why do select songs show a (!)

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Chrisman

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Dear iTunes users, I have recently 'moved' my iTunes library from an old PC laptop to my iMac. Most of the 'songs' are 'normal' however, scrolling thru them, here and there, to the left of the song title checked box, is an exclamation point inside of a circle. Clicking on such a song brings up an error-code window reading ..."the song could not be used because the original file can not be found." Any remedies come to mind other than reloading the songs--there must be 50 to 100 of them. Thanks.
 

cjmnews

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The move from the PC to the Mac changed the physical location. In that window that it can't be found, there should be a locate button.

Click that and navigate to where the file is located (found by searching with Finder) and iTunes will reconnect the file. It should ask if it should use that path to reconnect all the broken files. Answering Yes should get most if not all the files linked again.

Now if you can't find the files in Finder. then you should get another copy of the files from the laptop. Put them where you want and use the locate button to resolve the matches.
 

Chrisman

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Dear cjmnews, Thanks for your response. Ive mistaken. The 'lost' songs are those that I transfered, with your help, from my old laptop to the newer Lenovo (Windows 7)

I tried using your methods (for searching on the iMac) to no avail. In clicking thru the 'exclamation-point songs, I cannot locate them, getting error codes such as--- check file name and try again///the file name is not valid//the netwark path could not be found...

In other such occurrences, I have bought a few songs from Apple that are downloaded onto the iMac. When Ive saved them to a thumbdrive and attempted to load them onto the Lenovo, they, likewise, show up in Lenovo iTunes but with that exclamation point. Ive tried a couple of times to get them to 'stick' into a playlist (or just into the library) wont work so far. Is there some 'license' restriction that may prevent? Since I own 2 computers, and would like copies of what I buy on both, is there some setting I might need to make to allow? thanks for your help
 

cjmnews

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First off the purchased songs, let me see if I got your steps right:
1. Purchase song on iMac
2. Copy song to Thumbdrive
3. Load song onto Lenovo (how? drag from Thumbdrive and drop into iTunes? double click on the file in the Thumbdrive? Other?)
4. Exclamation point appears (Is the Thumbdrive still in? Did you move the song file after iTunes saw it?)

I'll need some of the questions answered.
I thought of other questions:
A. Where are your Lenovo song files located (exact path)?
B. Can any file on the Lenovo play?
C. Do all the files on the Lenovo have exclamation marks?
D. If you plug in your external drive, do the songs play?

As for the iMac, it sounds like the files were not copied over. Only the library was copied.
If you Control-Click a purchased file (no exclamation point) and select Show In Finder, a new window should open showing that file and possibly others. It should be something like Macintosh HD/Users/<login>/Music/iTunes/iTunes Media/Music/<artist>/<album>/<songname>.<ext>

Now at the bottom of finder you should be able to double click on the iTunes Media folder.
You should see the Automatically Add to iTunes, Downloads, and Music folders.
Double click on the Music folder you may see several Artists folders. Are any of the missing songs here?

If you find that the songs are there, then I suggest:
1. Control-Click one of the exclamation point songs
2. Choose Song Info.
3. Then a window will appear telling you the file could not be found, do you want to locate it. Click the Locate button.
4. Then a Finder window will appear. In the top center select your login name in the drop down box
5. In the right column, double click Music
6. In the right column, double click iTunes
7. In the right column, double click iTunes Media
8. In the right column. double click Music
9. In the right column, double click the artist name
10. In the right column, double click the album name
11. In the right column, double click the song name

That should reconnect it. If iTunes asks if you want to reconnect all the files at this point answer YES.

If you did not find the missing songs there, you will need to re-copy the song files from the Lenovo to the iMac.
1. In the Lenovo, navigate to C:\Users\<login>\Music\iTunes\iTunes Media\Music
2. Copy all the folders you have here (the should be the artist names) to the external drive.
3. In the iMac go to the Finder you had open at Macintosh HD/Users/<login>/Music/iTunes/iTunes Media/Music
4. Open a Finder window to the external drive
5. Select all the folders that you copied from Windows in the Finder on the external drive
6. Drag all those folders and drop them onto the Finder you had open at Macintosh HD/Users/<login>/Music/iTunes/iTunes Media/Music
7. Go to your iTunes window and play an exclamation mark song. It should play.

I know you'll be back with problems, so we'll address them then.
 

Chrisman

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Dear cjmnews, Wow--this reads complicated and as it is late (here in Vermont) I will have a go at some of your solutions in the morning. I just wanted, here, firstoff, to thank you for your detailing and to provide you with some preliminary answers:

firstly, to recap, I posed 2 separate problems: 1) It is on the Lonovo that I have ALL of the "exclamation-point" (lost) song-files (evidently occurring in the transfer from my old laptop to the Lenovo

and 2) The few songs I bought from the iTunes store are successfully downloaded onto The iMac. ---it is my attempt to move/load them onto the Lenovo, also, that Ive found those songs appear in the Library with the exclamation points--however, I have just tried again, this time, copy and pasting them into the thumbdrive window and they appear now to be loaded, by drag and drop from the open thumbdrive window into a playlist on the Lenovo. And as I look, the songs ARE in the library ! So , barring any solar flares, maybe theyre in my Lenovo Library for keeps ! Well, False alarm. when I guided to ans 'safely remove the thumbdrive, then attempt to play the exclamation points reappeared. Id thought that the copy/paste on the source end (the iMac) was the reason. Btu again . for the record, I couldnt find a way other than drag & drop to get the songs from /Thumbdrive into Lenovo LIbrary. Ohhhh. Im tired ....and impatient.


Now, to answer your few querries: OK, Ive found, I think a fundamental problem relating to your question about THE EXACT Path----/The thumbdrive (F: --in this case, which I used to what I believed, transfer the songs--is still plugged into the Lenovo, so I think that the "iTunes" format, or whatever you call it is not really, and I cant find it in the list of 'E:" drive contents. Is this beginning to make sense to you ? Please advise (some more !) Thanks again for your help. Oooops---where I wrote E: (drive, I meant the main Lenovo Drive C:
 
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cjmnews

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I saw the different issues and attempted to address them. Though it seemed there were 3 issues (issue 3: songs have exclamation points in iMac)

1. Lost all songs (exclamation points in Lenovo)
Probably caused by your iTunes configuration. I will guess if you looked at Edit->Preferences, Advanced tab
your library has the following not checked:
- Keep iTunes Media Folder Organized
- Copy files to iTunes Media folder when adding to library

Due to this setting, and not following previous instructions closely enough, your files are only present if the external drive is plugged in and is the same drive letter as it was when you originally imported the songs into your library.

So if you want the exclamation points removed, you will either have to leave the external drive plugged in ALWAYS or Copy the files to your C Drive.

I would also change the setting in your iTunes to verify the Library location is C:\Users\<login>\Music\iTunes\iTunes Media and turn on both
- Keep iTunes Media Folder Organized
- Copy files to iTunes Media folder when adding to library
This will make files you add from a thumbdrive get copied to the computer's drive automatically and organize the music by Artist\Album\SongName.ext.

The setting should also fix issue 2 where the songs you try to import to the Lenovo from the iMac don't stay when you remove the thumbdrive.

If you have a friend that is good with computers they could fix this in a few minutes.
 

Chrisman

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Dear cjmnews, Thanks for your update. I found,as youd said, that the "copy files ....when adding to library" was NOT cxhecked--it is now. the other box "keep iTunes...organized WAS checke.

Looking at the "iTunes media folder location" the Path IS consistent with your advising.

So it seems that the next step youve recommended is to copy the thumbdrive (F:) to the Lenovo harddrive. If this is correct, HOW do I do this ?

Lastly, I had intentionally left the (F:) thumbdrive plugged in in hopes that as I added to my library and playlists and such that I would routinely save these changes based on your biline "...have you backed up your iTunes Library this week?" Likewise, if my setup is suited to the task, HOW do I do this ? thanks for your advising
 

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If you leave the thumbdrive in the Lenovo, then start iTunes, do the exclamation points go away?

If not, do they play, then go away?
 

Chrisman

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cjmnews--- the thumbdrive has been plugged in continuously since bringing its' iTunes-contents TO the Lonovo.

The 'exclamation-point condition' I describe has been 'in effect' all these months (since 'the transfer")

In either case When I double click on a subject song or select, then choose 'Play' the error code reads: "The song ____ could not be used because the original file could not be found. Would you like to locate it? (following this course has proven useless--thus far)

In any case, Im thinking from your earlier commentary that the lions share of songs that DO play are being 'read from the thumbdrive, not the C: drive. Ive since looked on C: and find NO evidence of iTunes. Would you advise HOW to 'get' the whole shebang onto the Lenovo so I can pull the F: stick out ? For the record, I havent pulled the thing for fear that something will go wrong and the efforts weve put in to date will be dashed. If I ignored this whole scheme I could happily play those lions-share of songs, BUT Id like to be able to move my laptop around without fear bumping the stick and breaking it---and have iTunes in place where it belongs. Thanks for your help
 

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Can you find a missing song on the F drive?

What is the path to that song?
 

Chrisman

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Dear cjmnews, No, so far as I can tell, I cannot find the 'missing songs' on the F: Drive.

I discovered an apparent exception with a single-song that is both 'playable' and listed WITH the exclamation point here are the locations for each:

The copy that plays: C:\users\Harper\Music\iTunes\iTunes media\Music\Jewel\Spirit\02What's simple is True.m4a

The Exclamation copy: file//localhost/C:/Users/Harper/music/iTunes/iTunes media/music/Jewel/Spirit/
02What's Simple is True.m4a

I hope that this Data will reveal what is going on. Thanks for your help
 

cjmnews

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Then you can most likely easily resolve your exclamation point problem.
1. Pick a different song (this one as 2 entries, so don't use this one) that has an exclamation point.
2. Memorize the Artist, Album and Track Name.
2. Try to play it.
3. When it asks if you want to locate it, click on the Locate button
4. Navigate to C:\users\Harper\Music\iTunes\iTunes media\Music\<memorized Artist>\<memorized Album>
5. Select <memorized Track Name>
6. If iTunes asks if you want to reconnect all your music, click the YES button.

That should find all your music that does not have duplicate entries.
 

Chrisman

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Dear cjmnews, Sheesh, I thought an answer might not arrive, but I see that id not gotten an email notification of your reply. Thanks for the step-by-step. I couldnt locate all the songs but your protocol worked. I just deleted the songs that didnt appear among the list of artists. No sweat. Im cleaning house anyway. Seems that most of the missing songs were of dubious origin. I will try-load some from discs if Im inclined. For the record, Im likely to have a few more questions--probably no surprise to you ! Thanks again for your Help
 
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