How do I make Windows 7 ignore my iTunes library?

[wiggly1uk2000]

For the most part I like the new Library system in Windows 7. There is however one problem for which I'm looking for the perfect solution...

By default iTunes is set up to locate its music library in the Windows My Music folder. When I run Windows Media Player it goes through the entire library adding any compatible files to its own music library. It was the same in Vista but since my iTunes library is 99.9% AAC files they would be ignored by Media Player. Now that Windows 7 has native AAC support I now have all of my iTunes library showing up in Media Player. Nice of Microsoft to catalogue and offer to play them for me but not really what I want!

My question is how do I get Windows Media Player to simply ignore my iTunes library? I've considered the following options...

1. Move the iTunes library to a different location.

Sounds easy enough but whatever folder I pick as my default iTunes will still insist on creating a new one in the My Music folder. Since I regularly backup my music library to DVD I really want all of it in one place so I can simply drag and drop a single folder to disc. It helps to avoid mishaps. I'm not sure I trust iTunes to do this properly!

2. Tell Windows 7 Library to ignore the My Music folder.

Well that works but it's not what I want to do because that folder also contains WMA files I wish to play with Media Player.

3. Let Media Player add my iTunes music to its library and then delete them all afterwards.

An awful solution but that's what I'm doing at the moment.

What I really want is an "Ignore Sub-Folder" option in the Windows 7 Library. Does anybody know if there is one or if there's a better solution? Thanks in advance.

[Calum Veteran]

I don't mean to sound unhelpful, but do you use Windows Media Player?

If not, does it matter that it's library recognises your iTunes library? I don't think it really takes up any extra space.

(Just wondering in case you don't find a solution :))

[wiggly1uk2000]

I don't mean to sound unhelpful, but do you use Windows Media Player?

If not, does it matter that it's library recognises your iTunes library? I don't think it really takes up any extra space.

(Just wondering in case you don't find a solution :))

Yes, hence my remark for option 2. :p

[Calum Veteran]

Ahh! Sorry, I should have noticed that.

I'm sure there is an option to permanently delete files to the library once they are added, however, as I do not have Windows 7, I cannot test this.

Have you tried searching by type (WMA, AAC, etc) in the search bar and then selecting all (after searching "AAC") and deleting all of those? It should ask if you want to permanently delete the file or just permanently delete it from the library?

I know this works in iTunes, but I don't know for sure if you can do it in Windows Media Player.

Hope that helps.

[JamesCherrill]

whatever folder I pick as my default iTunes will still insist on creating a new one in the My Music folder.

I may be wrong, but I think you'll find that iTunes always creates an iTunes folder in "my music", in which it places its database (XML and binary) and other working stuff, but the music files themselves are stored in the location specified in your iTunes options/advanced tab. You should be able to use this to keep your music files outside My Music. Admittedly that gives you two locations to back up, (unless you add an alias to My Music inside the new iTunes music folder?).

[wiggly1uk2000]

Ahh! Sorry, I should have noticed that.

I'm sure there is an option to permanently delete files to the library once they are added, however, as I do not have Windows 7, I cannot test this.

Have you tried searching by type (WMA, AAC, etc) in the search bar and then selecting all (after searching "AAC") and deleting all of those? It should ask if you want to permanently delete the file or just permanently delete it from the library?

I know this works in iTunes, but I don't know for sure if you can do it in Windows Media Player.

Hope that helps.

There seems to be no way to do this within Media Player as it searches by title/artist and not by the type of file, unless I'm missing something. Thanks for the suggestion.

I may be wrong, but I think you'll find that iTunes always creates an iTunes folder in "my music", in which it places its database (XML and binary) and other working stuff, but the music files themselves are stored in the location specified in your iTunes options/advanced tab. You should be able to use this to keep your music files outside My Music. Admittedly that gives you two locations to back up, (unless you add an alias to My Music inside the new iTunes music folder?).

That would work but as you say with the disadvantage of having to backup from two locations. I was hoping there might be a better way.

[JamesCherrill]

Aha! Keep all your non-iTunes music in a sub-folder of the iTunes music folder, and add that sub-folder to the WMP watch list. That way WMP won't see the iTunes music, but you can backup everything in 1 go by backing up the iTunes music folder.

[wiggly1uk2000]

Aha! Keep all your non-iTunes music in a sub-folder of the iTunes music folder, and add that sub-folder to the WMP watch list. That way WMP won't see the iTunes music, but you can backup everything in 1 go by backing up the iTunes music folder.

Nice idea, although I believe you'd also have to stop monitoring the My Music folder directly which might cause a few headaches.

I've just discovered that Media Player has an option to list your music library by contaning folder which means you can delete the whole lot from the library with just one click. I can live with that although I still wish it wouldn't catalogue them in the first place!

If anyone from MS is reading this PLEASE add an "ignore sub-folder" option to Windows 7 Libraries! :D

[JamesCherrill]

Nice idea, although I believe you'd also have to stop monitoring the My Music folder directly which might cause a few headaches.

Why stop monitoring it - if there's no music in it then it won't do anything. Equally, I'm sure there are no side-effects if you do stop monitoring it.

[BajiRav]

What is the problem you face if WMP has those M4A files in its library? :huh:

[+Fahim S. MVC]

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1364

[wiggly1uk2000]

Why stop monitoring it - if there's no music in it then it won't do anything. Equally, I'm sure there are no side-effects if you do stop monitoring it.

Windows also monitors all the sub folders within it (including the iTunes folder), that's the problem. Stopping it from monitoring the folder altogether is not a good option because the folder also contains other (non-iTunes) music which I DO want to monitor. Yes I could move it all elsewhere but the point is I wouldn't need to if Windows had an ignore sub-folder option for Libraries.

What is the problem you face if WMP has those M4A files in its library? :huh:

Simply that it clutters up my non-iTunes music library. I have no need to display music in WMP which I only use to sync to my iPhone. What's more WMP will also add missing media information to library items which means additional hard drive access whilst it's examining all my media files - a waste of time and system resources.

[wiggly1uk2000]

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1364

Thanks for the link.

I'd pretty much figured it out on my own but for reasons explained in earlier posts it's not my ideal solution. Sure I could live with it (and several other half solutions) but really I was hoping there was some well hidden "ignore sub-folder" option for the Libraries in Windows 7.

I've sent feedback to MS on the subject because I can see numerous instances where such an option might be beneficial.

[roryjs]

Don't know if this will help since I don't have Windows 7 and just now tried it on my machine. Found this page pointing to registry key for folder monitoring (http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd563001%28VS.85%29.aspx). Added a binary string named IgnoreFoldersDirectories4 (the next logical value) and set my iTunes folder (E:\My Documents\My Music\iTunes) as the data value. Also change IgnoreFoldersDirectories value to include new folder amount, in my case 5 (0, 1, 2, 3, 4).

Edited October 8, 2009 by roryjs

[wiggly1uk2000]

Don't know if this will help since I don't have Windows 7 and just now tried it on my machine. Found this page pointing to registry key for folder monitoring (http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd563001%28VS.85%29.aspx). Added a binary string named IgnoreFoldersDirectories4 (the next logical value) and set my iTunes folder (E:\My Documents\My Music\iTunes) as the data value. Also change IgnoreFoldersDirectories value to include new folder amount, in my case 5 (0, 1, 2, 3, 4).

Thanks for the tip. Up to now I'd just stopped monitoring the "My Music" folder altogether as it saved a lot of messing about!

[deatauk]

Wonder if this is too late, but I've only just installed Win 7. To get round the problem you've highlighted, I have my iTunes library data in Users\Me\My Music which is where I also have music that I want to be played only by Windows Media Player. My actual iTunes files are in Users\Public\Public Music. In Windows Media Player, under File | Manage Libraries | Change how library gathers its contents, I only have User\Me\My Music listed, which is obviously the default. Now only the music that I want to be played by WMP is displayed.

When I started WMP from scratch, it catalogued all my iTunes, until I made the changes above, and then when I restarted WMP, the iTunes had gone.

One minor thing however is that now in Win 7, clicking on Start | Computer | My Computer | Libraries does not show the public music folder, but this can be viewd through C:\Users\Public, which is not such a hassle, and actually makes me less puzzled by the library system, which was something to get used to after Win XP.

[wiggly1uk2000]

Wonder if this is too late, but I've only just installed Win 7. To get round the problem you've highlighted, I have my iTunes library data in Users\Me\My Music which is where I also have music that I want to be played only by Windows Media Player. My actual iTunes files are in Users\Public\Public Music. In Windows Media Player, under File | Manage Libraries | Change how library gathers its contents, I only have User\Me\My Music listed, which is obviously the default. Now only the music that I want to be played by WMP is displayed.

When I started WMP from scratch, it catalogued all my iTunes, until I made the changes above, and then when I restarted WMP, the iTunes had gone.

One minor thing however is that now in Win 7, clicking on Start | Computer | My Computer | Libraries does not show the public music folder, but this can be viewd through C:\Users\Public, which is not such a hassle, and actually makes me less puzzled by the library system, which was something to get used to after Win XP.

Thanks for the tip. The only problem with that approach is that I like to backup my iTunes library (music and library data) from one folder as it makes life easier. My favoured workaround is to simply remove the My Music folder from the Win7 library and reserve it solely for iTunes use. I then keep all of my non iTunes music in the public music folder where it can be catalogued by WMP.