Forgot to backup itunes library.itl and xml files

I backup pretty much everything. Unfortunately I forgot about the itunes library datase files, the itubes library.itl and xml files. The hard drive has been repartioned and formated, so it's gone. I do have all the music in the exact same directory structure though. Both versions are Windows 7 x64. I aslo have my iPOD.
What I want to figure out how to do is import the database into a new install of itunes. So the music and stuff doesn't matter. It's all there in the same set of folders, with the exact same path as before. Is there any way to create the itl and xml files containing the metadata from the iPOD?
I wouldn't even be all that bummed if I had to let my music import from the hard drive again. I just really really want to import my playlists. That would really suck if I had to type them all in manually from the iPOD. If anyone could point me int he right direction, I would really appreciate it.

Ok googlers from the future, here is the sultion I used.
This solution puts everything back to normal with minimal work, but it costs you however much disk space is on your ipod. I downloaded the copytrans suite off the piratebay. Then I used the ipod copy to back up my ipod. This will copy things to folders based on tags. So you have to have a second copy of your music. Once it is backed up remote the itunes library files from the top folder of the itunes library. Start itunes, and then go to import playlist. Then you select the xml file from your ipod backup. This will import the entire library into itunes. When you sync your ipod it will say iit is going to delete everything and reload it, but it doesn't. If there was stuff that was no in the library it would delete it, but there won't be because the library came from your ipod to being with. So it just copies anything to it that wasn't there, if there is anything.
From that point, when you want to add stuff to your library/ipod, you have to put a copy of the music in the library you made. So all the music you want on your computer and your ipod will take up double space on your hard drive because you have to put a copy in the library folder. Once it is there, you just go to add folder and select your library folder. THis will make it rescan and put the new songs in the database.
The good part of this is you don't have to do selective ipod loading. You make the selection when you copy to the library folder. So at that point you just sync your ipod making an exact copy.
That was the best solution for me anyway, with a big library and lots of playlists. I also never use itunes. The sole purpose of having itunes is to load my ipod. My ipod I use daily though. I don't drive anywhere without it connected to my stereo. Being able to select anything in a massive music library from my head unit while driving around is seriously awesome.

Similar Messages

  • I fouled up; erased library .itl and .xml files; need a little help

    I think I see what I did wrong (my issue relates to this reply post I submitted earlier today >> https://discussions.apple.com/message/16254985#16254985 but I don't think there's any need to go back and read that post to get the gist of my problem).
    So, after knocking around and reading a whole bunch of forum posts and Apple support pubs, I now know I did something dumb.
    Simply put, last night, in the course of attempting to delete from my MacBook Pro the iTunes library file residing there (the one designed to contain actual media files, i.e., music, books, podcasts, etc.), I also deleted the iTunes Library.itl and iTunes Library.xml files.  Yes, doh! is right.
    [BTW, the idea behind deleting the media library on the MBP was because my media files are -- and have been for some time -- located on an external hard drive.  So the good news is I still have all my media.  Of course, the bad news is I lost all playlists and a host of song-specific information and I'm sure a bunch of other stuff that is organized on the iTunes Library.itl file.  (Apple's helpful info sheet on the .itl and .xml files at >> http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1660)]
    So  I opened up iTunes today and there is nothing there, i.e., looks like just opened for the first time ever.  I now know that in the absence of the .itl and .xml files (which I trashed yesterday), iTunes went ahead and created new, empty versions of these files.
    HERE'S THE QUESTION: what should or can i do now to rebuild my library?  My media files still reside on my external HD and there they must stay because there isn't remotely enough room on the MBP hard drive itself.
    I'm just sort of stumped.  And skittish.  I don't want to make another dumb mistake that will make things even worse.  Any ideas?

    Hey, sorry to hear that, but good to know  that you have all your "stuff" and its just a matter of getting it all back together in the right place.  So, I have some ideas why it happened to me and maybe why this happened to you, which may be relevant later, but first I'll first explain how I got out of this jam.
    After much investigating, I finally did a search for .itl files and ended up "finding" one in the Media folder itself, specifically in the Music folder (yeah, should have done this much earlier).  Looking around, I also found the other files and folders that are supposed to be at same directory level as "iTunes Media." 
    At this point, I just moved them back to where they were supposed to be and opened iTunes and, voila, there was my stuff (albeit not quite all of it or exactly as it should be).  Then, after making sure my Media folder was properly identified in Advanced Preferences, I checked the boxes under File -> Library -> Organize Library and iTunes started doing some activity that seemed like it was reorganizing or rechecking the organization (you can see I am no expert here).
    So like I indicated, it wasn't exactly the way it was when I last used iTunes before I had the problems (e.g., various podcasts, books, etc. werent there -- so i just added them into the Library manually, i.e., File -> Add To Library, etc.).
    Anyway, I hope this helps if you haven't already fixed your problem.  If not, I might have some other ideas I came across while still searching for solution to my problem.  Best of luck.

  • New PC-do I need to transfer Itunes library files (itl and xml files?)

    Hi gang,
    I followed the Itunes tutorial for Windows and moved my Itunes music library to a EHD as it was filling up my laptop. I left the itl and xml library files on the laptop hard drive as instructed.
    However, this laptop is a work PC and if I change jobs I will need to download a new version of Itunes to the new PC. I know how to import the files from the EHD but my question is the following:
    1. Do I need to back up the itl and xml library files to the EHD before I give back the work PC? It seems likely since they contain info about the playlists.
    2. Once I download Itunes on the new PC would I just copy the library files onto the hard drive or can they remain on the EHD?
    It sounds like (from reading some info from Chris CA) that I need to make a copy of the Itunes folder (which includes the itl and xml files) from the laptop hard drive and put it on the EHD inside the EHD Itunes folder. Then with the new PC load a new version of Itunes and hold the shift key when launching. Then I would select the library from the EHD.
    Is that correct?
    Thanks!
    Any help would be appreciated as I cannot find anything on this in Itunes help or the forum.

    Assuming you start with a standard configuration which is:
    The iTunes folder in My music on your c: drive and all your music in the iTunes Music folder in the iTunes folder on the c: drive.
    Starting from there, with iTunes closed, you copy the iTunes folder to an external drive, this also copies the music in the iTunes Muisc folder.
    To move to a new PC, you install iTunes, then you drag your new iTunes folder to the desktop, then you replace it by copying the iTunes folder from the external drive.
    With this set up you can also run entirely on the EHD if you want to. Just start iTunes with the shift key held down, navigate to the iTunes folder on the external drive an choose iTunes Library.itl. This could be useful if you want to dake the EHD to work.
    If you are not starting from the default position I described, some adjustments would have to be made, but it would need an exact descripition of how your folders are set up at the moment.

  • Have itl and xml files on external hd am running home premium. can  no longer access files, am told this is because they were created with a newer version of itunes. also when i try to download 10.3 it wont, just says invalid drive j and for me to try aga

    i am running vista home premium on desktop and vista basic on laptop. have placed my itunes music with .itl and .xml files onto external drive connected to another desktop running vista and can no longer access music on first two mentioned comps only on the one connected to external drive. always am told that the library cant be read because it was created using a newer version of itunes. have tried to download 10.3 but it always tells me that i have and invalid hard drive j and to try again. any ideas?

    Older versions of iTunes cannot read libraries created with newer versions of iTunes. You need to have the same version of iTunes on all your PCs. Is that the case?
    As far as the problem installing iTunes goes, see this article from b noir on dealing with the problem:
    https://discussions.apple.com/thread/2450004
    If you get to the point where you need the Microsoft Installer cleanup utility, you will need more help as it has been withdrawn by Microsoft. but I am hoping the virtual drive trick will work,

  • Changing default directory for iTunes Library.itl and iTunes Music Library.

    I need to change the default directory for the files iTunes Library.itl and iTunes Music Library.xml permanently.
    It must be relocated from the My Documents directory due to VPN reasons.
    Has anybody an idea if this is possible? I could not find a corresponding registry entry.
    Notebook Windows XP Pro

    Using TweakUI to Move or Create Your Library/My Music Location
    Use TweakUI (See: ’Disk is locked’ or ‘iTunes folder cannot be found’ when installing or opening iTunes ) to create a 'My Music' folder in a spot where you desire. iTunes should then find this location and deposit its Library files there, and the 'iTunes' folder and sub-folders as well (if you direct it to).
    First, see this Article for some background information: What are the iTunes Library files?
    If you cannot see the ‘My Music’ folder within the TweakUI drop-down selection, proceed on to the following:
    1 On the start menu go to ‘Run’
    2 Type in RegEdit
    3 Navigate in RegEdit to HKEYCURRENTUSER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\User Shell Folders
    4 Delete any entry for ‘My Music’
    5 Navigate up the tree to HKEYCURRENTUSER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Shell Folders
    6 Make sure there is an entry for ‘My Music’ and is pointing to C:\Documents and Settings\[username]\My Documents\My Music (you can edit the value by double clicking it)
    7 Close RegEdit
    8 Reboot
    iTunes &/or TweakUI should now be able to find the folder.

  • After reinstalling itune I have iTunes library.itl and libdipatch.dll displayed

    After reinstalling iTunes I have the messages "iTunes library.itl" and "libdispatch.dll" displayed when clicking on iTunes. Any Ideas?

    Your library should be safe.
    See Troubleshooting issues with iTunes for Windows updates.
    tt2

  • How do the itl and xml files work

    Due to some problems I have been having (now solved) I have been trying to get to grips with how these 2 files work.
    I now have a library of 37000 some songs in q:\itunes\itunes music and everything is working fine.
    However when I look in the xml file some song pointers are still to my documents\my music\itunes yet itunes still finds them. How?
    Does itunes look for the location set in edit>preferences>advanced>itunes music folder location first and then check the xml file address if it cannot find them there?
    Also if the songs are in the correct location anyway why is the xml file pointer looking at my documents.
    Does anyone know if this is abnormal? Can anyone explain the logic to me please 'cos to me it ain't logical!!
    Regards,
    Andy.

    I think iTunes must have got in a muddle as a result of the way you transfered your files to the external drive.
    It is important to realise that the iTunes Music folder location as designated in your preferences tells iTunes where to add music in the future. It is quite possible to get in a situation where iTunes looks there for newly added music, but continues to look in the old location for previously added files.
    If the xml file tells you it is accessing files in iTunes iTunes Music on your c: drive, then that is it is telling the truth. However these files are not longer in THE itunes Muisc folder , that is to say the one set in your preferences. All very confusing I am afraid.
    If your file locations get corrected when you play a track, there is something you could try.
    First close iTunes and make a copy of your xml and itl files in case you don't like what happens.
    Now open iTunes and go to you music view and select your entire library with select all.
    Right click in the selection and choose Get Info. Say yes to multimle edits.
    When you see the multipe edit Get Into screen, simply exit with OK, do nothing else. This will force iTunes to reread all your tags which may take a while if your library is large. If I geussed right, it will also update the file locations. Although I have used multiple get into in this way to correct tag into I haven't tried it to correct paths so this is just a guess - it could only possibly work for files that are in the designated iTunes Music folder in the proper place, but iTunes is still pointing to an old loaction where the files no longer exist.

  • HT1296 so itunes deleted all my music from itunes, I still have all the original files however I unwittingly added new music after this happened which wipes the itl and xml files. I have my playlists on my iphone. how do I get itunes back to its original

    If this cant be resolved I think apple and I shall be parting ways its been a long time in the coming

    Also, what causes this, so I can avoid it in the future?

  • ITunes 11 - Where is the iTunes Library.itl file?

    I used iTunes 11 to move my entire library to a new Western Digital Thunderbolt duo drive.  In iTunes advanced settings, I specified an itunes library path of /Volumes/Media Library/iTunes Media.   Then from the menu selected File -> Library -> Organize Library.  This moved all my itunes media from my local hard drive to the external drive in the path specified above.  As expected,  there was still a /Users/bernie/Music/iTunes/iTunes Media folder, which contained my iTunes Library.itl and other files.  So, I moved this folder somewhere else, yet iTunes continues to function normally.
    The iTunes Library.itl file is NOT on the external drive.  Can anyone tell me if this file is still necessary, and if so, how is my iTunes still working without it?
    -Thanks

    You did not in fact move your entire library, you moved just the media files.  Your iTunes application is likely using the true "library" file (along with all the other supporting files it needs) normally in your Home > Music > iTunes folder.  I have not tried what you have done but it seems iTunes is keeping track of where you have relocated that iTunes folder with the rest of the library in it.  In some regards iTunes is good at keeping track of moving files, but is horribly unforgiving if you do that to media files.
    Yes, that file is still necessary, though you could use Spotlight to see if you have other copies iTunes could be using instead.
    To properly move your whole library to the external you should have copied the whole iTunes folder to the external drive, then start iTunes with the option (alt) key held down and guided it to the iTunes Library.itl file on the external drive.
    As expected,  there was still a /Users/bernie/Music/iTunes/iTunes Media folder, which contained my iTunes Library.itl and other files.
    Is this accurate?  Your iTunes Library.itl file should not have been in your media folder.

  • HT1451 did anyone else find that an .itl or .xml file had to be present in order to open/ find the itunes library

    this is the correction to the article. REPLACE .itl and .xml files . itunes will not open without them. .itl especially
    long story of broken Macbook Pros. new one and the external drive had the only copy of iTunes. i had music on various drives so i started a new itunes library and imported all the music i could find, including from the 'only copy'. problem: a hundred playlists in painstaking order not there.
    followed the instructions from this article. except. when itunes opens, it has to have the .itl and .xml file present.
    i still had a spare copy of "only copy" so i replaced the NEW iTunes composite library's .itl and .xml files with the ones from 'only copy'. opened it up and there were all my playlists. now i may have to re-import music from various and tweak the playlists. but i don't have to RE-DO THEM. 

    CB many thanks!
    woke up today with the exact same problem... iMac locked up while playing a video podcast off my NAS
    (it was happily playing the audio even though the mouse was frozen)
    couldnt get permission control of my Library.itl so found your post,
    turned off the iTunes Server in my Synology (dont use it like that anyway) and rebooted the NAS.
    iTunes immediatley launched WITHOUT the lock, performed its repair check and up it came!
    THANK-YOU
    ...oddly I notice that I dont have permissions to ANY of my directorys/files,
    guess 'cause they are set in the Synology Shared Folder permissions?
    All are listed in the finder as:
    (unknown) R&W
    everyone NO ACCESS
    cockbongo wrote:
     I had exactly the same problem, but appear to have solved it
    Not sure what make/model NAS you have, but if it has an iTunes Server type service on it, turn it off. This won't delete your music folder, don't worry, but it will stop your NAS thinking it deserves exclusive access to the library files. Then reboot your NAS and voila, you can do what you like with the files.
    You can turn the iTunes service back on whenever you've finished doing what you need to do.
    Hope that helps.

  • ITunes Library.itl file, and temp files after Time Machine retrieval

    Hi - I messed up a playlist and got it back fine using Time Machine, but I'm left with temp files as well as iTunes Library.itl and iTunes Library.xml files on my desktop (that's where I placed the needed file for playlist re-import).  Can't delete them, can't move them....what do I do with them?!  Thanks in advance for any guidance.

    <<  Quit iTunes then delete them.  >>
    Thanks, but with iTunes closed, I get this when I try to delete.

  • HT5191 the itunes library .itl fileis locked on a locked disk, or you dont have the write permission for this file.  this is what it says every time i try and open itunes why ?

    the itunes library .itl fileis locked on a locked disk, or you dont have the write permission for this file.  this is what it says every time i try and open itunes why ?

    Sounds like a permission issue.
    Navigate to the iTunes Music Library.itl file
    The path should be Username/Music/iTunes/
    Right click on the iTunes Library.itl and select Get Info
    The window will open on the left hand side. Go to the Sharing and Permissions section at the bottom
    Click the padlock to allow changes and enter your Mac logon password
    Select yourself and make sure you have Read & Write selected. Click padlock to lock it again
    Close the Get Info window and try and start iTunes

  • How to convert iTunes 7.0 to 6.0.5 (the iTunes Library.itl)

    I found a useful method to get 6.0.5 installed back without any loss of files(if you forgot it backup).
    Yes, I have try it and yes it did fix my problems.
    This should fix all prblems in 7.0 that people hate. Could someone sticky this?
    Backup your files in iTunes 7.0(iTunes Lirbabry.itl)
    (optional: Back up all purchases as you might lose them in the process!)
    Uninstall7.0 and install 6.0.5
    Delete the "Itunes Library.itl" file in the iTunes music folder & "iTunes Music Library.xml"
    (Normally found in ...\My Documents\My Music\iTunes)
    Now run ITunes 6.0.5
    While iTunes is running delete both those filed created.
    Now close iTunes.
    To put the backup file from the first step back where it was back into (...\My Documents\My Music\iTunes) or where your iTunes folder is.
    Now start it
    There shouldn't be any problems and it should work normally(atleast mine does)
    Notes:
    You don't need to restart your PC(or normally shouldn't)
    Just bumb this post every once in a while so others can get 7.0 back to 6.0

    One question: How do u backup files? Is that what the
    Consolidate Library thing is about??
    Actually, no. That's different. First, to backup your music library, simply copy your music and database files to somewhere offline. the database files are files with extension .itl and .xml. For example, in my "My Music" folder, I have a folder called "iTunes." This folder contains the files "iTunes Library.itl" and "iTunes Music Library.xml." These are your database files. All my music is in sub-folders within this iTunes folder. I simply send the entire iTunes folder to offline storage to backup. I believe this is all you need to do.
    Regarding the Consolidate Library thing, this is something different. iTunes can add music to your library from anywhere on your system, even (I think) a network share. The music doesn't have to reside in the iTunes Music folder. It adds the music to your library, then when you play it, iTunes reaches out to that location for the file and plays it from there. However, you can change a setting in preferences to alter this behavior.
    Go to the Advanced tab in Preferences. Here, you'll find a checkbox that says "Copy files to iTunes Music folder when adding to library." If this is unchecked, then iTunes behaves as I decribed above. If, however, you check that option, iTunes will make a copy of every file you've added to your library in the iTunes Music folder.
    If you have the option above deselected, then the "Consolidate" function will copy all that media to the iTunes Music Folder and link to those copies instead of the originals that do not reside there.
    Hope that helps.
    BTW, iTunes 7 now has a "Backup to disc" option in it's file menu that simplifies the backup process. (although I have yet to try it)
    Dell Latitude X1   Windows XP Pro   iTunes 7 with 30GB 5G iPod version 1.2

  • My reinstalled iTunes keeps saying: THE FILE "ITUNES LIBRARY.ITL" CANNOT BE READ BECAUSE IT WAS CREATED BY A NEWER VERSION OF ITUNES....

    I accidentally uninstalled Quicktime from my computer so my Itunes was not functioning. It told me to uninstall my Itunes, then reinstall it. Which I did.
    Trouble is, now it comes up with 'THE FILE "ITUNES LIBRARY.ITL" CANNOT BE READ BECAUSE IT WAS CREATED BY A NEWER VERSION OF ITUNES'...which I believe is because before I uninstalled my original Itunes, I had not completed the recent update to the newest version of Itunes, whereas the one I just installed is the latest one.
    So THEN, I download the previous version of Itunes (iTunes 10.2.1(x64)) but when I try and run it, it comes up with the message that the thing '...IS NOT VALID WIN32 APPLICATION'.
    Now I'm stuck and have absolutely no idea what to do. Please help!

    When iTunes updates, it should create a backup of your library file before updating.
    You may be able to get back by using this article:
    http://support.apple.com/kb/TS1967?viewlocale=en_US
    When doing this, drag BOTH iTunes Library.itl and iTunes Library.xml to the desktop. You will need the xml file if the method above doesn't work.
    In that case try this:
    http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1451

  • ITunes keeps trashing 'itunes library.itl'

    iTunes was working just fine under my WinXP Pro system, with the latest windoze patches. I'm running 7.02 of iTunes. It could sync with my iPod just fine and it played my music fine on the PC.
    Suddenly about a week ago, I started getting popup windows when I started itunes, saying: "the file itunes library.itl does not appear to be a valid itunes library file". It then tells me that it renamed the library file as 'damaged' and is rebuilding the library.
    After going thru this for days, I did an uninstall of itunes, erased all the itunes directories and rebooted. I then did a clean install of iTunes 7.02. After spending hours getting my library setup with my playlists and cover art again, I thought I had it fixed. But, rebooting just found the same problems all over again. This morning, it couldn't find a good copy to use, so it started with an empty library!
    There are no other .itl files in the 'previous' folder or anywhere else in 'my music'. This is driving me crazy - I can't stand having to constantly recreate everything, only to have iTunes throw it all away?
    Does anyone have ANY suggestions???? I'm willing to try about anything... (Please don't give me juvenile comments about converting to a mac...)

    A lot of people seem to be getting this problem and no one has come up with a satisfactory explanation for it.
    Is there anything unusual about your configuration - external drive, network, v large library?
    About all I can offer is to suggest you make regular backup copies of you library so you can restore it if the proble recurs.
    The library files are in:
    My Documents\My Music\iTunes
    Close iTunes and wait about 30 seconds.
    Copy iTunes Library.itl and iTunes Music Library.xml somewhere else e.g. into the Previous iTunes Libraries folder.
    To restore, with iTunes closed drag the current itl and xml file from the iTunes folder to the desktop, then copy the backup iTunes Library.itl into the iTunes folder. The xml file isn’t necessary but can come in handy if the library needs to be recreated and the itl file is causing problems.

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