ITunes Library File Cannot be Saved. The Disk Cannot be Read From . . .

I use a MacBook Pro with a healthy battery. My iTunes songs are on a USB drive. The Database and XML files are on my MacBook. Power went out in my house and the USB drive shut off. The MacBook stayed up and running. Power came back, powered on the USB drive, open iTunes, and bang: This sorry error: iTunes Library File Cannot be Saved. The Disk Cannot be Read From or Written to.
The disks are healthy, did an fsck and ran disk verify/repair. No problems. Restart iTunes, same error. Obviously a corrupted Databse file. This wouldn't be a big deal if only the XML info would be useful and actually restore critical info such as play count and dates which is essential for the Not-So-Smart Playlist dependencies to work.
This is the third time I've been burned with corrupted iTunes "Database" files. I use "Database" in quotes because a true Database wouldn't crap out like this. It would be recoverable. It would understand a simple SQL "Where" statement. It would have a maintenance script and some means for recoverable backup beyond the lame process of copying the XML file. Or it would at least read in the info the XML file.
I am becoming disillusioned with iTunes and I'm beginning to yearn for my old Linux box running GTKPod which never failed me....

OK, here's an update - After doing the restore as mentioned having everything seemingly work, I erroniously downloaded the iTunes 7.4 & 7.4.1 updates. Now, about 80% of library is non-responsive, ie: shows up in iTunes, but clicking to play does nothing at all. the other 20% of my library plays, but it's not the song it is supposed to be playing. For example, clicking on a song from say, ABBA prodes a wonderful Gorillaz track :-/ (The same Gorillaz track which will not play if I select it...)
I reiterate: WE NEED A MEANS TO BACKUP OUR LIBRARIES RELIABLY!!!!!!!!!!

Similar Messages

  • HT1660 the itunes library file cannot be saved.The disk you are attempting to use is full. What do i do?

    the itunes library file cannot be saved.
    the disk you are attempting to use is full.
    What do I do?

    Short term, free up some disk space. Long term, move the library to a bigger drive.
    tt2

  • ITunes Error when using Nas drive..Error occurred while converting the file the disk can not read from or written to

    This is the error I get only when trying to convert a file to AAC.  I have my itunes library stored on a network drive it all works fine I can add files sync files with my devices exc.  Only when I dry to convert a flie from mp3 to AAC do I get this error.  Any one have any suggestions.
    Thanks
    Rick

    I wonder if the disk being referred to is actually your iPod which is not plugged in. Maybe something has stuck thinking the iPod should be there.
    Try completely removing all the iTunes related programs according to this method.
    http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1923
    Restart you PC and see if startup improves.
    If it doesn't improve you need to consider the possibility that there is something else going on.
    If The problem goes away, hopefully a fresh install will be OK.

  • When I update my nano ipod I get an error message "User ipod cannot be updated.  The disk couldnot be read from or written to."   How can I overcome this error message.

    In the iTunes window, when I update my nano ipod, I get an error message "User ipod cannot be updated.  The disk could not be read from or written to."   How can I overcome this error message.

    Hello there dilip77707,
    It sounds like you are getting this error message that your iPod cannot be read from or written to when you are trying to update your iPod Nano. I recommend the troubleshooting from the following article to help you get that resolved. Its pretty straight forward, just start at the top and work your way down as needed:
     'Disk cannot be read from or written to' when syncing iPod or 'Firmware update failure' error when updating or restoring iPod
    Thank you for using Apple Support Communities.
    All the very best,
    Sterling

  • How to get music from an iPod Touch to an iTunes library, even if some of the music wasn't purchased from the iTunes Store

    So I just got a new laptop,
    I downloaded iTunes
    I Authorized the computer and all that,
    I transported my purchases from my account and all went well,
    But I just want to know if it's possible to take the music from my iPod Touch 4 and put in on the laptops iTunes library?
    I have a Windows laptop
    The songs that I have on the iPod aren't from the iTunes Store and I've been looking for ways to try different things but nothing is working
    I don't even care if the steps are complicated or if it will takes a couple days or if I have to download the songs one at a time, I just NEED to figure this out

    See Recover your iTunes library from your iPod or iOS device.
    If you want free try MediaMonkey to extract the media and the two scripts near the end to recover ratings and playlists.
    For the future see Backup your iTunes for Windows library with SyncToy.
    tt2

  • The Ipod cannot be updated - The Disk cannot be read from or written to!!!!

    PPPPPPPPPPLLLLLLLLEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAASSSSSSSSSSEEEEEEEEEEE
    Help needed from somone very smart, very proAPPLE , THIS IS REALLY PISSINNNNGGG ME OFFFF, i cant drag music in the ipod, i can use it as data but this message keeps on poping up!...This is the second time i change my ipod shuffle.
    Does anyone else have this problem???
    Please help
    Joe

    Try using the apple updater to do a restore. (I had to uninstall the updater and iTunes then reinstall just the updater do the restore then reinstall itunes.)
    After it's been restored, make sure you've got music in your library. When iTunes next recognises the restored shuffle it should start to automatically copy music to the iPod. While it's doing this, go in to the ipod optons and tick the 'enable disk use' box.
    After doing this you'll need to click the eject button evry time you want to unplug the iPod but at least it should work.

  • Error -50  "iTunes library file cannot be saved" help!

    I just downloaded iTunes 7.3 and the itunes library file is not saving and i get an error message saying, "The iTunes library file cannot be saved. An unknown error has occured (-50)." I'm not sure what's going on, any suggestions ?
    MacBook Pro   Mac OS X (10.4.8)   2.33GHz

    Same problem here since latest update.  As usual poor support from Apple with no answer or fix for this bug.

  • Error message iTunes library file cannot be saved (-50)

    When I open iTunes on my computer (Windows 7 64 bit) I get an error message that the iTunes library file cannont be saved (-50)  Does anyone have an answer on how to correct the error?

    I found this article that may help you, from what I got from the article it says there may be 3rd party software possibly blocking it or time out issues.
    http://support.apple.com/kb/TS1583?viewlocale=en_US
    Hope this helps you!

  • Is there any way to recover the iTunes Library file from the iPod Touch to preserve metadata like Date Added?

    Topic.
    I used software (SharePod) to retrieve music from my iPod Touch after my original harddrive failed, but the program does not retrieve the iTunes Library file needed to import the metadata into iTunes (though it shows in the program itself). The music backed up with no issue, but I don't have what I need to preserve things like Date Added, Play Count, etc. Any solution if I have only the physical iPod Touch?

    Yo may be able to extract some info from the backup of the iPod:
    iPhone Backup Extractor for Windows and Mac
    and Wondershare Dr.Fone for iOS: iPhone Data Recovery - Wondershare Official

  • Why are ITunes Library files stored on Buffalo Pro 1TB NAS being corrupted?

    I'm having a flaky problem with the ITunes library files (Mac version) stored on a Buffalo NAS. Frequently, ITunes says the ITunes library file is damaged and creates a new one.
    Moreover, there are temp files that ITunes apparntly creates that apparently become the new Library and XML files when ITunes shuts down. Apparently, this is done behind the scenes while ITunes is shutting down, but lately, these files are no longer being renamed or deleted. Often multiple temp files will accumulate.
    Lastly, and most oddly, if I try to rename one of these temp files to ITunes Library based on best guess from size and date which is the ITunes Library file, it sometimes works, but it sometimes doesn't. When it doesn't, I will find a "phantom" ITunes Library file and ITunes Library.xml that cannot be selected, opened or deleted. They are greyed out in Finder. Since the file exists, a rename or copy will fail, saying a file already exists with that name, but I can't select it to delete it. Often when this happens, the actual file name seems to "flicker" between temp file and Itunes Library file. If I try to click on ITunes Library, it disappears, but a new temp file instantly appears. If I try to click on the temp file, that disappears and the ITunes Library file appears.
    Rebooting the NAS fixes the phantom file problem. I delete all ITunes library and temp files, and reindex from ITunes, but it only starts all over again.
    If I do the same process in Windows, ITunes will only find about 10% of my files and then stop. (I have about 16,500 tracks total.) Windows doesn't seem to have any probelms with "phantom" files.
    Checks on the NAS disk array show no problems.
    Any thoughts?

    lmdoc50 wrote:
    Had to reconstruct iTunes library.
    Yes, but how?

  • Sharing my iTunes library with other computers on the network

    Hi Everybody,
    I have an external hard disk with about 125 gigs of music on it, and I've spent a year going through it and categorizing it, and rating the songs. The hard disk is plugged into my Aiport Extreme, and communicates with my iMac just fine. My plan was to use my old windows laptop w/ iTunes, plug it into my stereo in the other room and have it pull music off the hd through the Airport, so I could have a jukebox for my stereo.
    I have the windows machine communicating with the Airport and hd, so I have access to the music. I thought I might be able to get the library information if I Exported the Library to the external hd, but it did't work. Next I Exported my playlist from the Mac's iTunes, and Imported it on to the pc's. This shows my playlists, but they are all empty and there is no My Rating information.
    What I would love it to do would be to have mirror playlist information on each computer, and any changes in the playlist would automatically get updated on the other computer's iTunes. for this I would think you would need your Library information at the source of the music, so on the external hard disk, and it would be shared by each computer. It'd be great if all the album covers did this too. I really don't want to have to go through all that music again on the pc, and would probably just use my iPod with my stereo if this is not possible. Any suggestions?
    Forgive me if this has been written about already. Seems like someone else would have run into this too, but I couldn't find any searching through the discussions.
    Thanks, -Victor

    Chris CA wrote:
    Move the entire _iTunes folder_ located in *My Documents/My Music*/ to a Shared directory. Make sure to set this folder for read/write permissions for all users.
    I set my permissions as follows OS 10.4.X:
    first under the original owners login, change all permissions to read & write, then change 'group' to wheel. Then change the owner from the user to system (I applied to all within ~ may not be necessary).
    Start iTunes holding the Shift key and select *Choose existing library* then pick the iTunes library file you moved into the Shared directory.
    In iTunes 7.5, you'll need to hold the Option key and then pick the /Users/Shared/iTunes/iTunes Music
    Quit iTunes and log out of your user and let her log in.
    Start iTunes holding the Shift key and select *Choose existing library* then pick the iTunes library file you moved into the Shared directory.
    Now she needs to File -> *Add folder to library* and pick *My Documents*/My Music*/*iTunes*/iTunes music*.
    This will add all her music to the common library.
    Once this is complete, she can delete *My Documents*/My Music*/*iTunes.
    Do this for all users. Any changes made by one will be seen by all.

  • Sharing iTunes Library with two users on the same computer

    I have all of my music stored on a external hard drive.
    Both users on the same computer have the iTunes music location folder as the external hard drive. How do I see music added in one persons log-in? For example: I just purchased two albums under one log-in. The second log in can not see that music unless I manually add it.
    Both Libraries point to the same file location.
    I have over 40GB of music and I am looking for a way to manage my music files more effectively and I want to make sure that both log-ins have the same music.
    I followed the instructions in article HT1203 from the apple support site.

    lafdengine9 wrote:
    Both users on the same computer have the iTunes music location folder as the external hard drive. How do I see music added in one persons log-in? For example: I just purchased two albums under one log-in. The second log in can not see that music unless I manually add it.
    The reason you are having this issue is because you have a shared library but private databases. What you have on the external drive is the collection of media files (library) that each account is set up to access as the source for media. What you have not done is set up a shared iTunes database, so each user accesses the same library differently.
    When each user opens iTunes, iTunes access the database on their account (~/Music/iTunes/iTunes Library). Therefore, their settings, views, playlists, etc., are private. When they add songs to their library only their database file is updated to reflect those additions; simply having files in the music folder does not mean that iTunes will recognize them, hence the reason iTunes asked you if you want to move the file to the trash when you delete it from your library.
    The confusion here is the double use of the term library. The contents of you music folder most definitely constitutes your media library, as it is the collection of your media files. What you see as your library in iTunes is not your library but, for the most part, the content stored in a database table maintained by iTunes in the iTunes Library file in your iTunes folder. iTunes does not access your actual media files unless it is absolutely necessary. The general assumption is that what is shown in your iTunes “library” will actually mirror what is in your music folder.
    So the missing step in your setup would be to switch to the account that has the most current iTunes library—that is the one reflects the actual contents of your music folder as of now—and follow this procedure.
    1. Quit iTunes.
    2. Move the iTunes folder to the Shared folder (./Users/Shared).
    3. Launch iTunes, but immediately hold the option key to invoke the Choose Library window.
    4. Select the database (iTunes Library file) now located in the shared folder.
    5. If you do not see your content, go to iTunes’ preferences and reset the location of the music folder to the external drive.
    6. In the other accounts, re-launch iTunes and change the library according to steps 3 and 4.
    Now all users will have access to the same iTunes database as well as the shared library. The downside of this is that each user will have full access privileges. If you have iTunes 8, then to avoid the disadvantages that come with this type of set up, see [this thread|http://forums.macworld.com/thread/105366?tstart=0] over at Macworld.

  • XCode update deleted iTunes Library files

    I just updated XCode, and this meant updating the part about mobile applications, and my itunes library file was deleted in the process. Is there any way to retrieve my playlists/ratings? Last backup was a while ago, guess I've lost about 1000 ratings.
    Anyone else had this happen?
    I'm a DJ, so this is a bit devastating, not convinced the backup will restore things but will attempt it if there's no other way to retrieve the original XML/ITL files...
    cheers

    Thankyou! I just tried however it won't let me create a new one on the external? Perhaps I have utterly stuffed up when removing the old ones. Is there a way around this? Thanks

  • Merging Itunes library files

    I have all my music stored in one ITunes Media folder and have 2 different subsets of the music mapped to 2 different Ipods (so each subset has its own Itunes library file). I'm looking for an easy way to merge 2 different Itunes library files (so to have the music from the 2 ipods in one single library).
    The 2 methods I know of are both cumbersome.
    The first is to take the first library and add in it all the folders of the artists that compose the second library.
    The second is to create a library with all my music and then to suppress everything I don't want in there.
    Thanks.

    Hi, Dorothy, and welcome to the Discussions.
    Just once, you're going to have to hook up the old computer, to copy everything over to the new one.
    Please see:
    http://discussions.apple.com/message.jspa?messageID=1271401#1271401
    and:
    http://discussions.apple.com/message.jspa?messageID=607339

  • Trying to back up iPad to external hard drive, "iTunes library file cannot be saved. The disk you are attempting to use is full."

    This issue is somewhat complex so I will try to explain it as clearly as I can. Any help will be greatly appreciated.
    It all began when I kept getting popups from my iPad saying that I had not backed up since May. I realized that was pretty dangerous so I decided to finally try syncing it to iTunes, though I had avoided doing so for so long because I knew that when I tried there was no room on the computer. I then remembered that I have an external hard drive with plenty of storage space, so I got that out and set it up with a folder to move iTunes and the backup into.
    On iTunes I went to the Advanced Preferences and changed iTunes Media Folder Location to the G: folder, with the keep organized box checked. I also copied the previous backups from the original C: drive to G: so that I could delete the ones on C:.
    I used Junction Link Magic to link my now empty MobileSync backup on C: to a new (JLM would not work unless it was empty) backup folder on external hard drive G:.
    I plugged in my iPad to iTunes to sync it, and while it was backing up I checked the new folder on G: to make sure that the backup was being put there. It was.
    However, about halfway through I got the message "iTunes library file cannot be saved. The disk you are attempting to use is full."
    My question is Why? If it is being made in a 1.5 terabyte hard drive now, and not the computer, why is there no disk space? My guess is that it must still somehow be saving to the computer. But how? And how can I get it to save solely on the G: drive where there is enough room?
    I am running Windows XP and the latest version of iTunes.
    An additional but not as crucial issue:
    Much of my music has been lost, with the being displayed next to the songs in the iTunes library, and only 50 (purchased) songs remain on my iPad. This was because those missing songs were stored on a different external hard drive ( I:). However, I copied many of the music folders on I: over to G: so that everything could be together. I am wondering if it is possible for me to get these songs back onto my iPad. But this is not my most important issue right now, because I believe that once I get the first issue solved I can simply plug in I: and G: at the same time while syncing the iPad, and get the songs back.
    Note: I have come to realize the iTunes program itself is still under Program Files in the C: drive. Does this have to do with anything?

    Short term, free up some disk space. Long term, move the library to a bigger drive.
    tt2

Maybe you are looking for