Tried to Share iTunes Library and Lost It

So I created an account on my Macbook Pro for my wife and wanted her to have access to the same iTunes library (we had been using the same account for some time). I followed all the directions correctly about how to do this here: http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1203 and to no avail. When I went back to my original account, my library now tells me it can't find the original file for any of my songs and asks me if I'd like to locate it. The path to the library seems correct and holding the option key to select the library does nothing to help.
If anyone has any feedback as to how I can reclaim/find all my music that would be fantastic. Also, any thoughts on how I can share the library the RIGHT way once I get this all figured out?
Thanks!

Does File --> Add to Library work? (I suggest experimenting with this on a single artist first to make sure you don't get duplicates.)

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Tried to relocate itunes library and lost all music. Songs have exclamation point.

I tried to move my iTunes library to an external drive that did not have enough space on it. The transfer did not complete. Now I cannot play any of my music. There is an exclamation point next to each song. How do I go about finding my music files? I tried to revert to the original location & "organize" the library but this did not help. Thanks!

The backup you made before a major reorganization of your library?
I get the feeling you probably were not moving your library correctly in the first place. It sounds like you were moving only media, not the entire library which is moved by copying the entire iTunes folder to the other drive, then starting iTunes with the option/alt key held down and choosing the library.itl file in the folder on the other drive.
Organizing copies media to a new location. The original files should still be where they were. However, your library was told to point to them on the external drive only it messed up in the middle.
Try this. Get info on a broken link. Find the file on the internal (good) drive that corresponds to that track. If iTunes asks if you want to find others, say yes. See if that re-links the files so you're back to where you started at least.

How do I share iTunes Library and Playlists

I had a desktop mac with 2 login accounts, we enjoy having our own spaces, mail, desktops, prefs, etc.. but we do not wish to duplicate nor keep either one out of our digital assests, ie music, photos, etc..
I used to have an alias to the other users itunes library and all was fine. He is the predominant music purchaser in the house and I have full access to even his latest purchases.
Upon buying a new machine, 1.66GHz duo core mini we seem to have lost this ability. If I make an alias now, when I launch itunes it says cannot find the folder itunes, it seems to now know its a folder it must find and not an alias to one. I have read ideas about sharing and fast user switching, not really the solution I am looking for or used to have. I think many couples find themselves in a similar situation. Seems silly that we now have to be logged in one side to play/stream music in the house and make sure we are logged into the other side whenever we connect the digital camera.
Any ideas would be appreciated.
Chrallan
1.66GHz Intel Core Duo Mini Mac OS X (10.4.7)

Does this help?:
iTunes: How to share music between different accounts on a single computer

How to I share Itune library, and movies with a different user on the same computer?

How do I share Itunes and movies with a different user on the same computer?

https://discussions.apple.com/community/itunes

I just bought a new computer and have tried syncing my iTunes library and iPod 160gb classic to the newly downloaded iTunes on my new computer. It is not working.

Please can somebody help? I followed the instructions on the support page for transferring music from computer to another by downloading the music files then putting them into the iTunes music file on the new computer. Unfortunately, iTunes on the new computer is not recognising the files. I have turned on home sharing to see if I could transfer them that way. It seemed to work then disappeared entirely. I tried connecting my iPod to see if it would recognise it that way. It does recognise my iPod but not the music in it and will not sync with my new computer.
Sorry if this is a boring subject that everyone has had a problem with but I am not able to get a proper answer on the internet. This should be easy not rocket science.
Thanks for your help.
LD

Hi ldean1,
Welcome to the Support Communities!
The best way to get your music onto your new computer is to create a backup of your iTunes libray from your old computer to an external drive. Follow the steps in this article:
iTunes: How to move your music to a new computer
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4527
You may also need to remove and reinstall iTunes and it's components. These articles will provide installation troubleshooting steps:
Removing and reinstalling iTunes and other software components for Windows Vista, Windows 7, or Windows 8
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1923?viewlocale=en_US
Issues installing iTunes or QuickTime for Windows
http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1926
Cheers,
- Judy

I just purchased a macbook pro and am trying to get itunes library and other documents from macbook 2.1 running 10.4.11 and migration assistant tells me to update but it tells me i am up to date...confusing...how do i fix this issue?

am trying to import from macbook to macbook pro using migration assistant...tells me that i need to update old mac but macbook tells me it is up to date???? any hints on how i fix this issue? running 10.4.11 and it wont update further...please help.
JVS

The camera must be plugged in to AC power (not batteries only). And generally, the camera should be set to Play mode, not recording mode.

Just got an imac and am trying to transfer itunes library from Dell pc via home share method. All goes well but directions say to click the import button. I don't see an import button anywhere. If I close itunes on pc it also disappears from imac.

Just got an imac and am trying to transfer itunes library from dell pc using home share method. All goes well until the end when directions say to click import button. I don't see one anywhere. If I shut down itunes in the pc the library also disappears from the imac. Am I doing something wrong?

ronaldfromoaklyn wrote:
All goes well until the end when directions say to click import button. I don't see one anywhere.
check the lower right corner of the iTunes window
if you don't see this while the homeshared library is loaded, home sharing hasn't been set up properly.
If I shut down itunes in the pc the library also disappears from the imac. Am I doing something wrong?
no.
that's expected behavior.

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I have tried and failed to copy my iTunes library and playlists from my Windows 8 desktop to my Windows 7 laptop using an external hard drive. Can it be done? Help would be appreciated. I have followed instructions found online but the library of music doesn't pull in. Thanks!
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Migrate an iTunes library from one computer to another
These are two possible approaches that will normally work to move an existing library to a new computer.
Method 1
Backup the library with this User Tip.
Deauthorize the old computer if you no longer want to access protected content on it.
Restore the backup to your new computer using the same tool used to back it up.
Keep your backup up-to-date in future.
Method 2
Connect the two computers to the same network. Share your <User's Music> folder from the old computer and copy the entireiTunes library folder into the <User's Music> folder on the new one. Again, deauthorize the old computer if no longer required.
Both methods should give the new computer a working clone of the library that was on the old one, with ratings, play counts, playlists etc. preserved. As far as iTunes is concerned this is still the "home" library for your devices so you shouldn't have any issues with iTunes wanting to erase and reload.
I'd normally recommend method 1 since it establishes an ongoing backup for your library and unlike copying with Windows Explorer the process can be resumed if it is interrupted and it will continue to the next item if there are any read/access errors.
Note if you have iOS devices and haven't moved your contacts and calendar items across then you should create one dummy entry of each in your new profile and iTunes should merge the existing data from the device.
If your media folder has been split out from the main iTunes folder you may need to do some preparatory work to make it easier to move. See Make a split library portable.
Should you be in the unfortunate position where you are no longer able to access your original library or a backup then then seeRecover your iTunes library from your iPod or iOS device for advice on how to set up your devices with a new library with the maximum preservation of data.
tt2

HT201272 I have tried several ways to transfer my itunes library and Playlists to a new computer. I get the music library but not the playlists. Can you advise? 2nd I purchased 21 new tunes yesterday on the new computer worked great but when I made a disc

I have tried several ways to transfer my itunes library and Playlists to a new computer. I get the music library but not the playlists. Can you advise?
2nd > I purchased 21 new tunes yesterday on the new computer> worked great> but when I made a disc to transfer the playlist. I get the music but no album info just 1,2,3,etc. So I have signup both computers to share thinking that would work. But no to that also.
Please advise.
Thanks,
Bob

Copy the entire /Music/iTunes/ folder from old computer to new computer.
See this -> http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4527

How do I find music that has been uploaded to iTunes from a purchased CD and iTunes is "unable to find the original file?" I no longer have the CD. I have tried all the usual methods of looking in my iTunes library and through Find. No Luck.

How do I find music that has been uploaded to iTunes from a purchased CD and iTunes is “unable to find the original file?” I no longer have the CD. I have tried all the usual methods of looking in my iTunes library and through Find. No Luck.

Backup drive?
Subscribe to iTunes Match?
If neither of the above and you don't have the CD and can't find your tracks on the computer then they you're stuck. A file recovery utility will cost $100, plus another $100 for an external drive to which to resue the files, and may not even work. You can buy a lot of CDs for $200.

When my hard drive died I lost my itunes library and now I'm being told that I can't synch my ipod with new songs unless I delete all existing because I can only have one library at a time

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Copy all the content on your iPod back to your PC and into iTunes. Then go ahead and sync the iPod with your new library.
See this older post from another forum member Zevoneer covering the different methods and software available to assist you with the task of copying content from your iPod back to your PC and into iTunes.
https://discussions.apple.com/thread/2452022?start=0&tstart=0
B-rock

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when trying to manually manage my music and videos on itunes its telling me i am already connected to another itunes library and that if i apply these settings it will delete all of my data and replace it with the current itunes library. will this just delete from the i tunes library or from my i tunes account all together?

Thanks for your reply. I don't keep all of my music in the iTunes' designated music folder. I don't like the way iTunes reorganizes my songs and I keep all my music in my own self organized music folders as I don't use iTunes as my primary media application. Not to mention allot of my files come from all different corners of my computer's hard drive. It would literally take months to go through over 20 gigs of media files to pick out the songs I have in my iPhone library to rebuild an iTunes library. Like i said, I don't even use iTunes other than to transfer files to my iPhone. I thought the purpose of manually managing the files was so you don't have to sync it with the iTunes library but now it won't give my that option without requiring me to delete everything on my phone I worked so hard on.
What I don't understand is logically or technically why iTunes HAS to delete all the content off of my iphone. Who's decision in the Apple's software engineering department was to require the one's iPhone to be erased if someone loses their iTunes library? Its frustrating because it makes no sense and I feel as if the software is punishing me for reasons I don't understand by threatening to delete all my content off my phone. Is there absolutely no way to transfer my music to my iPhone without deleting everything currently on and completely rebuilding my music library from scratch?

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hello need help pls bought a 4s and trasferd all my things across including my music but i am missing around 170 songs that wont snyc across ? have tryed taking all songs off and a few other things it seems to be songs that have been in playlists that wint work ? and ideas< cheers

To import music into your iTunes library on the computer go to iTunes>Help>iTunes Help>Add items to iTunes and follow the instructions
Delete the "songs" that do not play in your iTunes library and reimport them.

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Thanks for your help. You were a big help and saved me hundred of hours in re-creating my itunes library of thousands of songs by downloading them again. I managed to get my purchases back using the instructions you provided and used the listing of software providers to download iRip and recover the rest of my music and playlists from both my iphone and ipod (I had different playlist on each). I basically recovered 99% of what I had lost so that was a huge help. Once you download iRip you really do use only one click to restore your iTunes library and playlists - super easy. Thanks again.

Tried to Share iTunes Library and Lost It

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