iTunes Library File Access on Mac Boot-Up

I have moved my itunes library file and all associated media to the Shared Music folder on 6TB My Cloud device.  It has been two weeks of mucking around to get it this far.  Here is what is happening now:

  1. WD My Cloud and connected router are left on 24/7
  2. Mac gets shut down in the evening and started up in the morning
  3. iTunes cannot find the itunes Library and prompts for library to open
  4. I click the “WDMYCloud - Public Alias” icon on my desktop which creates the public folder
  5. I go back to itunes and SLOWLY get access to the itunes library file to open itunes
  6. The library slowly opens in itunes

Has anyone else moved their entire library including the itunes library file to WD My Cloud 6TB??  Does it work?  How did you do it?

Thanks!

Hi there and welcome to the WD community.

If you go to the dashboard on the unit and then to the media section on settings, try to turn the iTunes server off and see if the Software can see the library  faster, or try to turn if off and then turn it back on. Hope this helps.

Morning GongMac

Yes itunes has been a nemesis of mine ever since the PC days. I am now on a Mac and it still rankles me on the Apple way of doing things.

What I am documenting here is not the moving of the iTunes Media folder location but rather how I use iTunes as a means of sharing with my Apple TV and also a way to move my complete library into and out of itunes as my needs requires.

First of all, there are a few things to remember

  1. never use the itune server provided by every NAS. The itune server is a renaisance system that provides only token services.

  2. under itunes preferences make sure you

    a. uncheck “Keep iTunes Media folder organized” and

    b. uncheck “Copy files to iTunes Media folder when adding to library”

  1. Under Advanced Preferences, you can leave your iTunes Media folder location on your Mac.

  2. don’t start up itunes when mac starts as you will need to connect to your Cloud before opening itunes.

Before you start…

  1. make sure you have a back up copy of your music somewhere else as iTunes will delete and/or move your music around, sometimes leaving you with an empty folder, depending on your preference settings.

  2. dragging and dropping music folders/music files from your Cloud into itunes will only create a link and it is safe to delete the music in itunes without worries about the actual music being deleted that is on your cloud device.

  3. make sure you map your drive of your Cloud server using the “Connect to Server” and mapping smb://WDMyCloud/ instead of using any WD software to access and map the Cloud.

  4. I would not recommend using itunes via WD software mapped cloud access while on the road if you are doing this on a laptop.

So the whole process is thus.

  1. connect to your Cloud using “Connect to Server”

  2. start itunes

  3. drag your folder of music, or albums of music, or just a single music file into “iTunes” Music / My Music and itunes will start to import your music (actually it just creates links to your music leaving all your actual music / movies) on your Cloud.

When it is done, you can group your music, organize your music. Rename your music titles, add album covers etc and it will

affect the music files on your Cloud.

If you delete all your music from the iTunes library (be sure you have a backup copy), theorectically it just deletes your links (however if you allow itunes to copy your music locally it will delete your local copy).

Usage

  1. connect to your Cloud using “Connect to Server”

  2. start itunes

  3. play music/movies

Now if you accidentally open iTunes before mapping the Cloud, you may get music not found.  Depending on the version of iTunes, the link can be restored by simply mapping the cloud drive. If you accidentally break the link and the music cannot be found despite that you have re-attached the cloud, shut down iTunes and start it again. If that doesn’t work, delete the music that has lost the links and re-import them by dragging and dropping the same.

Now remember that all your music is just large folders of music files on your Cloud. As long as you don’t let iTunes manage your music and re-organize your music, the folders of music will remain in the same order that you have kept them. 

Don’t let iTunes organize and copy your music.

I have since emptied my itunes library and simply drag and drop into itunes, music or movies that I wish to play. However you can leave the links active by making sure you connect to the Cloud before opening iTunes.

Good luck…

Hi Guys

Thanks for taking the time to craft a response.  I ended up transferring itunes back to the external drive rather than the WD My Cloud 6TB.   It seems too hard and flaky to be worth the effort right now.  I will come back to it later when i have more time to play around with it.

Thanks again!