My itunes library got screwed up some how. When i goto play a song in my library it says original file can not be located. how do i locate them

when i go to play the selected song it says original file can not be found. do you want to locate the file. how do i locate the file?

Have you moved, renamed or deleted the original files?
Has another programme on your computer moved, renamed or deleted the files?
Have you just created this iTunes Library?
Have you recently added the missing music music from an external hard drive?
If it's none of the above, what have you been doing recently? For example, have you been "sorting" your files in your file manager?

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I have just downloaded all of my music into the new itune's however all of my music has an "!" buy it and I get an error saying "original file can not be found". How do I get my music back?

I have just downloaded all of my music into the new itues, however; all of my music has an "!" but it and I get an error that says " original file can not be found".
How do I get my music back?

Ok, I had a glitch, forced to restart, and lost my train of thought.
Reinstalling iTunes should fix the major issue that might have gone wrong, perhaps your explaination points will disappear and everything will be peachy again.
But if they don't, you can open the XML file in iTunes Folder using a Text edit program to see what the common pathname is to the iTunes Music folder or where your content is located.
If you moved the itunes folder, it needs to go back.
I can't download iTunes to my Vista virtual machine to test it out right now because iTunes is down, so I can't verify the pathname, perhaps your issue and the iTunes being down are related somehow?
You don't want to import all your music again, but it's a option, but you lose all your playlists, that's what I'm trying to recover.
If oyu don't have a whole lot of playlists, then simply select all the explaimation point music and delete, select File from the menu and import your itunes folder again.

"song cannot be used because the original file could not be found" How do I fix?

I get an explanation point by songs that are gone, Why?

The media is not where iTunes expects it to be.
If you moved it, put it back.
If it was moved by another program, put it back.
Any other reason, restore the files from the backup of the computer.

How can I relocate songs from my Itunes? Itunes tells me that the original files can not be found! can someone help?

How can I relocate songs from my Itunes? Itunes tells me that the original files can not be found! can someone help?

punzete wrote:
I can't do it that way. I erase these songs from the iTunes Library, but when I sycronize the iPhone, all these songs are copied again to the Library. Isn't there any way to stop that? Everything I buy on iTunes Store through my iPhone cannot be erased from the iPhone?
WHY can't you do it the way 100 million people do it?

I downloaded iTunes on my new computer, but when I try to download my already purchased songs a message pops up saying, "Your computer is not authorized." How can I fix this?

I downloaded iTunes on my new computer, but when I try to download my already purchased songs a message pops up saying, "Your computer is not authorized." How can I fix this?

Launch iTunes and click on the click on the store menu item the select authorized this computer.

Itunes says "Original File could not be found"

I've moved my Itunes music folder to a different location to accommodate more music. I've also created a new library in another location with other music (reasons aside). Also, the Advanced pane shows the correct location of the Itunes files. All worked just fine, opening Itunes with option key to be able to choose the correct library. Now, when I click almost any tune in after opening the original library, Itunes says "Original File could not be found - would you like to locate it?" I could but I certainly don't want to do this for each and every song. How can I do this "en masse" and How can I avoid this in future? Thanks in advance for any help.

am pulling my hair out now after to many hours on this issue.. Surely Apple must be able to sort this issue by now.
My itunes library is 5+ yrs old now and therefore 10,000 songs, numerous podcasts, videos etc etc. not to mention loads of rating information, hundreds of playlists created from last played, rating, genre etc etc, therefore i cannot afford to loose all this valuable data attached to my itunes library. However recently half of my library appeared with exclamation marks all over it, though i cannot work out why as all the music files are in the location specified in preferences, path etc.
It seems that itunes just wont bother looking at this path and syncing with whatever is there. Yeah fine i can add the whole itunes music folder again and it will import every song again so i go from 10,000 to 20,000 songs, i could deal with this with a dupe eliminator that are freelu available on the net but the new imports without the exclamation marks cleary dont have the historical data of play counts, last played ratings etc etc attached to them so its no different from deleting and starting again.
I have tried all the options in this post and none of them deal with the simple issue of just look at the location that it listed in the preferences and search for the file u think is missing on mass!!!
Its not rocket science so why havent Apple fixed this. !!!
If anyone has got a solution for this or work around that doesnt involve completly writing off years of rating and creating playlists based on numerous historical data then i would be bery appreciative!!

Itunes can't play the file because the original file can not be found

There is many things wrong with that message and I don't know why.
I had around 30 songs off an album on my computer
I put the album on Itunes
I edited them and then they played fine
I put them on my ipod and then deleted them off coz i wanted to put something else on
but i found out I had more space to put the other 30 songs I had from before back on so I went to the album
when I wanted to play a song it said "Itunes Can't play the file because the original file can not be found"
1) The original file was on my computer, in the exact place where I left it last time when Itunes played it
2) I did not change the file path name
3) I did not change the folder path name
4) The songs aren't corrupted
5) They play fine on other programs
I deleted them all off and took them on again and they played fine but whey did they keep stuffing up before?

The "missing file" thing happens if the file is no longer where iTunes expects to find it. Possible causes are that you or some third party tool has moved, renamed or deleted the file, or that the drive it lives on has had a change of drive letter. It is also possible that iTunes has changed from expecting the files to be in the pre-iTunes 9 layout to post-iTunes 9 layout, or vice-versa, and so is looking in slightly the wrong place.
Select a track with an exclamation mark, use Ctrl-I to get info, then say no when asked to locate the track. Look on the summary tab for the location that iTunes thinks the file should be. Now take a look around your hard drive(s). Hopefully you can locate the track in question. If a section of your library has simply been moved, or a drive letter has changed, it should be possible to reverse the actions. I can provide a step by step guide if you give me the two paths.
In some cases iTunes may be able to repair itself if you go through the same steps and locate the lost track. It may then offer to attempt to automatically fix other broken links. Alternatively, as long as you can find a location holding the missing files, then you should be able to use my FindTracks script to reconnect them to iTunes.
tt2

Getting error message when trying to play songs from library saying original file could not be found

when trying to play songs from library, getting message saying original file could not be found .. my full library all says the same .. can anyone help ?

Hello Ceeclass,
I suggest this article named iTunes: Finding lost media and downloads found here http://support.apple.com/kb/TS1408.
It should help you locate the media that is not playing in the iTunes library.
Take care,
Sterling

My files could not be used because the original files could not be found,how can I locate them?

my files could not be used, because the original files could not be found, how do I locate them. Help!!!!!

Hello DBlake1,
I suggest this article named iTunes: Finding lost media and downloads found here http://support.apple.com/kb/TS1408
All the best,
Sterling

Every time I try to create a new project it says "The File Could Not Be Opened," how do I fix this?

Every time I try to create a new project it says "The File Could Not Be Opened," how do I fix this?

see if the "oddbal problems" fix helps:
http://www.bulletsandbones.com/GB/GBFAQ.html#oddballprobs
(Let the page FULLY load. The link to your answer is at the top of your screen)

When I try to play a song it says " The song "Take a Chance on Me" Could not be used because the original file could not be found" how do I fix this?

When I try to play a song it says " The song "Take a Chance on Me" Could not be used because the original file could not be found" how do I fix this?

1. delete this songs from your liblary
2. go File -> Add File to Liblary... (Ctrl+O) or File -> Add Folder to Liblary

After installing iTunes 10.5 update i get the following message when trying to play any song in my Library "The song could not be used because the original file could not be found. Would you like to locate it?" how do i fix this??

I have an iPod Classic and work on Windows 7.
i recently installed iTunes 10.5 update and since then i cannot play any of the songs in the Library - i get the following message
"The song could not be used because the original file could not be found. Would you like to locate it?"
what happened to all my songs (almost 2000) How can i get them back into my music library?
Please help - i do not want to spend another week downloading all my cd's onto my computer !!!!!

Try my script FindTracks. Select a few of the missing files to start with then run the script. Choose No at the first prompt so that you can check how it works track by track, then confirm or edit the location of the media folder where your files are. Once you are happy with how it behaves let it process larger numbers of tracks automatically.
tt2

HT1923 I am using windows 7 and have upgraded itunes to 11. Now when I open my music library in itunes and click on a song it says "original file could not be found" Over 2000 songs come up this way and locate does not seem to work. Before the upgrade all

With Windows 7 I upgraded itunes to 11. Now in my itunes library, when I click on a song "original file could not be found" comes up. This happens with over 2000 songs, but it seems to be ones I recorded from cd's. Locate does not seem to work. Has anyone else had this problem?

Highlight a song that is supposedly missing, press CTRL+I to Get Info, say no when asked to locate the file, then look at the summary tab. Where does iTunes "think" the file should be? Where is it really? You may need to give a configuration file a minor tweak.
tt2

I can not play a large percentage of my music due to "could not be used because original file could not be found" How do I locate these files again? Thanks

So I have not been able to play a large number of my songs duw to a message that reads "could not be used because original file could not be found". Does anyone know how to locate these files so that itunes will play them again? Thanks

by following this document here:
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=93313
and then doing something else at the end.
I followed the instructions from 1-6:
Then rather than importing the XML file I open iTunes, selected "Add to Library" from the File menu then navigated to the itunes library on my external disc then let it do its work.
I guess something got fragged when I changed computer but it's all ok now.
This worked on a Mac I don't know about Windows

TS1362 songs disappear from my library and it says the original file can not be found

for some reason the songs that i have on my library say they are there but when i go to play the song it says the orignial file can not be found and asks me to locate it. when i go to do that i cant find the file. what do i do?

This happens if the file is no longer where iTunes expects to find it. Possible causes are that you or some third party tool has moved, renamed or deleted the file, or that the drive it lives on has had a change of drive letter. It is also possible that iTunes has changed from expecting the files to be in the pre-iTunes 9 layout to post-iTunes 9 layout,or vice-versa, and so is looking in slightly the wrong place.
Select a track with an exclamation mark, use Ctrl-I to get info, then cancel when asked to try to locate the track. Look on the summary tab for the location that iTunes thinks the file should be. Now take a look around your hard drive(s). Hopefully you can locate the track in question. If a section of your library has simply been moved, or a drive letter has changed, it should be possible to reverse the actions.
Alternatively, as long as you can find a location holding the missing files, then you should be able to use my FindTracks script to reconnect them to iTunes .
tt2

My itunes library got screwed up some how. When i goto play a song in my library it says original file can not be located. how do i locate them

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