HT5654 your update erased all my itunes files!

1-29-14 update erased 10 years worth of itunes music and audio files. How do I get them back?
I have a HP Windows 7 computer.

Try here first > iTunes: How to re-create your iTunes library and playlists
If nothing there helped, if you are a resident of the U.S., have iTunes 10.3 or later installed, you can re download past purchases for free.
Click Purchased (new) under Quick Links right side of the iTunes Store window.
Downloading past purchases from the App Store, iBookstore, and iTunes Store

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IOS update erased all of my photos, even in iTunes?!

I am concerned that the latest iOS update erased all of my data on my phone, including every picture and video I ever took of my 2 year old daughter.
I regularly connect my Phone to my computer, so I had imagined that iTunes was backing up my data. But as far as I can tell, this is not true. It looks like it's all gone. My phone has no photos. iTunes has no photos.
Here's what happened:
When I agreed to upgrade the OS, the phone "verified" the update and then told me to connect to iTunes. When I did, iTunes told me that the phone was in "restore" mode, and that I had to restore it to factory settings, which would delete all of my data.
Turning off the phone didn't help, the only was forward was a restore. I was concerned, but assumed that things were backed up on my computer.
Once my phone was "ready to use" everything was gone.
There are three backups of this phone in iTunes: one from a few minutes ago, one from when the iOS update and restore finished, one from 9 months ago, and older ones. There is not one from the backup I thought I was making a couple of days ago. It's all gone.
Note: I have updated iOS many times before, but never before has it erased all of my stuff. Something is different this time.
I do not use iCloud.
I regularly back up my computer to my Time Capsule. Is there maybe some way that I can restore an old backup from that or something?
I'm very upset.
Please help.

My girlfriend just had a similar thing happen. She orginally got her iPhone 5 2 months ago. Sunday morning she clicked the recent update. As it downloaded it prompted her to plug into itunes. When she did it said that the install failed and she would need to restore the phone to continue. Not really know what any of that meant, she restored the phone. After that she had no photos, no contacts, no apps and no calendar.
She is really only concerned about the photos (her sister just had a baby, she took the photos) we took it to the apple store and the guy said there was nothing that can be done. Seriously, no photos could be recovered. were probably talking about 500 mbs of photos.
I checked for the restore files and one said 11/26 a few days before she bought the phone and then 2/3/12 with a time after the wipe happened.
Icloud doesnt have any photos. Is she really out of luck like the Apple store guy said, is there really nothing that can be recovered. I've erased a memory stick before on my camera and I was able to restore all photos, wondering if there is something like this that can be done. Any ideas?

Help! iMac erased all of my files!

My iMac recently erased all of my files and preferences (ie: size of dock and font) for no apparent reason. What's strange is that it didn't affect any of my programs... For example, iTunes works fine but all of my music is gone! Also, my hard drive still tells me I have the same remaining amount of free space as before all the files disappeared (it's like the files are hidden, but still accounted for). My iMac is still under warranty... what do I do?
Thanks,
John

The folder marked "John Stevens" contains all of my files that were lost. So it seems that when I renamed the home icon from "johnstevens" to "John Stevens" it may have created a new user (?).
Mac OS X contains a specific home path for your user account, and it expects your home folder or a symbolic link to exist at this path. If neither exists, it will create a new folder with the default files and settings. The default path is /Users/ followed by your account's short name.
However, when I log in there only appears to be one user to choose (unless I'm logging incorrectly, bu that seems hard to mess up...)
Creating a new folder in /Users will not create a new user account on the system or change the short name of any existing accounts. This issue can be resolved either by moving your files into the folder with the house icon, or by changing your user account's home property in the NetInfo Manager, which is in the /Applications/Utilities/ folder. Don't change or delete anything else in the NetInfo Manager unless you know exactly what you're doing and what the results will be.
(17541)

Will the new ipod software update erase all of the music off my ipod??

will the new ipod software update erase all of the music off my ipod??

Unless you plan to restore it, if all you are doing is updating the firmware then nothing will be erased from your iPod. Even if it was you just have to reload from iTunes or your back up.

My computer crashed with all my itunes files. I was able to get some off and transfer them to another computer. I am afraid to sync my ipod to the new computer becaused I do not want to loose all of my playlists and other music. Will this happen?

My computer crashed with all my itunes files. I was able to get some off and transfer them to another computer. I am afraid to sync my ipod to the new computer becaused I do not want to loose all of my playlists and other music. Will this happen?

To import music into your iTunes library on the computer go to iTunes>Help>iTunes Help>Add items to iTunes and follow the instructions
Delete the "songs" that do not play in your iTunes library and reimport them.

I deleted all my iTunes files and need help recreating them.

Hello everyone
I accidentlly deleted all the iTunes files (NOT the content, just the files iTunes uses in its database). When I tried to create a new database, iTunes moved all my my music videos into the Movies or Home videos, which I don't want. I have a copy of my folder set up that I want iTunes to use and to not alter (exactly as it was before I deleted the files). Here is what I thought I need to do. Please corect me if I am wrong:
1. remove all the files that iTunes has relocated to different folders (IE, basically delete them all)
2. copy the folders onto the drive I use for my media
3. start itunes
4 unselect Keep my files organized
5. scan the folders
6. Select all the music and videos and classify them as "Music" or "Music Videos"
This should keep all the files in the same folders as the backup copy, without moving them to Videos or Home Videos. I assume this will also retain the current Artist / Album / Song hierarchy.
Is this correct?
Any better way to do this?
Thanks everyone who can help!
JoHN

1) If you bought them from Apple you canprobably download them again.
2) If you back up your computer as you should, they will be on the backup.
3) If you stop using your computer this instant (because as you use the computer it overwrites deleted files even if you have lots of space), buy recovery software ($100+), there is a chance you can recover some of them, though they may have lost filenames and will be in quite a mess.

Accidentally deleted iTunes, is there anyway I can download it again and have it just back up my iPod instead of clearing it of all data? All of iTunes files are still on my computer, but the actual program got deleted.

I was trying to clear space on my C drive and decided to delete programs that I didn't use or that I didn't recognize. (Bad idea, I know that now.) Anyways, accidentally deleted a program that iTunes needed to run and the computer said it would undo the uninstall and restart to fix the problem but when it restarted iTunes was gone. So my question is, after I download iTunes again, is there a way I can just backup my iPod to it's last sync (which was coincidentally right before I accidentally deleted iTunes) instead it being cleared of all its data? All of iTunes' files are still on my computer except the actual program itself.

Hi, InsaneCharlie.
Thanks for the question. I see you have uninstalled iTunes and want this program back. Start with completely uninstalling iTunes if present and all of it's components in the order specified in the article below. Once this is done, download and install iTunes. If none of your data was modified in the iTunes media folder, then your data should be present upon installation.
Removing and reinstalling iTunes and other software components for Windows Vista, Windows 7, or Windows 8
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1923
If you receive any errors when uninstalling any components of iTunes, try the steps in the article below for each component that gives you an error.
"The feature you are trying to use is on a network resource that is unavailable" alert appears when removing Apple software in Windows
http://support.apple.com/kb/TS3704
If you experience issues during installation, see the article below.
Trouble installing iTunes or QuickTime for Windows
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1926
Regards,
Jason H.

My computer was in a fire and lost all my itune files...

Hello,
Recently my house was on fire and I lost my computer with all my itune files. I bought so many "the office" episodes but now they are all gone.
I was wondering if there was a way to recover all this since apple itunes keeps some sort of purchase history. Would it be possible to download them again?
Thanks
Zee
http://www.image-xl.com

thinking that once you have purchase content you could re-download stuff you own the right to use whenever you want, and that Apple and/or the Record Companies would not exploit the loss of a client to get them to re-purchase music they already have proof of ownership of.
Your thinking is incorrect. The iTunes Store only allows a single download. Why this is no one here can say, but it's been the policy since day 1 of the Store.
I have never backed up my media (since I owned all the DVDs and CDs) and now I don't do it either since I have way too much of it.
I personally think you're foolish not to back up downloaded content that you've paid for. There's no way you purchase too much to make a backup, at least once every couple of weeks, which would minimize the amount of potential loss.
I do not want to (and sometimes cannot always) do a backup every time I purchase a single song.
Your call. But if you don't, then you risk losing valuable items should your system crash or be stolen, and will have no right to complain should that happen. The policy's clear, and you cannot claim ignorance of it in the future.
Regards.

My computer crashed, I recovered all my itunes files, I have them on a file on my new computer, How do I connect them to my newer version of itunes on my new computer?

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Any music purchased through the iTunes store can be downloaded again for free as long as you are signed in with the Apple ID you used for the original purchase. Any other music you had in iTunes should be easily accessible in your system back up or from the CDs you ripped from originally.

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I moved iTunes folder location, now all my personal song ratings and playlists are gone. How can I get them back? All the iTunes files are intact, just in a new location. Running iTunes 11.1.5.5 on Windows 7

Put everything back the way it was.
Them move the folder correctly.
http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1364

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The latest apple update erased all my contacts

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I bought new music on itunes for th first ime in years and the updates erased all my music from my ipod and none of the new music that I bought was downloaded...a bunch of stuff I never heard of is now on my ipod. How do I reload my library?

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Was this a different computer/iTunes library than what it you had originally sync the iPod with? If so, that would explain why all of your content that WAS on your iPod was erased, since an iPod can only be synced with one iTunes library at a time.
As for your current predicament, you'll need to figure out how your iPod is configured to sync music and then adjust it so that the stuff you don't want on it is removed during the next sync operation and the music you DO want on it will be transferred over to it from iTunes.
B-rock

ITunes 9 erased all my music files

I just upgraded to iTunes 9 today and all 5,000 songs, all music files, ratings, etc are gone. I tried moving the Music Library.xml file to the desktop and reloading, but to no avail. File-Library-Import didn't work. Fortunately all my music files are backed up, but I'm not eager to rate and set up the folders again. I certainly expect better from Apple than this. Anyone else having that problem? Or, more importantly, has anyone have a good suggestion for getting it back to where it was?

Are you simply copying your music files to an Ex.HDD or using the Time Machine facility?
A similar thing happened to me when I upgraded to iTunes 8.whatever. I learnt to use Time Machine for backing up. Now everything is backed up every hour and when things go wrong during upgrades (which is often - believe it or not) all my files, playlists and ratings etc. are there to be retrieved.
Nothing can retrieve your lost files unless they're still sitting in the previous iTunes libraries folder. If they are you should be able to reactivate them. Just delete the new library file and move the old one out of the archive folder into the iTunes folder. If you're lucky it should kick in..... It's worked for me before.
Good luck.

HELP!! I had to restore my computer and all my itunes files are gone

How do i put all my ipod files back onto the computer so i can keep uploading more to my ipod? PLEASE HELP

There is a manual method of accessing the iPod's hard drive and copying songs but not playlists back to iTunes on Windows posted in this thread: MacMuse - iPod to iTunes
If you prefer something more automated then there are a number of third party utilities that you can use to retrieve the music files and playlists from your iPod, this is just a selection. Have a look at the web pages and documentation for these, they are generally quite straightforward.
iPod Access Mac and Windows Versions
YamiPod Mac and Windows Versions
PodUtil Mac and Windows Versions
iPodCopy Mac and Windows Versions
PodPlayer Windows Only
iGadget Windows Only
If your iPod is set to update automatically take care when connecting back to your computer and an empty iTunes. If it is set to automatically update you will get 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, press *No*. Pressing "Yes" 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.
You can also use a keyboard command to prevent your iPod auto-syncing with iTunes. While connecting the iPod to the computer on Windows hold down the Shift + Ctrl keys (on a Mac hold down the Option and Command (⌥ and ⌘) keys). 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 20 to 30 seconds depending on your computer. Then go to Preferences>iPod and check the "Manually manage songs and playlists" box: Managing Your Songs Manually
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 again. I would also advise that you get yourself an external hard drive and back your stuff up in case you have problems again. External drives are quite cheap these days and you can get loads of storage for quite a small outlay.

Help! PowerBook G4 failed, rebooted but I have lost all my iTunes files!

Hi there,
Please help!
I have an old PowerBook G4. I dropped it this morning by accident and it stopped working. I got it to switch on again and got to the Darwin/BSD page. I followed the advice below:
Start up in Single User Mode and type carefully:
/sbin/fsck -y
Repeat the above until it says your disk is OK. Then:
/sbin/mount -uw /
cd /var/db/netinfo
mv local.nidb/ local.nidb.bad
ls -ln /Users
This last command will give you one line for each user, plus one for the "Shared" directory, which doesn't interest us. Each user will have a line like one of these:
drwxr-xr-x 29 501 501 986 Jan 17 18:38 michaelc
drwxr-xr-x 14 520 20 476 Sep 10 2004 jdoeThe second numeric field (501, 520) is the user ID (UID) and you need to list the uids against the shortname s given in the final column. Make sure you get the name right for UID 501! Then continue with
reboot
I had to add new details once it had rebooted and it looks like i's created a new profile. I have the files that were on the HD (photos - phew) but all my music files have gone.
Any idea how to get them back please?
Thanks sooo much for your help!
J

Download a copy of EasyFind (free) and use it to search. It would be really unusual for a folder to go missing so selectively while everything else survived on a drive. Dropping a drive doesn't shake files loose. You posted a lot of instructions somebody had provided but how much of that did you actually need to do?
[Link to EasyFind download|http://www.macupdate.com/info.php/id/11076/easyfind]
It is possible you had some sort of directory damage and the files still exist on the drive but the computer has lost track of them. Try file recovery software.
*File Recovery*
General reading on this topic - [http://www.thexlab.com/faqs/datarecovery.html]
Easiest method: If you dragged these to the trash did you empty the trash? If not simply double click on it to open it and drag the file out again.
Next easiest method: Copy the file off a backup drive.
File recovery software: Try using an application such as [Data Rescue 3|http://www.prosofteng.com/products/data_rescue.php] or [FileSalvage|http://subrosasoft.com/OSXSoftware/index.php?mainpage=product_info&productsid=1]. Both have free trial versions that let you see if the software will help before you decide to buy. You will also need a second hard drive equal to or larger in size than your first drive as a destination drive for recovered files.
It is critical that you do not use the computer or even turn it on until you have rescued your files. Files only have the directory reference to them removed when you empty the trash or otherwise delete them from a computer (unless you use secure erase, in which case they are gone forever or can only be potentially be recovered by very expensive means) and are still present on the computer. However, their space is marked as available to any other file creation done on the computer (even done by you booting the computer) and there is risk that your files will be overwritten by the computer.
There is also this free tool which supposedly runs on OSX and does recovery of popular media and Office files. http://www.cgsecurity.org/wiki/TestDisk_Download I have not run it and have no idea about its functionality. It is a command line program and so is not as user friendly as Mac users might wish. [http://www.macupdate.com/info.php/id/27683/testdisk]
[Baby Boomer's post on file recovery utilities|http://discussions.apple.com/message.jspa?messageID=10270140#10270140 ] - note, most of these free demos only tell you if they can recover a file and don't actually recover any files for free.
If you manage to rescue the files you should seriously consider getting a backup drive. A $100 drive will cost less than replacing a substantial iTunes library since Apple does not provide for a second download for free.

HT5654 your update erased all my itunes files!

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