Grrr arrrghh! Need help reinstalling iTunes.

GO TO ADMIN PANEL > ADD-ONS AND INSTALL VERTIFORO SIDEBAR TO SEE FORUMS AND SIDEBAR

Ric Easton

New member
Joined
Oct 6, 2005
Messages
78
Points
0
Age
65
Website
www.RixGrafix.com
My wife got a new computer...

I backed up her iTunes folder onto an external HD. I then put it in her computer under the My Music folder.

Then I installed iTunes. When iTunes first booted up it located all her stuff and it showed up when iTunes started. Unfortunately, I still had the external HD hooked up... so it put all that in there too! I ended up with everything duplicated.

I deleted it all. Unistalled iTunes and tried again. Thias time it didn't look for anything and itunes was empty.

Third try... The tunes were listed but with exclamation points in front of every song. itunes did not know where they were located and I would have to point every song to its location.... HELP!

I am losing my mind. I am gonna try again. Just put in the iTunes folder with just the music... none of the other files or cover folders etc... I may even put in a music folder under my documents (her new windows 7 has them My Music folder on its own and not inside My Docs...) and hopefully iTunes will search it out... after I reinstall of course.
 

Ric Easton

New member
Joined
Oct 6, 2005
Messages
78
Points
0
Age
65
Website
www.RixGrafix.com
one more thing... It seems like the first time I installed iTunes, it asked me if I wanted to search out music on the computer and asked if I wanted iTunes to organize the music, etc... I don't recall getting this message in the last 2 re-installs...
 

cjmnews

Moderator
Staff member
Moderator
Joined
Apr 26, 2006
Messages
10,061
Points
63
Location
Arizona
That message is a one time deal from iTunes. You'll never see it again.

Install iTunes, it will be empty.
Close iTunes.
Copy the iTunes folder from the external drive to My Music on the new computer.
Open iTunes. Everything should be there.

You almost had it, just the wrong order.
 

S2_Mac

New member
Joined
Oct 24, 2006
Messages
4,876
Points
0
Location
About 3 feet in front of the monitor
You're not seeing the "search for music" query because iTunes only does that the first time it installs. If you run the installer again without first completely removing all iTunes files, it's considered a re-install (and not a fresh, first-time install.)

If you've got a copy of her old "iTunes" folder on the external -- the "iTunes" folder that was located in the My Music or Music folder of her old computer's Windows user account -- then transferring her library onto the new machine will be easy. (In XP the location is C:\\\Documents and Settings\username\My Documents\My Music\iTunes; in Windows 7 it's C:\\Users\username\Music\iTunes)

1) Install iTunes on the new machine, just to get it installed. (If it's already installed, great.)
2) Launch iTunes once, just to let it get set up (and if you've already done that, great again.)
3) Quit iTunes. Now, copy the saved "iTunes" folder from the external drive into the "Music" folder of the new Win 7 computer's user account. You're going to replace the current "iTunes" folder on the Win 7 machine with the copy from the external drive...so when Windows asks if you really want to replace the existing "iTunes" folder, tell it yes. Keep telling it yes until it's done. (In fact, Yes to All, if that option still exists in Win 7.)
4) There is no Step 4 -- you're done....probably. (There's a couple of edge cases where you might need to do one more thing. Do the three steps above and try to play a track; post again if the exclamation point thing recurs.)
 

Ric Easton

New member
Joined
Oct 6, 2005
Messages
78
Points
0
Age
65
Website
www.RixGrafix.com
Thanks guys. I will give it a shot. One thing... my wife had an older version of iTunes, so her stuff was in a Music folder whereas the newer iTunes has a Media folder. I think that was confusing things even more for me.

I was also hoping the re-installing of iTunes would make that search for music thing happen on her computer again!
 

cjmnews

Moderator
Staff member
Moderator
Joined
Apr 26, 2006
Messages
10,061
Points
63
Location
Arizona
I had an older one too. Mine is still in an iTunes Music folder. Just bring the whole iTunes folder (with iTunes Music) and you'll do fine.
 
Top