How do I restore my iTunes library from a backup?

Like an idiot I deleted my Itunes library after backing it up to an external HD. After doing this I deleted my original iTunes library and lo and behold I had no music. I thought I would be able to play them from the external HD but this wasn't the case. I did restart iTunes with the option key pressed and I was asked where I want to take my music from, but when I selected the copy I had made I got a window pop up
http://img.skitch.com/20091004-r8me3yehp85rmtrdj2qhff8udb.jpg
I since copied the folder back from my external HD (but not using Time Machine as I use another HD for that), but how can I restore all my playlists I had before, is this possible?

All your playlist info is in the iTunes Music Library.xml file. If you deleted that, you are out of luck. If you can find the iTunes Music Library.xml file in your backup, see if this document can help you: How to re-create your iTunes library, http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1451

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I'm sorry for repeating this, but i have not found a clear answer. i have a macbook wit iTunes library, an iMac, and a time capsule. how can i transfer my itunes library from TC backup to the iMac? thank you -

i'm sorry for repeating this, but i have not found a clear, step-by-step answer in several hours.
i have a macbook with iTunes library, a new iMac, and a new time capsule. how can i transfer my itunes library from TC backup to the iMac?
(sharing the iTunes library between the macbook & iMack requires both machines and seems silly ...)
thank you -

No.

How can I restore my iTunes library from iPod after a HD crash?

My computer HD crashed and had to be replaced....
I've just installed iTunes and connected my iPod, I can't find a way to restore the iTunes library from the iPod.
I keep all my music on an external HD, everything that is on the iPod (~140GB) is on the external HD (and more) so I don't want to restore the library from the iPod to the HD nor recreate playlists, etc.
What can I do?
Thanks for your help

Check out the following post. It will work with your iPod video.
Be very careful when connecting an iPod full of music to an empty iTunes library.There is very real risk of permanently losing all the music.
To prevent auto sync, before you connect the iPod go to the iTunes preferences and select "devices", then select "disable automatic syncing for iPhones and iPods".
An alternative method is to connect the iPod whilst holding down the 'control+shift' keys and do not let them go until your iPod appears in iTunes.
If you see a message that your iPod is associated with a different library and asks if you want to link to a new one, make sure you press "Cancel".
If you should click on "Erase and Sync" will erase all the content currently on your iPod and it will be replaced with the content of the iTunes library you just connected to.
When you've pressed cancel your iPod should appear in the iTunes source list under "devices" and allow you to change the update setting to manage the iPod content manually, and that will let you use your iPod for the time being without the risk of accidentally erasing the contents.
Then do any of the following to transfer your music from iPod back to the computer/iTunes.
For iTunes version 7 or later, then you can transfer purchased iTunes store music from the iPod to an authorized computer by using the "file/transfer purchases from iPod" menu. Note that the maximum of 5 authorized computers applies here.
Find out how to do that here.
How to copy iTunes purchases from an iPod or iPhone to a computer.
For all other non purchased content (your own CDs etc), check out the instructions/suggestions here.
Music from iPod to computer (using option 2). This a manual method using "hidden folders" and although it works, it is a little more involved than other methods.
Much easier ways are to use one of the many 3rd party programs that copy music from the iPod to the computer.
One of the most recommended is Yamipod. This is a free program that transfers music from iPod back to the computer. However, it does not transfer playcounts/ratings etc.
Other free programs are Pod Player, SharePod and Floola and iDump and iPodRobot.
If you want to recover just the structure of playlists from the iPod (and not the actual song files themselves), there's iRepo for Windows. which I understand has this feature along with all the standard features for these programs.
iPodRip also has the feature enabling you to reconstruct playlists.
There is also CopyTrans. This does preserve ratings/playcounts etc if those are important to you but this program is not free. It also supports video transfer.
More information is contained here.
Copying content from your iPod to your computer - The Definitive Guide.

How can I restore my itunes library from iphone 4?

My backup files failed to restore my itunes library music after I had to reinstall Win 7. I followed all the instructions from Apple but my music library is empty. It now shows duplicate folders in my itunes file under 'My Music.'
Is there a third party software that will let me back up my iphone music so it will not get erased by itunes? Or is there some way to use icloud to send my iphone music to itunes?

lol, nevermind. I came across an article that made it easy. For anyone else with this problem it's real simple.
Open itunes
File>Add Folder to Library
select 'itunes' and it will add your music to your library
Although it went through all my apps asking if I want to replace or don't replace with newer, when it finished all my music appeared in itunes just like I left it before reinstalling Win 7. Easy Peasy. I've seen others with same problem but nobody seemed to have this easy solution.
Now I can finally plug in my iphone and sync without losing all my music from my iphone.

Impossible to restore my iTunes library from a backup

Two days ago I subscribed to MobileMe and synchronized everything. Yesterday, I created a new MobileMe account and cancelled the first. Everything works fine.
But I lost my iTunes library yesterday afternoon. In the iTunes folder: iTunes Music, iTunes Applications and Album Artwork still have all their items, but I can not see any music, playlists, software or anything when I start iTunes! It looks like new and empty...
I tried restoring my iTunes library as suggested:
1. repaired authorizations on my hard disk and backup disk;
2. followed the recommendations in Apple Technical note No HT1451 ( http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1451 ) - no luck;
3. attempted to restore my iTunes library by using Time Machine… (BTW, it appears that TM does not backup "iTunes Music Library.xml"…!?);
4. I used Onyx in order to find out if "iTunes Music Library.xml" might be hidden on my HD or backup, but did not find it in any location.
Nothing seems to work… My iTunes library is kaput… I'm out of my wits.
Could it be an interference caused by MobileMe?
Message was edited by: fdboucher

Oh well… not much help really…
Anyway, I did at least recover all my music, podcasts and other files, by throwing away ALL the iTunes preferences plists in my User>Library>Preferences file.
But I'm still ****** at not being able to recover my playlists… The only "iTunes Music Library.xml" that is available does not hold that information. Earlier versions are not to be found on my Backup disk.
1. Is that file "iTunes Music Library.xml" THE file that holds all the information on playlist content and music ratings, play history etc.?
2. Is that file "iTunes Music Library.xml" recoverable from my iPhone? Or elsewhere? Is it hidden somewhere in my backup?
Thanks for your consideration.

How do I restore my itunes library after i did a factory restore on my computer

I did a factory restore on my computer tonight and am trying to get my itunes library back on my computer2000210 wm notebook ppc

Hi blademn527,
You can use the steps in this article to restore your iTunes library from a backup -
iTunes: How to re-create your iTunes library and playlists
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1451
Thanks for using Apple Support Communities.
Best,
Brett L

How do I transfer my iTunes library from an old, slow pc laptop to a newer faster pc laptop? Do I have to take a copy of my iTunes library on the hard drive of the old(er) pc laptop and load it onto the hard drive of my new(er) pc laptop?

How do I transfer my iTunes library from an old, slow pc laptop to a new(er), faster pc laptop? Do I have to make a copy of the iTunes library on the old pc laptop and re-install it on the new(er) pc laptop? Is it something that can de done using the actual iPod itself?

This is the method I would normally recommend:
Backup with this User Tip, restore the library to the new computer using the same tool, keep the backup up-to-date in future. Deauthorize the old computer if you no longer need to access protected content on it.
You can use your iPod classic to move your library to a new computer but if you don't already have a backup copy of the library (and your other important data) now is the time to think about it.
tt2

How do I move my itunes library from an iPad to my new MacbookAir

how do I move my itunes library from an iPad to my new MacbookAir

Some of the information below has subsequently appeared in a document by turingtest2: Recovering your iTunes library from your iPod or iOS device - https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-3991
Your i-device was not designed for unique storage of your media. It is not a backup device and media transfer was designed for you maintaining a master copy of your media on a computer which is itself properly backed up against loss. Syncing is one way, computer to device, updating the device content to the content on the computer, not updating or restoring content on a computer. The exception is iTunes Store purchased content.
iTunes Store: Transferring purchases from your iOS device or iPod to a computer - http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1848 - only media purchased from iTunes Store
For transferring other items from an i-device to a computer you will have to use third party commercial software. Examples (check the web for others; this is not an exhaustive listing, nor do I have any idea if they are any good):
- Senuti - http://www.fadingred.com/senuti/
- Phoneview - http://www.ecamm.com/mac/phoneview/
- MusicRescue - http://www.kennettnet.co.uk/products/musicrescue/
- Sharepod (free) - http://download.cnet.com/SharePod/3000-2141_4-10794489.html?tag=mncol;2 - Windows
- Snowfox/iMedia - http://www.mac-videoconverter.com/imedia-transfer-mac.html - Mac & PC
- iexplorer (free) - http://www.macroplant.com/iexplorer/ - Mac&PC
- Yamipod (free) - http://www.yamipod.com/main/modules/downloads/ - PC, Linux, Mac [Still updated for use on newer devices? No edits to site since 2010.]
- 2010 Post by Zevoneer: iPod media recovery options - https://discussions.apple.com/message/11624224 - this is an older post and many of the links are also for old posts, so bear this in mind when reading them.
Syncing to a "New" Computer or replacing a "crashed" Hard Drive - https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-3141 - dates from 2008 and some outdated information now.
Copying Content from your iPod to your Computer - The Definitive Guide - http://www.ilounge.com/index.php/articles/comments/copying-music-from-ipod-to-co mputer/ - Information about use in disk mode pertains only to older model iPods.
Get Your Music Off of Your iPod - http://howto.wired.com/wiki/Get_Your_Music_Off_of_Your_iPod - I am not sure but this may only work with some models and not newer Touch, iPhone, or iPad.
Additional information here https://discussions.apple.com/message/18324797

How can i restore my itunes library to get back playlists i accidently deleted

how can i restore my itunes library so i can get back playlists i accidently deleted

Hey Russfromchicago,
Thanks for the question. After reviewing your post, it sounds like you want to move content from your iOS device to the computer. I would recommend that you read this article, it may be able to help you resolve or isolate the issue.
If you purchased items from the iTunes Store and you've stored them on only your iOS device or iPod, you can transfer them to any computer that is authorized with your Apple ID.
iTunes Store: Transfer purchases from your iOS device or iPod to a computer
Thanks for using Apple Support Communities.
Have a nice day,
Mario

How do I restore my itunes library after replacing a faulty hard drive?

How do I restore my itunes library after replacing a faulty hard drive?

did you make a backup of your library before replacing the HD ?
if so, how and what did you back up ?
if not, you can redownload previous purchases ☞ Downloading past purchases from the App Store, iBookstore, and iTunes Store.
if you have your media files on an iPod, check out this post by Zevoneer.

HT1751 Hi, I tried to restore my itunes library from an external drive and did everything that's written here step by step.when I chose the itunes library to import itunes just said that its accessing the itunes store but nothung happened. I'm working on

Hi, I tried to restore my itunes library from an external drive and did everything that's written here step by step. when I chose the itunes library to import itunes just said that its accessing the itunes store but nothing happened. Does anyone know how to do this so that all my playlists are also imported and not just the music itself?

When I have done this, all I did was network the two machines and copy the contents of the iTunes folder to the other machine, and that's it.
My understanding (which may not be 100% correct) is that the one file that is absolutely necessary is iTunes Library, and that the XML file is actually a copy auto-generated from the iTunes Library, appearing in a different format only for non-iTunes apps that take advantage of the iTunes Library data.
As far as I know, if you simply have the Library (database) file and all your original music files, iTunes on that computer should operate as it did on your old computer. I believe that the Album Artwork, Genius Data, and XML files can be regenerated from the Library file. Not sure about the Extras file.

Restoring itunes library from a backup

I copied my iTunes folder into a backup drive. My hard drive died, and now I want to "re-connect" my iTunes with its library. How can I do it? Simply pointing iTunes to the library location doesn't work.
I need to be able to sync my iphone, etc... Help!

When restoring Itunes library from a backup DVD, will it overwrite anything already in the library?
No.
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My iTunes library has been replaced with my husband's iTunes library on our iMac. How do I get my iTunes library from my iPhone back onto my iTunes library on the iMac?

My iTunes library has been replaced with my husband's iTunes library on our iMac. How do I get my iTunes library from my iPhone back onto my iTunes library on the iMac? Help!!!

Well, this is a problem, because the only material you can transfer from your iPhone (using only Apple software) is material you purchased in the iTunes Store.
To do that, plug your iPhone into iTunes, then choose File > Devices > Transfer Purchases from iTunes' menu.
Generally speaking, you should restore your iTunes library from your computer's backup.

How do I restore my Itunes Library after using CCleaner?

I lost my entire Itunes library when using CCleaner on my computer. How do I restore my Itunes Library?

did you make a backup of your library before replacing the HD ?
if so, how and what did you back up ?
if not, you can redownload previous purchases ☞ Downloading past purchases from the App Store, iBookstore, and iTunes Store.
if you have your media files on an iPod, check out this post by Zevoneer.

How do I restore an iPhoto library from Time Capsule

My iMac was stolen. I have a MacBook Air running Yosemite version 10.10.2. The iPhoto Library was not on the MacBook. How do I restore my iPhoto Library from a Time Machine backup on my Time Capsule onto my MacBook? I am using iPhoto version 9.6.1.
Two complications:
1. I have several hundred photos from a different iPhoto library on my MacBook.
2. I think the iPhoto library that is hopefully on my Time Capsule is too big to fit on my MacBook. I have 50 GB free space remaining on a 256 GB SSD.
Thank you.

If the library to be restored is too big for your boot drive you'll need to get an external HD, formatted OS X Extended (journaled) with ownership set to be ignored, and restore the iPhoto Library to it according to the instructions in the following screenshot:
With the restored library up and running you can use the paid version of iPhoto Library Manager to merge the Macbook library into the restored library on the EHD. A possible candidate for the EHD is the OWC Mercury On-The-Go Pro USB 3.0 / FireWire 800. It lends itself nicely for portable use.
Once you are satisfied that the merge was successful you can delete the Macbook library from the Pictures folder.

How do I restore my iTunes library from a backup?

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