[wabi]

Aloha.
I have searched this forum as well as those on the Apple site and can not find a solution for my problem so I am asking here.
I recently transferred all of my music files from my powerbook to an external drive as I ran out of space. I also consolidated all of my music files from that external hard drive as well as another hard drive. I put all of the mp3 files in my iTunes music folder. That folder is the folder that is designated in iTunes preferences as folder containing my music files. I am now having 2 problems with iTunes that I feel are related. I understand what is going on (I think) but I dont know how to fix it.
When I launch iTunes, I have 2 problems.
1. When iTunes is launched and I select a playlist or an individual song, I get the message "file not found in itunes folder, would you like to find it?" I can find it, double click on it, and it will play. When I go to find that file myself, it is in fact contained within my iTunes music folder. How can I get iTunes to find the files on those playlists. The playlists were created in iTunes, and files are in the iTunes music folder.
2. The second problem concerns about 1000 mp3 files of individual songs or albums that I had downloaded or were taken from other sources. Those mp3 files are located in my iTunes music folder with all of my other music that I have taken months to load hundreds of CDs. When I launch iTunes, none of these other files show up in the lists of songs on iTunes.
My understanding of iTunes is that there is both a folder where the actual music files reside. That folder is designated by the user as home for the music files and is designated so in the iTunes prefs. I also understand that in the users/music folder there is a file that contains the iTunes library, and that the file names have to be on that library list. My question is how do I get that user/music/library file to list or recognize all of the music/mp3 files that are in my itunes folder? I have both playlists that I have made that iTunes cant find the files AND a bunch of mp3 files that dont show up in iTunes that I would like to make playlists from.
Is there an easy answer to my problem? If not is there a difficult answer to my question so that I can start make my Mac the Digital Hub that it should be?
Thank you all for reading this, I look forward to hearing any suggestions.
wabi

[car1son]

I recently moved a lot of the files I had on my limited Powerbook HD to an external firewire HD as well (in preparation to rip the rest of my CDs and load my first iPod.) I found that while iTunes (v4) appears able to relocate moved MP3 files if you move them to another folder on the same drive, the same does not apply if you move them to a different volume (HD).
(Also note that just placing a file in the iTunes music folder doesn't add them to the iTunes library; you must open them in iTunes. Either use "Add to library" in iTunes' file menu, or select the files in Finder and drag them onto the iTunes dock icon or into a playlist to tell iTunes they are there. The itunes Music folder is the location where it will create new files when you rip CDs, and the location where it will copy new files added to the library if the "Copy to iTunes music folder when adding to library" option is checked on iTunes' Preferences' Advanced tab. It's not a magic drop box.)
Relocating the files (as opposed to just reloading them all) would be useful to retain the playlist associations of the origiinal files, as well as ratings.
I tried to write an AppleScript to inform iTunes of the new location the files, but found that the location attribute isn't modifyable.
It sounds like you've already removed the old files from their old location. (A good way to do the move would have been to change the location of the iTunes music folder to where you wanted them, and then use the "Consolidate Library" command from iTunes' Advanced menu to move the files into the library for you; that keeps all the ratings and playlists for your library entries, though it does let iTunes organize your files in its habitual Atrist/Album folder arrangement.) There's an AppleCare KBase Article on this. You might be able to still do this, if you want, but putting the files back in their old location.
If the old MP3 files are gone already, you might want to consider just giving up on maintaining your rating and playlist information, remove all the library entries, and then use "Add to Library" from the file menu, pointed at the new iTunes music folder, and iTunes will scan and add all the files. (You may want to uncheck "Copy files to iTunes folder when adding to library" before doing this if the files are already in the library, as well as "Keep iTunes music files organized."
Myself, I eventaully gave up on the "move" idea and took the oportunity to re-rip all my CDs, this time using AAC and - since I had more space now - ripping them completely rather than just selected tracks.
Another idea, if you want to experiment and fluent in a Unix editor, is to use the Terminal and a text editor (ed, vi, emacs, whatever) to globally change the start of the pathname to all the files in teh Itunes Library (4) file. The pathnames appear in simple ASCII there. Make a backup copy of the file first, in case this mungs it beyond recovery.