I Deleted my Library File

I deleted my library file and all other files from the iTunes folder on my computer.
I save all of my music & photo files on an external hard drive, I thought that everything was being saved there and that I could clean up unnecessary files by deleting the iTunes folder off my computer. I still have all of my music & photo folders on my external hard drive, but I deleted my videos, movies, podcasts, playlists, audio books that were stored on my computer.
The good news is that I still have all of the music, artwork, videos, movies, podcasts, playlists, audio books, photos on my I pod.
What can I do to correct a horrific error of mine?

Bummer. If you haven't a backup or copy in another folder, you're going to have to rebuild it.
You can do it by adding the main music folder from your exHD. No need to add folders painfully one-by-one.
but all your ratings, playcounts, playlists, etc will be gone.

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When I update itunes it deletes the library file, and when I restore that file from the previous libraries or my backup, itunes will run but tell me "the iTunes library file cannot be saved. A folder was specified instead of a file" How do I fix this?

When I update itunes it deletes the library file, and when I restore that file from the previous libraries or my backup, itunes will run but tell me "the iTunes library file cannot be saved. A folder was specified instead of a file" How do I fix this?

Hi there Br0x,
You may want to try rebuilding the iTunes library as an initial troubleshooting step. Take a look at the article below for more information.
iTunes: How to re-create your iTunes library and playlists
http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1451
-Griff W.

My iTunes is creating duplicates of playlists and hanging up. running latest version of lion, and iTunes using match and iCloud. please help. I have uninstalled and reinstalled iTunes. deleted all library files and is doing same thing.

I am runing lion and latest version of itunes. I have match on, home sharing on and using icloud. my itunes started hanging up and required me to force quit. then upon restart of itunes and restart of computer itunes would take upwards of 15 minutes to open and was using >90% of CPU and would be lagging in response if responding at all one of the playlists I had created on my ipad had over a hundred copies of the same playlist. after repeated restarts I uninstaled itunes and reinstalled. this didnt rectify the problem. I assumed library file had somehow become corrupt so I deleted library files, reimported all my music and synced with genius and match. and let the computer go over night. when I woke in morning all my music was back but I had all the extra playlists again and itunes is hogging all the cpu and was minimally responsive and hanging up after each click.
I thought this might be a virus or something but installed ESET cypersecurity did a complet scan with no threats found. I am at a total loss and do not know where to go from here. I hope one of you can assist. Thanks!

I had this exact issue. Spent over an hour on the phone with apple support, they couldn't resolve. Here is what I ended up doing, that worked.
1. Turned iTunes match off on all my iOS devices
2. Deleted the offending playlists from the iOS device they originated on
3. Started iTunes, let it run (literally) for an hour before it became responsive. First thing I did, before clicking anywere else was disable iTunes match. If I clicked anywhere, it would clock for another hour.
4. Let iTunes run overnight, by morning it had cleaned out the repeating play lists. This got my Mac/iTunes back to an operable state.
5. Restore iPhones from backup in iTunes.
What was causing my issue was a single playlist that was created on an iPhone, then suddenly showed up with several thousand duplicates on my other iPhone. The culprit playlist did not, for some reason, duplicate itself on my two iPads. Apple support seemed to think it was because the problem iPhone tried to sync the playlist to iCloud over and over again unsuccessfully, then it finally went through and populated the thousands of blank/failed playlists which then tried to propigate to iTunes and my other iOS devices. Seems like a reasonable theory.
I have not yet re-enabled iTunes match. So, no idea what will happen if I decide to go back down that rabbit hole.

XCode update deleted iTunes Library files

I just updated XCode, and this meant updating the part about mobile applications, and my itunes library file was deleted in the process. Is there any way to retrieve my playlists/ratings? Last backup was a while ago, guess I've lost about 1000 ratings.
Anyone else had this happen?
I'm a DJ, so this is a bit devastating, not convinced the backup will restore things but will attempt it if there's no other way to retrieve the original XML/ITL files...
cheers

Thankyou! I just tried however it won't let me create a new one on the external? Perhaps I have utterly stuffed up when removing the old ones. Is there a way around this? Thanks

Iphoto - Deleted my library file by mistake.

I was deleting some of my pictures in the picture file where i store photos before i email them. However, I decided to "delete all".
At the time i was working at the bottom of the file and didn't go to the top where I would have seen the library file.
Can it get my photos back?
Desparate Jim
EMac Mac OS X (10.3.9)

James, Stop using the computer now and get a file recovery software.
Virtual Lab
Data Rescue ll
these are just a couple

Help! Deleted Music Library File!

Help! I accidentally deleted My Music and lost the library files. How do I get it back? Can I get it off my iPod?

ainokeawahine wrote:
...I thought that it only went one way, from computer to phone...
For most things that's true, but purchases are the exception.

ITunes has deleted my library file twice in one week

A week ago, I opened iTunes to find that my entire library file had been deleted. The files were still on my hard drive but all were missing from itunes. In addition, all of my iPhone apps were gone and all of my podcast subscriptions were deleted. I spent hours restoring everything and now they are gone again. I opened iTunes just now and everything is gone again. I am given a welcome screen as if starting iTunes for the first time. What is going on here?!? Again, all of my files are safe on my hard drive. It is just the library file that seems to be getting deleted.

Once does seem to happen occasionally. Twice suggests active interference. Sony VAIO computers used to ship with their own media managment software that would delete the iTunes library file. It is also possible that AV software might interupt the process by which iTunes updates the database file. Look at your advanced settings to see if you can't exclude the iTunes folder from real-time scanning.
As for restoring things, this method should sort you out...
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 and copy 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!
Should you be in the unfortunate position where you are no longer able to access your original library, or a backup of it, then see Recover your iTunes library from your iPod or iOS device.
tt2

Accidently deleted iTunes library file

Hello,
I tried to move my whole iTunes library from my main hard drive to my second integrated drive. I used the instructions from Apple to do so, but apparently I did something wrong and somehow I lost me library file. At least that's what I think went wrong. I cannot retrieve it, it's not in the recycle bin and my time machine tool on my computer does not work for some reason...
I still got all my music data, TV shows etc, it's all there, but it's not displayed in my iTunes library, although I checked the location at "Preferences".
Should I just import all that data into the library again? And will I be able to sync my iPhone with that iTunes now that the old library file is gone? What are my options? I'm really confused now....
Thank you in advance!
Regards

You're most welcome.
When you're ready to move your library again download and run the script iTunesInfo. The output should be something like this:
If the iTunes Library.itl file and iTunes Media folder are in the same parent folder (so have the same values outlined in red) and iTunes media organization is true then the library folder (outlined in red) is portable and can be copied or moved from the current location to a different path, drive or network share. Once there you can start iTunes by holding down shift as you start iTunes releasing shift once there is a prompt to choose or create a library. Click choose and browse to the .itl file in the new location.
If the .itl and .xml files are not in the same folder as the media folder, or iTunes media organization is false, then the library will need a bit of preparation before it can be moved. Post back the details and I will explain how to do it without breaking the library.
tt2

Deleting iPhoto Library File.

I recently went through my pictures in Finder and deleted hundreds, however when I go into iPhoto, they're all still there. How do you update that. Also, if I delete the iPhoto Library in Finder, will I lose my synced iPhone photos? I can't seem to find them anywhere other than in iPhoto. Im so lost! Thanks in advance! Shane.

Photos in Finder are outside of the iPhotos library, unless you went into the package contents via the contextual menu. Though there is the option to keep the original, when importing to the library, so they may just be repeats.
Deleting photos outside of the library will not affect the library contents. Deleting from "Masters" inside the library package is not a correct procedure, as the database will then be incorrect.
To delete photos from within the library, open iPhoto app and trash them there. There is a proviso though. When deleting from individual albums, the photo is only removed from the album. It needs to be trashed from the "Photos" folder, to finally be deleted.
Finding such photos after removing them from the album, can be difficult. I rename them "zzz" or such, so that sorting them takes them to the end of the Photos folder. Another way is to make a Smart Folder with the criteria "Album" "is not" "any" and call it "Orphans".

Deleted Library File... Once is starts playing at all! Help!

I have an Ipod 20gig. Recently I deleted the library file, but first...
When I try to play a song, it queues up on the ipod screen, and then the ipod freezes. It turns itself off in a few minutes and boots back up to the main menu which works fine. I can change any setting. But then when I go to play again it doesnt play and freezes!
If that ever gets fixed, I have another proble, I deleted my library file!
Alright folks - somehow i deleted my Ipod library file. Huge problem. Now if I wanna add or delete anything, i have to start from scratch - that is- i cant add anything or itll be the only thing on there when I update! What do I! It took me 2 years to properly tag everything that i got on there!

I have an Ipod 20gig. Recently I deleted the library file, but first...
When I try to play a song, it queues up on the ipod screen, and then the ipod freezes. It turns itself off in a few minutes and boots back up to the main menu which works fine. I can change any setting. But then when I go to play again it doesnt play and freezes!
If that ever gets fixed, I have another proble, I deleted my library file!
Alright folks - somehow i deleted my Ipod library file. Huge problem. Now if I wanna add or delete anything, i have to start from scratch - that is- i cant add anything or itll be the only thing on there when I update! What do I! It took me 2 years to properly tag everything that i got on there!

Library files deleted..HELP

In an attempt to copy songs from the ipod to the library, I deleted the library files by accident. Is there any way to recreate them? I am unable to update the ipod without them.

well, starting iTunes will create a new, blank, library.
Go to edit\prefs\advanced, and set the library folder settings as you want them, then just drag the folder where you keep the music into iTunes.
For future reference, you might want to look into backing up the library files (among the music, which is also pretty important).

How can I locate my iTunes library files. When I click on my itunes icon the message appears, "The file iTunes Library.itl." cannot be found because it was created by a newer version of iTunes."

How can I locate my iTunes library files? When I click on my iTunes icon rather than my iTunes files I receive, " The file iTunes Library.itl." cannot be read because it was created by a newer version of iTunes." I have already tried to update my iTunes program.

Had same problem and solved it without having to reinstore any music or movies:
1. Delete old Library file
2. Go to the 'Previous iTunes Libraries' folder and copy one of the earlier files - note, they have a date extension, e.g. 'iTunes Library 2011-11-01'.
3. Paste this file in your iTuners folder and rename file by removing the date extension - 'iTunes Library'
You should have all your music and paylists in tact, unless it was a really old previous file.

The iTunes Library file cannot be saved. The disk could not be read from...

Screenshot of error message: http://i49.tinypic.com/2ecp3sw.jpg
I tried deleting my library file and starting over with a new library, reimporting my music. Then, once again, I get this message:
"The iTunes Library file cannot be saved. The disk could not be read from or written to." with a checkbox that asks if I would like not to be warned of this again.
Information that might be relevant:
My iTunes files (everything but the application file) is located on my external HD (formatted for mac and has only been used on macs) and is connected via USB.
The external HD makes noises whenever it tries to save the library file, so it's obviously trying to write to the HD.
The iTunes folder creates a temporary file every single time this happens, but it is gone once the error comes up.
None of this happened (after reimporting my music to the new library) until I turned Genius on. Turning Genius off and deleting the Genius file hasn't stopped it, either.

ok--same scenario but
Running Disk Utility says: Error: Disk Utility can’t repair this disk. Back up as many of your files as possible, reformat the disk, and restore your backed-up files.
Trying to drag-drop the iTunes library folder from the ext HD to the internal MacBookPro HD gets: "The Finder can’t complete the operation can’t be completed because an unexpected error occurred (error code -50)."
DiskWarrior was able to access the drive and created a preview drive, but said:
DiskWarrior has successfully built a new directory for the disk named "My Book." The new directory cannot replace the original directory because of a disk malfunction.! It is highly recommended that you backup all of your data from the preview disk.! But when I try to transfer (off either the MyBook HD or the DW preview version of MyBook I get: The operation can’t be completed because the item “xyz” is in use.

Mulitple Itunes Library Files

Hi can anyone please help? ...
I need to rebuild my laptop ... I currently have two hard drives one with the OS and a partition (c: d:) and one external one with ALL my music on(x:). (Music is stored in x:\music not in a specific itunes folder)
Im not entirely sure how it works but I think itunes has built multiple library/db files one in each of my drives. This concerns me as when i rebuild my machine i will probably be scrapping the d: drive partition and I dont want to lose any of my track data. (In an ideal world I would not even have itunes lirary files in c: either because I dont have music stored on it is there away of stopping itunes putting folders in there?)
The big question though is ... if when i rebuild my machine and delete the library files from c: d: will I lose any of my track data bearing in mind i have no music files in c: or d:?
And after the PC rebuild / reinstalltion of itunes what will i need to do to ensure my PC knows all the track data it knew before the rebuild? I will still have one group of library/db files on x: so does this mean i can automatically get all the track data back becasue its in x: and so is the music, or are the library/db files in d: and c: likely to store part of the track data I require?
Many Thanks,
Message was edited by: DJFenner
Message was edited by: DJFenner

Hi, Dorothy, and welcome to the Discussions.
Just once, you're going to have to hook up the old computer, to copy everything over to the new one.
Please see:
http://discussions.apple.com/message.jspa?messageID=1271401#1271401
and:
http://discussions.apple.com/message.jspa?messageID=607339

How to delete multiple old ITUNES LIBRARY files safely ?

I'd like to clean up my Itunes LIBRARY files, but don't know what's safe to do and not to do. (I have Itunes 8.1 / OSX10.4.11)
MY QUESTION IS TWOFOLD :
(1) how do I create a new Itunes library file now with today's date; and
(2) how do I delete multiple (old) Itunes library files, without risking the loss of what I've got ?
This all stems from exploring Itunes as a result of a problem I had today... when trying to import mp3's from my terrabyte drive, after about 150 successful mp3 track imports, Itunes froze and everything else on my MAC froze as well (constant spinning colored wheel). After many failed attempts to force quit Itunes, I turned off my MBPro. On restarting, Itunes tooks ages to "import" files. Eventually Itunes opened but with only half of my original tunes (1500+ songs 8.11GB) and had nothing from today's import.
I found a post suggesting to hold down OPTION while starting Itunes. Then I selected a file from my hard drive > me > music > Itunes > "Itune library" with the most recent date and shezam, Itunes once again has all my songs, as before. Nothing I imported from the terrabyte drive today appears however, but no matter.
In my "Itunes" file there appear MULTIPLE Itunes libraries ! such as Itunes library, Itunes Library (damaged), and as well a folder called "Previous Itunes Libraries" which itself contains multiple Itunes Library files and multiple "previous Itunes Library files" with dates back to 2007. These I want to clean up and delete .... should I ? ... Can I ?
I really could use some words of wisdom from the wise ! Thanks in advance

Whenever you install a new version of iTunes and run it teh first time, iTunes will create a backup of the current iTunes library file and copy it into \Music\iTunes\Previous iTunes libraries, then update the iTunes library file in \Music\iTunes\ for the current version of iTunes.

I Deleted my Library File

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