ITunes Library File - disappeared?

Out of the blue, a messaged popped up yesterday saying:
"The iTunes Library file cannot be saved. The required disk cannot be found."
I haven't been trying to move my library, or do anything out of the ordinary. Running iTunes 10, music files all reside on external drive. Have had this system in place for a long time without any problems.
Two questions:
1) What caused this to happen? How does a Library.xml file just up and vanish?
2) How do I find/recreate the missing file? Main concern is preserving all the library data (playlists, star ratings, dates, etc.).
Any pointers would be greatly appreciated.

me too, last couple months.
Disk Utility did find issues, but it repaired them, and yet the msg. keeps popping up every couple days.
Seems to correlate with my Mini being idle for a good part of the day (while I'm at work).
Hope to god this isn't iTunes giving me an early warning about a disk failure.

Similar Messages

ITunes library files disappeared!

I recently transferred my iTunes music library from an old computer to my new one, but now I tried to send a song to a friend, and I couldn't find it anywhere in my iTunes file : in this file, I only found the albums and songs that I had on my old computer; It seems that my songs are now in iTunes, but there's no other way to find them on my computer.
Does anybody know how this can be, and where I can look to find them back?
Is there a way to create a file like the one I had, but with all my music in it?

As previously mentioned. The problem is not with the library itself, but with the list of apps on the device for sync. Chris up there seems to share similar problem. We can see the list of apps on iTunes, but unable to see the list on the application tab on the device, therefore we are forced to sync the apps, with a warning to overwrite the apps on the device with those on the iTunes library.
I called up Apple iTunes support, and they claimed, you can only retrieve whatever you have downloaded, but unable to completely sync up with your device. If you have any apps downloaded but not installed on the device, if no longer available on iTunes, then you will no longer be able to access it.
Who has the know-how to get the app list back on the device's application tab?
Thank you.

I have multiple libraries on an external drive. Somehow all the iTunes library files i.e. iTunes Library.itl, xml, itdb, Media folder, etc disappeared! Only the music files remain. Now when I start iTunes w/option it can't find any of the old libraries!

Help! I 'm using an old G4 powerbook, Mac OSX 10.5.8, iTunes ver 10. I have multiple iTunes libraries on an external drive. Everything was fine for a while, then all of the iTunes library files, i.e. iTunes Library.itl, xml, itdb, artwork folder, Media folder, etc mysteriously disappeared! Only the music files remain (thank god) So now when I start iTunes w/option key to choose a library, I can't choose any of them because iTunes won't recognize them. Because all the library stuff is missing. So can I re-create the library files? (I don't care if I lose my ratings)
Or should I create a new empty library on the external drive, then manually move all the music files to the Media folder in the new library?
I tried some stupid ideas like creating a new library just to start iTunes, then going into prefs and advanced, then under iTunes Media folder location, selecting the location of the old library on the external, to see if iTunes would then find all the music which is still there, but no workee.
I'm out of ideas, and I searched the archives.
Help! anyone?
Scott

I don't know if this is me adding files to iTunes when the external wasn't connected
it is.
is it OK to just keep deleting that library on the Air?
i wouldn't - at least not until i
mount the external
point iTunes media folder location back to the external via preferences > advanced
consolidate my library via file > library > organize library
The ntfs hasn't seem to be causing any problems, but I've always wanted to know.
in order for your Mac to write to NTFS drives, it needs some help by installing e.g. the NTFS 3G driver. apparently that or something similar is installed on your Mac already. preferably, it would be formatted for Mac but then windows machines would need to have e.g. MacDrive installed to recognize the drive.

The error message I get on my PC is "The ITunes library file cannot be saved" An unknown error occurred (-50)and my music library has disappeared. I recently tried to copy a CD to my library - it appeared to copy ok but then did not appear in my music li

The error message I get on my PC is "The ITunes library file cannot be saved" An unknown error occurred (-50)and my music library has disappeared. I recently tried to copy a CD to my library - it appeared to copy ok but then did not appear in my music library. The library does not show up even when my iPad is connected to my PC. My entire library is now held on my iPad and I wish to have it in iTunes so I can sync my iPhone to it as well. Help?

Don't know what changed today but it downloaded and installed on the shuffle. So far so good.

HELP! My iTunes library has disappeared so when I open iTunes it's blank. All the files are still there and the data is on my iPod, how do I restore it??

This happened about twenty minutes ago and I'm frantic trying to get it back.
I've tried all the stuff I can find online, turning it off and on again and nothing will work!
I even tried restoring old libraries to see if that would work but still nothing!
HELP I'M DESPERATE!!

Hello iainhoey
Follow the steps in the article below to roll back the previous iTunes library file to get back your iTunes library.
No content shows up in iTunes after updating
http://support.apple.com/kb/ts1967
Regards,
-Norm G.

Why are ITunes Library files stored on Buffalo Pro 1TB NAS being corrupted?

I'm having a flaky problem with the ITunes library files (Mac version) stored on a Buffalo NAS. Frequently, ITunes says the ITunes library file is damaged and creates a new one.
Moreover, there are temp files that ITunes apparntly creates that apparently become the new Library and XML files when ITunes shuts down. Apparently, this is done behind the scenes while ITunes is shutting down, but lately, these files are no longer being renamed or deleted. Often multiple temp files will accumulate.
Lastly, and most oddly, if I try to rename one of these temp files to ITunes Library based on best guess from size and date which is the ITunes Library file, it sometimes works, but it sometimes doesn't. When it doesn't, I will find a "phantom" ITunes Library file and ITunes Library.xml that cannot be selected, opened or deleted. They are greyed out in Finder. Since the file exists, a rename or copy will fail, saying a file already exists with that name, but I can't select it to delete it. Often when this happens, the actual file name seems to "flicker" between temp file and Itunes Library file. If I try to click on ITunes Library, it disappears, but a new temp file instantly appears. If I try to click on the temp file, that disappears and the ITunes Library file appears.
Rebooting the NAS fixes the phantom file problem. I delete all ITunes library and temp files, and reindex from ITunes, but it only starts all over again.
If I do the same process in Windows, ITunes will only find about 10% of my files and then stop. (I have about 16,500 tracks total.) Windows doesn't seem to have any probelms with "phantom" files.
Checks on the NAS disk array show no problems.
Any thoughts?

lmdoc50 wrote:
Had to reconstruct iTunes library.
Yes, but how?

All the music in my itunes library has disappeared any ideas how to get it back?

All the music in my itunes library has disappeared any ideas how to get it back?

Hi bjl1767,
Thanks for visiting Apple Support Communities.
The tips in this article can help with locating your music files:
iTunes: Finding lost media and downloads
http://support.apple.com/kb/TS1408
If the music is in the iTunes Media folder on your computer, but not in your library, the iTunes library might need to be re-created:
iTunes: How to re-create your iTunes library and playlists
http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1451
Best Regards,
Jeremy

ITunes Library has Disappeared

Turned on the Mac Mini this morning only to find my entire iTunes library has disappeared. The finder indicates space on the drive implying the music is gone.
Further it appears that my account has been completely recreated - but empty.
(Desktop back to default - no desktop icons etc..)
I have backed up the library (80Gb) and can restore, but have lost the last two weeks of additions and ratings. Most annoying... Any suggestions?

I moved my iTunes to an external drive, and my library disappeared, although both the library data base and all the files were on the external drive (but no longer on the internal drive). I then went to edit/preferences/advanced and changed the iTunes Music folder location. No result. I then selected files/library/consolidate library with no result. I held shift, started iTunes, and instructed the computer where the library data base file was, but this didn't help. I then read the iLounge artice on Transferring your iTunes library and figured out that this was all wrong and should transfer my files back to their original location on my computer. I did so and the library still doesn't load into iTunes. I've spent hours pouring through these discussion forums and nothing seems to apply or work. Any advice?

All the content from my iTunes library has disappeared

The other day I went onto iTunes and everything had disappeared from it except for the music in the Cloud. All the music is still intact in the folders on my computer and when I double click any song it reappears on iTunes but without any information like number of plays, and I obviously don't want to do this manually for every song as I have nearly two thousand. I synced my iPod with iTunes again but no message came up and the music is still on my iPod, as if it is only 'hiding' on iTunes. I'm not sure if it's something to do with the fact i got a new iPod a few days ago, but iTunes worked perfectly when I first got it so I'm confused about what's happened.

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 comes up saying the iTunes library files cannot be saved. an unknown error occured

iTunes comes up saying the iTunes library files cannot be saved. an unknown error occured
what should i do

Note: Close iTunes completely before doing any of this.
After getting this error, I found a bunch of Temp files in the same folder as my iTunes library. The thing that stuck me as odd about this was that there were 4-5 of them labeled "Temp File.xml", "Temp File2.xml", etc. and when I tried to select any of them, the selected file(s) would mysteriously disappear. I ended up Selecting everything except the Temp File.xml files, and moving it elsewhere (I actually just put in a new folder in the parent folder).
I then deleted/"Move to Trash"ed the folder that used to contain my Library, and renamed the new folder to have the same name as the old folder.
Then I clicked on the iTunes icon (hold down option/alt from before you click, until the "choose library" dialog appears), and chose my old iTunes Library. This re-linked my old library and restored it to how it was before error (-48) started rearing its ugly head.
(Windows users, when you re-open iTunes to link your library back in... you double click the icon, then immediately press-and-hold "shift" until the dialog appears)

HT1206 what happened to my iTunes library, it disappeared except for the purchased songs?

What happened to my itunes library it disappeared except for the purchased songs?

By being gone do you mean the library is not in your Pictures folder or when you open the library you don't see any photos or thumbnails? If it's the latter apply the two fixes below in order as needed:
Fix #1
Launch iPhoto with the Command+Option keys held down and rebuild the library.
Select the options identified in the screenshot.
Fix #2
Using iPhoto Library Manager to Rebuild Your iPhoto Library
Download iPhoto Library Manager and launch.
Click on the Add Library button, navigate to your Home/Pictures folder and select your iPhoto Library folder.
Now that the library is listed in the left hand pane of iPLM, click on your library and go to the File ➙ Rebuild Library menu option
In the next window name the new library and select the location you want it to be placed.
Click on the Create button.
Note: This creates a new library based on the LIbraryData.xml file in the library and will recover Events, Albums, keywords, titles and comments but not books, calendars or slideshows. The original library will be left untouched for further attempts at fixing the problem or in case the rebuilt library is not satisfactory.
OT

Corrupt iTunes Library file (.itl AND .xml)

I just got a new mac and decided not to put my music on it. Instead I kept my entire itunes library on an external hard drive. At some point, my hard drive must have disconnected while using iTunes and the library files became corrupt. When I see the files (in finder) on my mac, their size = Zero KB and their "kind of" = Alias. When I check out those same files on my windows computer, it says their actual numerical size (probably before they became corrupt). I've read that you can restore playlists with the .xml file but that is also corrupt.
Is there any way at all to repair/recover this library? PLEASE HELP I've worked very hard on creating this library.

I had this problem repeatedly and found that it seems to happen when you exit or restart Windows while iTunes is running. Note that when you close the iTunes window the program actually continues to run for a significant amount of time after its window disappears and even after the "saving iTunes library" message disappears. Basically iTunes starts writing out its library and then gets interrupted during the shutdown, causing the corruption.
I have solved the problem with the very pathetic solution of bringing up Task Manager, switching to the Processes tab, and waiting until the iTunes.exe process is gone from the list. Then I know it is done writing and it's safe to exit or restart Windows. I have never had corruption when I have done this.
(This isn't completely consistent with the posts above since one claimed that they restored a known good library after reboot and still had the problem. Perhaps that is something else, or perhaps the known good library had actually been corrupted before it was saved.)
Note that when the *.itl file is corrupted this way, it is pretty much always the case the the *.xml file is also corrupted. Since the XML file is text, iTunes is able to read what there is of it to rebuild the *.itl, but since the *.xml file is truncated, a lot of songs will be missing. It's a bit puzzling that Apple chose a library format that redundantly writes to two separate files but they write them out simultaneously so if one gets corrupted the other one almost always is corrupted as well.
The good news is that this problem is beyond simple to solve for Apple. The bad news is that for some inexplicable reason they keep releasing version after version with this same serious bug.

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?

ITunes Library file gone missing

Hi there,
This is my first post
Anyway on more upsetting words, my iTunes library has gone walkies!
I have an iPhone 5 and an iPod Classic 160gb.
So that means i have 2 different libraries.
So ive had to change which library iTunes brings up whenever i use one or the other.
However today i went as normal to change from my iPhone library to my iPod and the library file seems to have dissapeared!
And im really stressing out . Look at the pictures and tell me if theres anything unusual.
Please help me!!!

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 & 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

Syncing iPhone to new iTunes w/o iTunes library file

My MBP's hard drive died and I got it replaced, so it's good as new - everything was clean, iTunes was empty, etc. I'm filling up the computer again, and I realised that I backed up all my music (the mp3 files/iTunes media folder), but I stupidly forgot to back up the iTunes library file.
So I have my iTunes filled with songs but no play count, playlists etc. All the playlists and information, however, still exist in my iPhone 4, which I haven't synced to my new laptop yet.
I'm preeetty sure because of my ****-up with not saving the library file, there's no way, but I still have to ask: is there any way to sync the song data and playlists from the iPhone back into iTunes? It's not the end of the world if I can't, but I built up all the playcounts, playlists, mixtapes over the past few years and I'm a little sad to lose them.

" This iphone already has content on it but I want to add songs from my old computer."
You cannot do this. You can have content from one and only one computer at a time on the iphone.
Have you tried restoring the iphone?

ITunes Library File - disappeared?

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