ITunes Library File "Damaged"???

Recently, I opened iTunes and it said that my iTunes Libary File was damaged, so it had to create a new blank one, meaning that, iTunes opened, and I had no songs. I had to go to my iTunes Music Folder and drag the whole folder into the Libary window in iTunes. I tried restarting and reopening the program, but each time I have to do the same thing. Is there some reason why the file would be damaged? If so, is there a way I can recreate it?

honestly, I'm very happy overall with my MacBook. I'm sure I vented in the forums here more than I should have
My problems today were the result of the last Security Update, I'm sure and it's seems I'm not alone. Also, I'm sure Apple will address it as soon as they can. After too many kernel panics (one of which when I had iTunes open and updating my iPod) resulted in the broken library. But, I've lost my library before in a similar fashion. I wish Apple would give us some utilities to do maintenance on our libraries and even replicate them across multiple machines without needing a .Mac account!
Oh well!

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ITunes Library File Damaged; How Do I Get My Playlists Back?

My PowerMac G4 was in Sleep mode, and the power went out in my house for two seconds. iTunes was open when the computer went down as was Stickies. Upon starting up my computer, I found all of my Stickies memos were gone, but worst of all, I got a window telling me the iTunes library was damaged, so I had to go through a new iTunes setup. After iTunes found all of my music files (nearly 10,000 songs), I now have all the songs retrieved but my hundreds of playlists are gone. My 80Gig iPod still has all of the playlists, but of course, if I sync it with my computer, I'll lose them from the iPod. Is there any way to get my playlists back without having to go through the arduous task of creating them all over again in iTunes? Help (And thanks in advance to anyone who can offer me some enlightenment...)

Do you have a backup of your library files?
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=93063

Help... iTunes Library file damaged

Since moving some files to defrag my hard disk, I now get the following error message when I run iTunes:
The file "iTunes Library .itl" does not appear to be a valid iTunes library file. iTunes has attempted to recover your iTunes library and renamed this file to "iTunes Library (Damaged) x .itl [where x is 1,2,3,etc]
This is happening every time I try to run iTunes so there are a series of the damaged files in iTunes folder and each time I run iTunes there is a new set of Audiobooks, Music, etc. playlists in iTunes.
Can anyone help??
Thanks
Dell Latitude D600 Windows XP Pro iPod 20Gb

Earlier this month, my entire iTunes library disappeared from my Mac G5.
There were more than 50 songs I purchased on iTunes, plus more than 1,000 from my own CD collection as well as some original songs I wrote using GarageBand.
The songs were displayed on the iTunes rundown, but when I clicked to play, a prompt told me that it was unable to find the song.
Multiple searches were fruitless and the iTunes folder shows none of these songs to exist.
Much of these same songs are still on my iPod.
A few of the iTunes-purchased songs are also on my Mac G4 Powerbook.
The difference between the G5 and G4 is that I’ve not upgraded the latest iTunes version on the PowerBook…however in late March, I did upgrade on the G5.
No other new applications have been added to any of my computers since around the first of the year.
So I am asking you and everyone else (especially the Aplle people):
How can I recover those songs I bought from iTunes?
Why did this happen?
Have other Mac users experienced this?
Is there a flaw in the new iTunes version?

What is causing this? 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) 4". This happens everytime I start iTunes lateley. Help!!!

Everytime I open iTunes lately...I get all my music thrown out of the library and this annoying message come up...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) 4”. Is this how an apple works? It doesn't? Why all of a sudden is it doing this? Please help. Thank you.
David

Did you happen to bring this iTunes library over from a windows machine? You might read this kb article to see if it helps http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1451

Once again - upgrading iTunes - reports library file damaged, all missing

So, I've finally figured it out. When ever I upgrade iTunes, the new version doesn't like the old library file and marks it as damaged.
All content is lost - as far as itunes is concerned. But it's right there on the hard drive. In the itunes folder.
Making a new library file and point the preferences to the content still results in nothing showing up.
No, I have not sync'd since this happened. I have many files in the itunes folders on my HD where the content is not loaded on my itv4.
Is there a magic key combo to have it 'look' at the actual HD contents in the itunes folded and 'find' it ?
No, holding down SHIFT when launching itunes and then creating a new file is not the solution, nor selecting the old library file (says it's damaged).

For general library squiffiness following an upgrade the easiest thing is to restore your last backup, but I guess if it were that simple you wouldn't be here.
*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*. Start iTunes. Should all be good, bar any recent additions to or deletions from your library.
See iTunes Folder Watch (Windows) or Music Folder Files Not Added (Mac) and Super Remove Dead Tracks (Mac) for tools to catch up with any changes since the backup file was created.
When you get it all working *make a backup!*
tt2

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

The harddrive holding my itunes library is damaged and I would like to purchase the icloud. Can I restore files to the icloud without the disk/libraries?

the harddrive holding my itunes library is damaged and I would like to purchase the icloud. Can I restore files to the icloud without the disk/libraries? Thanks!

iCloud does not provide a service like Dropbox where you can save random files to it as a way of having external storage. As for the HD damage, don't you have a backup of the itunes library elsewhere? If so, copy it to the replacement hard drive, along with any other important files that were on the damaged HD.

Damaged Itunes Library File

Hi
When I opened my itunes today I discovered that only a third of my total songs were displayed. When i look under my music it says that the itunes library file has been damamged. Any know how i fix this, have I lost all my music?
Thanks
Gordon

I am suffering the same problem. I DO love apple products but please fix this terrible problem with iTunes, it's making me sick. I find myself backing up the .itl and .xml files under the iTunes folder almost every night because I fear losing them, which happens about every 3 to 4 weeks, no matter if I do upgrade or not to a newer version of iTunes. It used to happen when I clicked on upgrade, then I learned to make a full backup before upgrading and the problems seemed to fade away (all i had to do was upgrade then restore the .xml and .itl files if they were damaged during the process) but all of a sudden today, with no clue as of what was happening, the library got corrupted.
I can see all of you have Windows Vista, just like me, do you think that can be the cause???

Error message 13026 the itunes library file cannot be saved? and damaged fi

this just started to happen today--i tried to open ituens and then it said that the library was a damaged file and i basically had to re-upload all of my songs, vids, etc over again. Now when I try to organize my library an error message: 13026 comes up that in essence says that the itunes library file cannot be saved an unknown error has occured. When i did upload the library again, half of the album art never appeared.
My questions are has anyone else experience this? How should I fix this? Should I uninstall and reinstall itunes completely?

Hi there - I am having similar problems, I keep on getting damaged library file error messages, which means I have to reimport my entire music collection files again after deleting the damaged library files. Obviously I lose my playlists every time. I've also had to uninstall and reinstall Itunes several times. I have checked permissions on my iTunes folder as well as the Itunes Library Genius file as above and have 3 types with full control: Fiona PC, Fiona PC administrator and System. I can't seem to change individual permission types away from everything being allowed. Is this part of the problem? would appreciate any help, thanks Fiona.

Persistent damaged itunes library file

Has anyone had any problems with their itunes library file being damaged every time they open itunes? This started a few days ago and initially I lost all of my playlists. I started recreating my library and all was fine. I even opened and closed itunes several times. But now, every time I open itunes it tells me my library is damaged. At one point it said some of my itunes files were missing and I had to reinstall itunes. I had already done this once when all these problems started. I have searched the forums for similar issues but mainly what I'm finding are posts regarding the Sony Vaio issues. I'm using a Dell. I also have Symantec anti-virus protection (Norton Internet Security).
I'm extremely frustrated with this issue. I am thinking this all started after I upgraded to the latest version of itunes. Any suggestions are greatly appreciated!

I've had exactly the same problem for over a month. If I'm unlucky enough to have plugged my iPhone in when this happens it completely wipes all my apps, music and setting. Really useful!
Have tried re-installs of current version, old version and the latest version of iTunes with no luck at all. Sometimes it can go for days without falling over, other times it's everytime I open it. It has been working fine until the 8.2 upgrade messed it all up. v9 hasn't fixed it either.
Annoyed doesn't start to convey my feelings with this as everytime this happens I'm forced to re-install everything onto the iPhone and completely re-build my music, podcast and app libraries and playlists.
What would be nice is a way of identifying what's caused it so I can purge the file from my system or get a patch from Apple. Until such a time I'm not using iTunes anymore.
Message was edited by: Badmotherz
Message was edited by: Badmotherz

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.

Is There A Way To Edit The Raw iTunes Library File?

I have thousands upon thousands of songs. I'm of a mind to (in effect) do a find/replace on every instance of a phrase in one particular field and don't want to have to go though every single one manually, since that would take forever.
Anyone have any ideas?

You cannot edit the library file itself, but you could perhaps edit the XLM file and then import that, basically following the procedure you use when the library file has been damaged:
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1451
You'll need to be very careful about editing the XML, though, as it's really easy to completely mess up your library if you edit the wrong thing. Make absolutely sure you have backup copies of the original iTunes library file and XML file, so you can put them back just in case something does go wrong.
Hope this helps.

ITunes library file corrupt after updating?

Just the other day I updated to the latest iTunes software. This is the first time I've tried to use it and it keeps freezing (the swirly rainbow icon) until I eventually have to give up and force quit. My iTunes library is on an external hard drive which has admittedly been taking longer and longer to boot up each time I connect it, I don't know if this is related.
After doing some research on here I created a new test iTunes library on my hard drive and it worked perfectly, so it must be a corrupt library file? I followed the advice on an old thread and replaced the corrupt library file with an older one from December.
It worked....but here's the complication. Since that last backup in December I started using iTunes Match. When I opened the older library file, I saw that iTunes Match wasn't turned on, so I turned it on and it was saying that none of my library had been uploaded to iCloud except for iTunes purchases. I quickly exited, because frankly I couldn't bear the thought of all my library having to be uploaded to iCloud again (it took days and days...and days!). The music is still on the iCloud, but if I open that older version of my iTunes library it doesn't seem to think that it is.
Any idea what I should do?
Thanks for your help

hmmmm. perhaps try running a chkdsk over the drive on which your iTunes library file is stored:
How to perform disk error checking in Windows XP
does that find/repair any damage? if so, do you still get the same message from your itunes?

ITunes Library File Not Valid! What the Heck?

I have 11,500 songs in my music library and am running iTunes 7.0.2. My iTunes Library file from time-to-time becomes corrupted, on probably at least a weekly basis. I have no idea what's causing this.
Here's the typical scenario ... iTunes works fine, I quit it, and the next time I open it it shows the dialogue box that says, "Importing 'iTunes Libray.xml'..." Then it organizes the files and a dialogue box indicates "iTunes Library" does not appear to be a valid iTunes Library file ... Renamed damaged file ..."
When it's finally all done, I get my music library back minus all my playlists as well as EQ and volume settings.
This happened today and my most recent backup (done earlier in the day) was also corrupted. This is why I've learned to keep a set of four recent backups just to insure I have a reliable and useable one not more than a couple of days old. But it seems a very unnecessary hassle and I'm always losing adjustments made to my database!
Anyway ... would anyone among our distinquished and experienced iTunes geeks out there have a clue as to why this is happening OR any suggestions as to what I might do to help alleviate the problem?
Is anyone aware of a program that will search for corrupted files within your music library? I suspect this might be part of the problem.
Thanking you in advance for your help!
PowerBook G4 17" | 80GB Video iPod Mac OS X (10.4.5)

It seems like the ITL file is not being properly written after iTunes closes. Then when you re-open iTunes, it cannot load the ITL file and creates a new one. Forcing you to recreate your Library manually, again and again.
Several things to check:
-Double check to see that the ITL file or the folder it resides in is not read-only.
-Using Windows Explorer, right-click on the file (or folder) name, go to Properties.
-If it is, then close iTunes, change it, and reopen iTunes.
See this thread to reset the iTunes preferences: http://discussions.apple.com/message.jspa?messageID=1216090#1216090
And see this post to use TweakUI to check the location and validity of your My Music 'Special Folder': http://discussions.apple.com/click.jspa?searchID=487067&messageID=1197027
Once the main cause of the inability to save the ITL file is corrected, you'll need to recreate your Library one last time to finally save it. No way to resurrect the original one, unless you had backup copies of the ITL file.

ITunes Library File "Damaged"???

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