Can't play certain downloaded songs

[Frank Freniere]

I downloaded Pit's files of Winnie's book: http://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=236160

I clicked each file when it appeared in a strange window I don't see very often, and it looked like it was playing iTunes (I had my speakers off ).

Later, when I went to play one of the files, I got a "Can't locate this file" message. I put "Shenandoah" in the "Search" box - and nothing came back.

Where the heck are these files & is there a way I can just drag them to the iTunes library?

Separately: I transferred some cassettes to the PC via Audacity & saved them to the desktop so I could ... just drag them into the iTunes Library.

The desktop was looking crowded so I deleted a tune. Now I can't play that one either - it "can't be located." I thought once it was in iTunes it was safe.

What do I have to do to prevent losing all these files and get them safely and permanently into iTunes? Thanks in advance. FF.

[Douglas Schuch]

Frank,

Wiser, more computer-literate minds than mine might chime in, but Itunes can do two things: it can play a song stored somewhere else. And it can import a song, converting it to the Itunes format (m4a) and store it in the Itunes folder. If the song is in a format Itunes plays, including mp3, and you open it in Itunes, it plays it, and I think adds it you your library. This means Itunes notes the location so you can open it directly from Itunes. It does not make a copy of the file.

When you open a file in a format Itunes does not play (.wma for example) it asks if you want to convert it. In this case a copy is made in the file format you designated in the Itunes folder in your default music library location.

I use a Windows computer. I have tried dragging files to Itunes and it does nothing. This function is apparently not enabled with Windows versions of Itunes.

I would recommend putting all music files in at least two separate drives. If you have as much music as I do, it would not be easy to replace should one crash.

I hope that helps.

Doug

[Frank Freniere]

I appreciate the reply, Doug, but I'm still confused.

As I said, Pit's mp3 files open in the Frank > Downloads window. I click to open the song and it plays in iTunes.

But it doesn't save in iTunes so I get an error message when I try to play them later.