iTunes library location problems

[gavroche]

A little while back I installed an SSD in my older iMac, so I have two drives.... the SSD and the original HDD. I installed the OS 10.13.6 on the new SSD. I also have the iPhotos library located on the SSD. To save space, and with speed not really being an issue for music and video files, I put the iTunes library located on the HDD.
Today when I opened the HDD, I noticed that the iTunes content was not nested in a folder... so at the root folder for the drive it had all the various folder (Automically Add to iTunes, Movies, Home Videos, etc). So I created one named iTunes, and when to settings and changed library location to show this folder. It put an alert and asked if I wanted to move files to this location, and I chose yes. But nothing actually moved to it. For example, movies and home videos still are in the original folders. And I launched iTunes, and deleted a few movies.. and they did not delete from those old folders. And I realized that there is no actual library file anywhere on the HDD. I see one in the SSD, in the default location, which was created when I installed the OS on the new SSD. The modification date hasn't changed since mack then, last year, when I changed the library to the HDD. Is the library file hidden or something? Confusing...

 

[ApfelKuchen]

Although you didn't say it, I hope you moved all the existing iTunes-related folders and files from the top level of the HDD into the new iTunes folder you created?

Is there a possibility that the iTunes-related files and folders that you saw on the top level of that HDD was not actually the active iTunes library? Have you done a search for "iTunes" on that drive to see if there may be more than one library?

If you designate an iTunes Media Folder location in iTunes Preferences > Advanced and iTunes does not find the folders it expects to find within that folder (and where it expects to find them), it will create new, empty folders and database catalog files (iTunes Library.itl, etc.) as required.

The fact that you got an alert asking if you wanted to move files to this location suggests to me that there's still something not quite right about that new iTunes folder and its contents, OR you changed one or both of the following settings:

Preferences > Advanced > Keep iTunes Media folder organized
Preferences > Advanced > Copy files to iTunes Media folder when adding to library

For your reference, these are the folders and files that reside inside my iTunes folder:

Folders:
Album Artwork
iTunes Media
Mobile Applications
Previous iTunes Libraries


Files:
iTunes Library Extras.itdb
iTunes Library Genius.itdb
iTunes Library.itl
iTunes Music Library.xml

 

[gavroche]

Although you didn't say it, I hope you moved all the existing iTunes-related folders and files from the top level of the HDD into the new iTunes folder you created?

Is there a possibility that the iTunes-related files and folders that you saw on the top level of that HDD was not actually the active iTunes library? Have you done a search for "iTunes" on that drive to see if there may be more than one library?

If you designate an iTunes Media Folder location in iTunes Preferences > Advanced and iTunes does not find the folders it expects to find within that folder (and where it expects to find them), it will create new, empty folders and database catalog files (iTunes Library.itl, etc.) as required.

The fact that you got an alert asking if you wanted to move files to this location suggests to me that there's still something not quite right about that new iTunes folder and its contents, OR you changed one or both of the following settings:

Preferences > Advanced > Keep iTunes Media folder organized
Preferences > Advanced > Copy files to iTunes Media folder when adding to library

For your reference, these are the folders and files that reside inside my iTunes folder:

Folders:
Album Artwork
iTunes Media
Mobile Applications
Previous iTunes Libraries


Files:
iTunes Library Extras.itdb
iTunes Library Genius.itdb
iTunes Library.itl
iTunes Music Library.xml

Think I got it resolved. I moved everything but the Users folder. Once I moved that, seems to be working properly. Had a bit of a scare though when I did a restart and it kept going to a crash log... Until I clicked to select startup disk... Seemed to have switched to the wrong drive....