that it was a problem with iTunes and not the drive. Has anyone had a similar problem, and how, if at all, were you able to solve it?
Windows XP

Same here. I hope someone comes up with an answer soon. Every question I've found in these forums so far that's applicable to my problems has not been answered.
Stopgap solution: I've been using File > Import, selecting the track by number (from a CD, it shows only Track 01, Track 02, etc.), at which point it will usually import, and then I right-click on the track and select Get Info to name the track, artist & album. Tedious. (I can NOT highlight all the tracks on an album at once with shift+click; it refuses to work.)
Even weirder: When I try to import Track 09 on 2 albums I've done this with so far, I get an error message: "Track 09.cda could not be imported because it does not appear to be a valid export file." Does iTunes have a problem with "Track 09" in general? There are other questions here about Track 09 resulting in the same problem.
Just got an unexpected iPod (that's why I'm using iTunes 7) or I wouldn't be using iTunes at all... I only accidentally worked out the problem of not being able to connect, and it still will not fetch any song/album info from Gracenote. This is really quite maddening.

ITunes can't recognize songs on my external hard drive

Hi,
I moved my iTunes folder onto another external, and then redirected the iTunes to my new drive. It updated all my songs. Then I found that randomly a lot of the songs (about 20%) did not sync up. They all have a "?" icon next to the songs. Now 20% of 500gb is a lot of songs, so there is no way I can updated each and every one.
What's strange is that the iTunes library is identical to the old one, so I don't understand what went wrong with the updating...
Can someone please let me know how I can have all my songs synced again with my library? Did I do something wrong in the process? Do I need to have the same name external hard disc?
I still have the original songs in the old external drive, so if someone can tell me the right procedure I can copy the songs again to do another re-sync.
I have the latest iTunes and most updated system on a Macbook pro.
Thanks!
Cal

Whether it can fixed or not depends on how the drive is formatted. If it is FAT32 you may be out of luck, but if it is in a standard Mac format you should be able to fix it. Take a look at this thread:
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=5908325
For FAT32 I have been unable to find any information at all on either the cause or a solution.
Francine
Francine
Schwieder

ITunes failing to send songs to iPod

I have had my iPod for over a year now and have had little difficulty interacting with the iTunes software until recently. After downloading the new iTunes update, all of my music on my iPod was cleared for reasons unknown to me. I updated the software on my iPod and have the latest version of iTunes. Now when I connect my iPod to the computer and iTunes tries to transfer my library of about 1000 songs to the iPod, there appears to be some error when it gets around 200 songs in. It says Updating Ipod at the top of the screen, but it will get stuck up on a different song. It will do this for several minutes and then freeze up. I close out iTunes and disconnect my iPod and no songs have been transferred. I don't understand why it would work perfectly for over a year and suddenly have these problems. I can't get the songs to transfer to the iPod and haven't been able to get past about 400 songs max before it freezes up. Please help, I would greatly appreciate it.

Okay, I did what I was dreading and completely restored my ipod using the updater, then I uninstalled and reinstalled itunes. Now, it will not allow me to update my ipod with the music.
edit: specifically the "Update Ipod" option is greyed out.

ITunes fails to recognize iPhone

I am trying to activate a new iPhone. I have the latest version of iTunes (verified). I have Windows Vista Ultimate. The computer recognizes the iPhone device as new.
iTunes does not do a thing. There is no sign that the iPhone has been recognized.
Please help!

I have returned from a trip and will now resume trying to fix my problem. To summarize: (1) I have reinstalled iTunes with no antivirus or firewall programs working; (2) iTunes recognizes my iPod; (3) Vista recognizes the iPhone when it is connected via USB; (4) Vista identifies the new device as an iPhone; (5) iTunes does nothing and does not appear to recognize the iPhone device; (6) This is on a 32bit installation, a desktop, and the USB connection is on the Dell tower, not the keyboard; (7) The iPhone is recognized on another computer, but that computer does not have the files with which I want to synch.
I do NOT have webcam or other devices identified by Jason L, but he identifies a possible driver problem which could possibly be a problem, if I can identify the right conflict.
rotciv360 identifies a missing driver: c:\windows\system32\drivers\usbaapl.sys. I do NOT have that driver file. If it was supposedly loaded with the reload of iTunes, then I do have a problem which has not yet been corrected. Since uninstalling and reloading hasn't fixed iTunes, what should I do next?
jerry z

Itunes fails to update songs in my ipod when syncing.

What can I do? This is really frustrating, because sometimes it works and then when I get almost to the end of filling up my device, everything freezes and stops syncing.
I have a real nice Acer ultrabook with windows 8.1 64 bit, it runs really good with pretty much everything, no problems whatsoever.
I also have the latest version of Itunes with almost 80 gb of music transfered from my old laptop. The thing is, when I plug in my ipod classic 160 gb, everything seems fine, the program runs good, and when I try to grab and release an album or artist, it all gets slow and the syncing process never ends. Earlier today I tried restoring my ipod, and everything ran pretty good until I got to artists with letter "Q" when it froze and till now cant get those last gigs into my device.
If anyone knows how could I fix this, I would be endlessly grateful to you.
Thanks for listening.

I have this problem since IOS 7

Migrating from PPC to Intel. Copied iTunes library manually to default location, but iTunes won't recognize it - seems to work, but no songs visible. Using Lion on Mac Mini Server.

I've never had iTunes fail to recognize a library when I moved it to another location, or restored it to the default location. It always just works. But not this time.
I copied my roughly 30G library into the default location, but iTunes doesn't see it at all.
I have no idea what to try next. Help.

Did you copy everything? Media folders, library files, artwork folders, etc? Did you put them in the default location of Music/iTunes/iTunes ?
You can also try starting iTunes with the option key held down and guide it to where you did put the library file.
iTunes: How to move [or copy] your music to a new computer [or another drive] - http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4527
do not confuse moving your whole folder and library with moving just media files as in
iTunes for Mac: Moving your iTunes Media folder - http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1449
Quick answer if you let iTunes manage your music: Copy the entire iTunes folder (and in doing so all its subfolders and files) intact to the other drive. Start iTunes with the option key held down and guide it to the new location of the library.

ITunes won't recognize iPod Nano (1GB, 1st generation)

I have been having problems Sync'ing my iPod nano with iTunes, however, the more I read help articles and follow the steps, the worse the problem gets. (I'm on a PC using Windows XP)
I've gotten to the point where I updated my iPod software in Disk mode (up until then it was being recognized only in Disk mode), but when iTunes failed to recognize it when not in Disk mode I preceded to restore my iPod to factory settings, as instructed in the help articles.
Now, up until then, I still had music in my iPod, and I was being able to charge it and listen to my music even though I couldn't sync the iPod anymore. After restoring, I not only lost my music (which I was aware of), but it STILL did not fix my problem. So I started to get annoyed.
I then noticed that my iPod was being recognized by My Computer, just not by iTunes, so I began to perform the steps indicated in the following article:
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=93716
I restarted my iPod service - no luck
I removed iTunes - no luck
I emptied my Temp directory and restarted...
That's when iTunes stopped recognizing my iPod altogether, not even in Disk mode. Not only that, but it seems to have affected the iPod itself, since it won't turn off or exit Disk mode anymore. So now I'm scared of going though with any more steps on whichever "help" articles and making the problem even worse than it already is (if that's possible).
The only other information I can provide is that windows is still recognizing my iPod, no problem, and when I connect my iPod, iTunes actually launches... but DOESN'T recognize a thing. So I ran a diagnostics using iTunes and here's what I got (iPod diagnostics):
Microsoft Windows XP Professional Service Pack 2 (Build 2600)
INTEL_ D945GCL_
iTunes 7.3.2.6
iPodService 7.3.2.6 is currently running.
iTunesHelper 7.3.2.6 is currently running.
Current user is an administrator.
The current local date and time is 2007-08-30 11:53:26.
Connected Storage Devices:
Unidade de disco, MAXTOR STM3160211AS, Bus Type ATA, Bus Address [0,0]
Unidade de disco, MAXTOR STM3160211AS, Bus Type ATA, Bus Address [0,0]
Unidade de disco, Apple iPod USB Device, Bus Type USB
Universal Serial Bus Controllers:
Standard Universal PCI to USB Host Controller. Device is working properly.
Standard Universal PCI to USB Host Controller. Device is working properly.
Standard Universal PCI to USB Host Controller. Device is working properly.
Standard Universal PCI to USB Host Controller. Device is working properly.
Standard Enhanced PCI to USB Host Controller. Device is working properly.
No IEEE 1394 Host Controller found.
Connected Device Information:
IPOD (H:\), iPod nano running firmware version 1.3.1
All green lights, and as you can see, according to iTunes, NO PROBLEM! Except that it won't recognize the iPod that the disgnistics says exists and reads... ?!?!?!
If anyone could shed some light on my situation, i would be VERY greatful!

My IPod Nano will charge when connected to my computer but it won't come up on My Computer or iTunes. So I can't update the songs. I've already tried reseting the iPod. Does anybody know what I can do to fix it.

Ipod Locks Up. Itunes won't Recognize, and Can't Disconnect!

I have a U2 special edition 20 GB Ipod. This is #2 as the same thing happened with #1.
I plug it into my computer to update from itunes. I get the "Do Not Disconnect" message, tho itunes fails to recognize it. It appears to be locked up. I can hear it cycling through. It starts up, I hear a click, it shuts down. Over and over. I can't eject, because itunes doesnt recognize it is even plugged in, and I am afraid to unplug it. I tried to reset. It didn't work. This very same thing happened with my last ipod, i rebooted the computer, and it totally fried the ipod. I was left with the folder/exclamation point icon and had to send it in for a new one.
I am going camping this weekend and really wanted my tunes. Can anybody help?

I give up. I downloaded the new version onto my laptop, it had some sample files already preloaded, so I tried to update my ipod with those. What do you know? It worked GREAT! So, I upgraded the itunes on my home puter to the latest version and tried again. It recognized my pod and immediately began to update. So, I left to do some things, and when I came back, my computer had rebooted and once again my ipod had playlists but not a single song loaded. With the luck on my laptop, however, I thought I would upload an album to that itunes and try it that way. Now the laptop itunes also refuses to recognize my ipod. I wish I could find it entertaining that the sample files preloaded with itunes work but absolutely nothing else will. I also realized I didn't have the latest update (9-23)so I downloaded that too. It locks up my computer. Freaking Marvelous! 5 hours pretrip down the drain, nothing to show for it, and one long-assed drive without tunes. THANKS APPLE! You have done a superb job of convincing me I no longer have any need for your products.

ITunes 7 wont recognize iPod(s) any more

Hi there !
Since upgrading to iTunes 7 I've found that iTunes fails to recognize my iPods 90% of the time, and the 10% it does find it, it will disconnect after a few seconds and/or report an error with it. Generally this then causes the iPod to lock up and need a reset.
I have two iPods (2nd gen 20gb and 5th gen 80gb)and they both show similar symptoms on different machines (1 iPod is used exclusively by one PC and the same for the other one).
Initially the 80gb worked fine for a few days, but after fitting a USB mouse things started to go wrong (may be a coincedence but this was the only change I could see). I guess perhaps this caused devices to be reordered on the USB bus and iTunes 7 can't cope with this ?? Removing the mouse though has not fixed the issue.
The 2nd gen 20gb never really worked from the initial upgrade to iTunes 7. Random disconnects and hangs when syncing and generally not showing up in iTunes (could see it in Windows explorer and manually copy files across fine)
In desperation I removed iTunes 7 and went back to version 6 and everything is working fine again !!
Switching back to iTunes 6 just meant I had to wait whilst 60gb of music was rescanned into a library It also means I can't play games on my nice new 80gb iPod which is annoying but I can live with this for a little while...I just hope when all the bugs are ironed out I won't have to pay for the games again !
On the plus side, iTunes 6 is a lot faster than iTunes 7 so I guess in a small way I should be happy.
Has anyone had similar experiences with iTunes 7 not recognizing their iPod ?
Cheers
Ted
P.S. I've been through all the troubleshooting guides about resetting, restoring iPods, all cables are secure and have Terminal Services running in my services etc. so I'm 100% sure everything is setup fine. The problem is the fact that iTunes 7 or more acurately the new ipodserver.exe / ipodhelper.exe are junk.
2ng gen & 5th gen Windows XP
Windows XP

Have you looked at these:
iPhone, iPad, iPod touch: Device not recognized in iTunes for Mac OS X
Mac OS X v10.6 or later: iOS device not recognized in iTunes after restart
(this may apply but you did not say what OSX you are running)

Itunes failing to recognize songs

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