ITunes folder is corrupt

My iTunes folder is corrupt on my external hard drive and it is all gibberish (i.e., name turned to symbols and punctuation marks, etc.). I'm fairly certain that it's not my hard drive because I am able to open and use other files on the drive. I am currently using Mac OS X. Unfortunately, I have no other backup of my music. Please tell me that I can recover my 4,000 songs somehow. Thanks for any help!

Use the tool in this backup tip to copy the files that can be read over to a new known good location. One of SyncToy's strengths is that it will keep on working after coming across a file it cannot copy. Windows copy will just fall over.
Once you recovered as much media as possible use the following technique to explore any available backups of your library files, and then update it to match your media folder.
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 youshouldn'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!
tt2

Similar Messages

ITunes folder transferred from old computer is corrupt, so is most recent backup on external disk drive. What can I do?

I recently had to buy a new PC as the old one was getting very slow. When the technicians tried transferring over files to the new PC they discovered that several files were corrupted, including iTunes. I had made a backup of iTunes on an external hard drive a few months ago, but this appears to be dameged too. What can I do, please?

Use the tool in this backup tip to copy the files that can be read over to a new known good location. One of SyncToy's strengths is that it will keep on working after coming across a file it cannot copy. Windows copy will just fall over.
Once you recovered as much media as possible use the following technique to explore any available backups of your library files, and then update it to match your media folder.
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 youshouldn'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!
tt2

Corrupted iTunes folder within iPod_Control--What to Do?

i posted this same question in another part of the website, but i think i might have better luck here
I'm the owner of and ipod mini. About 2 months ago my ipod ran into a series of problems which lead to a persistent folder appearing with an exclamation point. The people at the apple service hotline told me this represented a software error but that they could not fix it since it was no longer under the one year warranty. So after about a week of trying all sorts of things to fix it including restoring it with the menu+select function and then restoring it using iPod Updater, I gave up. and i saw it this past few days on my nightstand and decided to give it another shot. now i'll skip a little bit and get right to the point. i fixed it slightly, i got it to get past the error sign. but today i tried opening it up in iTunes and my computer (running on Windows XP) gave me an error message saying that the iTunes folder within ipod_control was corrupted/unreadable. now for my question: is it possible to fix/replace this corrupted file so my ipod can function and communicate with iTunes, or should i just give up and go back to CDs?
Medion XL 2000 Windows XP

Try uninstalling iTunes, restart your computer, then reinstall the latest version of iTunes:
http://www.apple.com/itunes/download/
Also, try restoring the iPod software using the latest update:
http://www.apple.com/ipod/download/
Both of these actions should theoretically replace whatever file is corrupted.

Corrupted iTunes folder within iPod_Control

I'm the owner of and ipod mini. About 2 months ago my ipod ran into a series of problems which lead to a persistent folder appearing with an exclamation point. The people at the apple service hotline told me this represented a software error but that they could not fix it since it was no longer under the one year warranty. So after about a week of trying all sorts of things to fix it including restoring it with the menu+select function and then restoring it using iPod Updater, I gave up. and i saw it this past few days on my nightstand and decided to give it another shot. now i'll skip a little bit and get right to the point. i fixed it slightly, i got it to get past the error sign. but today i tried opening it up in iTunes and my computer (running on Windows XP) gave me an error message saying that the iTunes folder within ipod_control was corrupted/unreadable. now for my question: is it possible to fix/replace this corrupted file so my ipod can function and communicate with iTunes, or should i just give up and go back to CDs?
Medion XL 2000 Windows XP

I also have this problem. I have been told to restore my ipod using the ipod updater 10-12-2005 ( i have an ipod mini) and when i tried this, it said Ipod manager internal error. I was then told to try to reboot my computer and try to restore my ipod, but I recieved this same error message. I have now found that along with the error message saying : file or directory ipod_control\itunes\temp file is corrupt and unreadable
down at the system tray,
When i go to edit my playlists or put new music onto the ipod, when i unplug it, the new updates arent on the pod.
Christmas eve, the 1 year warranty is up. HELP!
If it's not fixable, do you think i could trade it for a replacement iPod?

HT4946 by mistake my contacts are deleted from iphone and the pc which itunes installed is corrupted, i have the itunes backup folder,is this possible to restore the contacts from my old itunes backup folder to iphone!?

by mistake my contacts are deleted from iphone and the pc which itunes installed is corrupted, i have the itunes backup folder,is this possible to restore the contacts from my old itunes backup folder to iphone!?

unless you had them synced with icloud or some other email account, very unlikely

New itunes crashed my entire system and corrupted itunes folder

Right now I am MAD AS ****.
I started iTunes and was told there was a new version available. Like a sucker I installed it. My iTunes folder and library with hundreds of hours of music is corrupted and the library shows up as blank. I tried uninstalling iTunes, but the new version leaves traces and when I install version 4.9 it won`t install because it finds elements of the new version. Even clicking on the iTunes library folder which is on a seoparate drive crashes my system. Now what Apple genius is responsible for this distaster!!!! And who at Apple is going to help me with this problem. Better question: Who at Apple even cares!
Can you tell I`m upset. Does anyone check the updates before sending them out to the field. %$?&*$!

OK, calm down, take a deep breathe. Ok, now that thats out of the way, please tell me exactly what happen with details so we can try to help you out.
Unfortunately, a majority of these download issues are actually Windows issues, not Apples. With that aside, as much info you can will be helpful along with what Windows OS you are running.

ITunes folder corrupted - advice needed please!

Hi, I have had problems with iTunes breaking songs and losing album artwork for several months now and I have come to the conclusion that I must delete the 'iTunes' folder in 'My Music' (I have tried much else to no avail). I am almost 100% certain that is the route of the corruption. The problem is, although I can put up with losing my playlists and play counts, I have an iPhone and obviously need to retain its settings and apps. Is there a way that I can go about deleting this folder, while retaining these things?
Any help would be very appreciated. Thanks,
James

Seems like noone has the answer about corrupted files - iTune creates a real mess in organising music files you have collected - I believe it is iTune the cause of all corruption problem with your music folder (iTune shoud never organise anything on a windows platform) - if you have found a solution to access the corrupted folder and recover all files I am interested - then adios iTune - don't want to use it anymore - liked it - now despise it
Bad iTune

Library file corrupted and absolute chaos in my itunes folder

Hi,
Is there any way to retrieve the library folder that contains all the info for the playlists?
I just bought a macbook pro with yosemite from June 2014 and wanted to sync my itunes library. I had all on an external hard drive and then hit absolute disaster:
Itunes 12 won't recognise an old library file from itunes 9.2.1.
So from the previous libraries folder I dragged the file into the itunes folder, renamed it, opened 12 but none of my playlists showed up and none of my over 12000 podcasts either.
Only purchased songs were visible.
I finally realised that 9.2.1 works in yosemite when opened from the external hard drive. I assigned the itunes folder and presto everything showed up.
But then I made the huge mistake of opening in itunes 12 again and for some reason it resorted all the files in an impossible way. It created a folder for every podcast edition and then chucked a hole lot of mp3s into the trash. The itunes folder is now utterly unrecognisable and the library file won't open in 9.2.1 any more. The library files from previous library folder do not work in 9.2.1 either any more, it's a mess and took me previously months to create the right order.
I had also reduced the podcasts in file size to fit them all onto my ipod classic and now it's all gone.
Is there any way at all that I can retrieve the library file from my ipod to re-create the order that I had?

i just migrated all my mp3's over to a new computer. installed the latest version of itunes 6.
when you open itunes on a 'clean' install, there are no songs in your library folder.
so what i did was copied 5 gigs of songs into the default itunes folder into "my documents/my music/itunes/itunes music" folder. to be honest, your 'music' folder can be on any local drive on your machine. i just put mine where i can access it quicker than a networked drive or itunes sharing from another computer.
then in the 'file' column, i did "add folder to my library" to load the songs into the library. after about 15 minutes, itunes had all 5 gigs of my songs. i'm listening to my itunes as we speak.
good luck.
btw- if it doesnt do it the first time.
un-install itunes, re-start, install itunes, re-start, then do the above...

ITunes Folder Corrupted

I have tried to move my I tunes file from one drive to another to free up space and it has resulted in losing all my music. A new ITunes folder which is empty now appears and when connecting my IPOD it states that the IPOD is not registered to that I Tunes.
How do I get the original folder back and reverse what I have done?

I have tried to move my I tunes file from one drive to another
Do you mean the iTunes folder (not file)?
and it has resulted in losing all my music
The music is gone off the hard drive or it does not show up in iTunes?
Hold Shift and launch iTunes.
Select Choose library.
Select the _iTunes library.itl_ file in the iTunes folder you moved.

Most of my iTunes library has disappeard. I cannot find them when I search in the iTunes folder either. How can I get them back?

I had hundreds of songs in my iTunes library, but when I open it now, I have about 40. They were a combination of downloaded songs from the iTunes store and songs loaded from my personal CD collection. I have searched for advice online. I have searched my iTunes folder and my recycle bin, and my songs are no longer there. I did not download a new version or plug in a device. Nothing has changed. Where could my songs be?

See Empty/corrupt iTunes library after upgrade/crash.
tt2

Importing old iTunes folder to new computer

I would appreciate any help with this you can give.
I have a MacBook Pro that I had four multi-user accounts on. One of them got corrupted, so that one was deleted and another account was opened. I want to get all the old iTunes songs out of the corrupted user folder and put them in the new account iTunes folder. Do I just drag the whole old iTunes folder into the Music folder of new user? ... letting it overwrite the existing iTunes folder?
If I overwrite the new iTunes folder with the old iTunes folder, will it delete whatever I downloaded in the new iTunes since, or meld the old and new together? How do I keep from deleting newer songs and still keep the iTunes library or directories, or whatever, intact?
Thanks,
Michael

Just copy entire /Music/iTunes/ folder from old computer to /Music/ on new computer.

How do I get reinstalled itunes to reload my music in the itunes folder on drive D?

I previously moved my itunes folder to D. I had to reinstall itunes and now I don't know how to get it to see my music and my old playlists. Thank you in advance for any help.

If depends on which method you used. If you moved your entire iTunes folder out to D: then you may need to hold down SHIFT as you start iTunes, click Choose and then browse to the folder containing the library database. If you only moved the media folder then your library will normally be in <User's Music>\iTunes.
Is this the same machine you previously used iTunes on or have have moved the drive. Uninstalling/reinstalling iTunes should have any effect on the contents of your library. Perhaps this is the advice you need...
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 youshouldn'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!
tt2

ITunes freezing when copying added files to ITunes folder

Hi all,
I have been running ITunes off of an external hard drive for as long as I can remember. I recently got a little NetBook, and it runs much faster than my older, slower desktop, so I figured I would just transfer all of my music to the NetBook.
I have the "copy files to ITunes folder when added" button checked, so when I add things to my NetBook library from the external hard drive, it will make a copy on the NetBook's hard drive.
I have tried adding a small folder twice, and both times it has frozen up on different songs. One time it froze while adding a song I had purchased from ITunes. The other time it froze while adding a song that I ripped from a CD.
Are these files corrupt? Is there any way to locate all of the corrupt files on my external hard drive and delete/clean them?
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Mark

To know whether a song file is corrupt, find it in Windows, right-click the file and use Open With > iTunes. If the file is OK, it will add to the library and start playing. If iTunes thinks the file is not valid, it will "error silently," i.e. do nothing.
The other thing to note is that big Adds sometimes error in iTunes for no apparent reason. If the files are not corrupt, and they don't add in big batches, add them in smaller batches.

Pdfs and MP3s in iTunes Folder not showing up iTunes Library - Please Help

Hi, I am running iTunes 10.7 on a 15 inch MacBook Pro 2.4 Ghz Intel Core i7 with 4 GB of RAM using OS X 10.7.5.
My problem is that when I bring the latest set of pdf and MP3 files I added do not show up in my iTunes library. If I go through the finder they are in the iTunes folder, but they will not display or play.
Thank you
Nucleus

They will not play or display even outside of iTunes? Not with Quicktime Player (for the mp3s) or Preview (for the PDFs)? If that's the case the files are probably corrupt.
Adding items to iTunes and not having them appear in the library is a recurring problem with newer versions for some.
Try restarting iTunes.
Check your recently added playlist. If they are there, try temporarily editing an item in the name, then restart iTunes and see if it appears.
Start iTunes, immediately hold down the option key and create a new, test library. Add the files to it. Do they add? If yes, then they are readable by iTunes. Go back to your old library using hte option key thing again.

ITunes folder not visible in My Music folder and no B through Z files are visible either.

Last month, my iTunes program became corrupted and non-functional. The iTunes uninstaller didn't function either. I was able to manually remove and reintall iTunes. iTunes can access and show all my music files, but when looking at the My Music folder through Windows Explorer or the My Documents desktop folder, only files/folders that start with a numeral or the letter A are visible. I cannot see the iTunes folder that contains the iTunes Library, Music Library, etc. I had a registry issue with hidden files that I corrected, but can still not see those mentioned folders/files. I know that they are there, because through the 'Show in Windows Explorer' function in iTunes, I can see the location/file path of any music files, including B through Z albums/songs, in the My Music folder. I'm thinking that there is something else that needs correcting/editing in the Windows registry, but cannot find any details on this exact issue with hours and hours of Web searches.

OK: I finally fixed the problem. After several attempts, I was able to fully run Chkdsk (chkdsk.exe) upon Windows startup. It ran for a few hours, dealing with disk errors, bad sectors, re-indexing, etc. Now, all the previously mentioned problems are resolved. Hope this helps someone.

ITunes folder is corrupt

Similar Messages

Maybe you are looking for