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Amen. And iTunes is a total nightmare if you don't want it to store the files where it wants to. I'm all for abstracting away the file system, but the fact rema

by ganley 18y ago

Amen. And iTunes is a total nightmare if you don't want it to store the files where it wants to. I'm all for abstracting away the file system, but the fact remains that there are files under there, so don't make it difficult for me to deal at that level when I have to.

GHFigs 18y ago
I wouldn't call unchecking one preference a "total nightmare".
- spiralhead 18y ago
  However, Mr. Figs, and this is speaking from personal experience, if you happen to store your files on an external USB drive, and you happen to launch itunes at a moment when the drive is disconnected from your laptop, Itunes will revert to its default folder--forcing me to think about things I shouldn't be polluting my brain with.
  - derefr 18y ago
    I actually find that handy for use with my laptop--unplug the HD, import my "core library" (about 30GB), then plug it in and import the rest (over 200GB at this point.) Thus, when I'm out and want to listen to something, I still have all my favorite songs; just not everything (which wouldn't fit on my laptop's HD, anyway.) Basically, it turns the internal HD into a not-too-smart cache of the external one. (On that note, if there's a program that provides this internal/external storage caching mechanism more intelligently and on a larger scale, I'dclove to hear about it.)
- randallsquared 18y ago
  If you're not expecting that, and have mostly empty or invalid ID3 information, because you have habitually kept metadata in the filename and directory hierarchy, iTunes will destroy your library. Everything becomes Unknown Title 243 by Unknown Artist 14, and by the time you notice (because who's expecting an MP3 player to rearrange all the files on disk!?), the only way to fix this is by listening to each track and trying to figure out via Google what song it is. This happened to me in 2003 when I switched from Linux to Mac. I still get a little worked up over that, even though nowadays I just let iTunes manage everything and throw away the original files after I rip something.
- ganley 18y ago
  As in the cases people already described, and some others I won't go into, it is NOT as simple as unchecking a preference. Also, try plugging your USB hard disk into a different USB port in a different order from your iPod. Now it comes up with a different drive letter and iTunes can't find any of your music.

by ganley 18y ago

GHFigs 18y ago

I wouldn't call unchecking one preference a "total nightmare".

spiralhead 18y ago
However, Mr. Figs, and this is speaking from personal experience, if you happen to store your files on an external USB drive, and you happen to launch itunes at a moment when the drive is disconnected from your laptop, Itunes will revert to its default folder--forcing me to think about things I shouldn't be polluting my brain with.
- derefr 18y ago
  I actually find that handy for use with my laptop--unplug the HD, import my "core library" (about 30GB), then plug it in and import the rest (over 200GB at this point.) Thus, when I'm out and want to listen to something, I still have all my favorite songs; just not everything (which wouldn't fit on my laptop's HD, anyway.) Basically, it turns the internal HD into a not-too-smart cache of the external one. (On that note, if there's a program that provides this internal/external storage caching mechanism more intelligently and on a larger scale, I'dclove to hear about it.)
randallsquared 18y ago
If you're not expecting that, and have mostly empty or invalid ID3 information, because you have habitually kept metadata in the filename and directory hierarchy, iTunes will destroy your library. Everything becomes Unknown Title 243 by Unknown Artist 14, and by the time you notice (because who's expecting an MP3 player to rearrange all the files on disk!?), the only way to fix this is by listening to each track and trying to figure out via Google what song it is. This happened to me in 2003 when I switched from Linux to Mac. I still get a little worked up over that, even though nowadays I just let iTunes manage everything and throw away the original files after I rip something.
ganley 18y ago
As in the cases people already described, and some others I won't go into, it is NOT as simple as unchecking a preference. Also, try plugging your USB hard disk into a different USB port in a different order from your iPod. Now it comes up with a different drive letter and iTunes can't find any of your music.