iTunes - Unwanted duplicate folder

[Gilles]

Hi all,

 

Seeking your advice with respect to a problem that I attribute to iTunes, which I have been experiencing for months and did not care too much about, until I had enough last night and decided I had to solve it...with your help please. Maybe the solution is a fresh installation of iTunes.

 

The problem is iTunes creating unwanted folders upon clicking on individual tracks.

 

It happens on occasion that I select tracks to play using Remote on an iPad Mini or iPhone, one after the other, jumping from an album to another. Sometimes, iTunes will then instantly create in my iTunes music library a new folder that will contain the track that just started playing. By simply clicking on a track to play, this track is automatically moved to a new folder from the folder that was created when I originally copied the CD on my HDD. That new folder will have the same artwork as the original folder. No duplicate of the track is made, it is simply moved to a new folder and is no more in its original folder.

 

I did not check what happens to the track in the original folder next following the one moved if I let it play. Will it be moved to that duplicate folder? I don't know. I know however that if I click on another track from the same folder it will be moved to the new folder. This does not happen every time I click on an individual track, it happens irregularly.

 

Also, the title of the album associated with the track moved will be changed, by as little as deleting a space before a semicolon in the title or, for example, by deleting "The Doors:". The consequence of this renaming is that I end up with one folder with one less track at its normal alphabetical place, and a new folder with one track bearing a new name at its new alphabetical place in the library. It may be that the original folder is in B and the new one in T. Luckily, I have only 512 CDs and I can stroll up and down quickly and find the new folder by looking at the artwork.

 

In order to file the moved track back in its original folder, I have to rename the album title associated with this track as it was before it was moved. iTunes will then file it at the right place, until this happens again. The new folder then simply disappears.

 

Out of caution, I thought so, I did for a while file the whole album in question as part of a compilation, even if it was not a compilation, hoping that this might prevent this unwanted creation of a new folder, but it did not prevent it.

 

While I did not lose any music when iTunes creates these unwanted folders, this is not fun. I will sometimes look for a track and not find it, then realizing that iTunes played this trick on me again.

 

Any help will be most welcome, thank you very much in advance.

 

Gilles

[wgscott]

I've never heard of this before, but one possible solution would be to go to iTunes Preferences, then go to "Advanced" and make sure the two checkboxes shown below are unchecked. Then at least iTunes won't move stuff around.

 

[mwheelerk]

I've never understood the concern for using the Keep iTunes Organized function. I have used it for years and all it has done is exactly what it was designed to do maintain organization of the files. The only instance that I ever had a problem was purely "operator error" and that is when I had either ejected or ejected/turned off the external drive that holds my library. I opened iTunes and ripped a CD. Since the drive identified in preferences was not present iTunes defaulted to the internal drive music folder location. Once I discovered my error I turned the external drive back on, reset preferences and dragged the files from the internal HDD location onto the iTunes icon on the desktop which immediately placed the file within the proper folder structure. I have never experienced files disappearing to some strange locale willy nilly on their own while using the iTunes file management system. My opinion is most peoples organizational problems are because they fail to use this feature.

[wgscott]

I keep both boxes checked. I am just trying to help him out with a suggestion. However, given his other post, I wonder if something is wrong with his computer?

[mwheelerk]

To clarify for myself are you making this playback choices from within the iTunes tool or are you making these playback choices directly from the Folder/File structure? I ask because you mention seeing these duplicate folders. Are you seeing them as they occur or after the fact? When this song is completed does this new folder remain in the file structure?

[Gilles]

Thank you wgscott and mwheelerk for your attempts at helping me.

 

wgscott:

 

In your first reply, you wrote "make sure the two checkboxes shown below are unchecked" and "I keep both boxes checked" in your second reply. I am certain your writing "unchecked" is an oversight.

 

I have always kept these two boxes checked, as per recommendations to this effect I have read on numerous occasions on CA.

 

mwheelerk:

 

I make the playback choice from the folder/file structure. I see the track that I selected to play disappearing from the folder the second I click on it. I search for the duplicate folder in Album view in iTunes and find it the wherever it is, based on the likely new folder/album title. Also, the duplicate folder remains in the structure once the track has ended playing. It will remain there as long as I do not rename the duplicate folder as the original one. The duplicate folder will disappear instantly upon being so renamed and the track will be back in the original folder.

 

I plan on deleting the entire folder when this happens next, copy the CD to the HDD and play the same track to see if this solves it.

 

It may be, as wgscott suggests, that there is a problem with my computer.

 

I'll post developments.

 

Again, thank you both for your input.

 

Gilles

[kumakuma]

I may be misunderstanding the problem but I think it may be caused by the fact that you clicking on the files themselves to start playback. If the boxes are checked, this causes two things to happen:

 

- The file is moved to your iTunes media folder

 

- Playback begins

 

I suggest that you only playback your music through iTunes, not by clicking on the files.

[pooger]

I may be misunderstanding the problem but I think it may be caused by the fact that you clicking on the files themselves to start playback. If the boxes are checked, this causes two things to happen:

 

- The file is moved to your iTunes media folder

 

- Playback begins

 

I suggest that you only playback your music through iTunes, not by clicking on the files.

 

Yup—what he said. This isn't a flaw in iTunes; however, if you DO uncheck the boxes that wgscott suggested, it should keep this from happening. But—you should use iTunes to select and play files. If you really like the folder organization better, you should look at some of the other player packages that are available, which 'm pretty sure would let you select files this way.

[Gilles]

Thank you kumakuma and pooger.

 

When I want to play a file/track, any track for that matter, I always and only use iTunes, with music sorted by Album most of the time. First, I click on an album and its contents then appear inside a window immediately below the album. I see there the album title, artist name, track numbers and titles, and their duration. Second, I double-click on a specific track and that's when it may disappear from its folder and end up in that new duplicate folder that has a somewhat different name. The track will play though, without any other problem. Whether I start with the first track on that album or not, the balance of the album will play, and the subsequent tracks will not be moved to that other folder.

 

There is something that I am not getting here.

 

If, as kumakuma recommends, I only playback your music through iTunes, not by clicking on the files, how can I playback music through iTunes without clicking on a file/track? I have to start somewhere. I never click, or double-click, on any file/track inside the iTunes media folder location, only through the iTunes window. Double-clicking on an album's artwork will start playback with the first track of that album, but what if I want to listen next to the second track of another album and so on for 3, 4 or 5 tracks on as many different albums? Short of creating a playlist, how do you listen to a number of tracks each on different albums? Based on my knowledge of iTunes, I have to open the album and click on the track I want to listen to.

 

I do not recall reading a post reporting this problem. In any event, as this problem appears so isolated and uncommon, I do not want you guys spending too much time on this. I am very appreciative of your support, and will post the solution if I ever am successful at finding one.

 

Best,

 

Gilles

 

P.S.: I never dared unchecking the boxes wgscott recommended to leave unchecked because I do not want to run the risk of having my library not kept together at one single location. Maybe I'll have to follow wgscott's recommendation.

[mwheelerk]

I apologize but I am confused. In response to my earlier question you said you were making playback selections from within the file/folder location but above you state you make your selection from the iTunes window. If you are using the iTunes window how are you seeing the creation of a "duplicate" folder and disappearance of the original folder? There are no folders that show in the iTunes window.

[wgscott]

I actually meant what I wrote -- I suggest unchecking both and then see if the problem stops. If it does, then you have some idea where to start focusing attention (ie., on iTunes rather than the file system, for example).

 

For normal operation, I do keep those boxes checked, but I am suggesting unchecking them.

[Gilles]

mwheelerk:

 

I see how I did confuse you, my apologies. I believe it is due to my insufficient familiarity with proper terminology. I understood folder and album as having the same meaning and think I now understand that they do not. Albums appear in the iTunes window, not folders, right?

 

As I wrote later, and I confirm, I only select/click/play tracks using iTunes.

 

You just asked how I see the creation of a "duplicate" folder and disappearance of the original folder. Well...I just see the disappearance happening right under my eyes in the iTunes window. A track will simply disappear from the album it belongs to, while retaining its number, title and duration information. As explained, I then look for a duplicate of the album artwork (with music sorted by Album) and eventually find the new album. I do not see the creation of the new folder or album, I obviously see it only once created.

 

I hope you are now clear on what I do and see.

 

wgscott:

 

I had understood that you suggested to uncheck thees boxes as a permanent setting. I will adopt your suggestion and report on the outcome. Because this problem is irregular and intermittent, I can't predict when I will report whether it cured it.

 

Thank you again,

 

Gilles