Hard drive crashed with my itunes

My hard drive crashed and I never backed up my itunes; however, I still have my music on my ipod. How do I get my music back into my library?

Copying from iPod to Computer threads...
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=5044027&#5044027
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=893334&tstart=0
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=797432&#797432
Also these useful internet articles...
http://www.ilounge.com/index.php/articles/comments/copying-music-from-ipod-to-co mputer/
http://www.engadget.com/2004/11/02/how-to-get-music-off-your-ipod/
http://playlistmag.com/secrets/2006/12/twowaystreet20/index.php
http://playlistmag.com/help/2005/01/2waystreet/
Patrick

Similar Messages

External Hard Drive crashed with all songs on it. HELP!!!

Hello. My kids have used my work PC as their itunes playground for over the past year. I added a Lacie external hard drive to help them save thier music and had itunes on it, as well as my pc. The external hard drive crashed and won't communicate with the pc at all so when we bring up itunes on the pc it shows exclamation marks next to almost all of the songs and won't play them. I still have almost all of our music on my ipod, except about 170 songs that they purchased since I last plugged in my ipod, they have their own mini's. I want to know how to get the songs back to my computer. I am afraid if I connect the 60GB ipod to the pc all of our songs will be wiped out since my ipod is on autosync. Can anyone give me a reliable way to get everything back to normal? PLEASE!!!!

Connect your iPod to your computer. If it is set to update 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 songs from your iPod. Your iPod should appear in the iTunes source list from where you can change the update setting to manual and use your iPod without the risk of accidentally erasing it. Also when using a lot of the utilities your iPod needs to be enabled for disc use, changing to manual update will do this by default. Check the "manually manage music and videos" box in Summary then press the Apply button: Managing content manually on iPod
Once you are safely connected there are a few things you can do to restore your iTunes from the iPod. If you have any iTMS purchases the transfer of purchased content from the iPod to authorised computers has been introduced with iTunes 7. A paragraph on it has been added to this article:: Transfer iTunes Store purchases using iPod
The transfer of non iTMS content such as songs imported from CD is designed by default to be one way from iTunes to iPod. However there's a manual method of copying songs from your iPod to your Mac. The procedure is a bit involved but if you're interested it's available at this link: Two-way Street: Moving Music Off the iPod
If you prefer something more automated there are a number of third party utilities that you can use to retrieve music files and playlists from your iPod, this is just a selection. I use Senuti but have a look at the web pages and documentation for the others too, you'll find that they have varying degrees of functionality and some will transfer movies, videos, photos and games as well. You can also read reviews of some of them here: Wired News - Rescue Your Stranded Tunes
Senuti Mac Only
iPodRip Mac Only
PodWorks Mac Only
PodView Mac Only
iPodAccess Mac & Windows
YamiPod Mac & Windows
PodUtil Mac & Windows
iPodCopy Mac & Windows
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.

Hard drive crashed! Now itunes wants to erase ipod in order to sync?

My hard drive crashed and I lost my itunes library. Now, when I want to sync the ipod with new music I've purchased it looks like itunes wants to erase everything on my ipod first. Am I correct? I've already transfered the purchased music to the new hard drive from my ipod, but can't figure out how, or if it is possible, to transfer the rest of the music. What's my best option to hold onto my playlists etc. and be able to sync ipod to itunes library on new hard drive? Thanks.

1). Connect your iPod to your computer. When you get the 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".
2). When your iPod appears in the iTunes source list change the update setting to manual, that will let you 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
3). Once you are safely connected there are a few things you can do to restore the rest of your music from the iPod not just the purchased tracks. There are a number of third party utilities that you can use to retrieve the music files and playlists from your iPod. I use Senuti but have a look at the web pages and documentation for the others too, you'll find that they have varying degrees of functionality and some will transfer movies, videos, photos and games as well. This is just a small selection of what's available, you can read reviews and comparisons of some of them here:
Wired News - Rescue Your Stranded Tunes
Comparison of iPod managers
Senuti Mac Only (iPod Touch & iPhone compatible)
PodView Mac Only
PodWorks Mac Only
iPodDisk PPC Mac Only (experimental version available for Intel Macs)
TuneAid Mac only (iPhone and iPod Touch compatible)
iPodRip Mac & Windows
YamiPod Mac & Windows
iPod Music Liberator Mac & Windows
iGadget Mac & Windows (iPhone and iPod Touch compatible)
Floola Mac & Windows
Music Rescue 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

My hard drive crashed and my itunes library is gone--what do i do?

my daughter and i both have itunes library's on the same computer just under different user names.my hard drive crashed and now our itunes library's are gone. should i just download the latest version of itunes and then hook up my ipod to it?not sure what to do.

*should i just download the latest version of itunes and then hook up my ipod to it?not sure what to do.*
If your iPod is set to sync automatically with iTunes you need to take care connecting it to an empty library.
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.
Alternatively open iTunes first and go to Edit>Preferences>Devices and check the box "Prevent iPods and iPhones from syncing automatically" and choose Ok. Then connect 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
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 give you the option to 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
For everything else (music from CDs, other downloads etc) there are a number of third party utilities that you can use to retrieve the music files and playlists from your iPod. You'll find that they have varying degrees of functionality and some will transfer movies, videos, photos, podcasts and games as well. You can read reviews and comparisons of some of them here:
iTunes & iPod software
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

Old hard drive crashed, cannot get iTunes to find files

Hi,
Please help. Been working on this for weeks and can't get it right. Am at my wit's end:
Old hard drive crashed; had new one installed. Tech person was able to find my iTunes on old drive and saved to thumbdrive. Downloaded most recent software and synced iPod - it "read" some of what was on it but would not play anything. tried to consolidate libraries/import from thumbdrive, then could view my whole library, but when I try to play any song it says it cannot locate the original file - does not matter if i purchased it from iTunes or added from CD. This computer is authorized, I've tried all the other "tutorials," added files (didn't work), tried using my iPod to xfer music to new computer - didn't work. I have my old hard drive booted and ready to go, can see the files and have copied them direct from drive to drive, still didn't work (followed the directions to keep music folder organized, etc.) What am I doing wrong?? I can't use my iTunes at all - just downloaded three new songs and that's all I can play from it. iPod itself seems unaffected.
Thanks!! - [email protected]

Hi, you said you still have access to your old hard drive.
Can you move the entire itunes folder from the old to the new?
Not just the 'itunes music' folder - you need the parent folder of that.
It has an important file named itunes library.itl that holds ratings, play counts and the paths to your music files.
Copy that entire itunes folder and all its subfolders over to the new PC.
Press *and hold* the shift key while starting itunes and choose the ITL file you just copied over.

Hard drive crash - re-download iTunes purchased songs?

Hello,
My hard drive crashed on the weekend and I lost several purchases I made through iTunes. Is it possible to get permission to re-download them?

Are they synced to an iPod? If so, you can transfer purchases from iPod to computer. Apple is not obligated to let you download purchases a second time. This is why it's important to have a backup.

How do I combine an iTunes library on an external hard drive (laptop) with an iTunes library on an external hard drive on my PC?

How can I combine the iTunes library on an external hard drive (hooked to laptop) with the iTunes library on an external hard drive (hooked to PC) so that both external HD's and both laptop and PC have all the music on each one?

no need to create a secondary library - too troublesome, IMHO. you can spread your library over as many drives you can connect to your Mac (wired or wirelessly):
iTunes > preferences > advanced.
point iTunes media folder location to the external
on the same tab, ensure the copy files ... when adding option is checkmarked
okay out of preferences
highlight the content to be moved in iTunes and right-click
select consolidate files from the pop-up menu
wait for the process to finish
when done, you may delete the original files from your boot drive.
alternatively, you could move the whole shabang to the external HD:
copy the entire iTunes folder (not just the iTunes music or media folder) from <MacintoshHD>/users/<yourname>/music to the external, launch iTunes while holding the option(⌥) key, click on choose library when prompted, and select the iTunes folder you copied to the external.
when done, be sure to point iTunes media folder location to the external so that new additions to your library will be put there. also, you need to make sure the external is mounted on your desktop before you fire up iTunes.

My hard drive crashed with no backup. How can I get the data from iCloud onto my Mac?

My hard drive went bad and needed to be replaced and I've lost everything that was on it (no backup - I know, I know...). Fortunately much of my data was backed up either on icloud or my ipad but I haven't been able to find any information about restoring it FROM icloud or ipad TO my Mac, only about how to restore to an ios device. I am running Lion. Thank you!

I guess what I meant to say was that I can log on to icloud to see my contacts, calendars, etc but is there a way to get that data onto my computer? In other words, how do I associate my new hard drive with my icloud account? I am probably not phrasing this properly - sorry. Three days ago (pre-crash) my desktop was configured to reflect my icloud info but I don't know how to make it do so again...does this make sense

After hard drive crash cant restore itunes library off ipod

My hard drive cracked it and had to send off the whole computer and get a new one put in...so i have lost everything...after updating my mac to get all applications and program versions back to where they were but my itunes is empty of course...now i cant figure out how to get my songs from my ipod which is synced with the old HD. so how can i get the songs from my ipod to the new itunes?!?!

This question is the most often asked question on this forum. A simple search for "transfer iPod music to iTunes" brings up tens of thousands of threads. (I guess nobody knows how to use any kind of search? Google is your friend, and so is that search box to the upper-right.)
Anyway, since I'm too lazy to post more, Wired will help you instead.

Recovering from a hard drive crash with play counts in tact - Is it possibl

I keep all my mp3s on an external hard drive. Well, I did until it just crashed. Luckily, I backed up everything just yesterday to another hard drive so I didn't lose anything. My only issue is this...itunes can't find the files. I guess I can just start from scratch but I don't want to lose my play counts. Is there any way to easily "point" itunes to the back up location? This is more important to me than it should be, I guess.

I keep all my mp3s on an external hard drive. Well, I did until it just crashed. Luckily, I backed up everything just yesterday to another hard drive so I didn't lose anything. My only issue is this...itunes can't find the files. I guess I can just start from scratch but I don't want to lose my play counts. Is there any way to easily "point" itunes to the back up location? This is more important to me than it should be, I guess.

I had to wipe out my hard drive, along with my iTunes music. Now what? : (

I had some sort of virus and had to reinstall my whole operating system on my Dell PC. Obviously I lost everything, including my iTunes files (both purchased from iTunes and from my own CD collection). I have all of my songs on my iPod currently, about 330 songs.
Is there any way to put the songs back into my iTunes library? I am also being prompted to re-purchase the items I've already bought.
Any help would be appreciated.
TIA!
Amy

Hello Amy,
There are a number of third party utilities that you can use to retrieve the files from your iPod. This is just a selection.
YamiPod Mac and Windows Versions
PodUtil Mac and Windows Versions
iPodCopy Mac and Windows Versions
PodPlayer Windows Only
PodPlus Windows Only
Have a look at the web pages and documentation for these and pick one you are happy with, they are generally quite straightforward.
There is also a manual method of accessing the iPod's hard drive through Windows posted in this thread: MacMuse - iPod to iTunes
You may already be using the iPod in manual update mode in which case you can ignore the rest of this post. In manual mode, your iPod is safe from being accidentally erased. However if you are getting a message that your iPod is linked to a different library and asking if you want to link to this one and replace all your songs etc, click *No*
You can use a keyboard command to prevent your iPod auto-syncing with iTunes. While connecting the iPod to the computer on a Mac hold down the Option and Command (⌥ and ⌘) keys, on Windows, hold down Shift + Ctrl. This will stop the iPod from auto-syncing with iTunes and the iPod will appear in the source list. Wait until you are sure the iPod has mounted, and that it will not auto sync and then you can let the keys go. This may take between 3 and 30 seconds depending on your computer. Then go to Preferences>iPod and check the "Manually manage songs and playlists" box.
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 again.

External USB Hard Drive crashed with my Home Folder!

I have my home folder on an external USB drive that went bad, so now I can't log in. I get the message "You are unable to log in to the user account xxxx at this time. Logging in to the account failed because an error occurred". Well, I know the error is because my home folder on the external drive is not accessible.
My original home folder is still on the internal hard drive. How do I change the path to the home folder on the internal drive when I can't log in. I don't have any other User accounts on this MAC, so I can't log in as a different Administrative User to change the path to the home folder on the internal drive. This MAC is running Lion (OS X 10.7.5). Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.

First, find out your current user home directory for the User Account Name you wish to recover.
If your user accounts are not accesible to do this command from terminal, start the Macintosh in recovery mode.
This can be done by pressing Command+R during startup.
Select the terminal from the tools and enter this command.
"dscl . read /Users/User NFSHomeDirectory" .....obviously without the quotations and instead of "User" put the name of the user you with to recover.
Now if the name of hard disk is named "XXXXX 1" that is with a number one at the end of your home directory hard disk name, that means that the Mac OS has renamed your hard disk at a different mount point. Due to this flaw, the OS is not recognizing your hard disk, hence the error.
Gain root access in the terminal and navigate to the /Volumes directory. Print all the drives in that directory.
If you have duplicate folder names, like "xxxxx", "xxxxx 1", then eject your home directory hard disk (so you are sure you won't delete your files when you do the next steps), and print the contents of the directory. If there is a folder that has the name of your hard disk home directory, DELETE IT.
Now, still in the recovery terminal mode, make a local user account (unless you already have a valid account you can logon on to such as a guest account) so you can verify that your old account is still set to your hard drive home directory name.
Here's a shell script, where "Administrator" is any name you like.
#!/bin/sh
. /etc/rc.common
dscl . create /Users/administrator
dscl . create /Users/administrator RealName "Administrator Account"
dscl . create /Users/administrator hint "Password Hint"
dscl . create /Users/administrator picture "/Path/To/Picture.png"
dscl . passwd /Users/administrator thisistheaccountpassword
dscl . create /Users/administrator UniqueID 501
dscl . create /Users/administrator PrimaryGroupID 80
dscl . create /Users/administrator UserShell /bin/bash
dscl . create /Users/administrator NFSHomeDirectory /Users/administrator
cp -R /System/Library/User\ Template/English.lproj /Users/administrator
chown -R administrator:staff /Users/administrator
Now Logon to that account. Go to System Preferences ----> Users & Groups ----> Right Click on The User You Wish To Recover ----> Advanced Options ----> And MAKE SURE That The Home Directory Is The Correct Name i.e. "Home Directory", NOT "Home Directory 1". Voila.
Change this from the temporary user account, log off, and you should have access. BTW, I always recommend having a guest account enabled or a secondary user account when you wish to recover your account whenever you disconnect your home directory hard drive by accident or it crashes. Thanks for reading.

Hard Drive Crashed with Grey Apple Screen and Spinning Circle

I need some help!!
My G5 desktop computer had Font error, and then it crashed. I pressed the power button to restart and it won’t booth up! All I get it the Grey Apple Screen and Spinning Circle with loud fan noise.
I’ve tried using the install CD to booth up to use the Disk Utility, but it won’t let me select the primary Seagate drive (I do see the drive name), therefore I can’t repair or do anything.
When I tried to re-install the OSX, the system won’t even see the primary drive to reinstall.
Is this drive dead? (I never had clicking noise before) or is the Drive corrupted? How do I fix this problem?
Can someone please help me?
Thank you

Hi, it does seem like the HD is a goner.
For internal Storage options see this...
http://tinyurl.com/ygtbaan
For external get FW/800...
http://eshop.macsales.com/Search/Search.cfm?Ntt=firewire%20800
Once you get a new Drive installed...
If DiskWarrior can't fix it, you might try Data Rescue II...
http://www.alsoft.com/DiskWarrior/
http://www.prosofteng.com/products/data_rescue.php
(Has a Free Demo to see if it could or not, but you'll need another drive to recover to).
Or FileSalvage...
http://www.subrosasoft.com/OSXSoftware/index.php?%20mainpage=product_info&productsid=1
to recover what you can.

Hard Drive crash, creating a new iTunes Library from my iPhone

Hi,
My hard drive crashed with my iPhone back up and all my pictures, music etc. I have no back up.
I need now to make sure my iPhone is backed up and get my photo's off the phone. So I have created a new iTunes and iPhoto file and copied the pictures across. But when going through the options for my iPhone in iTunes, I am fearful of wiping the information on my phone. It does not appear I can pull the information from my iPhone to my iTunes account, instead my phone will be wiped and the non existant music on my iTunes account wil replace my collection...
I understand the need to protect against priracy, but come on, the phone has the same serial number!!
How to I get around this and create a back up without deleting stuff?
Thanks

Hi,
I am about to do this (https://discussions.apple.com/thread/2584477?start=15&tstart=0), but having lost all my photo's on my old hard drive, I am afraid I will lose them on my iPhone!
Can someone tell me if the 'Library' photo's where kept as well as the 'Camera Roll' photo's?
I cannot figure out if the photo's from the 'Library' (on the phone) have been included in the back-up.
Thanks

Hard drive crash need help with new iTunes load and backup files

I have looked through the posts and not found my situation.
I had my iPhone synced to a PC computer and the hard drive crashed. I had an extensive library in iTunes, but none of the music was purchased online so I can't simply download it again. It was all from CD's, many of which belonged to friends. I now have an iMac. The music I like is still on my iPhone, but not on my new iMac. When I try to sync the iPhone with my iMac it wants to delete all the music on my iPhone. Is there any way to copy the music off my iPhone first - so I can add it back into my iTunes library?

Yes, luckily I have been in this situation.
You can download a free application that will take your music from your iPhone and place it onto your Macintosh HD.
One of these should suit your needs:
http://www.macupdate.com/app/mac/19890/ipoddisk
http://www.wideanglesoftware.com/touchcopy/index.php?gclid=CPjvvOiyr6gCFaNl7Aodm h6QIQ
http://www.headlightsoft.com/detune/
I hope this helped.

Hard drive crashed with my itunes

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