Problems accessing iTunes media folder on external drive via Mac

I have recently got a Mac Book Pro and assumed it would be easy to access my iTunes library - which I store on a Buffalo external drive and normally access via my Asus vivobook laptop running windows 8 - by simplying plugging the external drive into the Mac Book Pro, opening iTunes while pressing on the Option key (as I understand it is called) and then selecting the iTunes library .itl file when invited to choose a library. However, when I do this, I get a message saying that "the .tl file is locked, on a locked disc or I do not have write permission for this file".
If I click on the .itl file in the external drive via my Mac, it takes me straight into iTunes but, of course, without any of the content of my iTunes media folder.
I can access the media on the external drive when it is plugged into my Mac and am not aware of ever having introduced any restrictions on the library .itl file (I normally switch the external hard drive between my Dell desktop and my Asus laptop).
I have restarted my Mac Book Pro and quite iTunes etc. I also have the media folder correctly identified on the external hard drive in my iTunes preferences, Advanced Settings.
I would be most grateful for any ideas as to what could be the problem here.
Thank you (in anticipation).
Best,
Michael

Get info on the drive. Check the format. If it says NTFS it is a format that Macs cannot write to, only read, unless you install special software. It is a common issue with using Windows drives on Macs. "Locked" may mean iTunes cannot open it for full use since it needs to write to the library file as well as read it.
Your solution may be to reformat the drive to something a Mac can use fully too, such as FAT (beware file size limits with large video files). or trying to work with a NTFS driver for Mac.
NTFS drivers for Macs (there may be others):
Paragon NTFS - http://www.paragon-software.com/home/ntfs-mac/ - recommendation: https://discussions.apple.com/message/18708633
Tuxera NTFS 2012.3.2 - http://www.macupdate.com/app/mac/33122/tuxera-ntfs
NTFS for Mac OS X 9.5.3 - http://www.macupdate.com/app/mac/26288/ntfs-for-mac-os-x
http://macntfs-3g.blogspot.com/ and http://i.vishalagarwal.com/post/30387627819/ntfs-write-on-lion-or-mountain-lion

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HT1364 If I already moved Itunes media folder to external drive and now music is not matching up in iTunes?

Dear Itunes Community~
This is my first time using glad you are here, but all the passwords!!
Question/Quandry:
If I already moved Itunes media folder to my external drive and now my music is not matching up in iTunes, what should I do? I have tried my solution !?, and now I have 17,000 songs, instead of 9,000!
Should I just uninstall Itunes, and then reinstall Itunes, and let it do it's thing, and then figure out how to move to the external hard drive later?
Help, I screwed it up all on my own!
Any/all help and Itunes educated suggestions appreciated!
Thank you very much,
Doris =:o
PS ~~ Is there anyway to easily delete duplicates?? Seems not?

I have a very similar problem. Hope I don't confuse people trying to help us since the solutions may be different.
I had my iTunes path directed to a 2nd internal hard drive. Everything was working fine - except I found that purchased Apps were still being downloaded to the Mobile Applications folder on my main hard drive instead of the 2nd internal drive. I decided to retry directing the iTunes path to my 2nd internal drive, hoping that might get iTunes to save my Apps there. Big Mistake. Suddenly, there were no Apps showing in my iTunes Library Apps window at all. I verified the downloaded apps are still in my main hard drive's Mobile Applications folder, but I cannot get iTunes to display them in my Apps Library window anymore.
I decided to try downloading a new app and, sure enough, iTunes once again downloaded it into the very same Mobile Applications folder on my main hard drive, where all my (now orphaned) original apps are, but the only one iTunes will only display in my Apps window is the new one. I read you can redownload purchased apps, but my apps are not missing. iTunes just won't display them in the Apps window anymore.

I wish to move my itunes media to an external drive.

i wish to move my itunes media to an external drive.
currently i am managing my own folder structure, but have decided to bite the bullet and let itunes organize my media.
i moved the media library location in advanced options to the external drive i would like iTunes to us, checked 'keep iTunes media folder organised' and copy files to iTunes media folder when adding to library'.
approx a third of my music transferred. the remaining music is now greyed out. when i click on information on the greyed out tracks, the location is given as iCloud. how do i download these songs?

benefit: To move the library in the future you drag the whole iTunes folder to the new drive, hold down the option key while starting iTunes, point to new location, iTunes starts as if nothing happened. You can also use the library with a different computer. It's easy to back up when it's all together.
You cannot simply move a media-only folder to a new drive by dragging unless you maintain the folder structure exactly, and the new drive has the same name as the old one. Yes, there's fixes but it's not as fast.
The main disadvantage to having the whole library on an external is if for some reason you keep some media on the external and some on the internal. You can use iTunes with a bunch of broken links for media on an unattached external if you only want to play the files on the internal. Then, of course, you need the library file (library.itl) on the internal drive.
What are the iTunes library files? - http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1660
More on iTunes library files and what they do - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ITunes#Media_management
What are all those iTunes files? - http://www.macworld.com/article/139974/2009/04/itunes_files.html
Where are my iTunes files located? - http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1391

Problems transfering iTunes Media folder from one external HDD to another.

Hey Yinz.
I'm running a MBP 13" 2.7Ghz Intel Core i7...OS X 10.6.8. Recently the NAS that hosted my iTunes Media folder and library failed. I recovered the drive from the NAS...a WD Caviar (WD2500JS), which was originally written in XFS. After substantial effort, I found a process that would enable me to access this drive, and have my Mac read it. This involved a Newer Technologies Voyager Q, coupled with a recent version of (whatever they're calling) MacFuse. It did so sucessfully. Now what i want is to take my iTunes Media folder and library off of the WD, ex-NAS HDD (its original location), and transfer it to a new HDD.
I bought a Toshiba Canvio basics usb 3.0/2.0.
Most online tutorials describe dragging and dropping the folder in the new location. I can connect both HDDs to my MBP, and the transfer will begin...
But.
After the first few minutes...The Finder will not allow me to complete the transfer. I keep getting an error code -8084.
I'm almost certain that the new HDD (which i formatted as Mac OS X Journaled in Disk Utility) is not recognizing special characters in certain file names in my iTunes Library. I have some artists in my folder that require special characters to display their names properly. I realize these were originally written in a Linux format.
So, is there a way around this...other than changing the filenames? I really don't want to destroy the integrity of my library by changing a bunch of characters that accurately identify artists. I guess if all i had was Billy Joel and the Beatles in my library, i'd be Okay...but i don't.
I also read a thread somewhere that suggested that error code -8084 relates to inadequate power distribution of an attached HDD. This also complicates my problem...as the new external HDD (Toshiba) is bus powered, and lacks an option for a dedicated AC power supply.
While i am able to access and use my iTunes as normal...i'm tied to that WD HDD, which is like, over 5yrs old, and i'm really hoping to get my media off that old HDD, and onto a new HDD with the files intact and accurate.
Any help would be much appreciated and welcome.
--j.m.
P.S. I'm running iTunes 10.7

No solid data here but it just seems to me that when I see issues arise about copying data and strange error messages that it has to do when people are using non Mac-formatted drives. I think they kind of work but once you put them under real pressure you just get problems. Maybe I'm just thinking of all those vague error -50 "communications difficulties" messages from people trying to copy their libraries to FAT drives. I wonder if using Terminal to do the copying would help.
Now, there is a difference between placing your media on a drive and your library on a drive. Your library is your whole iTunes folder along with files such as the critical library.itl file and artwork files, etc. Media are just what's in your media folder - music, movies, etc. If you are moving your whole library you can drag and drop copy. If you are moving your media you can drag and drop but then the new drive has to have the identical drive name as the old one (the old and new pathnames have to remain unchanged). Usually the best way to move media is to use iTunes' preferences setting to consolidate your media to the new location. iTunes very easily loses track of files unless you let it do the moving (exception: moving the whole iTunes library folder).
iTunes 10 for Mac: Consolidate your iTunes library - http://support.apple.com/kb/PH990
iTunes for Mac: Moving your iTunes Media folder - http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1449
vs.
iTunes: How to move [or copy] your music [library] to a new computer [or another drive] - http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4527 - a somewhat bewildering and not always easily understandable set of options.
Quick answer if you use iTunes' default preferences settings: Copy the entire iTunes folder (and in doing so all its subfolders and files) intact to the other drive. Open iTunes and immediately hold down the Option (alt) key (shift on Windows), then guide it to the new location of the library.itl file in the moved iTunes folder.
Windows users see tip at: https://discussions.apple.com/message/18879381

How to split up a large iTunes Media folder onto different drives?

Hi everyone. Not too long ago I committed to digital-only media, which i am very happy with. The problem i am running into now is that my iTunes media folder is now only 100GB or so shy of the 2TB mark, so it will soon outgrow the largest of hard drives available. I have considered getting a RAID card for my Mac Pro to setup a RAID 0 with two 2TB drives, but I don't think i should have to drop $700 just to get my iTunes media organized onto any of the four 2TB drives i already have.
Ideally i would like to move my Movies folder (650GB) to one drive, TV shows(850GB) to another, and everything else to yet another folder. The problem i foresee with this strategy is that iTunes will no longer "Keep iTunes media Folder organized" or "Copy files to iTunes media folder when adding to library". It would be a huge pain to have to manually manage the file structure of such a huge library.
I have also tried leaving an alias ("Movies" for example) that points to my movies folder on a separate drive, but iTunes doesn't seem to want to follow the alias.
Anyway, i figured this scenario has to have come up before, and there may be some other solutions out there. Any help would be most appreciated.
Message was edited by: acosmichippo54

acosmichippo54 wrote:
ok, after reviewing those tips, these problems still bug me:
Macyourself: +"Any time you want to add a new movie or TV show to your library, move it over to the appropriate folder on your external hard drive, hold Option, and drag it to iTunes.+
i agree this involves a little more +user interaction+ but once you get into a routine, it is really quite simple to manage. for example, i keep all my *Apple Lossless* tunes on an external USB drive. i add newly ripped CD's to that external, then option drag the folder into iTunes and have iTunes convert those tunes to AAC 256 (which are thus kept in the main library).
machintsandtips: +"This does involve a couple of extra steps for movies and TV shows I automatically download from the iTunes store, since I have to move that media to the external drive, and then move it back into iTunes."+
again, splitting your library across various drives does involve more user interaction. your only alternative would be e.g. a 4 gig (or more) Drobo or similar. however, in order to have a backup, you would need another, equally sized, Drobo which you would need to keep +in sync+ with the primary one.
Everything you linked to will definitely resolve the problem for my current library, but as soon as i start adding media, it seems like it will get quickly disorganized.
i humbly disagree. it all depends on what you want: dish out $$$ for bigger sized drives or split your lib across various (already available) drives - whichever path you decide on, you'll be more involved in maintaining your library - i consider that a plus coz it let's me manage things as i want.
however, there are tools that could help you manage your split-lib, one of which being TuneSpan.
best of luck !
JGG

Help! Just copied iTunes media to second external drive and now have broken links in the original drive??

Hi everyone
I wonder if anyone can offer me some advice to rectify the problems I'm experiencing in my itunes?
I have been saving my media to an external hard drive since rebuilding my itunes collection, while keeping the library on the hard drive of my MBP. This was working well with no problems but as my media reached 300GB on my external I thought I would copy it to another external hard drive as back up, and after that I decided to also make a copy of my library data to the same second external drive so I would have a full back up of itunes in case of failure of my main hard drive...
So after copying my media from my first external drive to the second, and then copying the library data from my MBP hard drive it seems the copy of my media and the copied library are working fine on my second external hard drive, but now when I open the first external drive where I originally was saving my media files I am suffering quite a lot of broken links???...I followed the copy process as I have done in the past although I did not tick the check box for renaming and moving my media as it was about to be copied,and I thought that was correct as I used the consolidate function to copy it..
Been trying to figure out how to rectify the problem tonight and am getting nowhere fast. Can anyone offer suggestions as to how I can sort the issue on my original external hard drive as it's the one I prefer to store my media on and it was functioning perfectly before?? from having a tidy and clearly functioning itunes I now have a mass of problems....
I hope this is clear to someone.....as I was hoping to have it fixed in readiness for a new MBP...am I missing something obvious?

OK, this should sort you out...
Move the following files and folders from /Volumes/Backup/iTunes up to /Volumes/Backup/
Album Artwork (folder)
iTunes Library.itl
iTunes Library Extras.itdb
iTunes Library Genius.itdb
iTunes Library.xml
sentinel (hidden)
Launch iTunes. It should warn that the library is missing. Browse to the file /Volumes/Backup/iTunes Library.itl and open it.
Go to iTunes > Preferences > Advanced and change the media folder location to /Volumes/Backup/Music. Let iTunes consolidate files if it asks, if not use File > Library > Organize Library... Tick Consolidate files and click OK.
Close iTunes. Rename /Volumes/Backup/Music as /Volumes/Backup/iTunes Media. Start iTunes.
Go to iTunes > Preferences > Advanced, check that the media folder location now reads /Volumes/Backup/iTunes Media. If necessary, change and then close and reopen iTunes.
Go to File > Library Organize Library... and, if not greyed out, tick Rearrange files in the folder iTunes Media, then click OK.
Delete /Volumes/Backup/iTunes/iTunes Media which now contains redundant copies.
Move the following files and folders from /Volumes/Backup/ into /Volumes/Backup/iTunes
Album Artwork (folder)
iTunes Media (folder)
iTunes Library.itl
iTunes Library Extras.itdb
iTunes Library Genius.itdb
iTunes Library.xml
sentinel (hidden)
Launch iTunes. It should warn that the library is missing. Browse to the file /Volumes/Backup/iTunes/iTunes Library.itl and open it.
Go to iTunes > Preferences > Advanced, check that the media folder location now reads /Volumes/Backup/iTunes/iTunes Media. If necessary, change and then close and reopen iTunes.
Each time you change something and start iTunes just check that a track will play. If not, close iTunes and undo your last action.
That should be it. You can clone this iTunes folder to any other drive and the clone is a functioning copy of your library.
tt2

Media folder on external drive is getting lost

I keep my iTunes media folder on an external hard drive. It works beautifully, as long as I remember to always have the external drive plugged in when I launch iTunes. Ocassionally I forget, though. And if I launch iTunes without the drive connected, iTunes resets my preferences and reverts to the default media folder location (inside my user folder).
Interestingly, after this happens I can plug the external drive back in, and I can still play all of the media files that are located on the external drive.
However, if I add NEW files to iTunes, it puts them in the default media location on my internal drive.
I then have to go into iTunes preferences and reset the media folder location to my external drive... at which point it says it has to reorganize all of my files and move them to the external drive (even though they're already there, and already organized!).
This process can take 24 hours (I have a big media library). Very frustrating.
So... if I forgot to plug in my external media drive when I launch iTunes, and if iTunes resets my media folder, is there any way to fix things without having to rebuild/reorganize the whole media library all over again???
Thanks in advance
Drew

This is a timely discussion for me; I am having the same problem, with a little bit of a twist.
My iTunes 10 library resides on an external HD and has for some time. Apparently, at some point, the default library reverted back to a file on my MacBook Pro itself. Consequently, any new media I added after that was added to this MBP-based library.
I finally caught this issue last night, changed the default library back to the HD file (via Advanced Preferences -- and yes I saved the change), consolidated the newly added stuff onto this HD-based library, then junked the MBP-based library.
Now when I open iTunes it acts like its the very first time I have ever opened iTunes, i.e., no media at all identified. I went to Advanced Preferences and once again the default library had reverted to MBP. Again, I changed default library to HD-based library (my media is all still there). I closed iTunes, reopened, and again it acted as if it was the very first time using iTunes, i.e., no media. I looked at Advanced Preferences and it still shows that HD-based library is my default. Its just that none of the items in the library appears in iTunes.
Thoughts?

ITunes media folder on external HD issue...

So I have a quick question...
I've been using my external HD to house my iTunes library for over a year now. No issues, it's been working great. When I add new music to my library on my computer, it copies the files to my HD, or just reorganizes the files that are there.
Now.. suddenly.. it's having issues.
I tried clearing out the library on my computer to reimport some key albums I wanted. I notice now that my iTunes is creating a second Music folder inside my already designated Music folder to place the folders... it's now moving all the albums I import from one directory to the other, and I can't figure out how to make it stop.
I've already made sure the iTunes Music folder on my computer is empty, and I've changed the designated iTunes Media folder several times, working fine, then putting it back to External HD > Music .... and it decides no music shall be placed here.
For easy reference, it's creating a path like this: External HD > Music > Music
Eh? Help is appreciated... Thank you guys.

I've been using my external HD to house my iTunes library for over a year now.
I tried clearing out the library on my computer
I thought you just said the library was on your external drive. What's iTunes doing putting things on your computer?
How exactly did you do this move in the first place a year ago? What was it you did recently as part of this cleaning? I strongly suspect that's where things went wrong (maybe at both stages).
iTunes: How to move [or copy] your music to a new computer [or another drive] - http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4527
Quick procedure if you use iTunes' default preferences settings: Copy the entire iTunes folder (and in doing so all its subfolders and files) intact to the other drive. Open iTunes and immediately hold down the Option (alt) key (shift on Windows), then guide it to the new location of the library.
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
If you did the move using just preferences settings then you did not move the whole library, you only told iTunes where to start storing future media.

HT1751 How to transfer iTunes media files from external drive to another external drive and bring in the library from the main drive.

I have my iTunes media on an external hard drive while the library is on the main computer drive. I want to move both to a larger external drive. How do I get both together? When I consolidate, it only transfers the media files. Help.

Since I already consolidated, can I just move the library to the root level of the external drive then option click to point to that library? But using that method, all the media files are at the root level along with the iTunes folder. So nothing will be in the iTunes media folder itself. WIll that work?

How do I move my itunes media to an external drive?

My hard drive is getting full. I would like to move my tunes media to an external drive but now I have music all over. Has anyone done this succesfully?

Copy the entire iTunes folder to the root of external drive, e.g. as X:\iTunes where X: is the drive letter. Click the icon for iTunes and immediately press and hold down the shift key. Keep holding until asked to choose or create a library. Click choose and browse to the file X:\iTunes\iTunes Libary.itl. Use File > Library > Organize Library > Consolidate Files and click OK. iTunes will create local copies of any stray files in the media folder. You can then delete the originals stored elsewhere.
Backup the library with this User Tip. (And yes, that means you really need another drive.)
tt2

I have my iTunes media on an external drive but I would like to know if I keep the library file back to my internal hard drive so it gets backed up by Time Machine.

I have all my media on an external drive for space. Is there a way I move the library file back to my internal had drive so that Timemachine will keepa backup of the file. Recently my library file became damaged and I lost all my playlists and playcounts and all that good stuff. Thanks for your help.

I never lost any media mind you just the library file that tell iTunes where everything lives.
On this point, you can keep a copy of of the "Itunes Music Library.xml" file, which contains the itunes metadata for your music library (songs & playlists).
Obviously, you would still need the files themselves for this to be of any worth, but if you ever find yourself in the same situation you can use the .xml file to recreate iTunes as it was. Keep in mind that you must import the .xml file into iTunes for this to work, you cannot simply move it via the finder.

Don't have write access iTunes media folder or folder within it

I have recently restored my iTunes media from a two week old version from a Time machine backup
I deleted all the files in my MUSIC folder, and then restored the version that I last used two weeks ago.
Now when I try to burn a CD into iTunes I get this message " The file "xxxx" couldnt be converted - You don't have write access for your iTunes Media folder or a folder within it. To change permissions, select your iTunes Media folder in the Finder, and choose File > Get Info."
I have read many of the previous community submissions and "solutions", and so far I have done the following
A) changed my folders to have "read/write" permissions
B) gone into Applications > Utilities > Disk Utility > Run "verify disk permissions" and "repair disk permissions"
C) gone into User > Library > Preferences > com.apple.iTunes.plist.lock file and removed it to the desktop
D) gone into Terminal App and run some script starting with sudo
and still the issue persists.
Does anyone know what is the true solution? - I am at my wits end..!!

Does your "/Users/Shared" folder exist? If not , recreate it with the correct permissions, see this document:
iTunes: Missing folder or incorrect permissions may prevent authorization http://support.apple.com/kb/TS1277

HT1364 I need to reload my operating system on my computer. I created a folder, itunes media, on a external drive. When I download itunes again how do move my library information back?

I have to reload my operating system. I created and copied my library info to a folder, itunesmedia, on a external drive. when I download itunes again, how do move the files back?

You need to follow the moving media per: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1364

ITunes media folder on external hard drive

I moved my iTunes librrary to my external TC and hook up to it wirelessly. How do I get my iTunes library to stop changing to my local drive on my MBA? It has changed now 3 times from my TC to MBA.
iTunes 11.1

Interesting . . . I run iTunes off an external. My computer does not sleep, but I don't have any issues when I restart, though I technically don't log off. Do you have other users on your computer? If so, do they use the same external drive for music?
Sharon

Moving iTunes media files to external drive broke connection

I recently moved my iTunes media files to an external drive. All other iTunes related files were left in my home folder. Everything worked great for about a month. Then, mysteriously, I went to access a movie and it said that it could not be found. I performed the search to my external and the movie played just fine. Somehow, my connection to iTunes has been broken. Incidentally, all media files in my external drive show up in the respective folders in iTunes. They just have exclamation points associated with most of them. Strangely, some of the files play just fine without having to search. Very confused. Can anyone provide a solution to re-establishing my link to iTunes? Thank you very much.
Bill

You had the drive plugged in and mounted before starting iTunes?
Sometimes a link will get broken, but then re-established, such as doing the aforementioned forgetting to start the drive first. When you double click the track it will try again and suddenly find it works again. It can be a nuisance having to test each track this way. You may find that Dougscript "List MIA" will help do this.
http://dougscripts.com/itunes/
I have not seen any successful automated way to re-form truly broken links. You have to either do it by hand or just add the media again. If you add the media again some things will be re-set such as date added (obviously), playcount, etc. I don't use any of those so it doesn't matter to me if I have to do this (and there are tricks to storing them in places where they will be kept).
Why they got broken? One reason mentioned before. Have you re-named anything or moved it? Have you ever had multiple drives with the same name plugged in?

Problems accessing iTunes media folder on external drive via Mac

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