Files moved to external hardrive now iTunes library is empty

I moved iTunes to an external hard drive, but when I go to use iTunes the library is blank. I still have the library on the new drive, how do I get it to appear back on iTunes. My iPod has not been docked so the library in on the iPod as well. Please help.

Did you put back
i both
the music files and the original 'iTunes Library.itl' file to their expected spots?
If the music files are returned without the correct ITL file, you'll end up with a blank Library. If the ITL file is in place without the music files, you'll end up having song references within iTunes with the '!' symbol.
My guess is that you need to find the 'iTunes Library.itl' file that was used when the music was on the C: drive. Did you make any copies of this (before or during your move attempt) or do you have any backup copies of this file? It will need to be placed in the 'My Music\iTunes' folder, replacing the current one that is there.
If the only ITL file you have is the current 'blank' one, you may have lost some music information (playlists, last played, playcount, date added). We can get the music back into the Library with the remainder of the meta-data.
Post back with comments or more questions.

Similar Messages

  • I moved all my files around on my computer to free up space now itunes library is empty?

    i moved all my itunes folder, music,photos etc.. on to d drive to free up space on my computer as c drive was full as i was unable to backup my iphone or update software due to memory space. After i did this i went back in to itunes but all my music,apps etc are gone. It also does not recognise that this is the computer where all my files for my iphone & itunes library are stored. It will not let me backup my phone or update without wiping everything off my iphone first, as it says plug your phone into the computer where your files are stored to update or it will update my phone using this itunes library which is empty??Can anyone advise please?

    I have the similar issue.  Can someone please help us?

  • Help! I moved my songs, and now my library is empty

    I just moved all my music from the My Music folder on my hard drive onto my external HD, and I followed all the directions in the iTunes Help file. But when I restarted iTunes, the entire library was empty.
    Is there a step here I'm missing? How do I get iTunes to recognize where my library is? I already went into the Preferences -> Advanced menu and changed the location of the library, but it still doesn't show up.
    I'd hate to have to manually re-import all the songs (well over 1000 files). Any help would be greatly appreciated!
    HP zv5000   Windows XP   iTunes 7.0.2

    I just did the same exact thing (but recovered!). I hope you didn't empty your recycle bin/trash yet! Your library information is there - get it out!
    The instructions on the web are a bit obtuse - what you need to do is delete ONLY the "iTunes Music" folder within the default iTunes location; I deleted the ENTIRE "iTunes" folder and saw exactly what you do now. You need to restore the "iTunes Library.itl" and "iTunes Music Library.xml" files, and you'll be back in business.
    Not sure how you'll recover if you can't get those files back...

  • Computer Crashed! How do I set up itunes w files on an external hardrive?

    My notebook has a corrupted hard drive and went to junk when I tried to install Service Pack 3 for XP and I cannot get it to run. How can I set up itunes on a new computer when I cannot open itunes in my old one and use the ipod to synch or burn CDs as support suggests? I have all of my music files on an external hardrive and am hoping I can use this to set up on new machine; however, I cannot find any guidance on how to do this or if possible.......
    Thanks!
    PS--I did have itunes 7 installed on the PC before it crashed.

    See this http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4527
    Also, follow the steps given here...
    Syncing to a "New" Computer or replacing a "crashed" Hard Drive

  • I can't find most of my files for the songs in my iTunes library and so cannot Sync them with my iPhone, Help please

    Help please! When I try to sync my iPhone it tells me it can't find most of my files for the songs in my iTunes library, although the songs are there!!

    Can anyone help?

  • Itunes library appears empty

    I have about 5GB of music but all of a sudden my itunes library appears empty... I am pretty sure the music is still in my computer but I can't access it.
      Windows XP  

    do you know where on your machine the files are at (start in "my computer", then into your hard drive, and so on)??? If you do then make sure that the directory that itunes has for your music is the same as where they are actually at. If you can't find them do a search for "all files and folders" using an audio extension such as .mp3 or .aac and see if you can locate where they are at.

  • ITunes library became empty

    My iTunes library became empty when I started iTunes today. This is the second time it is happening.
    Is there any way to recover my library? My music files are still intact and I don't have any purchased music.
    Why does this happen and what can I do to prevent this?
    When exiting iTunes, I get a "memory could not be written" error from Windows.
    Windows XP iTunes 7.1.1.5

    Hi, Pak.
    I don't think the "memory could not be written" error is connected with your empty iTunes Library. To deal with that message, I'd refer you to the Microsoft Knowledge Base .
    As for your empty iTunes Library, although it is blank, your song files are still on your hard drive.
    The problem is with your iTunes Library files which iTunes references to know, among other things, the contents of the Music Library and where the files that make it up are located.
    There have been many reports of problems such as this recently and unfortunately noone seems to know exactly why it's happening - or if they do they're not talking.
    If you don't have a back-up copy of the .itl file, you will want to have a look at this article in the Apple Knowledge Base.
    Let us know if it brings you any combination of joy and/or satisfaction. If not, post back and there's something else we can try.

  • Help! Accidently deleted Itunes library and emptied trash.

    I accidently deleted my Itunes library and emptied the trash. I do have Time Machine. Can I use that to restore it? I went into Time Machine and couldn't click on the "Music" folder where my Itunes library was stored, even on backups earlier than when I deleted it. Am I doomed? How can I restore my library?

    Sure. Just open up Time Machine and choose a time frame when your library still existed. Find the file and click restore.

  • My itunes library is empty but i want to upgrade my ipod without losing my music. how can i do this? please someone HELP!!!

    i recently got a new laptop so my itunes library is empty but i want to upgrade my ipod without losing my music. how can i do this? please someone HELP!!!

    but i got music from my old laptop and my little brothers laptop so basically its no way i can take whats already on my ipod and put it on my computer and drag and drop it to my new itunes library

  • Please help me on this, what happened was that i connected my ipad to the computer and the itunes library was empty although a week ago i had 48 apps on the itunes library

    please help me on this, what happened was that i connected my ipad to the computer and the itunes library was empty although a week ago i had 48 apps on the itunes library

    see my main ques was that i have an ipad 2 in which i have 48 apps and i hv made an itunes account in my computer in which i can backup my purchased apps and i had backed up36 of them so that i can delete them from my ipad if the memory is full but recently when i opened my itunes account in the computer it tells that you dont have any app on this account whereas on my ipad i still do have them, so cant i get all my backed up apps on the itunes account on my computer again?

  • 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

  • How do I make itunes look for my media files on the external hardrive

    I've moved as far as I can tell all my music, videos etc. to an external drive but even though I've set itunes to look for it there in edit-preferences-advanced it still won't go there. In my list everything has the exclamation next to it and when I try to "get info" it says the original can't be found and I have to "find" it. I obviously can't do that for thousands of songs. I just updated the software on both my ipod and itunes and still nothing. I also reset my ipod and it still won't pick it up. My media files are under I:\My Music\iTunes Music\iTunes Music
    Any ideas?

    As implied above, iTunes struggles if you move the content around by hand. Changing the location under Edit > Preferences > Advanced tells iTunes where to put new content, not where to look for the old stuff. That said, if you move the library files and the media at the same time, keeping the relative paths from the library to the media unchanged then iTunes usually manages to work everything out.
    If you copied the iTunes folder over already, then the steps above should sort you out. If not it might be time to get your library sorted out propery.
    The path you mention, I:\My Music\iTunes Music\iTunes Music, looks like it has one too many levels and is the older name for the media folder. Ideally you want your library files at the root of the drive, e.g. I:\iTunes and the media folder inside that at I:\iTunes\iTunes Media. Again, ideally, your folder structure should look like the one on the right in this detatil copied from one of my older posts:
    If you have upgraded from version 8 (or earlier) to iTunes 9 (or later) at some point, then your media folder (everything inside the red outline) may still be called iTunes Music instead of iTunes Media. The extra Music folder inside the media folder is used if you have allowed iTunes to Upgrade to iTunes Media Organization (iTunes 9) or used File > Library > Organize Library > Reorganize files in the folder "<Media Folder>" (iTunes 10). Depending on your choices for Keep iTunes Media folder organized and Copy files to iTunes Media folder when adding to library plus a little bug in which one build changed the name of the file storing the choice of layout it is quite easy for some of your files to be organized according to one layout and some the other.
    If everything is set out like that then iTunes should be able to find things by itself, but if it needs a hand my script FindTracks should be able to relink any files that iTunes can't locate.
    tt2

  • I need help transferring my itunes content from an old exteranl hard drive to a new one. The itunes media folder is on the external drive, the itunes library file (.itl) resides on my mac in the music folder.

    I have already copied over from the old hard drive to the new hard drive the iTunes media folder (423 GB). But this does not contain the iTunes Library .itl file which for good or bad reason has been working from the mac itself from inside the user music folder. In iTunes Preferences, Adanced Preferences window the iTunes media fold location is currently set to the ITunes Media folder on the old hard drive. How and why i set it up like this all that time ago is forgotten! Do i simply browse for a new location for the newly created duplicaye file?  My worry is that i will end up with every song listed twice in iTunes, or worse manage to wipe the content like a mate did!

    Okay, solved.  Simple really, just moved the media folder location and there was no duplication. Phew!

  • HT1026 Moved iMovie files to an external HD- Now have a project full of 'Source clip cant be found' yellow triangles.

    I have foolishly moved my files to an external HD without following this advice. Now I'm left with a project full of 'Source clip cant be found' yellow triangles. Am I seriously going to have to start again or can I move them back somehow? They are from a variety of events and having tried moving some of them back into the imovie events folders using finder, I'm having no luck. Any help?!?

    The other thread I found is here:
    http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=1908460&tstart=15
    I had some initial success after moving my projects and events on to the ext drive. iMovie reconnected the missing source clips and all of my projects played fine, with music and video intact. Hooray!
    However I opened iMovie last night only to discover the source clips missing again. The music and photo stills are fine, it's just the iPhoto video. When I pass the cursor over the ! it tells me it is looking for the files on my HD even though they no longer exist there as I chose the MOVE option, not the COPY.
    Agh!
    I also tried the consolidate media option which tells me not all of the clips and events are on my ext drive (funny that they were yesterday) but when I click the option to move them, nothing happens.
    Do you still have a copy of the events on your ext drive? Can you try copying them over again?

  • Help - moved to new macbook, now iTunes no longer recognising old library

    Hi All,
    Hope you guys can assist me.
    I have recently purchased a new macbook pro and it is replacing my older macbook white.
    I have always kept all my itunes music, both purchased and added from CD on an external 1TB hard drive. This was done becuase the 160GB internal HD got eaten up very quickly.
    I set up the external drive and linked the itunes folder to itunes via preferences many moons ago, probably around itunes 6 or something like that.
    Any who, I have just come to try and add my itunes music to my new macbook pro itunes, and I am not sure how to bring all the music into itunes.
    I have to be honest, I have probably kept my folder stored on my external HD in the wrong configuration for my new itunes to recognise.
    Please, please, please can you help with some advise:-
    1. How should my itunes library (on external HD) be organised, i.e. should all music, TV, Movies etc, be under a specific folder?
         I am wondering if I replicated the file system currently in my macbook onto my external HD and then copied all the music folders into the correct folder, this might clean up my library.
    2. How do I direct itunes towards my library on my external HD so to import all my music, TV etc, into itunes.
    3. Any tips you have on keeping my library in check for the future.
    Thanking you for any advise you can give.
    Matt

    Chris CA wrote:
    I have recently purchased a new macbook pro and it is replacing my older macbook white.
    You should use Migration Assistant to get everything from old computer onto new computer.
    Then everything will work just like old computer..
    2. How do I direct itunes towards my library on my external HD
    (See above before doing this)
    Copy the entire /Music/iTunes/ folder from old computer to new computer.
    Connect external to new computer and launch iTunes.
    Hi Chris,
    As mentioned in my previous post, all my itunes music etc, are/were on a seperate external HD, so never kept on my original macbook, so I am not sure Migration Assistant would have help me on this, as it is just a plug the external HD into the new macbook.
    Therefore I still have the problem of directing itunes to my library on my external HD so that all music etc, shows up in itunes.
    Matt

Maybe you are looking for