Moving iTunes music from one user to another (XP)

[WasabiTaylor]

Hi all,

My father called me tonight with some confusion and since I haven't used Windows regularly in about 4 years, I can't seem to think of a way to answer his question.

He was moving music from his one iTunes library to my mother's library (same computer, different accounts). He thought he could copy and paste them from his library onto a flash drive, then log out and into my mother's account, and paste them into her library. He did this by using the Edit>Paste function from the iTunes menu bar in her library. When he tried to sync or play the files, they showed the exclamation point, indicating that the original files could not be located.

Here's my question: Where are the files? They're not anywhere in the iTunes folder from what I can tell. If they're nowhere because of the method he used to move this music, what should I suggest as the best way to perform this task in an efficient manner?

Thanks everyone.

Best,
Taylor

 

[chscag]

Moved to appropriate forum. Does not belong in "Switchers".

 

[RadioSaigon]

Where are the files?

In short, they'll be where he put them.

Have a look in Windows Explorer -you should be able to find the files there.

When you have found them, just tell iTunes to add that directory to the library. That should do the trick.

 

[WasabiTaylor]

Sorry about posting in the wrong forum. I didn't want to put it into OS X Apps and Games because the problem isn't with OS X - it's with XP. If it were with OS X, I'm actually thinking this method would have worked just fine.

I had him do a little playing around and it seems that the tracks played fine when the flash drive was still in, but when he removed it from the PC, the exclamation point appeared and the file could not be located. It appears that he was using the flash drive like a media server of some kind. The tracks never actually came off of it - just their information for populating the library.

I guess I'll do a search of an easier way transfer music from one user to another in XP. Thanks for the responses.

 

[dtravis7]

Does he have Itunes set to add the files to the iTunes library when they are dropped into it? If not it just copied links from his Flash drive to itunes and left the files on the flash drive!

Not sure on the Windows version but in OSX iTunes you just click a checkbox.

The ! is because it can't find the MP3's to play!

And just to be sure I understand what your dad did, did he drop the files into iTunes or copy them physically to the iTunes folder?