The item "(name of the song)" can't be replaced because it's invisible!!??!

Question

I'm hoping someone can help me with this issue.
I've been backing up my song purchases to the time capsule but for some reason on half of my songs i get an error that says "*The item (name of the song) can't be replaced because its invisible*"
never had this problem before until now... not sure how to fix it. i can play my songs no problem but when i try to copy a song to the time capsule i get that error message. HELP!

Answer 1

The issue has nothing to do with your original files (I'm pretty sure) so the profession of being able to play the song in iTunes has nothing to do with it. The file that's "invisible" is not the original, but the copy that's already in the destination folder. OS X has LOTS of invisible files all over the place. Why didn't you know that before? They're invisible! Usually these are files the system needs for proper operation, but the user doesn't need to mess with (according to Apple!).
Now, how did your destination folder wind up with an invisible file by the same name as the song file you're trying to copy? I don't know, but what it looks like to me is that standard opperating procedure for the OS is to begin its copying process by first creating an invisible file in the destination folder with the proper title, then begin actually copying data. For some reason that Apple needs to fix, sometimes when the OS goes to start actually copying data, it sees the invisible file it just created and says "Oops! there's already a file there by this title! I can't put another one there!" Normally, it would ask you, the user, if you wanted to replace the existing file, but the file is invisible and therefore cannot be replaced, so it just tells you that.
What to do?
I LOVE the widget available here: http://web.me.com/hansen.m/Site/Widgets.html One trip to the dashboard, click on "Show", and viola! you can see that pesky invisible file in your destination folder. Now you can delete it. Sometimes this works and a second attempt to copy the file works. More often I find that I have to copy to a different folder on the destination disk. After that I can move it to the preferred folder (copying from the local hard disk to some other location - I run into this when copying to my idisk - seems to be part of the problem.)
In case that was about as clear as a toad's complexion, let me illustrate. I move files for sharing to my idisk every week. I click on a song and drag from iTunes, where I've already placed my recording, to a Finder window where idisk/Music/ReChording is already open, wait for the green circle with the white plus sign, and drop it. I get the message about not being able to replace. I access my dashboard and click "Show". Then I delete the now visible (grayed, but visible) offending file from my idisk. Then I click (in the Finder) on the idisk/Music folder, making it the destination. Then click on iTunes and drag the song to the idisk/Music folder. It copies. When it's done, I drag the file from idisk/Music to idisk/Music/ReChording. This copy has never given me a problem, and is nearly instantaneous, since no data needs to be copied.
Download that widget. It's a lot less painful than other workarounds. But Apple needs to fix this.
I hope that helps.