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Custom iTunes library locations constantly reset to default
There is an unresolved issue for some iTunes users in which libraries stored in locations other than the default ~/Music folder do not stay that way, and the library path gets reset to the default location in iTunes.
Per Apple Discussions poster Xoedusk:
"I have my iTunes library located on an external drive. Works nicely. But every now and then, the location of the library resets to the default location (~/Music/)...I keep the external drive mounted at all times."
There may be several reasons for the iTunes settings to be reverted back to default values, though it is puzzling that the problem reoccurs at seemingly random times for some users, especially if the iTunes library location is constantly mounted and accessible by the system. Still, users might try the following fixes to see if they help the situation.
Ensure external drives are set up properly Unless the external drive is going to be used with multiple operating systems, it is recommended to keep the volume formatted as Mac OS Extended. Many drives ship formatted as "FAT32" for cross-platform compatibility, but some users have experienced I/O problems with FAT32 in OS X.
Reset the iTunes preferences Locate the iTunes preferences file (named com.apple.iTunes.plist) in the users/username/Library/Preferences/ folder, and remove it from the preferences folder. Then open iTunes again and change the default library location. If a preferences file corruption is causing a reset of the settings, then this should fix it.
Fully reset the iTunes library In addition to removing the iTunes preferences file itself, users might reset their iTunes libraries by leaving any old library files in the default location and then dragging only the contents of the "iTunes Music" folder into the iTunes window to import them all to the new desired location (do this once the desired library location has been set in the iTunes preferences). This may take time for users with large libraries, but may help ensure that all library-related items point to the proper locations.
Resources
when osx vm grows to a maximum size - leaving the boot disc with zero bytes - i get a message from itunes that it can not backup some system data for the iphone (when it is connected) because there is not enough room on the boot drive ...
itunes does not describe exactly what info it will skip over, but i notice that itunes has stopped displaying the login/accountID info in the upper right hand corner -- it has revereted to the default state of unregistered itunes account.
i am not sure if this kind of data-loss driven return-to-default-behavior is related to your loss of custom data (location of library) but i know that it pisses me off cuz now i have to figure out some way convince apple to restore my itunes gift card :-)
I put an alias of my custom iTunes library in the default location and that seems to work okay - would that solve the reset problem?
- by lsday August 29, 2008 12:50 AM PDT
- A trick that works is to create an alias that points to the music folder on the external drive.
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