How to get a previous iTunes library recognized in OS X Lion

I've been using iTunes for some time now - I have my iTunes folder stored on an external FW hard drive partition. Doesn't seem to be recognized by iTunes in OS 10.7.x Lion on my Macbook. My iPhone now says it is over capacity, I can't organize my iPhone apps in iTunes, which is synced to the iCloud, may just make an appt w/ an Apple genius to sort this mess out... Will post answer if I get one :-)

We need the exact error message or detailed description of what is happening. If it really says it is not recognized that only happens when you use the library with a newer version of iTunes and then try to use it with an earlier version. Is this a case of where you didn't have the external drive attached before starting iTunes?

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How to use my previous itunes library in itunes.

I accidently deleted all my songs then emptied trash (i am on a mac, and i sick of window users solving their problems) and now i have 1/90th of my songs (i have around 2,500 songs. I still have my video, but i want my songs back. There is the previous library i had before the upgrade to 7.6, that is very recent. I've tried to downgrade (7.5) then import my previous itunes library, but that wont work. CAN SOMEBODY RUNNING MAC PLEASE TELL ME HOW TO GET MY PREVIOUS ITUNES LIBRARY BACK INTO MY CURRENT ITUNES LIBRARY?!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!?

I FIGURED IT OUT., IF U EVERY HAVE A PROBLEM TELL ME.

I'm dumb, can't figure how to get playlist from itunes library into my itou

Ok, I have looked and looked and did search. I want to copy a few playlists from my itunes library into my itouch. I was told they would transfer when I synched, they didn't. Drag and drop does not do the job. What am I missing? I am sure something very very simple. HELP. I do NOT want to do the playlist again in my itouch from scratch, as I have almost 1,000 songs to search through.
There has got to be an easier way.

katinak67 wrote:
I was told they would transfer when I synched, they didn't.
"Synch" is the process whereby files get copied from the iTunes library to the iPod. If your playlists did not copy, what actually did happen when you synched?

How to get music in itunes library to iphone

I just got a 4S and cannot get my music from itunes on my computer over to my phone. I've synced it and it won't automatically transfer.

This article is for an iPod but it is the same for an iPhone:
http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1351
Try the steps in the article and syncing the music should work.

How to use/access my previous itunes library in itunes.

I accidently deleted all my songs then emptied trash (i am on a mac, and i sick of window users solving their problems) and now i have 1/90th of my songs (i have around 2,500 songs. I still have my video, but i want my songs back. There is the previous library i had before the upgrade to 7.6, that is very recent. I've tried to downgrade (7.5) then import my previous itunes library, but that wont work. CAN SOMEBODY RUNNING MAC PLEASE TELL ME HOW TO GET MY PREVIOUS ITUNES LIBRARY BACK INTO MY CURRENT ITUNES LIBRARY?!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!?

Locate the iTunes folder from the user profile on the rescued drive, typically at X:\Users\<User>\Music\iTunes. Delete the "empty" iTunes library from your current User's Music folder and copy in the originial library in its place.
tt2

How do I restore my itunes library? My computer was restored to factory settings and I couldn't find a restore date that allowed my to get access to all of my files. Now my itunes library is empty minus the songs we've recently purchsed!

MY computer was restored to factory settings. Is there a way to get my previous itunes library back? I don't have an Ipod or other device that I saved my itunes library to.

Restore the media from the backup of the computer.
If it was simply restored via the Windows restore point, no data on the computer should have been affected.
If the computer was formated and Windows re-installed, no data remained on the computer and will have to be added back by the user.

I accidentally synced my mum's brand new iPad to my mac book air. A few days later I realised that my iTune library on my mac is completely gone. So is my iPhone 4s after I synced it with my mac. How do I get my old iTunes library back? Please help!

I accidentally synced my mum's brand new iPad to my mac book air. A few days later I realised that my iTune library on my mac is completely gone. So is my iPhone 4s after I synced it with my mac. How do I get my old iTunes library back? I tried using icloud on my iphone but it stated that I have never back up my phone before. So I guess my iCloud data is gone too? But I have back up my mac in my harddrive using time machine. So how do I get my old itune library back? Please help! Thanks!

1) ensure iTunes is authorized for your iTunes store account(s)
2) connect your device and right-click or control-click it in the iTunes Source list, then choose transfer purchases from the shortcut menu that appears.
3) sync the device
iTunes will wipe the iPhone but, since you transferred your purchases in the previous step, your content will be in your library and you can re-populate the iPhone with it.
above works for purchases from the iTunes store. for everything else, check out this post by Zevoneer.

I've lost my music, how can i restore my iTunes from a "Previous iTunes Library"?

my music library is still intact but when i try to play my music, it tells me i need to locate it.
I didn't delete my music and i have quite a few important files,
one of my "Previous iTunes Library" has a date when i know it worked,
I still have all the music files working on my iPhone so this is stopping me from syncing my iphone.
How do I reset it back to how it was and get my music back?
Or at least transfer the songs back from my iPhone (They're not purchased)
Thanks.

For general library squiffiness following an upgrade the easiest thing is to restore your last backup, but I guess if it were that simple you wouldn't be here.
Empty/corrupt library after upgrade/crash
Hopefully it's not been too long since you last upgraded iTunes, in fact if you get an empty/incomplete library immediately after upgrading then with the following steps you shouldn't lose a thing or need to do any further housekeeping. In the Previous iTunes Libraries folder should be a number of dated iTunes Library files. Take the most recent of these andcopy it into the iTunes folder. Rename iTunes Library.itl as iTunes Library (Corrupt).itl and then rename the restored file as iTunes Library.itl. Start iTunes. Should all be good, bar any recent additions to or deletions from your library.
See iTunes Folder Watch for a tool to catch up with any changes since the backup file was created.
When you get it all working make a backup! For example grab SyncToy 2.1, a free tool from MS. This can be used to copy your entire iTunes library (& other important data folders) onto another hard drive or network share. You can then use SyncToy periodically to synchronise or echo your library to the backup. A preview will show which files need to be updated giving you a chance to spot unexpected changes and during the run only the new or updated files will be copied saving lots of time. And if your media is all organised below the main iTunes folder then you should also be able to open the backup library on any system running the same version of iTunes regardless of drive letter or path.
tt2

I just purchased a new computer and downloaded I tunes but when I go to sync my iphone and ipad touch my library from my old computer doesn't show up on the new one. Only the purchased itumr dongs come up. How do I get my original itunes library?

I just purchased a new computer and downloaded I tunes but when I go to sync my iphone and ipad touch my library from my old computer doesn't show up on the new one. Only the purchased itune songs come up. How do I get my original itunes library?

Have you copied your content over from your old computer and onto the new on ? If not, and you still have your old computer, then there a number of methods described on this page which you can use to copy your library over : http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4527 . If you no longer have your old computer then have you got a backup of your content that you can copy onto the new computer and add into iTunes ?

How can i get the same itunes library on 2 macs

how can i get the same itunes library on two different macs, without having to pay for icloud please.

Copy everything from one computer to the other.

HT201543 how do i get my old itune library onto my new laptop, my old laptop is broken but all media is on my phone. Most of the songs are from CD's which i no longer have. HELP!

How do I get my old iTunes library onto my new laptop? My old laptop is broken but all media is on my phone. Most of the songs are from CD's which I no longer have. HELP!

That is not necessarily true. You are allowed to make a back-up of media you own and, at least in the Netherlands, even a copy of a work you've borrowed from a library. The law expressly permits this and you pay a certain amount for recordable media to allow for home use. See http://www.thuiskopie.nl/nl for this. If you then decide to destroy the media, i.e. do not transfer the media to someone else, I don't see how you infringe copyright by keeping the back-up. But I guess some so-called creatives like the idea of making money in all kinds of hypothetical ways...
It is a nice dream, where you have to work once and then earn a lot of money by selling millions of copies from your work. But buyers can make copies too!! Hahahahahaha!

I upgraded my computer to Windows 7 and now I tunes is empty and when I try to sync my Iphone4 or IPod, it states they belong to another ITunes Library. How do I sync all my content, including Apps to my computer again or get my old Itunes library back?

To all:
I recently upgraded my computer from Windows XP to Windows 7. Now my Itunes library is no longer available? When I try to sync my IPod or Iphone 4 to ITunes, it states that the content on my devices belong to another Itunes Library and do I want to transfer purchases, erase etc?
How do I get my old Itunes Library back? Some of my music are from CD's I own and really don't want to start the years of building my Itunes library all over again?
How do I bring all the contents: contacts, music, apps etc from my Iphone4 back to Itunes?
Confused.

The ipod/iphone/ipad are not backup sotrage devices.
Certainly you did not upgrade your computer without making sure that your backup copy of your computer was up to date. Just use your backup copy of your computer to put everything back.

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 did the U2 album Songs of Music get in my iTunes library?

How did the U2 album Songs of Music get in my iTunes library? I was charged for that $7.99 album. I want it gone!!!!!! I want to keep my First Love by Jennifer Lopez but delete the U 2 album.

alot of people got that hun it is a free gift from apple for the new iphones that are coming out i got one of the songs and i want it gone but it wont let me get rid of it.

"Previous iTunes Library" title. How do I remove this?

I upgraded to iTunes 10 and when I decided to open iTunes it told me to choose a library. I chose the most recent one but noticed that some songs were missing.
Right now I have organized all of my music under the iTunes folder and deleted all the other old libraries.
I've opened iTunes once again, but "previous iTunes library" keeps appearing as the title.
I tried to figure it out on my own by reading discussions here but I keep seeing something about .itl (if im correct, dont remember). but I don't see anything like that in my folders.
Please help?!

Hi, welcome to Apple Discussions.
The usual reason for getting in this position is that your original library was corrupt in some fashion and on start-up iTunes prompted you to find another one. Ideally you would restore your most recent backup of your library but I'm guessing you don't have one of those.
The next best thing is the most recent file in the *Previous iTunes Libraries* folder. These are often created automatically when iTunes is updated. Although it will usually work from there as you have found iTunes picks up the window title from the folder which is why your iTunes is now called *Previous iTunes Libraries*. Close iTunes and copy the file with the most recent date into the main iTunes folder. Rename any existing *iTunes Library.itl* file as *iTunes Library (BROKEN).itl* because it almost certainly is, then rename the file you've just copied as *iTunes Library.itl*. Now use the SHIFT-start iTunes method (press and hold down shift immediately on clicking the icon to start iTunes and continue to hold until a dialog box appears) to open the library file in the main iTunes folder.
Now that you've repaired the library you need a tool such as iTunes Folder Watch to detect any changes in your library since the backup file was created. Enable the option to check for dead tracks on startup so that it will find any files deleted since your last update.
For future reference...
*Fast backup for iTunes library (Windows Only)*
Grab SyncToy 2.1, a free tool from MS. This can be used to copy your entire iTunes library (& other important data folders) onto another hard drive or network share. You can then use SyncToy periodically to synchronise or echo your library to the backup. A preview will show which files need to be updated giving you a chance to spot unexpected changes and during the run only the new or updated files will be copied saving lots of time. And if your media is all organised below the main iTunes folder then you should also be able to open the backup library on any system running the same version of iTunes.
tt2

How to get a previous iTunes library recognized in OS X Lion

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