Itunes loses all mpeg4 files

I have opened itunes today to find the there is the exclamation sign next to certain songs in my library. I have looked in my external hard drive and all the files are there. The thing I noticed is that all the ones 'missing' are mpeg4 files.
This has happened quite a lot before, and I usually fix it by re-ticking the Keep Itunes organised box. However, due to my hard drive doing some annoying 'no disk installed' error message when I select one of the missing songs, my usual solution won't work.
Has anyone got a proper solution to this, and a reason for why it might be happening? I know this problem has been happening to people for a very long time, and have yet to find a proper solution to it.
Cheers.

Anyone?
The update this morning hasn't changed this problem, and I have so many files (about 60GB of my 170GB library) affected by this that it would take forever to go through them all, re-adding them to the library.
I also don't want to have to re-add the entire music folder, as I have all my ratings, etc, and also know the problem is likely to happen again in the future.

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Hey I'm a novice on computers, but i've just done a full system restore on my laptop after backing it up on an external hard-drive long story short in the back up process all my itunes converted to mpeg4 files and now i can't get them back into my my libr

Hey I'm a novice on computers but i've just done a full system restore on my laptop and put it back to factory spec, obviously i backed up all the data on an external hard-drive but when i have re-installed itunes and gone to import all my old music files from my previous itunes library as mpeg4 files it keeps telling me i don't have permission??!! *** someone please explain or tell me how to get music on to my new itunes without having to re-import every cd i own which is alot!!!

Other than iMovie, GB always incorporates the audio files into the GB package. So just save or move the GB project to the external drive, and you're done - anything you import, edit or record will be saved to the external drive.

How can I completely remove iTunes and all associated files/programs from my Windows PC?

How can I completely remove iTunes and all associated files/programs from my Windows PC?

iTunes, along with Quick Time, iCloud, Apple Software Update, Bonjour, Apple Mobile Device Support and Apple Application Support can all be removed from your PC by uninstalling them using 'Uninstall or change a program' in Control Panel. The only obvious thing that will be left behind is your iTunes library which remains untouched. If you want to remove that as well it's just a question of deleting it.
Hope that helps.

ITunes loses ALL infomation

Every now and again my iTunes loses all infomation, this isnt a huge problem as i can just import it all again, it's just starting to get very annoying. Anyone know what could be wrong/how to fix it?
Thanks
Billfred51

Welcome to AD!
Vaio users worldwide have been seeing this problem. Some Sony software causes a conflict with iTunes. You need to set the Sony Content Folder Watcher to leave the iTunes folder alone.
Looks like Sony may have put out an update for that in Asia:
http://www.sony-asia.com/support/faq/300917/productcategory/itpersonalcomputer
Contact Sony to see if they have a UK update.

I want to update from 10.4.11 to at least 10.5 but am worried I will lose all the files/apps/iPhoto's etc. will this happen?

I need to update my iTunes in order to use Apple TV and so that i can use icloud with my MacBook(I have an iPad and iPhone)
I have worked out in order to do this I need at least to have 10.5. I want to check that I won't lose all the apps, files, photos etc. on my computer if I upgrade to this? Do i need to clear everything before i install10.5?
I have read that if I jump to 10.6 rather than 10.5 I will lose everything on computer. Is this true?

Before you do anything make a cloned backup of your system on an external, erased HDD:
Clone using Restore Option of Disk Utility
1. Open Disk Utility in the Utilities folder.
2. Select the Destination volume from the left side list.
3. Click on the Restore tab in the DU main window.
4. Select the Destination volume from the left side list and drag it to the Destination
entry field.
5. Select the Source volume from the left side list and drag it to the Source entry field.
6. Check the box, if present, to first Erase the Destination drive.
6. Double-check you got it right, then click on the Restore button.
Destination means the external backup drive. Source means the internal startup drive.
You may then do an Erase and Install of Snow Leopard before moving to anything later.
Drive Preparation
1. Boot from your Snow Leopard Installer Disc. After the installer loads select your language and click on the Continue button. When the menu bar appears select Disk Utility from the Utilities menu.
2. After DU loads select your hard drive (this is the entry with the mfgr.'s ID and size) from the left side list. Note the SMART status of the drive in DU's status area. If it does not say "Verified" then the drive is failing or has failed and will need replacing. SMART info will not be reported on external drives. Otherwise, click on the Partition tab in the DU main window.
3. Under the Volume Scheme heading set the number of partitions from the drop down menu to one. Click on the Options button, set the partition scheme to GUID then click on the OK button. Set the format type to Mac OS Extended (Journaled.) Click on the Partition button and wait until the process has completed.
4. Quit DU and return to the installer. Complete the Snow Leopard installation.
You can purchase Snow Leopard by contacting Customer Service: Contacting Apple for support and service - this includes international calling numbers. The price is $19.99 plus tax. You will receive physical media - DVD - by mail.
After you install Snow Leopard you will have to download and install the Mac OS X 10.6.8 Update Combo v1.1 to update Snow Leopard to 10.6.8 and give you access to the App Store.
Snow Leopard General requirements
1. Mac computer with an Intel processor
2. 1GB of memory
3. 5GB of available disk space
4. DVD drive for installation
5. Some features require a compatible Internet service provider; fees may apply.
6. Some features require Apple’s MobileMe service; fees and terms apply.

HELP I'm getting a blinking folder with a question mark at start up? Have been trying to fix this for 3 hours and I dont want to lose all my files by resetting it completely!!

I currently have Mavericks but my original OS X disk that I have I'm pretty sure is Mac OS X 10.6.6. I'm not great with computers but am usually able to fix problems I have had with mine in the past. I have reinstalled and reset my computer to factory settings before, but I am locked out of my computer completely & can't get to my files to save them & I really dont want to lose them. I was in Safari earlier opening a file, the page started to not respond & froze up my whole desktop so I did a hard shutdown & restarted my computer. I haven't been able to get back into my account ever since. If my only choice is to lose my files & reinstall everything, I need detailed instructions because I actually attempted to do this at first, out of desperation to fix my computer & the installer was asking me to select what disk I wanted to reinstall lion to yet I dont have a disk for that nor do I know what it exactly is asking of me? Please help

Question (?) Mark, Blinking Folder, or Gray Screen at Startup
These are related but not identical issues. Their causes are outlined in Intel-based Mac- Startup sequence and error codes, symbols. Solutions may be found in:
A flashing question mark or globe appears when you start your Mac
Mac OS X- Gray screen appears during startup
In most cases the problems may be caused by one or more of these:
a. Problem with the computer's PRAM - See Resetting your Mac's PRAM and NVRAM.
b. Boot drive's directory has been corrupted - Repair with Disk Utility.
c. Critical system files are damaged or deleted - Reinstall OS X.
d. The disk drive is physically non-functional - Replace the hard drive.
Note that the information I have provided is what Apple recommends, If other users suggest different solutions than found here, then be sure what they recommend does not impact on your warranty, if any, or ability to get continuing Apple service.
Please don't start removing drives or changing cables unless you know what you are doing and have exhausted other non-invasive alternatives outlined here. If you perform any work yourself that is unapproved by Apple, then you will void any warranty you may have and lose all further Apple Support.
Repair the Hard Drive and Permissions
Boot from your Snow Leopard Installer disc. After the installer loads select your language and click on the Continue button. When the menu bar appears select Disk Utility from the Utilities menu. After DU loads select your hard drive entry (mfgr.'s ID and drive size) from the the left side list. In the DU status area you will see an entry for the S.M.A.R.T. status of the hard drive. If it does not say "Verified" then the hard drive is failing or failed. (SMART status is not reported on external Firewire or USB drives.) If the drive is "Verified" then select your OS X volume from the list on the left (sub-entry below the drive entry,) click on the First Aid tab, then click on the Repair Disk button. If DU reports any errors that have been fixed, then re-run Repair Disk until no errors are reported. If no errors are reported click on the Repair Permissions button. Wait until the operation completes, then quit DU and return to the installer.
If DU reports errors it cannot fix, then you will need Disk Warrior and/or Tech Tool Pro to repair the drive. If you don't have either of them or if neither of them can fix the drive, then you will need to reformat the drive and reinstall OS X.
The main difference if you are using Lion or Mountain Lion is that you must first boot from the Recovery HD. Simply boot from the Recovery HD to perform the above.
Reinstall Snow Leopard Without Erasing The drive
1. Repair the Hard Drive and Permissions
Boot from your Snow Leopard Installer disc. After the installer loads select your language and click on the Continue button. When the menu bar appears select Disk Utility from the Utilities menu. After DU loads select your hard drive entry (mfgr.'s ID and drive size) from the the left side list. In the DU status area you will see an entry for the S.M.A.R.T. status of the hard drive. If it does not say "Verified" then the hard drive is failing or failed. (SMART status is not reported on external Firewire or USB drives.) If the drive is "Verified" then select your OS X volume from the list on the left (sub-entry below the drive entry,) click on the First Aid tab, then click on the Repair Disk button. If DU reports any errors that have been fixed, then re-run Repair Disk until no errors are reported. If no errors are reported click on the Repair Permissions button. Wait until the operation completes, then quit DU and return to the installer.
If DU reports errors it cannot fix, then you will need Disk Warrior and/or Tech Tool Pro to repair the drive. If you don't have either of them or if neither of them can fix the drive, then you will need to reformat the drive and reinstall OS X.
2. Reinstall Snow Leopard
If the drive is OK then quit DU and return to the installer. Proceed with reinstalling OS X. Note that the Snow Leopard installer will not erase your drive or disturb your files. After installing a fresh copy of OS X the installer will move your Home folder, third-party applications, support items, and network preferences into the newly installed system.
Download and install Mac OS X 10.6.8 Update Combo v1.1.
Reinstalling Lion/Mountain Lion Without Erasing The Drive
Boot to the Recovery HD: Restart the computer and after the chime press and hold down the COMMAND and R keys until the menu screen appears. Alternatively, restart the computer and after the chime press and hold down the OPTION key until the boot manager screen appears. Select the Recovery HD and click on the downward pointing arrow button.
Repair the Hard Drive and Permissions: Upon startup select Disk Utility from the main menu. Repair the Hard Drive and Permissions as follows.
When the recovery menu appears select Disk Utility. After DU loads select your hard drive entry (mfgr.'s ID and drive size) from the the left side list. In the DU status area you will see an entry for the S.M.A.R.T. status of the hard drive. If it does not say "Verified" then the hard drive is failing or failed. (SMART status is not reported on external Firewire or USB drives.) If the drive is "Verified" then select your OS X volume from the list on the left (sub-entry below the drive entry,) click on the First Aid tab, then click on the Repair Disk button. If DU reports any errors that have been fixed, then re-run Repair Disk until no errors are reported. If no errors are reported click on the Repair Permissions button. Wait until the operation completes, then quit DU and return to the main menu.
Reinstall Lion/Mountain Lion: Select Reinstall Lion/Mountain Lion and click on the Continue button.
Note: You will need an active Internet connection. I suggest using Ethernet if possible because it is three times faster than wireless.

I have a problem, am i going to lose all my files ?

Hello,
I have a lot of pictures on my Ipod. But since i'm coming back from holidays, my ipod doesn't work anymore ! I still can use it and listen to music, but when i plug it, windows ask me to format it, and itunes doesn't recognize it...
I wanted to use iPod updater for updating the firmware without deleting the files, but... iPod updater can't "update", and cn only "restore"... i can't also see the name of the ipod (i have a n/d), and i can't see neither the capacity. I can only see the firmware version, and serial number. But everything about storage seems like dead.
I don't understand why, all my files should be always on it, because i can still listen to all the songs...
My files are important because it's lot of photos of my travels, and i didn't put them on another storage device so... i really don't want to loose them, i must avoid to use the "restore" function.
Is there a way ?
Thank you !

I can't access the ipod through Windows. As i said before, doesn't work anymore !
Getright ? But Getright seems to be a download application, not a recovery program... and i don't think the Ipod need to be recovered, because i'm still able to listen to music on it, but i can't manage it using Windows neither Itunes. Seems to be a problem on the "link" (software link?) between the ipod harddisk and the computer...

ITunes losing all music files imported since 6/2

I have a frustrating problem I can't seem to figure out. I am running iTunes 8.2 on Leopard 10.5.7 on an Intel iMac. I keep my music on an external hard drive connected by firewire 800.
The issue is that all of the new music I have added since 6/2 will not stay in the library. I will add the files which get synced to my iPhone and iPod without difficulty. At a certain point, when I go to sync, I will get the error message "The following songs could not be synced to the iPhone b/c they could not be found." This most recently occurred when I turned my computer on. These files are everything since that date. Nothing particular happened on 6/2. It's just that's the last album it has retained.
When I go to the library, all of the songs added since then have the dreaded ! next to them. The files are missing from my external hard drive, and from the back up of my external hard drive. They are not in the trash. Spotlight does not find them except for the copies in my emusic folder (which is fortunately where most of them came from so I don't have to re rip everything).
I have tried:
1. Reinstalling iTunes, including deleting some files from the library recommended in a different post (sorry do not remember which-- some plist files).
2. Running Disk Utility to verify and repair the external volume.
3. Reimporting the music and changing some metadata.
This has occurred with files I have ripped, purchased from the iTunes store, and imported from mp3s on my hard drive. It is incredibly annoying. Please help!
2. Reimporting the songs

Hey Georgia
The first link below will get you iTunes downloaded to your computer. Check your purchase history to download any previous purchase and the second article will assist with that. The final actable will assist with transferring any purchased content from your iPhone to your MacBook Air, anything that was not purchased will not transfer.
iTunes 11.1.2
http://support.apple.com/kb/dl1614
Downloading past purchases from the iTunes Store, App Store, and iBooks Store
http://support.apple.com/kb/ht2519
iTunes Store: Transferring purchases from your iOS device or iPod to a computer
http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1848
Regards,
-Norm G.

Downloading updates to iTunes loses all informatoin

How do I make it so I can download the newest version of iTunes without it deleting playlists, song information, etc?

I have the same issue. Can anyone help? The last update made me lose all my music and I had to do all kinds of things to recover. This time my playlists and my "Purchased" list is gone...

Updating RAM on 2007 macbook, do I lose all my files, bookmarks etc?

I am updating RAM memory to enable me to go from Tiger to Snow Leopard. But worried that I will lose all my documents, web bookmarks etc. Will they remian if I change the RAM modules? Sorry I am a very basic computer user!
Thanks

In simple words, RAM has nothing to do with storing documents; your documents etc are stored on your hard disk, so upgrading RAM will not damage or wipe out your data.... BUT... since everything is inter-connected, electric surge from ANY component can influence your hard disk (thus your data) in the worst case scenario. Therefore, it is always advised to backup your system before digging into your hardware - Better save than sorry!

Why doesn't iTunes copy all my files, and how do I know which it left out?

Hello,
I had iTunes on my old PC, and when I installed it on my new one (Vista Home Premium), it very helpfully deleted everything off my iPod and copied it all back again! As it happens, the only files on the iPod were from the iTunes library, so it didn't matter, but it was annoying.
Anyway, now it has (supposedly) synched my library and iPod, if I look at the library, it shows 1164 songs. If I look at my iPod, it only shows 1157 songs.
How do I know which songs iTunes didn't copy over? More to the point, anyone any idea why it didn't just copy all of them?
Thanks for any help.

OK, thanks for all the replies.
hmacross: I have checked for duplicates, and there were some there. This was because when I installed iTunes, it insisted on scanning my entire hard disk and adding every audio file it could find, even though I didn't want it to. I only wanted it to add ones in my Music folder. I had to do a fair amount of work to clean this up! Anyway, I just checked again, and there aren't any duplicates in my iTunes library.
Chris: If I look in my iTunes library, and show all the audio files as a big list, at the bottom it gives me the total number of files, and the total play length. If I look at the iPod, I see similar numbers.
After some tidying up, the iTunes library shows 1149 songs, and the iPod shows 1147 songs, so there's still a discrepancy. I have double checked for duplicates, so that's not the issue.
Thanks again. Any further help would be appreciated.

ITunes loses location of files every time a network connection is interrupted

I keep all my media files on a RAID attached to my router. I have a MacBook, and I don't want to fill up my boot drive with music files, nor do I want all my music on an external hard drive that has to be physically attached to my laptop (lack of portability, inconvenient to eject every time I want to take the laptop somewhere, hard drives fail, etc.).
The problem is that every so often, I'll get the message "network connection interrupted." I'm hardwired to the router at home via Ethernet, but for whatever reason, sometimes it just pops up the network connection interrupted message.
If I'm listening to iTunes when that happens, iTunes will stop playing the song, and an exclamation mark will appear to say "hey, I can't find that file where I thought it would be." What's far worse is that iTunes will then go on to try and play the next song, and the next, and the next, and so on down the line, placing an exclamation mark next to each one as it fails to find the volume where they're stored. In this way, entire albums or even entire artists will get "lost" to iTunes.
The next time I go to listen to a song that has the exclamation mark, if my network connection is established, I can double-click, and it will play just fine as it looks for the volume and finds it. Unfortunately, I have to double-click each and every song individually. I can't just click "play album," or even double-click one song and let it go on to the next. I have to go to every song that's "lost," double-click them one at a time, and then they'll play, and be usable by services that connect to iTunes, such as iMovie, or the Remote app on my iPhone.
Is there any way to prevent this situation from happening? Either by telling iTunes not to declare a song "lost" just because it can't find it one time, or to tell it to look in the last place it saw it, so that when the network connection is active, it will just go ahead and play the song?
As it is, it seems that my only choices are to keep all my music on my boot drive or an external plugged directly into the laptop, or to stop using iTunes for my music. Neither of those solutions would be positive outcomes for me.
My setup is a MacBook running 10.6.8, a 5th generation Airport Extreme running 7.6.1, and a Drobo RAID attached to the network.
Thanks!

Thre's nothing in iTunes you can configure. There are scripts that could be used to repair links broken in your scenario, but not ones I would want to have to run regularly. I see a number of posts here where people have issues with iTunes having problem with NAS. It seems to work find if you just attach an external drive via USB or Firewire but once you start getting fancy with NAS and RAID, problems arise. You'll have to see if there's something you can do on the networking side to stop this, or you'll just have to quit iTuneswhen the network drops and restart.

Installing Itunes loses all my cd drives

Just got an Ipod shuffle. Installed ITunes on my PC (windows XP Home edition). It complains that there is another cd burning software installed on my pc, and XP can no longer find my DVD rom drive or my CDRW drive. The drivers for these are still on the system but with an 41 error (drives not attached). Tried uninstalling ITunes, looking for new hardware to re-find my drives but no good. Help please.

http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=300448-Heres a start.
This happens on certain PC's. I dont know if you care to know the ins and outs of why this sometimes happens, but here is why and how to fix it. an application (such as Roxio, Nero, iTunes, etc.) is installing a driver file (as a .SYS) or replacing a working driver file that is referenced within your registry. For some folks, the replaced driver is still referenced by either an UpperFilterCheck or a LowerFilterCheck, and the device manager is actually seeking out that file that, well... no longer exists. Or, when you try and uninstall the application (iTunes is the frequent transgressor) everything is removed, including the related driver files, but the registry isn't altered... so the device manager continues to try and locate that driver file... which no longer exists.
the thing to do to reclaim your optical drives is located in your registry here:
HKEYLOCALMACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Class\{4D36E965-E325-11CE-BFC1-08002BE1 0318}
You'll want to have that open, and a mini-window of the following:
START -> CONTROL PANEL -> SYSTEM -> Hardware (tab) -> DEVICE MANAGER -> Offending Drive (with yellow tag by it) Right-Mouse-Click and PROPERTIES -> Driver (tab) -> DRIVER DETAILS
Notice that list. It references all the drivers that that particular drive is utilizing. There should be a single .DLL (dynamic link library) file and multiple .SYS files. It's the .SYS files we're focusing on, and they should be located in your C:\WINDOWS\System32\drivers\ folder stem. If you want to open a new window explorer, and go verify that each of those driver files still exists in that folder stem, you may.
At this point, compare the Driver File Detail list with the Registry Tree Location you're sitting in, and look at the UpperFilterCheck and LowerFilterCheck key values. Your offending key value will NOT be on your Driver File Detail list It might be as small as "PFC" or something else, but that value is referencing to a driver file that no longer exists. Delete that offending key value. Close the registry.
Close the Driver File Details and Drive Properties windows. At this point, to finish this up, you need to Soft Uninstall (Right-mouse-click on the drive, and hit "Uninstall" ) the drive(s), let the Device Manager refresh... then hit ACTION -> Scan For Hardware Changes ...
This should start a new Found New Hardware cycle, and.... poof!... your drives should be back to normal.
Let me know how it goes.
Good Luck,
Rachyl

Lion Server Network Account loses all created files after logout

Hi,
I am new to Server, I got Lion Server working on a Mac Mini and everything was alright until I added users from existing client machines. I created new Users on the Server App with the same name and passwords as on the existing client machines, logged in as root on the Server and copied the client user home folder contents from an external HD into the User home directory on the Server. After that I ran Batchmod on all the User folders on the server and everything seemed to be working alright, now the only problem is, if you create a file or folder on the desktop it is not there anymore the next time I log back in. The accounts are setup as Network Accounts, and they are available from any computer in the office, they just don't save any settings that have been changed or any files and folders.
I have found the "Convert a local Home into a Network Home" post to late, http://www.afp548.com/article.php?story=20050331212133607&query=migrate%2B
does this sound like a permissions issue, and if so, can I still repair it or is it better to start fresh?
Thank you

I think your problem has a rather simple solution, since all files in a directory aren't modified unless you tell the OS or a program you've installed to.
To keep the external hard drive mounted even when nobody is logged into your server, enter the following into terminal:
sudo defaults write /Library/Preferences/SystemConfiguration/autodiskmount \
AutomountDisksWithoutUserLogin -bool YES
I think your server is looking for the external Hard Drive, but can' tfind it and thus defaults back to the internal HD.

Will i lose all my files if i download this?

Will i lose my files if i download this application?

By default, Mountain Lion will install on your computer without erasing anything but the old OS. It will not erase any of your data or applications. (If the installer finds known incompatible programs it will place them in a folder marked incompatible.)
However it is very unwise to procede with an OS upgrade without first backing up the computer. This is inherently one of the most dangerous things you can do and if, for example, you lost electricity in the midst of the upgrade the result could include lost files. So backup the computer before installing the upgrade.

Itunes loses all mpeg4 files

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