Brilliant! Worked a treat :) Couldn't get iTunes to work without this.

Note - the registry entry in User Shell Folders needs to be of type REG_EXPAND_SZ . I made the same mistake as above, moving the My Music folder to an inaccessible network drive. After doing this, the registry key type had changed to REG_SZ, and simply correcting the key data to %USERPROFILE%\My Documents\My Music didn't work. I needed to delete the old key and create a new key with the same name and of type REG_EXPAND_SZ

Thanks, this really helped me out. The morning of a big party, 18000 songs, musicmatch crashed, installed itunes for the first time on my Toshiba laptop and it didn't work! Luckily this saved the day. Now music for everyone!

Great!!
Had moved the "My Music" folder to another hard drive which I then used for something else. I tunes wouldnt even load because it couldnt find the folder.
This restored the folder and solved the problem.
Thanks

Many Thanks!!! That was the key, the whole expandaple SZ part! Thanks!!!1

This was life saving advice. I'm deployed in Afghanistan and the only way I get to watch my favorite TV Show, LOST, is downloading it each week from iTunes. I "backed up" my hard drive and actually moved the folders to a remote hard drive instead. I copied them back, but it still wanted the remote hard drive that I no longer had. And of course Apple being Apple, they give you no easy fix. They just shut you down.

iTunes couldn't find My Music folders and would not launch during or after the installation. (I store my Documents and related folders on a network drive and I think the path / drive letter may have changed at some point, causing the registry to delete the path to the My Music folder reference altogether!)

Anyway, this solution worked like a charm! I might recommend novices backup your registry before making any changes... however this solution is very straight forward!

Thank you for posting it :)

PS Apple should have this Error and Solution documented somewhere -- but they don't.

Help...I deleted rather than move the My Music folder and now it is no where to be seen!! I have the music backed up elsewhere but how do I restore the defauly My Music Folder? iTunces is useless without it. Will reloading XP do the trick?

Grateful for any help. Life in tatters until then...

Thank you! I couldn't solve this mystery until I found your site. Thanks a million.

please explain exactly what I have to do to solve this problem..I'm nt an expert, what is the registry key? thanks

Right now I love you more then life itself.
You saved my ass <3

-Runs to update ipod-

Thanks Soren...just what I was looking for :)

Du er genial!! Har ledt og ledt efter en løsning og geninstalleret iTunes ca 100 gange.

Mange tak!!

Hi, It seems that I am even less expert from the mail above.
I found:
"%HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Shell Folders\cache%.OLK*" and changed it to:
"%HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Shell Folders\my documents\my music".
Is this OK? It didnt help.
I didnt find
"HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\User Shell Folders".
Can you help?
Its the first time that I am dealing with such stuff and it may be that I did wrong

Thanks man you saved me!

I think I muat be a bit stupid, the prolem is as above, However, where do i find HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Shell Folders

Do i go to control panel etc?

Please help to stupid one

THANKS SO MUCH!! I was about to go crazy!

My problem was exactly the same because I moved the folder to an external HD and then it broke, so...

THANKS AGAIN, you saved me a loooooooooooooooooooot of time!

YOU R A GENIUS!!!!!

Dear Soren,
I am writing to thank you for your help with iTunes. I was getting the error message that "iTunes could not locate the My Music folder" and I was unable to access iTunes. I checked with the help people at a local Apple store and they said they had never heard of the problem and referred me to their website, which had a suggestion for downloading and using Tweak U I. I tried that, but My Music wasn't even listed under Special Folders. Finally, I found your website and the specific solution to modify the XP registry settings. It worked! It also revealed why the problem had occurred, which was that My Music had been on a hard drive that had crashed many months ago.

Thank you again, Soren, you saved my music collection!

Jack Kenny
albanytall@earthlink.net

Thank you so much, your post really helped. So I thought I'd give Kudos and praise your intellect at the same time.

There is a step by step tutorial, with pictures here:

http://www.nerdgrind.com/fix-or-restore-my-music-folder/

Fantastic, dude! Other places I looked for help they forgot the user shell folder advice leaving it all useless.
Is it also possible to add a short cut for my videos and so on in the right side of the start menu?

Monday, August 29, 2005

"My Music" Folder Missing
For the past couple of weeks the My Music folder has been missing from the Start menu. Trying to change it using Tweak UI was impossible because it had disappeared from there as well. The problem in first place must’ve been me trying to place the folder on a unaccessible network share.

The fix is simple once you know where to look. Change the following two registry keys to the location of your “My Music” folder and you’re set.

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Shell Folders

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\User Shell Folders

With respect to above, could you please advise how to change the registry keys

Thank you SO SO much for this fix! :)

What about for Vista???? Anyone???

I have found the Registry Editor and have created the new My Music key, but how do I change the type from REG_SZ tp REG_EXPAND_SZ?

Hi Soren,

Having the same problem as everyone else. I have changed the 2 keys as advised to my music folder location, but still not working. I read the post below & seem to have the same problem as him. The type in the user shell folder is REG_SZ & not REG_EXPAND_SZ. I don't know how to change the type as discussed in this post. Can you help please.

Donna

Friday, July 07, 2006 12:18:48 AM (Romance Standard Time, UTC+01:00)
Brilliant! Worked a treat :) Couldn't get iTunes to work without this.

Note - the registry entry in User Shell Folders needs to be of type REG_EXPAND_SZ . I made the same mistake as above, moving the My Music folder to an inaccessible network drive. After doing this, the registry key type had changed to REG_SZ, and simply correcting the key data to %USERPROFILE%\My Documents\My Music didn't work. I needed to delete the old key and create a new key with the same name and of type REG_EXPAND_SZ

Hi Soren,

I have done what you suggested bit still getting the error message that the itunes folder is missing. I have discovered though that itunes is now working in the main profile, so it's my profile that is the problem now. Do you have any ideas?
Donna

Yes Soren, the main user account is working now but my user account is not. Sorry for the confusion of terms
Donna

Hi Soren,
I checked everything & I had been doing it correctly as you had stated to do. So I thought I would give the changing the REG_SZ a try. I needed to delete the old key and create a new key with the same name and of type REG_EXPAND_SZ. It worked! WooHoo!! I'm listening to iTunes again. Thanks for your time and help Soren.
Donna

Hi Soren,
I checked everything & I had been doing it correctly as you had stated to do. So I thought I would give the changing the REG_SZ a try. I needed to delete the old key and create a new key with the same name and of type REG_EXPAND_SZ. It worked! WooHoo!! I'm listening to iTunes again. Thanks for your time and help Soren.
Donna

Master, teach me! ;) You really are wonderful. I've been trying to solve that problem for two days. Not that I couldn't live without having access to "My Music" and "My pictures" from Start Menu, but it was quite annoying. Thank you very much, again. Best regards from Poland :)

Julia.

Just like the others in the post I'm another lost soul that found my way to living again (via itunes) through your advice. If ever you're going to be in Edmonton, Canada please allow me to buy you beer (or a drink of your choice) in copious quantities.

Thank you! For the life of me I could not work out what my daughter had done. You saved me from acquiring more white hairs :-)

Thanks man, this helped me a million. =)

Thank you so much for keeping this up on your site! I very much appreciate it!

Great Tip , thanks a lot it help me out big time.

Erik.

I have no idea how to do this? can someone help

jey me got sorta the same problem!
but i have two disk drives and i made the my music folder locat to another drive for example: (C:)was where it 1st was. then i made it go to (E:) and theni had to take the (E:) drive out one day and then i plugded it back in and from then i have had problems (the 'My Music' Folder) was missing for lost? and cant find it again? help?

I am running a custom built computer:
with 2 hard drives:
(C:) = 160GB and
(E:) - 370GB

and im running Windows Vista 64BIT!
and having probs?
any ideas on how to fix this?
beecause i need to run ITUNES and ITUNES needs the My Music Folder for it to Work?
thanks
Sam

if you have an idea or know how to fix it please email me on:
tairea_samuel@hotmail.com

thanks heaps
Sam

this helped me tons. thanks :)

my husband was moving and deleting his music, then he says the my music folder just disappeared and he can't find it. all music from itunes and my music is gone, the only music left is those not placed in both those folders.
I've looked and can't find anything please can you help me, the spaz lost all my music marrrhahha.
we have xp. i don't know if what you have previously said will help me.
thanks heaps.

You f*cking legend.
Thank you.

im trying to edit the registry key in the user shell folder for the my music folder from REG_SZ to REG_EXPAND_SZ

any help on how?

"Change the following two registry keys to the location of your “My Music” folder and you’re set.

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Shell Folders

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\User Shell Folders"
---------------------------------------
^ I'm retarded when it comes to computers. How do you do this?

I know how to launch the registry editor, but i really need a step-by-step, because i'm dumb

Hi there Soren....
Incorrectly i moved My Music from start :( I just have My documents..My pictures...& My Computer

I am new & need to go step by step ...
I did try going thru all pposts here but could not understand anythin...Just that am scared what if i deleted 1 more thing by mistake & suffer more then what i am at present .
PLEASE if possible send me points like 1st run 2nd blah blah blah ...Is it possible for you to spare some time & help me PLEASE ? I am not able to use itunes :(
I am not very sure if this message will reach you ...Just trying my luck.
Thankyou so much .
Regards
Dipz.

SORRY forgot to mention : I use windows xp

thhhhhhhaaaaaaaankkkkkkkk yoou.

You first open run on the start menu (underneath search) and type in 'regedit'. Click OK.

Go to

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Shell Folders

and double click on the my music folder. If the value data section is empty or incorrect you must put the location of where the music folder is created e.g C:\Documents and Settings\USER\My Documents\My Music

You then go to

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\User Shell Folders

Leave the default folder at the top alone.

If you look at all the other 'TYPE' of files they will all say REG_EXPAND_SZ. If your my music folder etc does say this delete them.

Then go to EDIT ,new, 'expandable string value' and rename to my music. Once this is done double click on a file which aleady had an REG_EXPAND_SZ file e.g STARTMENU, TEMPLATES, MY PICTURES (any file) and copy the value data into the new my music folder. then change the last world of the value e.g /start menu, /templates, /my pictures to /my music.

Itunes should work