ITunes lost it's file depository

I have dual 40 GB hard drives set up in a RAID-0 configuration that had 3 partitions of 30 GB, 30 GB, and 20 GB.
I needed to re-size partitions to gain more space on the "root" partition using Norton's Partition Magic version 8.0. After doing so iTunes could not find the location of its MP3 files. I didn't delete any files during the re-sizing process but I did combine 3 partitions into 2 partitions. The file structure on my iPod has not been altered and is intact but I have not yet tried to do a synchronization with iTunes (I fear losing that data also).
Questions:
1). Can I "back" synchronize from my iPod to iTunes in order to re-constitutute the original file structure on my computer?
2). Alternatively, can iTunes globally retrieve, i.e., automatically, all the lost file locations that are stored somewhere in the new partition structure or will I have to find each file manually and re-constitute the file locations one file at a time?

to answer your first question, with itunes 7 you can transfer only the purchased music from the ipod back to the computer. if you want to be able to move the music off the ipod check out this link...
http://www.ilounge.com/index.php/articles/comments/copying-music-from-ipod-to-co mputer/
about your second question. itunes by default stores the music in the following location ( c:\Documents and Settings\username\My Documents\My Music\iTunes\iTunes Music ) you can check to see at which folder itunes is pointing to, by checking the advanced tab in itunes preferences click here to see a screen shot of this preference window. also you can force itunes to become the default audio player in which case it will search your hard drives for music. click here to see how

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Itunes 'lost' my music files

This appears to be the result of a problem while I was syncing my iPod. During a standard syncing process, it appeared that iTunes was pulling music files from a location on a home server that I didn't want. I stopped the sync process and most of my music and all my playlists have now disappeared.
Now iTunes 7.4.2.4 can't seem to 'see' 2/3 of my music library or any of my playlists. I've been using it for a couple of years with no real problems. All my music files/folders are still in the iTunes folder on my hard drive but iTunes doesn't see them.

Are you saying that there is no music on your iPod and in your iTunes library on your computer?
- Try resetting the iPOd. Nothng is lost
Reset iPod touch: Hold down the On/Off button and the Home button at the same time for at
least ten seconds, until the Apple logo appears.
- Reboot the computer
- Redownload iTunes purchases by:
Downloading past purchases from the App Store, iBookstore, and iTunes Store
- iTunes: Finding lost media and downloads

HT201272 I lost all my files after dowloading Icloud and updating Itunes on 24 September 13. having reloaded the computer and and files from an Emergency Backup folder I can no longer see My Library in Itunes or in Itunes store, and my ipod and ipad aren

can anyone help with retrieving My Library in Itunes and Itunes store - having updated Itunes and Icloud on 24 September 13, my computer failed and I lost all my files which were eventually backed up to an Emergency Backup. my computer is now working again and I have down loaded Itunes and transferred all the files from my Emergency Backup. Non of the music went back into Itunes, so I had to find these files and manually moved them to Itunes. The music is now in Itunes, but I no longer have the folder named My Library, which I think is the reason my Ipad, ipod no longer sync any additional music I have added to Itunes. Does anyone know how to rectify this please.
Many thanks. Crusey

iTunes expects files and folders to be in very specific locations. When you start iTunes it looks for a file called library.itl which is in the iTunes folder. It then uses all the references in that file which tell it where all your media files are located to build up the view you normally see. Probably you moved the library file so iTunes cannot find it and it will make a default one which is empty. When you plug in your iPod it isn't recognizing the library since it is not the same one to which you synced last.
Simply put, you need to undo all your file moves. Not as eaily done as stated but since I cannot quite see from here exactly what you spent an hour doing last night it will be up to you. Did you make a backup before doing all this?
What are the iTunes library files? - http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1660
More on iTunes library files and what they do - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ITunes#Media_management
What are all those iTunes files? - http://www.macworld.com/article/139974/2009/04/itunes_files.html
Where are my iTunes files located? - http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1391
iTunes 9 [and later]: Understanding iTunes Media Organization - http://support.apple.com/kb/ht3847
Image of folder structure and explanation of different iTunes versions (turingtest2 post) - https://discussions.apple.com/message/13025536 and https://discussions.apple.com/message/17457605

How can I Re-Download Purchased Movies from Itunes store. Somehow I lost The original File?

The movie “The Hunted” could not be used because the original file could not be found. Would you like to locate it?
The above message appears whenever I try and play a movie from Itunes
Is it possible to Re-Download purchased movies from Itunes as I have lost the original files somehow?

You can re-download music, books, tv shows, and 3rd apps, but not movies.
http://support.apple.com/kb/ht2519

Itunes lost files

I have imported some audiobooks from my computer into itunes.
Normally they show up in music. and i need to select autiobook.
However I imported a bunch, and they are no where to be found.
music, audiobooks, movies, etc...
And if I try reimporting them, again nothing.
Is there any way to force itunes to display my files? somewhere?

Hi Bp101202,
If you are having issues locating files you have imported into iTunes, you may find the following article useful:
iTunes: Finding lost media and downloads
http://support.apple.com/kb/TS1408
Cheers,
- Brenden

TS1717 I have lost the bonjour file, can I download it without having to uninstall and re-install iTunes?

I have lost the bonjour file, can I download it without having to uninstall and re-install iTunes?

just go to www.itunes.com and reinstall, the installer will ask you if you want to install or repair, select repair and that will install Bonjour for you.

HT201272 My Windows PC has lost some music files I purchased in iTunes. If I try to use iTunes to restore them it just shows that they are already downloaded. How do I reclaim them?

My Windows PC has lost some music files I purchased in iTunes. If I try to use iTunes to restore them it just shows that they are already downloaded. How do I reclaim them?

iTunes: Finding lost media and downloads
Hope this helps.

7.6 can only find files in the itunes folder - My Music files are all lost

Since upgrading to itunes 7.6 all my old files that were located in My Music are no longer found by itunes. However all files in My Music/itunes are found.
I have not changed the file names, what has happened?
As I have loads of files in the old My Music folder it is a problem to redirect every file individually.
I do have a backup of the computer but what do I restore as all the music files are where they have always been?

Again many thanks. I have tried to tidy up the folders as per your idiot guide- which term is appropriate for me
Under iTunes Media though I do not have folders for Books,iPod Games, Mobile Applications, Movies, TV Shows so I only have Auto Add to iTunes, Music, Downloads and Podcasts - My question here is is this OK.
Next - Library files that you mention are there but do not end .itdb
Next - in the main iTunes folder followingon from Artwork and Media folders there is some other iTunes database stuff like Library Extras, Library Genius, Library and Music Library(xml) all dated 10/02/12 plus MimiPlayer .dll dated 21/02/14 and Set Up Short Cut dated22/03/14
AND there is also a Programme Files folder with a sub folder holding file folders called CD Configuration,iTunes Resources, iTunes Help Resources, iTunes Mini Player Resources and Mozilla Plugins all dated 24/03/14 ( when I downloaded the new iTunes) and then a lot of application extension stuff from 2011
To recap I unistalled the old 32 bit iTunes and installed the new 11.1.5 (64 bit) version over the weekend SO is any of the old stuff listed above required.
Outcome right now is that as previously I can only call up the Downloaded music not Podcats or CD copies.
Regards
David Pugh

ITunes empty? But files still in library?

I store my iTunes Library on an external Hard Drive because there is not enough room for it on G4's hardrive (70gb). Last night, I come home and see there is nothing in the iTunes on screen library. No songs, no playlists. It's as if I never had iTunes.
I look on my external and the files are all there.
I check in iTunes Pref to see what location the library is assigned to and it's the same as it's always been
I **** down the computer. I turn off the hard drives. Wait.
Still nothing. Do I need to re-add the songs? If I do this will I lose my playlists? Does this have anything to do with XML tags or something like that?

There are 2 files - iTunes Library and iTunes Music Library.xml. These 2 files are what itunes and other apps use to keep track of stuff. They MUST be in a specific location - HD>User>Music>iTunes. When doing an iTunes b/u (you do that right?) you should include those 2 files as part of the b/u.
The .xml is used by the iLife apps to locate various info for integration with other apps. The heart of iTunes is the iTunes Library file.
From the iTunes Help Menu:
About the iTunes Library file:
The iTunes Library file is a database of the songs listed in your library and the playlists you've created. This file is located in the iTunes Music folder inside your Music folder. Do not move this file to another location. If you delete it, iTunes will create a new, empty copy when you open the application, but any playlists, song ratings, comments, or other information you created will be lost.
Tunes Music Library.xml
This file contains some (but not all) of the same information stored in the iTunes 4 Music Library file. The purpose of the iTunes Music Library.xml file is to make your music and playlists available to other applications on your computer. In Mac OS X other iLife applications (like iPhoto, iDVD, and iMovie) use this file to make it easier for you to add music from your iTunes library to your projects.
MJ

I dragged my ext. HD iTunes backed up folder into my new mac. Now there are duplicates of every song!! The problem is both versions seem to actually BE there when I check the info. Now I have no idea if iTunes is playing the files in the trash or not

Hi. I'm in a situation here and would really welcome some guidance. I dragged my ext. HD iTunes backed up folder into my new mac. Now there are duplicates of every song. Both versions seem to actually BE there when I check the info. So, I moved what I thought were duplicates into the trash from iTunes, and resigned myself to the fact that I would have to do this manually for each album. I did this with about 10 albums. I emptied the trash and lost them even though they still LOOKED like they were in iTunes. I repeated the process tonight on a bunch of other albums not realizing yet that I had screwed up terribly the first time. This time I saw what had happened and pulled the files out of the trash, onto my desktop and dragged them back into iTunes, then deleted the duplicate files that had exclamation points next to them. Now I have no idea if iTunes is playing duplicate files from the trash or not, and am nervous about emptying the trash. Anyone dealt with this before? Thank you

Hi. I'm in a situation here and would really welcome some guidance. I dragged my ext. HD iTunes backed up folder into my new mac. Now there are duplicates of every song. Both versions seem to actually BE there when I check the info. So, I moved what I thought were duplicates into the trash from iTunes, and resigned myself to the fact that I would have to do this manually for each album. I did this with about 10 albums. I emptied the trash and lost them even though they still LOOKED like they were in iTunes. I repeated the process tonight on a bunch of other albums not realizing yet that I had screwed up terribly the first time. This time I saw what had happened and pulled the files out of the trash, onto my desktop and dragged them back into iTunes, then deleted the duplicate files that had exclamation points next to them. Now I have no idea if iTunes is playing duplicate files from the trash or not, and am nervous about emptying the trash. Anyone dealt with this before? Thank you

MY hard drive crashed and i lost all my files. How do i move my files from my phone or ipad back to my new hard drive?

MY hard drive crashed and i lost all my files. How do i move my files from my phone or ipad back to my new hard drive

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

ITunes reorganised my music files?

Hi there
The folder storing my music files has been re-organised by ITunes (newest version). It divides my tracks by artist into folders. All of my compilations have been divided into separate folders - is there any way I can get Itunes to organise my background files by album, not artist, so I keep the mp3's of my compilations together? I recently lost my hardrive files with a computer crash, so my music files have been extracted from my ipod using copypod - could this be part of the problem?
Thanks
David

iTunes does not have customizable settings for its folder scheme. However, if iTunes is indeed moving things around, then setting the compilations with the 'compilations' tag in Get Info will move them to a Compilations folder.

I recently lost all my files on my computer. is there any way I can download all my songs from my ipod to my computer.

can someone tell me if i can download all my music from my ipod through my itunes into my computer. I recently lost all my files on my computer along with my music folder

Music is intended to go from your computer to the iPod. Going the other way is contrary to the design and is not trivial. To extract music from your iPod requires the assistance of third party utilities.
If you purchased music from the iTunes Store, no worries, you can simply download it again with the one caveat that the music is still available in the Store.
For other music, the following might be helpful:
Syncing to a new computer, crashed hard disk, no backup?
https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-3141

My home computer that is my main itunes computer is dead. I am trying to transfer my purchased files to this new laptop and cannot get everything to show up. Where do I go in itunes to copy those files to this computer?

I have lost my home computer and want to move purchased files to this new laptop. Where do I go in itunes to copy the files?

You need a third-party program lke one of those discussed here:
newer copy

ITunes cannot find music files, confuses inodes, external drive

I have all my music on an external drive, which is not always connected to the Mac. When I start iTunes w/o the hdd connected iTunes occasionally marks some of the songs as not found. Which is ok so far. BUT if it finds the same inode (of the original file on the external hdd) on the internal hdd it changes the location of the songs to the internal hdd. In my case to files like /Previous System/<some path>/Info.plist. So iTunes thinks the files are still there and cannot play them. After deleting all the Previous Systems files iTunes marks all those files as not found, that is, it does not search for the inode on the external hdd again. Very confusing.
Yesterday I started from scratch with an empty iTunes Library (I moved the original one) and the problem reoccurred instantly after I imported all my music, quit iTunes, disconnected the external HDD and started iTunes again. So some of my songs are lost, iTunes will never find them again w/o me reimporting them. Also the problem might occur anytime in the future and I seem to not be able to cure it, because iTunes tried to be intelligent. But how it can confuse inodes w/o looking at the device ID and why the songs did not return after I removed the /Previous Systems folder I cannot image.
I checked the inodes on the internal and external hdd for some of the songs and they were indeed identical. So iTunes seems reset the path/location in the Library DB if it can find the inode of a song which it cannot find by path. Why it does not look at the device id in combination with the inode# is a mystery.
Some additional details:
iTunes Music Folder Location: on external hdd
The Library files are on the internal hdd at ~/Music/iTunes.
I hope someone can answer that. I do not want to start from scratch every week. I hope my iPod which holds all the songs synchs meta info like play count and rating back as well.
Kind regards, soryu2.

And further....
I went into iTunes to try to download all my purchased music. Some, but not all, is showing up under iTunes>iTunes Media>Music. It looks like the library thinks some if the music is there, but it actually is not.
Seems like my library is corrupted (or something).
Since I have to upload all music from CD anyway, should I delete my iTunes library and start over, first by downloading all purchased music.

ITunes lost it's file depository

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