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Dupin and "Dead" Tracks

What's a "dead" track?

A dead track is a track in iTunes whose associated file is either missing or is inaccessible when iTunes launches. Because iTunes can't find the track's file it therefore can't access the audio it contains when you try to play it. You can't play it. It's dead.

Dead tracks are indicated in iTunes with a circled "!".

Typically a track becomes dead when its file has been Trashed outside of iTunes—rather than deleting the track and file from iTunes so its database can be updated with the change—or if the volume a file resides on is un-mounted or otherwise unavailable.

Of course, iTunes can't "know" if a file has truly been deleted or is just temporarily inaccessible. Only you know this.

Important considerations regarding Dupin

Dupin is able to detect dead tracks in your library during the Get Dupes operation. Dead track entries will be colored red in Dupin.

Because the existence of a dead track's source file is, at best, ambiguous, Dupin would prefer not to work with them. Thus:

During a Filter operation - dead tracks will be designated as non-Keeper tracks automatically.

During a Purge operation - Dupe Groups containing any dead tracks will be ignored.

Remove "Dead" Tracks...

However, you can remove the dead tracks from Dupin. Additionally, you can delete the dead tracks detected by Dupin from iTunes.

Removing dead tracks detected by Dupin:

Deleting dead tracks from iTunes:

See also

bullet Basic Operations
bullet Other Tasks and Commands