ITunes Library Damaged, lost playlists

Hi, we were running iTunes on my wife's computer. The iTunes Library was damaged. When iTunes came up again, the playlists were lost. I was able to recover the playlists, and wanted to share how.
I looked at the Apple help page
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1451
which gave me some ideas. I also looked at this thread for Mac users, especially this post:
http://www.mac-forums.com/forums/ipod-hardware-accessories/60549-damaged-itunes- library.html#post650277
We were running older copy of iTunes. Sorry, I didn't note which version.
I used the "Help / Check for Updates" feature in iTunes to upgrade to the current version (9.0.1.8). (Warning - reboot required - but this is Windows XP...
I brought up the new iTunes version to make sure it would come up OK. It did, but the playlists were still missing.
I shut down iTunes, then went to the folder "My Music / iTunes". I created a copy of the "iTunes Library (Damaged).itl" file, just for future reference. I then created a Temporary folder and moved all of the "iTunes Library" files into the Temp directory, with the exception of the damaged .ITL file. So I moved the other ITL files, ITDB files, and XML files into the temp directory.
I then renamed the "iTunes Library (Damaged).itl" file to the normal name of "iTunes Library.itl" .
I then crossed my fingers and restarted iTunes. It worked. It said something about recovering the library and showed a progress bar. When it completed, all the music and playlists appeared to be restored and OK.
Inquiring minds may ask why I didn't just use a recent copy of the iTunes Library from the folder "Previous iTunes Libraries". I have no idea why, but iTunes was not creating regular backups of the library in that folder. The most recent versions were from 2008 - which wouldn't have been much help.
I hope this helps some other folks recover their "Damaged Libraries" and playlists. Good luck!

I also considered using these tools to recover the playlists from my wife's iPod. Thankfully, that wasn't necessary.
iDump - see http://download.cnet.com/iDump/3000-2169_4-10407429.html
Pod to PC - see http://www.podtopc.com/

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How do I fix an Itunes Library (Damaged) on a Mac with all current software and udates?

I have lost my main Itunes Library. I have one now that came straight from the music in my phone. All playlist are gone. 75 gigs of music are gone. the only music availible to me is the music that was in my phone. down to 15 gigs I have found a file that says "Itunes Library (Damaged)" but I can't do anything with it. Of course Mac wants $ to fix it. Is there anything I can do to remedy this disaster? Running Imac with OS X 10.8.2, Iphone 4 w/ios6 and original Ipad with all updates. The Iphone seems normal but is missing all playlist. It reorganized the music. The Ipad has no music and over half the Apps have disappeared.
HHHHHHHEEEEEEEELLLPPPPPP! Please!

Assuming you have AVG then yes, a second patch has apparently been released to day which may resolve the issue. See this post for general advice.
If you don't see the .itl file extension then don't add it to the filename of the renamed file.
iTunes Library 2012-09-22.itl > iTunes Library.itl
iTunes Library 2012-09-22 > iTunes Library
My advice has generally been aimed at Windows users, but if you have AVG on a Mac and that too suffers from this issue then it is worth nothing that at one point the iTunes Library on a Mac was stored without any extension. If you match the name of the empty library file you are replacing it should work.
tt2

AHH iTunes Library (damaged).itl?

I found a couple of posts about this problem but it was nothing very recent, nor anything very helpful. :/
(read: i'm not very good at computers, and i really don't know what you mean by 'just restore it'. so, step-by-step you're-an-idiot guides are good for me.)
I tried opening up iTunes, and it told me my library file was corrupt. It then started to import my library XML file. When my library loaded, of my <8000 songs and <30 movies, it left only 400 songs. I'm not computer savvy at all and I reallllly don't understand the problem iTunes is having?
My iTunes folder has the following three files in it --
iTunes Music Library.xml
iTunes Library.itl
iTunes Library (damaged).itl
I guess what's aggravating is that I lost all my playcounts/ratings/playlists.
I tried recreating my iTunes library using this guide -- http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1451 -- but I'm guessing the .xml file is bad, because it only imported twelve songs. What should I do? My knee-jerk reaction is to reinstall iTunes, but that would mean I'd have to import and reorganize alllll my music files regardless. Why is iTunes treating me like crap? Was it something I did? D;
null

See what these setting are on your PC, I found it in a post by forum regular b noir. It has helped folks not get that damaged library message.
+Right-click "My Computer", and select "Properties". Click the "Advanced" tab.+
+Under "Performance", click the "Settings" button. Go to the advanced tab in the window that that brings up.+
+Make sure under "Memory usage" that you've got "Programs" selected rather than "System Cache".+
As for what you can do NOW, since the XML file isn't getting things rebuilt properly and there are no previous libraries? If you have an iPod, you can try getting ratings and stuff off of it using a 3rd-party program. I haven't used one so can't recommend any.
If you don't have an iPod, I'm afraid all you can do is start from scratch. Drag all your music from Windows Explorer into the main itunes library window.
In the future, make regular copies of that ITL file. I put mine on a USB drive, and an external hard drive. I wouldn't want to lose 4 years of ratings and playcounts either.
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1660

My computer The File "itunes library.til" does not appear to be a valid iTunes library file. iTunes has attempted to recover your itunes library and renamed it to "iTunes Library (Damaged itl)"

My computer crashed when I was using Itunes. I got everything up and running and got this message "The File “itunes library.til” does not appear to be a valid iTunes library file. iTunes has attempted to recover your itunes library and renamed it to “iTunes Library (Damaged itl)” Everything loads up put in takes 10 min. then my music playlists are deleted everytime I turn Itunes on. What can I do to solve this problem? Thanks.

Hi shyanne23,
Thanks for using Apple Support Communities. If your iTunes library file has become damaged in some way, you may want to try recreating your iTunes library and playlists by following this article:
iTunes: How to re-create your iTunes library and playlists
http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1451
Cheers,
- Ari

Why has this occurred The file "iTunes Library.itl" does not appear to be a valid iTunes library file. iTunes has created a new iTunes library and renamed this file to "iTunes Library (Damaged)".

My itunes library suddenly that the file “iTunes Library.itl” does not appear to be a valid iTunes library file. iTunes has created a new iTunes library and renamed this file to “iTunes Library (Damaged)”. I use an external hard drive for my Itunes.

The library file appears to have been corrupted. You say you use your external drive but is the whole library on it or only your media? No matter, you will have to rebuild the library file:
iTunes: How to re-create your iTunes library and playlists - http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1451

ITunes library damaged itl, preventing iTunes download to new MacBook Air

I have a new MacBook Air. It's great. PC to MAC upgrade by my company IT organsiation very smooth,
I am trying to put iTUNES onto it. I already have iPAD2, iPhone3, and iPOD Touch running it fine.
It appears a previous problem on my PC has found its was to me MAC. A number of 'iTunes Library (Damaged) itl.' files sit within my iTUNES. Consequently, when I try to put iTUNES on my Mac, it refers to the damaged itl files, and suggests a software upgrade.
I have since updated all software on the MAc, btu still have the problem.
Has anyone had this problem and can help?
Thanks

Have the exact same problem.
When I started itunes it suddenly started importing library and then complained that the library was damaged and saved a copy to (iTunes Library (Damaged).itl). ALL my playlists and automated playlists are GONE!!!!
I want straight answers from Apple now, how do I fix this problem that you have direct responsibility for due to poor programming????
And why did this problem appear out of nowhere for no apparent reason??????
I have spent YEARS on my library sorting into playlists and so on.

Making my iTunes Library (damaged) my iTunes library again

So my operating system crashed, and when I restarted the computer, everything was back to normal, but when I went to open my iTunes, it was taking forever to load my iTunes library. I finally just hit Stop and was going to try it again, but then it started really quickly going through a bunch of albums and at the end said that my iTunes Library was renamed iTunes Library (damaged) and then it opened up iTunes with none of my playlists (I had 40+) and only 9,363 songs (before I had almost 22,000). All my music files are still there, but it's just I can't get it to load my old iTunes Library file, which I don't think is actually damaged. Can I tell iTunes to use the "damaged" file somehow? Is there another way to get back my playlists and to have it show all my music in iTunes again besides dragging and dropping my iTunes Library folder into iTunes (which would not give me back my playlists)?
Thank you so much for any help!

Sigh I just found out about holding down the option key while opening iTunes to choose a library, and it turns out my iTunes Library (damaged) file is actually damaged. Is there another way for me to recover my playlists and put my songs back into iTunes? Thanks!

ITunes Library(Damaged).itl =/

So the library was damaged and the new library it made for me of course has about 1000 of my songs missing. I noticed most of them were ones that I had in my library but were not on my computer but were on my iPod. Is there anyway to possible repair the damaged library .itl file or take the library off my iPod and open it in iTunes?

Have the exact same problem.
When I started itunes it suddenly started importing library and then complained that the library was damaged and saved a copy to (iTunes Library (Damaged).itl). ALL my playlists and automated playlists are GONE!!!!
I want straight answers from Apple now, how do I fix this problem that you have direct responsibility for due to poor programming????
And why did this problem appear out of nowhere for no apparent reason??????
I have spent YEARS on my library sorting into playlists and so on.

Invalid iTunes library/damaged iTunes library

I created a library for all my media with the option key and iTunes on my external hard drive. All my music, TV shows, podacsts, etc. is stored there and all is intact, except I launched iTunes like normal and I get the message
"The file 'iTunes Library' does not appear to be a valid iTunes library file. iTunes has created a new iTunes library and renamed this file to 'iTunes Library (Damaged)'"
I've read other threads. I can't seem to rebuild the library with the .xml file. I tried the drag your library to the desktop thing and that doesn't work.
All my physical data is fine, but I need the library back so I don't have to spend weeks recreating it by hand.
Any ideas would be greatly appreciated! Thank You!

Indie, I don't understand this part. Do you just mean re-creating your playlists and reassigning star ratings and that kind of thing? I took your "having to play all the files" literally and don't know what that has to do with anything.
I hope the Apple Store folks advised you to make regular backups of the critical iTunes Library file. Some people are wise enough to keep a backup of their iTunes Music folder. Fewer make a backup of the iTunes Library file, but that's how you can recover from an incident like yours with the least amount of work.

Had to restore cpu to factory settings and itunes library was lost. help!

I had to restore my cpu running, windows xp, to the factory settings and my entire itunes library was lost. I uploaded these songs from cd's I owned and then sold these cd's. the version of itunes on my cpu is about five years old, the ipod software needs to be reloaded and the ipod software version is on 7 something. I am worried that if I load the ipod software and download the latest version of itunes that the library will sync the ipod to its content, which is nothing, and I will lose all my prized music. Please advise how I can transfer my music from my ipod to my itunes library under the stated conditions. Thank you for your help

Connect your iPod to your computer. If it is set to update automatically you'll get a message that it is linked to a different library and asking if you want to link to this one and replace all your songs etc, press "Cancel". Pressing "Erase and Sync" will irretrievably remove all the songs from your iPod. When your iPod appears in the iTunes source list change the update setting to manual, that will let you use our iPod without the risk of accidentally erasing it. Check the "manually manage music and videos" box in Summary then press the Apply button. Also when using most of the utilities listed below your iPod needs to be enabled for disc use, changing to manual update will do this by default: Managing content manually on iPod and iPhone
Once you are safely connected there are a few things you can do to restore your iTunes from the iPod. There are a number of third party utilities that you can use to retrieve the music files and playlists from your iPod. You'll find that they have varying degrees of functionality and some will transfer movies, videos, photos, podcasts and games as well. Have a look at the web pages and documentation, this is just a small selection of what's available, they are generally quite straightforward. You can read reviews and comparisons of some of them here:
Wired News - Rescue Your Stranded Tunes
Comparison of iPod managers
TuneJack Windows Only (iPhone and iPod Touch compatible)
SharePod Windows Only (iPhone and iPod Touch compatible)
iPod2PC Windows Only
iDump Windows Only
iPodRip Mac & Windows
YamiPod Mac and Windows
Music Rescue Mac & Windows
iPod Music Liberator Mac & Windows
Floola Mac & Windows
iGadget Mac & Windows (iPhone and iPod Touch compatible)
iRepo Mac & Windows (iPhone and iPod Touch compatible)
iPod Access Mac & Windows (iPhone and iPod Touch compatible)
TouchCopy Mac & Windows (iPhone and iPod Touch compatible)
If you have any iTunes Music Store purchases the transfer of purchased content only from the iPod to authorised computers was introduced with iTunes 7. You'll find details in this article: Copying iTunes Store purchases from your iPod or iPhone to a computer
There's also a manual method of copying songs from your iPod to a Mac or PC. The procedure is a bit involved and won't recover playlists but if you're interested it's available on page 2 at this link: Copying Content from your iPod to your Computer - The Definitive Guide
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. I would also advise that you get yourself an external hard drive and back your stuff up, relying on an iPod as your sole backup is not a good idea and external drives are comparatively inexpensive these days, you can get loads of storage for a reasonable outlay:
Back up your iTunes library by copying to an external hard drive

I was trying to add an itunes library to my computer, and now my itunes library can not be found. An ipod can be synced with only one iTunes library at a time. How can I find my Itunes library, complete with playlists ?

I was trying to add an itunes library to my computer, and now my itunes library can not be found. An ipod can be synced with only one iTunes library at a time. How can I find my Itunes library, complete with playlists ?

I have the same problem too and tried alot of things like time zone , restarting or changing DNS of wifi connection to 8.8.8.8 still nothing happens .. !!
iPhone 5s, iOS 8.3

ITunes Library (Damaged)

Hey guys, using windows i got a blue screen error. booted my PC back up and opened iTunes. a small window come up about the library. i ignored it as i thought it'd say 'Find the directory' or something, but it just went i had no songs in my library. My Library is now damaged. NOT The .Xml File Just The .itl File.
<3 Thanks

Also, when i try to add ANY Library it says
'The File 'iTunes Library (Damaged).itl' cannot be imported because it does not appear to be a valid exported file.'

ITunes library has lost the past year's worth of content, but the files are still in the directory

Help! How do I restore the past 11.5 months' worth of content to my iTunes library?
Well this is weird. Suddenly my iTunes library has lost everything added since late January 2014 - almost a year's worth of content. Podcasts, audiobooks, iTunes purchases, MP3s bought elsewhere and imported, movies, TV shows - all gone. Apps added in the past year also seem to be gone, although apps acquired before then have the most current update. As far as I can tell, all of that content is in the file directory structure - it's just not in the iTunes library system.
Curiously, the "last played" data all seems current, except that many of the more recently played songs have gone missing; tracks that were modified in the past year, but were added in 2013 or before, are still listed as being modified in 2014. Anything changed in the past year remains changed; but anything added in the past year simply isn't there.
I have no idea what caused this. Earlier today iTunes crashed for random reasons, but that happens every week or two anyway; and for that matter this issue could have developed a couple of days ago, and I just didn't notice it. (I'm sure it can't be older than that - I would have noticed.)
I've got good Time Machine backups, but I'm not sure how to go about restoring this - I suspect that this help page tells me the steps I need to take, but I'd like to have some confirmation before going through those steps. (And that procedure doesn't involve Time Machine anyway, right?)
Theoretically I suppose I could also go through my directory and add the files to iTunes, one by one, but it would be extraordinarily complicated to figure out what needed to be added. I'd also like to get back all the metadata - played, unplayed, play count, last played, and so on.
Restoring the files from Time Machine doesn't seem to make sense to me, because the files aren't actually missing. Would restoring an iTunes Library.itl file help at all?
Thanks in advance!

Hm ... I guess I can't edit the post above. Anyway, I seem to have solved it by ...
Quitting iTunes.
Going into Home / Music / iTunes, and renaming the file "iTunes Library.itl" to "iTunes Library (corrupt).itl".
Entering Time Machine, and restoring the "iTunes Library.itl" file from a few days ago. I went back two days, which seemed far enough back to be "before" the problem but not far enough back to have trouble with recent acquisitions.
Re-opening iTunes - and everything seemed to be back in order.
So that's fine for now. We'll see if the solution is stable.
Very, very tentative assignment of blame: I believe iTunes crashed earlier today after I'd synced photos from my iPhone to iPhoto, and then iTunes crashed while iPhoto was closing (and taking its sweet time doing so). If that was indeed the case, that's at least the second time in the past couple of months that trying to sync iPhone photos to iPhoto has caused me significant problems. (The last time led to 80% of my iPhone suddenly being occupied by "Other", and a full restore of the darn thing.)

Repair itunes library (damaged) file. Multiple iTunes libraries on an external harddrive. All libraries have been working fine. Do some "housecleaning" on a one of the large libraries 296GB. iTunes quit and now has damaged file. 296 GB still on HD.

How to repair itunes library (damaged) file. Multiple iTunes libraries on an external harddrive. All libraries have been working fine. Do some "housecleaning" on a one of the large libraries 296GB. iTunes quits and now has damaged file. 296 GB still on HD.

The duplication is unnecessary. Exporting creates a duplicate of the file. So now you'll have a duplicate of a duplicate. Exporting is not "working on" a file.
No it's not merging, it's exporting from one to the Finder and into another. No matter what lose something. If you export the Original you leave behind all the work you've done in iPhoto. If you export anything else, you lose the non-destructive editing and the ability to revert to the original. With merging you preserve that work. Yes, you can trash the old Library when you have completed the manoevre but no it's not the same thing as merging.
This User Tip
https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-4921
has details of the options in the Export dialogue. But in brief:
Current gets you the iPhoto Preview, used for sharing via media browsers. It's a jpg, medium quality missing metadata. Original gets the file you imported, unchanged and then you can export different version of the current version at different qualities. If you choose to export anything except the Original you do not get a Raw. There's no such thing as an "edited Raw", and you lose the connection between the original and the exported version. That means you've taken a non-destructive workflow and turned it into a destructive one.
The Tiff will certainly be higher qulaity and less likely to suffer generational loss in future editing but the file sizes are vast, often more than 10 times the size of the jpeg.
Put it this way, it would be cheaper to buy Library Manager than the disk you'll need to contain all the Tiffs. Unless you plan on a lot of editing, I'd go for a high quality jpeg as a reasonable compromise.
To be clear:
So, I guess my new question is, how can I edit the Raw image and keep it in a RAW format that IPhoto recognizes so that I can reprocess without any loss at a future time, or is it that once you edit a RAW image, then it is no longer a RAW image?
Once you edit a Raw it can no longer be a Raw. End of.

I had to restore my computer to the factory settings, which means my itunes library was lost except for what was on my ipod nano. How do pull the songs from my ipod back onto my computer?

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