Hard drive crashed - how do I recover my library????

My hard drive on my laptop recently crashed & that's where we had my itunes library. We were able to recover the library from the corrupt hard drive. But now that library sits on another computer (the one we used to recover the data). Now that I have installed my new hard drive on my laptop and have re-installed the ipod and itunes software, how do I get my itunes library back on this laptop to where itunes will recognize that library?
Thanks for any help!

Hopefully, when you recovered the HD data, you not only captured all the Artist/Album sub-folders, but the 'iTunes Library.itl' database file (located within the 'iTunes' folder). See: What are the iTunes Library files?
If so, then your task is quite easy. Just copy the total 'iTunes' folder & sub-folders back to where they were before the crash.
After you re-instal iTunes, there should be an 'iTunes' folder in the 'My Music' folder under 'My Documents. It should have two small files: the ITL and XML files. These can be overwritten with the full ITL/XML files you have on the backup.
Close iTunes, copy the music folders over, replace the newer ITL file with the complete one, open iTunes. Your Library should be complete and a replica of the one before the crash.
If you do not have the previous 'iTunes Library.itl' file available, then the best you can do is:
File==>Add Folder==>Browse to the main music folder where your files are and add them into the Library.
Post back with any questions, or if the process I outlined does not match what you see.
Edit:
After recovering your song files, strongly consider developing a thorough backup strategy for just this type of situation.
You need at least three sets of your music:
-- One full set on the PC within iTunes (on internal HD or ExHD)
-- One full set on an separate external backup medium (CD/DVD/ExHD/other)
-- One (full or partial) set on the iPod
Music files on just the iPod and the computer is not considered having any backup. If you cannot store your complete music files on the computer, then create and maintain two external sets.
Backup both the music files and the Library database file (iTunes Library.itl).
Here is a post on developing a thorough backup strategy: http://discussions.apple.com/click.jspa?searchID=394618&messageID=1263275

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Hard Drive Crash-How do I recover and update information on my iWeb site?

Our hard drive crashed a few weeks back. We've been able to recover our data, thank goodness. However, when I went to iWeb for the first time, after the crash, it is asking me to start from scratch. When I visit our current URL, the most current version of our site, before the crash, appears. I had a support call with Apple and they told me to access the recovered information in the iWeb domain folder, but nothing was there.
Any thoughts? Can I recover what already exists? Can I edit what current exists and republish? Or (UGH) do I have to start from scratch?
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Welcome to the discussions.
vmeyer123 wrote:
Can I recover what already exists?
It depends whether you have a backup copy of iWeb's Domain file, usually located here:
vmeyer123 wrote:
Can I edit what current exists and republish?
See this Apple doc on _How to back up MobileMe data_. It says:
“Any websites you have published with iWeb should still be available within iWeb. iWeb stores everything in a Domain file, normally located in the ~/Library/Application Support/iWeb folder (although it can be moved). If you no longer have this file, you can view your currently published pages and manually recreate them within iWeb, but there is no way to import published pages back into iWeb. You can manually back up the Domain file, or use Backup to back it up.”
By the way, for searching purposes it may be useful to know that an iWeb '06 Domain file is called "Domain.sites" and iWeb '08 & '09 Domain files are called "Domain.sites2" — although the “.sites” extension is usually invisible.
vmeyer123 wrote:
Or (UGH) do I have to start from scratch?
Without the Domain file, yes. If you don't have a backup of the Domain file, say via Time Machine, paragraph 2.3 of this FAQ page gives some tips on how to use published files, graphics, photos, etc., to help rebuild the site from scratch:
http://iwebfaq.org/site/iWebBackupretrieve.html

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http://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-1689

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If you purchased all of the songs through itunes store, please follow these steps:
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My 1st gen 12" aluminum PB with the 60gig hard drive crashed on me. Over the years it has been dropped twice from a 3ft high table onto a concret floor(KIDS!!).
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my hard drive crashed.
I reload windows, install itunes,
but when i connect iphone it wants to delete everything off it.
oddly enough it imported the photos. why cant it jsut import everything?
the reason why i dont want to wipe it and start over is because I have dozens of addresses stored in Tomtom.
if i tell to setup new device it will delete all apps including the saved data in those apps
so i'm wondering how can I get round this problem?
i have all my apps saved on a second drive.
why cant itunes just recognize this is your phone and let all app data remain on it and resync? why does it have to delete everything even after i verify my account?

You should be able to:
Backup the device to the new installation
Transfer your purchases into a newly authorized library
Recover any other media using third party tools as suggested in this post from forum regular Zevoneer
Restore the device from the backup
This process should switch the association of the device to the new library, preserving the data and settings in your apps.
May also be prudent to attempt a backup to iCloud directly from the device before you start... Settings > iCloud > Storage & Backup > iCloud Backup > On. It won't save any media but it would preserve the general account settings and documents in case anything goes wrong while you are trying to extract your other data.
When you get it all fixed, make a backup!
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Old hard drive crashed, how do I re-install my music from iPod to new drive

My hard drive crashed and I received a new hard drive from Dell. Reinstalled most applications, however, prior to downloading iTunes - how do I ensure that the songs I purchased, playlists, and other songs I added from CD's are available?
I also have other users - with iPods, and they had (and have reestablished user accounts) their own iPods and music libraries. I want to be sure their music is transferred as well.
I do have access to all iTunes music file for each user from the damaged drive. Any assistance is greatly appreciated!

1). Connect your iPod to your computer. If it is set to sync automatically you'll get a message that it is linked to a different library and asking if you want to link to this one and replace all your songs etc, press "Cancel". Pressing "Erase and Sync" will irretrievably remove all the songs from your iPod.
2). When your iPod appears in the iTunes source list change the update setting to manual, that will let you continue to use your iPod without the risk of accidentally erasing it. Check the "manually manage music and videos" box in Summary then press the Apply button. Also when using most of the utilities listed below your iPod needs to be enabled for disc use, changing to manual update will do this by default: Managing content manually on iPod and iPhone
Alternatively open iTunes first and go to Edit>Preferences>Devices and check the box "Disable automatic syncing for iPhones and iPods" and choose Ok. Then connect your iPod.
3). Once you are connected and your iPod is safely in manual mode there are a few things you can do to restore your iTunes from the iPod. iTunes will only let you copy your iTunes Store purchases directly from an iPod to the computer, you'll find details in this article: Copying iTunes Store purchases from your iPod or iPhone to a computer
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Wired News - Rescue Your Stranded Tunes
Comparison of iPod managers
A selection of iPod to iTunes utilities:
TuneJack Windows Only (iPhone and iPod Touch compatible)
SharePod Windows Only (iPhone and iPod Touch compatible)
iPod2PC Windows Only
iDump Windows Only
YamiPod Mac and Windows
iPod Music Liberator Mac & Windows
Floola Mac & Windows
iPodRip Mac & Windows (iPhone and iPod Touch compatible)
iPod Music Liberator Mac & Windows (iPhone and iPod Touch compatible)
Music Rescue Mac & Windows (iPhone and iPod Touch compatible)
iGadget Mac & Windows (iPhone and iPod Touch compatible)
iRepo Mac & Windows (iPhone and iPod Touch compatible)
iPod Access Mac & Windows (iPhone and iPod Touch compatible)
TouchCopy Mac & Windows (iPhone and iPod Touch compatible)
There's also a manual method of copying songs from your iPod to a Mac or PC. The procedure is a bit involved and won't recover playlists but if you're interested it's available on page 2 at this link: Copying Content from your iPod to your Computer - The Definitive Guide
4). Whichever of these retrieval methods you choose, keep your iPod in manual mode until you have reloaded your iTunes and you are happy with your playlists etc then it will be safe to return it auto-sync.
5). I would also advise that you get yourself an external hard drive and back your stuff up, relying on an iPod as your sole backup is not a good idea and external drives are comparatively inexpensive these days, you can get loads of storage for a reasonable outlay: Back up your iTunes library by copying to an external hard drive

Hard drive crashed - how do I recover my library????

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