Ok so bought a new computer
installed iTunes
copyed all music file from old external harddrive new new machine
ran i-tunes then set options to point to new directory where music is
I now have each song listed 2 or 3 in the i-tunes libary (there is still only one physical file for each)
whats going on? How do I sort it?

bin iTunes its shite

yeah thanks for the constructive input 🙄

i dont think you did it right.

where is the music and where do you want to keep it?

how big is the library?

I've recently done this. I set up the homeshare thing on both my machines and iTunes copied all the music over via the network somehow. That was the easy bit. 🙂

My thread may be of some use to you

http://www.singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/numpty-itunesiphone-question

feel free to email me at anytime …….. I'm full of great tips 8)

Highlight the whole lot in iTunes and click delete. OK whatever message it gives (of course, if it says do you want to send the files to the recycle bin, say no 🙂 ).
Then do Add Folder to Library and select your music folder.
Turn off sync-ing.

DezB, thats exactly what I did
first time when I just installed itunes and it went off and did its search I got all music on the entire computer (incl the wifes seperate libary)
so I did above and now just have my libary, but 2 or 3 times over?!?!?

Scotia
music is now on hardrive of new computer, and itunes is pointing to that folder
my music folder is about 70gb, which is in line with what I had on my ipod previously. Now though cause I have 2 or 3 times the same songs showing on itunes the libary is about 160gb

Reason for the above is that your iTunes Library database is obviously screwed (or maybe you inadvertently copied it from your old computer?).

I think your mistake is to let iTunes find the music on your computer – I guess it's found it on your harddrive and the portable. Do the add folder manually and it'll all be good.

Deleting all the music, will just clear down the library so you can recreate it afresh. As long as you don't accept anything which says delete files or bin them, its perfectly safe.
Syncing is what usually causes the screw-ups, so thats why I say turn it off.

Dez
that was what I was thinking
if I delete the database file and let the new install of itunes create a new one though will I then just get a load of messages saying I cant play aload of the stuff that was bought (legally) off itunes store, as its not licensed for use on new computer (there are some albums that have now been passed between the various computers and harddrives I have had over the last 10 or so years)

or am I getting totally confused now?

I believe that the way iTunes works when you let it find stuff is that it makes a copy of the file in the iTunes dB, if the music you want iTunes to find is already in the iTunes folder I think it still makes a copy leaving the 'original' where it is, hence the duplicates.

What DezB suggests will probably have the same effect, what I would be tempted to try is to copy your music across to another folder, not named iTunes and clear out the existing iTunes dB before letting iTunes find the music on your drive. It should then copy it into the iTunes folder leaving the original where it is.

hopefully that should solve your problem.

Delete all music off your computer, open iTunes, connect external hard drive and open the music folder, select all your music files and drag and drop them all on to the music section on the left hand menu in iTunes. iTunes will then sort all your music and place them in its default (or selected) folder.

iTunes purchased music can be used on 5 different libraries I believe.
You'll be ok as long as you haven't changed machine or library 6 times.
If you do get a problem with this I can get you a piece of software that'll convert the iTunes files to mp3. (I'm not 100% sure that this works with expired DRM licenses though!)

What the other chaps are suggesting will work – I still say do the adding manually and switch off the options that caused me loads of hassle when I first started using iTunes:

Yeah definitely untick that stupid "Copy files to iTunes Music folder when adding to library" otherwise you end up with two copies of the files everytime you add a folder.

Much better just to have all your mp3s where you know where they are (e.g. In "My Music" or whatever) that way Media Player etc can still play them all too.