ITunes Library Auto-resets/Disappears

Every once in a while, while running iTunes, I'll get a "unable to connect to iTunes Library file" error message. The next time I use iTunes, my library will be completely cleared out. The music files will still be on my hard drive, but the library file itself seems to have reset to zero.
When I look at the My Music/iTunes folder, there will be multiple (+10) Temp files ranging from 2Mb to up to 35Mb. What are these files and can I use them to restore my Library (and playlists)?
This issue only occurs on my computer at work. We've got a network set up that directs the My Docs folder to a local server here in the office (I think the setting is called "mapped network folder"). Since the location of the iTunes Library data can not be changed from My Docs and since My Docs is not located on this local machine,I'd guess that this is what is causing the overall issue. What I'm looking for a way to repair/restore the Library (and playlists) without creating a new one from scratch.
It would also be nice to know why iTunes is creating multiple Temp files that appear to do nothing other than take up space.

Since the location of the iTunes Library data can not be changed from My Docs...
Sure it can. Install TweakUI and change the location of the My Music folder to somewhere on the local drive. Done and done.

Similar Messages

My iTunes Library/Playlist Just Disappeared

Hello, I hope you are well.
I have been using iTunes for years without any major problems. Today, it was fine during the afternoon, but after I shut it down and turned it back on, iTunes greeted me with the screen telling me to add songs to my Library.
The Library that I have been using for years just disappeared, and there are no playlists at all. I checked for the music files on my computer, and they are all there - both the hundreds I've purchased directly from the iTunes Store, as well as the hundreds more that I've purchased or obtained elsewhere.
I just spent the last hour searching up a way to retrieve my Library. I found that there are hundreds of people with the same problem, but most of them do not seem to care that they've lost their Library information. I know that I can probably just drag all the song files back into iTunes, but I really do not want the song information - play counts, ratings, etc. - to disappear, as I've spent a lot of time organizing my Library.
Please help. Thank you very much. I am running Windows 7 Professional and am using the latest stable version of iTunes, 9.0.1.8. I also have an iPod Nano that has all the songs and is pretty much updated to the latest iTunes Library (before it reseted itself), if that helps.
Message was edited by: VictorLy

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!
See also Recover your iTunes library from your iPod or iOS device.
tt2

ITunes library content resetting

I modify content within my iTunes Library (e.g. Genre, sort names, remove total # of tracks, etc.). It will stay fine for a day or so, then I will notice some of the songs will reset back to the data content originally downloaded from iTunes. I will open the song's information and the data will reset back to the changes I had made. Then a couple days later the data will reset back again to the original iTunes content. This is frustrating, as it is messing up custom playlist, and syncing the content with my iPod and iPad.
Anyone know how to correct this problem? Apple store said something about having to recreate my library again (basically start from scratch). I really need help. Don't want to start from scratch.
Thanks!

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. Note that in iTunes 11 an "empty" library may show your past purchases with links to stream or download them.
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.
Alternatively, depending on exactly when and why the library went missing, there may be a more recent .tmp file in the main iTunes folder that can be copied and renamed as iTunes Library.itl to restore the library to an earlier state. Look for a recent .tmp file that is similar in size to the .itl files in the Previous iTunes Libraries folder. If it has happened repeatedly you may want the earliest such file generated since the last iTunes upgrade.
If applicable, 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.
I've noticed more of these missing library posts of late and a common factor to most since I started asking is AVG Anti-Virus. It seems in some cases it might be at least part of the reason why the library file disappears. Try excluding the iTunes folder from any AV scanning process.
tt2

ITunes Library.itl keeps disappearing when iTunes starts

I just updated to iTunes 10.8.0.40. Now my iTunes Library.itl file keeps disappearing.
When iTunes starts, I get a message that says, "The iTunes Library.itl file cannot be found or created. The default location for this file is in the "iTunes" folder inthe "Music" folder."
I copy a backup from the "Previous iTunes Library" folder and then iTunes will start. However, the file disappears again as iTunes is starting. Right after it disappears, iTunes displays a message that says, "Checking iTunes Library..." followed by "Updating iTunes Library..." Then I get a message that says, "The iTunes Library file cannot be saved. A folder was specified instead of a file."
The process repeats endlessly. How do I stop iTunes from deleting the iTunes Library.itl file as it starts?

I fixed this by removing iTunes and installing MediaMonkey. Most of the music I have in iTunes has been ripped from my CDs and MediaMonkey found all of those MP3's within a couple minutes. The last time I had to rebuild my iTunes database, it took two days because I couldn't figure out how to stop it from analyzing the volume. The few albums that I bought through iTunes, I will burn to a CD and re-rip. Despite the name, MediaMonkey seems to be a much better program for managing music and runs significantly faster on my little HP mini.
This is the fourth and last time I'm dealing with the problem of iTunes deleting my database. Good riddance iTunes.

ITunes Library Keeps Resetting.

Every 5 days or so I will open iTunes and my entire library is gone. The only thing that iTunes is the screen you get from an empty library where my only two opitions are to either go to iTunes or scan for media. I would appreciate it if anyone knows why this is happening and how i can fix this problem.

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. Note that in iTunes 11 an "empty" library may show your past purchases with links to stream or download them.
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.
Alternatively, depending on exactly when and why the library went missing, there may be a more recent .tmp file in the main iTunes folder that can be copied and renamed as iTunes Library.itl to restore the library to an earlier state. Look for a recent .tmp file that is similar in size to the .itl files in the Previous iTunes Libraries folder. If it has happened repeatedly you may want the earliest such file generated since the last iTunes upgrade.
If applicable, 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.
I've noticed more of these missing library posts of late and a common factor to most since I started asking is AVG Anti-Virus. It seems in some cases it might be at least part of the reason why the library file disappears. Try excluding the iTunes folder from any AV scanning process.
tt2

ITunes library location resetting itself

I have moved my iTunes Library to a server drive so that it can be backed up, but iTunes keeps resetting it to my local hard drive. I had first moved the library several weeks ago, and then accidentally discovered it had changed back to my local hard drive all by itself at some point. I had moved it prior to the recent 6.0 and 6.0.1 releases (currently running 6.0.1), so I thought maybe the upgrade from 5 had reset it. A couple of nights ago, I got it all cleaned up and recombined back on the server drive. I had downloaded the 2 new free downloads this week, and then had numerous podcast updates during the day. That night, I found that again the location of my library has changed back to my local hard drive, and those downloads I had just done had went there. Again, I changed the library location through Preferences (with the "Keep iTunes Music folder oganized" and "Copy files to iTunes Music folder" options checked), and then "Consolidated" the library. Today, at around 4:00 this afternoon, it again switched back to the default C: drive location, when no one was even home. What's up with this? iTunes is supposed to allow changing of the library location, and I have followed the proper procedures, but it will not stay!
Help!

Speculation about future iTunes releases, features, or bug fixes is not allowed to be discussed here, but I can safely say that iTunes 7 won't be out for a long time. We went from 4.9 to 6 in six weeks recently. Highly unusual, and I don't expect that to be repeated anytime soon. However, that doesn't mean version 6 won't be updated.
What's important to remember is that your setup isn't the majority of iTunes' target market. That translates into your feature request or bug fix requirement probably being lower on the ladder of priority.
What would be useful to the iTunes community here is someone to volunteer to do some extensive testing and report the results.
- try multiple network/mount methods
- quit/launch iTunes quickly and see if there's any correlation with the speed of disk access
- make a note of any other processes that may have locked the network volume for a brief period, causing iTunes not to have access

My iTunes library like completely disappeared

except the music I've bought from iTunes. I have alot of other music that I got from amazon and stuff like that. And it was all personalized and I fixed a bunch of them and I don't want to do it again. I didn't update or download a new version or anything but I just went into my iTunes today and everything is gone. Including like digital versions of movies I had added that I got with DVDs. As well as all my playlists so I'm scared to even try and sync my phone because I know everything will be gone. Is there a way I can restore my library to a version like even earlier today because it was all there today then I added some new pictures to my iPhone and then I closed it and opened it later and it was all gone. Thanks in advance for your help. Also I was wondering if I could restore my computer to an earlier backup or whatever? I unfortunately don't have my iTunes library on an external hard drive. I do have all the music files but that's not what I 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 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!
See also Recover your iTunes library from your iPod or iOS device.
tt2

ITunes Library Keep Resetting to Macinstosh HD from Network NAS location

Every time I open iTunes, the library location path in the Advanced tab shows that the iTunes Library has changed located back to the Macintosh HD:/Users/username/Music/iTunes/iTunes Music/
The library has been relocated to a QNAP network NAS mapped to NASTS209Pro/iTunes which is a public folder. The information below is taken from the System profiler
Type: smbfs
Mount Point: /Volumes/iTunes
Mounted From: //GUEST@nasts209pro:139/iTunes
Automounted: No
How do I force iTunes to use the NAS directory and stop it from reverting back to the Localhard drive directory path?

I found this thread through a support search. I just moved to all Mac Books for my family and set them up to a wireless network, and keep data (music, photos) on a shared NAS drive. We finally got around to moving our folder from our old external drive to the NAS. That went fine.
We are now finding the same issue. The music file location keeps reverting back to the local HD. My kids have Mac Books with Tiger, we have Pro's. The kid's computers reverted without even closing out or restarting. Mine held the directory until I restarted the computer. It's a drag because each time I fix it, the files have to re-organize, and it takes forever. The kids can't copy music to their ipods because it keeps saying "the original files can't be found"
Is there a way to correct this, (I see this topic was never answered) or do we have to abandon this way of doing things? They guy who set up our wireless and the NAS said it would be great. (I am also wondering how we can all have Apple accounts to buy music, have it stored in the NAS, and all be able to use it, without knowing what got added when and by whom.) We have all authorized each other's laptops.
Do we need to upgrade the new OS? I tried another thread's suggestion of adding the NAS to the login items. I can't seem to do that on the Pro.
Any help would be greatly appreciated. I might have to resort to a trip to the Genius Bar. :/

My iTunes library has completely disappeared during a download of some music from the store

This morning, during a download of some music from the iTunes store, iTunes appeared to crash, as the downloads all paused and the spinning wheel appeared. Itunes then shut itself. After reopening it, all of my music, apps, vids, etc (everything), had disappeared, and iTunes was basically blank as if I had just opened it for the very first time on my computer, with iTunes match, Home Sharing, etc all signed out.
I know this has happened for other people but having looked through the discussions they all seem to be under different cirumstances. I'm running a mid 2012 2.9 Ghz macbook pro with 8GB memory, on OS X 10.8.5, with itunes version 11.1.1 which I updated to, around a week ago, when prompted to by the app store.
I've located all the music files on my hard drive in the iTunes media folder and everything appears to be there, just no longer showing in the iTunes app. I know that if I sign into iTunes match that I'll be able to access my library through that online, but I'd like to access the music on my hard drive so I don't need an internet connection to listen, so is there any way of just re-directing iTunes to the media folder or do I need to just import everything from that folder manually?

Should also add, that when opening my iTunes preferences that the iTunes Media Folder Location appears to be the same one that supposedly has all the files in it. If I click change then I can see all the music, vids, etc that are on the hard drive, yet still nothing is showing in iTunes.

ITunes library and folders disappeared

It was all working earlier today, and now I open iTunes and its empty, the library is empty, the folders we created for each iPod (we have three) are all missing... If I go to "Add a folder to library" I can see all the music folders that i need to add... so i did that again... but i can't seem to get the old .itl file to "reload" or take effect again... shoudl i empty the library again and load the .itl file? I see a folder called OLD ITUNES LIBRARIES etc... per other postings in this forum. However the other postings, as far as i can find, do NOT explain HOW to reload or reactivate the .itl and .xml files... WHAT HAPPENED, and HOW DO I FIX IT? I recently downloaded this new iPod tool that would help download new updates to the ipods themselves...but we did absolutely nothing to the library database at all. PLEASE HELP before i have to redo thousands of songs into multiple iPod folders from scratch... sigh.

I wish I could help but the exact same thing happened to me the other day. I turned on my computer and iTunes was completely empty. To make it worse, this morning I was using my iPod which is a 30GB video one and it was working fine! But I went to go eat lunch, leaving my iPod plugged into my computer, charging, and when I came back, the same thing happened on my iPod: over 400 songs and 70 videos, gone! If you find the answer, let me know!

My itunes library is constantly resetting itself. I really don't know what is wrong with it I have ran virus checks and nothing is on my laptop. Anybody got any idea?

Hi my itunes library is constantly disappearing, I really don't know what is wrong. It keep happening everytime I turn my laptop off, I thought I had solved the problem the other week however it has started back up again. I have a Sony Vaio laptop and have read on the discussions that this can occur but all the solutions I have read haven't seemed to solve it. Anybody else got an idea? I would be really grateful for the help!

See this post. Seems that AVG is the most likely cause. They are promising a patch tomorrow.
tt2

Why is itunes library xml disappearing?

After adding new music, my itunes library xml is disappearing. If I shut my computer down and restart it it's fine. If I don't it says cannot find file and it was modified at some date in the year 2000. I use the dj software traktor which reads the library xml. This started happening after I upgraded to lion, I was running leapord before. Anyone have any ideas what is causing this? Also, I have no problems in itunes

Click the icon to start iTunes and immediately press and hold down the SHIFT key until asked to choose or create a library. Create your new library at, for example, D:\iTunes.
tt2

Moved all content to a Drobo, but can't get it into my iTunes Library

I've got a lot of music and video content spread out over several drives, including two external 1 TB MyBooks. I purchased a firewire Drobo to help manage this content, and over the past few weeks, I've copied over all of the media files onto the Drobo. I exported my iTunes Library playlist, reset the iTunes Music library location to the Drobo and when I went to import the Library, it started copying over the files.
What am I doing wrong?

Davs,
When you say "presentation," are you by any chance talking about Power Point? If so, the music must be in one of the formats that is compatible with Power Point, which includes MP3.
The files sold in the iTunes Store are in AAC format, which is not compatible with Power Point. You can convert AAC to MP3 by following this guide:
http://support.apple.com/kb/PH12367

Lost content in my iTunes library

3/4 of my content in my iTunes library has miraculously disappeared, can someone plz help me retrieve it?

Hi there,
You may find the information in the article below helpful.
iTunes: Finding lost media and downloads
http://support.apple.com/kb/ts1408
-Griff W.

How can I copy just one song from my iPhone to my iTunes library?

I have purchased songs through the iTunes app on my iPhone 4S. I want to get these songs on to my iPod. I figure I need to first transfer the songs from my iPhone to my iTunes library on my PC. Problem is it always seems to want to sync my library with my iPhone and I have way too many songs in my library to fit on my iPhone. I just want to transfer a couple of songs from the iPhone to my library. Is there anyway to do this?

Hi, first, you should prevent the iTunes library auto sync with iPhone: Launch iTunes > click Preferences... > click Devices. In the window, check the option 'Prevent iPods, iPhones, and iPads from syncing automatically'. Next, connect your iPhone with your computer via the USB cable. Click the mini menu for iTunes on the very top left and click the option 'Show menu bar'. After then you can see iTunes File, Edit, View, Control, Store and Help menus on the ribbon. Click File > Devices > Transfer purchases from (your iPhone name). You can also access to the File menu by holding down Alt (Option on Mac), Shift and F keys. This is how to get your iPhone purcahsed song transferred to iTunes Library.

ITunes Library Auto-resets/Disappears

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