Original File could not be found

I've noticed that some of the songs I've downloaded now have ! marks next to them on itunes, and when I try to play them or edit them, I get a message that says "The song [name] could not be used because the original file could not be found." However, the song still plays fine on my ipod.

What is wrong and how do I fix it?

My friend had this problem as well, and it's eventually what ultimately pissed him off so much that he ditched iTunes in favor of foobar. And this is a guy who doesn't really know all that much about computers and programs. iTunes is just that bad, even to casual consumers.

I unfortunately don't have a suggestion for you (besides to look in your folder where all the songs are stored and confirm that they are in fact still there), but I warn you in advance of the coming "that's iTunes for ya lol" comments.

This has happened to me before.

I find that the best way to fix the problem is to right click on the song and select the option that says something like "Locate file manually." You'll then be able to browse through your folders until you find your downloaded file. Direct iTunes to it, and it should work.

I'm guessing since importing the songs into iTunes, you've moved them to a different folder or sorted them or something. iTunes doesn't like that.

Oh, it just means iTunes has changed your library folder. Don't worry, it happens randomly, like when the wireless lags or you pull out an USB harddrive or...
The only suggestion I can give you is to change it back. Watch out for duplicates though, that's also common.