Moved all content to external drives need help!

ok so i copied all my music, photos and movies to external drives ..im now running two 1 terabyte drives for all this..have over 350 movies and 300gb of music now evertime i have itunes open it just runs..it doesnt say what it is doing but for over 2 weeks now when itunes is open it takes up 50% of my processor and runs very slow..is there something i still need to do here?
pls help..thanks robert

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Missing original files after attempting to move all files to external drive

After reading numerous threads regarding iTunes not being able to locate the original file after moving it to an external drive, I'm in a slightly different boat since most seem to be able to "locate" their original music. It appears the order in which this is done is particularly important and I suspect this is where I screwed up. I posted this earlier in response to another thread mistakenly under iTunes for Windows, but now I'm realizing where I may have made my main mistake.
Over a year ago, I had moved my iTunes folder from my Music folder from the HD to my 250 GB external drive. I did not rename it. Kept it the same name. Went into the Advanced folder in iTunes Preferences and chose to use the external drive as my source for music and everything worked fine. Don't remember consolidating and it appears based on the way that I did it, I may not have had to.
Recently I found a folder in my Music folder on the Mac's HD titled iTunes and assumed this was holding the original files and that my iTunes wasn't actually running from my external drive at all, but that it had been using the HD on the Mac the whole time (didn't realize that it kept a copy there). So, I took that file and moved it to the external drive. Not sure if I "replaced" it or "deleted" the old one on the external drive (it was late and it was a few days ago). Now I'm realizing that I probably took out my true original files as now all that is there is about 16 music files under "iTunes Music". I tried consolidating and this didn't make any difference since it just consolidated all of the same files. If I open iTunes and hold the option key down that doesn't make any difference either since it still can't find the originals.
Now that I realize what I've done, thinking back I should have been more surprised that it was only 1.3GB of music when really my library is closer to 40 GB. I've just lost a lot of music. Is there anyway to retrieve the rest of the original library or am I cooked?
Many thanks for any help.

turingtest2 post 01/2014: MSVCR80.dll missing, cannot install iTunes - https://discussions.apple.com/message/24618776
iTunes for Windows: Missing MSVCR80.dll - https://sites.google.com/site/appleclubfhs/support/advice-and-articles/itunes-wi ndows-missing-msvcr80-dll - install as administrator.

Updated to Mavericks OS X but can't use my external drive by WD My Passport. The Mac reads it but I can't add/remove files to the external drive. Help?!

Updated to Mavericks OS X but can't use my external drive by WD My Passport. The Mac reads it but I can't add/remove files to the external drive. Help?!
The WD My Passport, I purchased back in early December 2013 & I just used it the other day after I updated my Macbook... & of course it says in the online manual it works for Mac Lion, Mountain Lion, Snow Leopard but not this new Maverick update. Is there anything I can do?

I like the free demo of SuperDuper to make clones. It's free, Tiger and Leopard ready and is easy to use. If you buy the full version you can do incremental backups.
You should use Disk Utility to do a Disk Repair, as shown in this link, booted up on your install disk, before you make a clone of it.
I then partition my external disk, in Disk Utility, with a partition that is the same size , actually a tad bigger, as my system disk. I then use SuperDuper to clone my system disk over to that partition.
With a clone on an external FireWire drive (USB drives are not bootable on some Macs) you can bootup on it to do your repairs or just run your Mac anytime you have trouble with your main drive. Be careful, there are a few external FireWire drives out there that are not bootable on Macs. Check the drive's manual to be sure.
 DALE

Help - moved itunes folders to external drive and now my itunes is totally

A few months ago, in order to free up space on my c drive, i had to purchase an external drive - everything i installed via itunes since that date has been on the hard drive and everything was fine.
Last night i needed more room on my C drive so i stupidly moved the remaining itunes folders from my C drive to my F drive - unfortunately, when i opened itunes it was blank.
i've tried a few things - including adding the folder from the F drive - and that retrieved about 80% of my music/videos and the last playlists i had - however, they were all missing songs - even if all the songs that should be included remained on my itunes
i began the tedious process of manually adding files back in but soon realized this doesn't help itunes consider this the same ipod as what's still on my actual ipod.
*What I'd like to do (if possible) is to wipe itunes clean and somehow restore everything on my ipod into itunes so that i retrieve not only the songs and videos but also the playlists that i've spent way too much time building. At this point i fear that the various components to my ipod are in too many files on my external drive to be easily restored another way (though if i'm wrong please let me know)*
sadly (as this story might suggest) I am borderline computer illiterate - I've read a few posts suggesting some sort of software online (something the apple help line also made an "off the record" remark about) - but I can't for the life of me figure out which i would use or how to do this without risking the contents of my existing ipod (which has the playlists and songs/video I want to reestablish).
*Can anyone possibly suggest how to best handle this and walk me through it in painstakingly basic and specific detail? I would be forever grateful.*
Thanks

iTunes uses the iTunes Library files - in particular the iTunes Library.itl file - to keep track of where your song files are located as well as playlist and related information.
Most likely in moving your folders around iTunes has been confused to such an extent that it created a new Library file. With a bit of luck you might still be able to find the old file which would restore your old Library.
So the first thing you want to do is look around your computer and make a note of any iTunes Library.itl files you can find. Generally speaking you'll find them in the iTunes folders on your system and depending on how you've been moving the folders - i.e. whether you "cut" them or "copied" them - you may still find at least one one on your F: drive and some on your C: drive.
Having noted where they are you know want to check each of them out as described in this article in the Apple Knowledge Base. In following those instructions you want to select the Choose Library option and use the pop-up window that appears to zero in on the various .itl files you've located.
Remember that each Library file will show a different Library in iTunes - perhaps slightly different, perhaps completely different - and if the first one isn't what you're looking for you'll have to close iTunes and repeat the procedure by selecting one of the other .itl's.
Post back for any clarification.

Can't find previous itunes file after moving info to an external drive to move library to new computer!!! HELP

I have moved my itunes files numerous times to new computers as I get one. This last time I had everything running off an external drive, to conserve hard drive space on computer and hopefully from computer failure. I need to move library over to new computer and get away from old computer that has Windows XP to the computer with windows 7. After installing itunes on new computer and plugging in external to new computer, it finds all music and movies, etc., however, I can't seem to find the file that has the playlist info, play count, and to see where the backups of my iphone(s) are. I have been working at this for days to no avail. It may be right in front of my face but can't see where to find it. HELP!!!!

Hi mechellr!
Here is an article for you that explains in depth how to move your iTunes library from one computer to another:
iTunes: How to move your music to a new computer
http://support.apple.com/kb/ht4527
Thanks for coming to the Apple Support Communities!
Cheers,
Braden

Moving files to external drive - need Mac and PC compatibility in future

Hello -
I'm moving a client's video files to an external drive so they have the original files. I'm moving both the DV files (always usable with program that accepts DV files) and the Mac project files in a separate folder (in case they ever work on them in a mac - includes all the referenced files). I know they won't be able to open the latter on a PC but I'd still like to include.
BUT, can they get any external drive? If I plug it into my computer and move files, are they going to run into problems if they use then on a PC? Thinking about getting this one for them (they are paying but want a good price for them):
http://www.buy.com/prod/western-digital-500gb-my-book-essential-usb-2-0-external -hard-drive/q/loc/101/206409667.html
Thanks for your help -
Alexa

Don't have a solution for you, but I did encounter a very similar bug.
I was moving files from one iMac's external drive to another's internal drive, using a drag'n'drop move command on a directory. The move generated an error message, maybe the same as what you saw (I'm not sure), then aborted the move. Only one small file had been moved, and the source directory was gone! Not in the trash. Mac OS X 10.4.8 on both systems, an iMac DV and an iMac 24. The external drive was formatted as "Mac OS Extended (Journaled)."
This sure seems to be a basic programming mistake. So, for me, it's back to doing 3 steps: copy, verify, delete. It's lousy not to be able to rely on proper execution of a basic command, but I've never won an argument with a computer.

Moved iTunes to an external drive, library files can't be located - help?!?

So ok, I knew it couldn't be that easy...
I copied my iTunes to an external drive to free up space on my laptop - followed the instructions for moving files on a PC - and got to the part about moving the old iTunes folder to the recycle bin. Well, the recycle bin wasn't large enough for the folder, so it deleted everything straight out of MyComputer. Apparently the "library files" went with it.
Now I can see all my songs/movies/videos in folders on the external, but can't get my iTunes to associate with it when I open it.
Is there any way to fix this? I'm tearing my hair out, here. I have a full backup on DVDs - will that help?
Thanks!

got to the part about moving the old iTunes folder to the recycle bin.
There is no part about moving the _iTunes folder_ to the recycle bin.
There is a part about moving th _iTunes music folder_ to the recycle bin.
Did you move them to the external by using iTunes menu File -> Library -> Consolidate?
Or did you move them to the external yourself?
Which folders exactly did you move?

Moving iTunes contents to external hard drive.

I want to get rid of all the contents of iTunes on my MacBook Pro hard drive and keep it only on my external
hard drive. I back up every day, but, how do I get the computer to go to the external drive when I fire up iTunes. Also, what is the best way to delete all of these contents from my MBP hard drive. I just want to be careful here that I don't lose everything.....

Ron Phillips1 wrote:
Uh Oh. I did this, but now about 30% of the tunes have the exclamation mark on the left and say "The song could not be used because the original file cannot be found".
Did I do something wrong? I have not deleted the original home music folder.
if you still have the original iTunes folder, nothing is lost. check the read i referenced above and try again.

Moved iTunes library on external drive. All songs say missing.

Okay So I just copied my iTunes library to an external harddrive, and I set my music folder in my iTunes preferences to be the new music folder on my external drive.
If I play a song now in iTunes it says it can't find it and asks me to manually locate it, which I do. It seems like if I find one, iTunes would be smart enough to find the rest but NO! I have to find EVERY single song, even if they're on the same album.
There has to be a way around this. I have a 50gb+ library and would hate it if I had to find every single song.
Thanks a lot!

Simply copying the iTunes library to your new drive may not be enough. If, when you added your recordings to the original library, you didn't have the "Copy files to iTunes Music folder when adding to library" checkbox checked in the Preferences->Advanced tab, or you did not do a "Consolidate Library" action before copying the library to the new drive, your actual recordings are probably still on your old drive.
To fix this, you'll need to copy these to your extermal drive and then add them to the library that is also on your external drive.
Tom Hesley

I deleted all my iTunes files and need help recreating them.

Hello everyone
I accidentlly deleted all the iTunes files (NOT the content, just the files iTunes uses in its database). When I tried to create a new database, iTunes moved all my my music videos into the Movies or Home videos, which I don't want. I have a copy of my folder set up that I want iTunes to use and to not alter (exactly as it was before I deleted the files). Here is what I thought I need to do. Please corect me if I am wrong:
1. remove all the files that iTunes has relocated to different folders (IE, basically delete them all)
2. copy the folders onto the drive I use for my media
3. start itunes
4 unselect Keep my files organized
5. scan the folders
6. Select all the music and videos and classify them as "Music" or "Music Videos"
This should keep all the files in the same folders as the backup copy, without moving them to Videos or Home Videos. I assume this will also retain the current Artist / Album / Song hierarchy.
Is this correct?
Any better way to do this?
Thanks everyone who can help!
JoHN

1) If you bought them from Apple you canprobably download them again.
2) If you back up your computer as you should, they will be on the backup.
3) If you stop using your computer this instant (because as you use the computer it overwrites deleted files even if you have lots of space), buy recovery software ($100+), there is a chance you can recover some of them, though they may have lost filenames and will be in quite a mess.

Moving Files to an External Drive

I need some help.... I just bought a new external USB drive. (1 TB) and I am now wanting to move some of the bigger files (all my iTunes library, iPhoto library, and iMovie library) to the external drive. I want to do it with the littlest amount of disconnivence possible. In other words, I don't want any messages showing up telling me that it can't find the files. So I suppose what I am asking is what is the best, and easiest way to go about moving files to the drive. Thanks

if you don't want to move your entire home folder, then the easiest way to do this is by using symbolic links.
Use my [post|http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=7044223&#7044223] for instructions. It explains how to do it for the Documents folder but you can do the same with your Music or Movies folders.

Moved iTunes Library to external drive- now can't move iPad purchase to Mac

I moved my iTunes Library to an external drive because I didn't have enough internal HD space to move a movie purchased on the iPad to my Mac. Now iTunes won't sync my iPad - and wants to reformat it - because it says it was formatted on another Mac.
I've tried Aiseesoft iPad Manager but the movie - a iTunes+ movie, so I assume it is a package of some sort - doesn't show up in the movie pane.
This is a really crappy position to be put into. If I could re-download the movie I'd just reformat my iPad and be down with it. Unfortunately, this is not an option.
Help!

As a best practice, you should move your content to an external drive and import references to into iTunes rather than moving the whole database and app files. In iTunes > Preferences > Advanced, uncheck "Copy files to iTunes Media folder when adding to library". This will keep all your music and movies on the external drive, but iTunes and all references to the content on your desktop.
I know that's not what you wanted to hear as a fix, but this is how I have my MacBook Air setup and it works fine with the iPad. My son tried to move the whole app and database to a hard drive and we had endless problems with it.

MOVING mp3-files from external drive into iTunes automatically

Hi all,
for historical reasons (mainly because I was coming from Windows years ago) I have stored all my mp3-Files (audiobooks, songs, etc) on an external harddrive. My iTunes library is stored on the external drive, too and all media content in my iTunes library is manually linked to the external drive. Today the option iTunes >Setting >"Let iTunes manage your library" ias well as "Copy filed to iTunes Media folders" is UNchecked.
In my iTunes library there is only a subset of all mp3-files included.
Now, I would love to get my library moved to the mac as well as the audio and video-files, and let iTunes manage the storage of the library!
As far as I know once I move the library (manul or automatic) to the Mac and check the option to let iTunes manage the and copy content, then iTunes will COPY the medial files to the Mac.
Given that I have only included a subset of my entire repository in iTunes I will then end up with a mess of mediafiles on my external drive where some are doublicated while others aren't. I will be impossible to figure out afterwards what is included in iTunes and what isn't.
Hence the perfect process would be if iTunes could, while executing the import following the automation-Option (see above) and MOVE the files from the whereever and bring it to the place it want's it to be.
Is there any way to get this automated and get iTunes MOVE the files instad of copying?
That would be a tremendous help!
Many Thanks for your thoughts!
Mattthias

Hi mradvanyi,
For help with adding music files to iTunes I would suggest looking over the steps in this article -
iTunes: About the Add to Library, Import, and Convert functions
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1347
If this does not help, please respond and we will see what else can be done.
Thanks for using Apple Support Communities.
Best,
Brett L

Moved music folder to external drive, how do I get Match/ITunes to recognise it?

Hi guys,
I've been rather stupid in restoring my computer. I moved all the music to an external harddrive before I restored my PC but forgot to bring the Itunes library file with it. I've got ITunes Match so I can stream all my songs, but is there anyway to get it to recognise the songs on my external drive? I've tried re-importing them into ITunes but it adds each song as a duplicate, so I have the Match version and then my harddrive version, I really don't want duplicates of all 7000 odd songs! Likewise I'd like to try to avoid having to download everything from Match as this will take ages and be a bit of a pain! The only reason I care is so I can use my Sonos system with my laptop, otherwise I'd just leave them all on Match. Any ideas?
Thanks, Luke

You will need the iTunes Library.itl file which generally lives in ~/Music/iTunes/. You can recover this from the backups you were making before the HDD died. Otherwise, you cannot recreate the library.

Moved ITunes folder to external drive now can't get Ipod to sync

I have moved my ITunes folder from laptop to external drive. Had to move each album folder individually to ITunes and when I went to Sync my Ipod, says its in Restore mode and can't get out of it as it stays in Restore mode over and over and over.

As a best practice, you should move your content to an external drive and import references to into iTunes rather than moving the whole database and app files. In iTunes > Preferences > Advanced, uncheck "Copy files to iTunes Media folder when adding to library". This will keep all your music and movies on the external drive, but iTunes and all references to the content on your desktop.
I know that's not what you wanted to hear as a fix, but this is how I have my MacBook Air setup and it works fine with the iPad. My son tried to move the whole app and database to a hard drive and we had endless problems with it.

Moved all content to external drives need help!

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