iTunes questions

[elaby]

I'm having some duplicate song issues with my iTunes, and I think it's because I don't really know how to work it. So here are some questions for those more informed than I:

[EDIT: Figured out the duplicate problem, through a remarkable train of logic that made me smack my forehead and go "DUH." Would now just like answers to the first question, for curiosity's sake if nothing else.]

1 - I have two folders full of all of my music on my hard drive. One is a folder called Music, in the left hand side of my Finder window and also under my my name (the one with the little picture of a house next to it). The other is a folder called iTunes Music, in a folder called iTunes, which itself is in my Music folder.

What are these? Does iTunes create a new copy of every song when I import it into iTunes and stick it in this folder? What happens if I delete one set?

Comments

[dakegra.livejournal.com]

this is why I don't like iTunes for managing my music library. It does Stuff that I don't want it to.

*pimps MediaMonkey*

[elaby.livejournal.com]

Can I get it for a Mac?

iStole this iCon from my iPod

[techno-goddesss.livejournal.com]

iTunes uses one as the target directory for each song. Try renaming first one, then the other. See what happens with you play your music. If nothing bad happens when you rename one, that's probably a duplicate. But thoroughly test before you delete anything.

You can also dump your iPod back to the hard drive if things get really screwed up.

Re: iStole this iCon from my iPod

[elaby.livejournal.com]

I don't have an iPod, sadly enough, but thank you very much for the advice! I will try renaming before I delete anything.

[dibsy.livejournal.com]

Basically, yes, it is all replicated, and this is how to stop that happening.

On my Mac, I go into Preferences, then the general tab. There is an option to select "Copy files to itunes music folder when adding to library." It's in a similar place on the PC version.

Do NOT check this.

If it is checked, uncheck it. This option will duplicate all your music in your itunes folder. You can keep this checked if you want all of your music in your itunes folder, otherwise make sure it is unchecked. When you have done that, you may delete all the music in your itunes folder. Except , of course, any cds that you imported into itunes and have no copy of elsewhere.

Does this make sense?

[elaby.livejournal.com]

Yes, it does! Thank you!