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

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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.

How do i make it so iTunes plays the music files from where i have chosen to store them?

how do i make it so iTunes plays the music files from where i have chosen to store them as opposed to it scattering copies of my files into a myriad different folders based on the albums they came from when i'm not even interested in keeping whole albums?
I recently converted myself to mac after having been a windows formatted person since the beginning of time. I use last.fm and the client scrobbler only supports iTunes on the mac (scobbling since Nov 06 and i'm now heavily dependant upon it as a means of discovering new music) - if you don't know what that means then take it for granted i have no option other than to use iTunes as my media player whn using the mac. And almost immediately upon using iTunes i was filled with horror.
My tale of woe as follows: I copy all my mp3 files to folder X on my new mac. I copy my simple playlist in to that same folder X. The simple playlist simply lists all the files in folder X in the order i want to hear them in... simple right? And what happens the moment i start playing my simple list? Well you probably all ready know; itunes throws copies of all those files in to the air, scatters them to the four winds so each of them fall into a little folder of their own representing the album they might once have come from. I don't keep whole albums. For me the 'album experience' is a ruse to trick one into listening to weaker material. I only keep the concentrated goodness. I only put up with albums in a previous lifetime because in the days of vinyl i had no other choice apart from spending hours compiling mix tapes. Now i am liberated from these restrictions and have been for the 15 or so years i've been using a computer to listen to music. Until along comes iTunes forcing me backwards in time, frog marching me back into the past.
That simple list i mentioned is my one and only playlist. This single playlist has been evolving for 15 years as tracks are added and removed and their position in the list changes because that song sounds amazing when heard after that other song whereas hearing this song after that song would be like pouring custard over your sausages (for me shuffling is an abomination). And so here is how i've managed this list and managed synchronization of said list and listed files with my mp3 player (currently a Zen).
Adding a new file: After deciding that song is a keeper i will copy it into that simple folder that holds all my music and drop it in to a position on the list i deem most suited for it. Incidentally over this entire 15 year (i'm pretty sure it's been around that long) my media player has been winamp but for the reason previously mentioned i am unable to use winamp in mac world.
Removing a file: fortunately winamp has an option to simultaneously remove a file from the list and the hard drive. And naturally so because after all if i no longer like a song then i want it expunged completely from life or at least from my hard drive and playlist. In the brave new world of iTunes i have to remove from the list there then delete the file from where iTunes copied it from and then the place iTunes copied it to.
Editing the list: drag an item in the list to it's preferred location and select to save it as i would for any other file using any other application... well desktop type application as opposed to one that uses a database as its primary means of storage.
Syncing with the mp3 player: copy drag drop playlist file from the simple folder on the hard drive to the simple folder on the mp3 player as i would for any other file. And then also copy drag drop the most recently created files from simple folder on hard drive to simple folder on player after having ordered them by creation date so as to make it easier to select the most recently created. After a while the mp3 player will fill up with the files no longer on the list so i will delete all files from player then re-copy all flies from simple folder on hard drive to simple folder on mp3 player.
I do not make changes to the list on the mp3 player so synchronization needs only to go one way: from laptop to player.
So all very simple. Apart from editing the positions of files in the list everything is managed by copy drag dropping and deleting files using windows explorer.
But i'm in a mac and circumstances have forced me in to the corner of using iTunes. And this whole iTunes situation is terrifying for me as over the years i've heard horror stories about it deleting all of someone's music files. Perhaps this may have been by using the software incorrectly but even so, the very fact that it appears possible for this to happen simply by using the software incorrectly and the fact that it happens with some degree of frequency given the number of reports of this happening that i have heard of over the years on music discussion forums fills me with dread that i have to now use this software. And given the software's blatant disregard for the user's choice as to where to store his/her files it's no surprise that this happens. The software is pointlessly doing dangerous things with my data. Please make it stop.
Please can i just at the very least make iTunes play the music from the folder i have chosen to put my files in and not copy those files here there and everywhere without my say so? Thankyou.

option discovered in preferences. Really this and any feature that moves deletes or edits a users data should as far as possible be OFF BY DEFAULT. It shouldn't by default and without the users specific say do this dangerous and unnecessary thing without even letting the user know what it's doing!!! And then cause me a few hours (as i'm new to mac) searching for the option so as to switch it off. If i hadn't noticed the status cage declaring that it was copying files then i might never have twigged that this insane thing was occurring. And if i hadn't of noticed i would have been left maintaining the contents of the folder i copied the files to, the folder which as far as i was informed and so believed was also the location of the music files i was playing. How does Apple justify this 'genius' piece of software non-design? Surely it will hurt no one if this was off by default for new users - overall at least i dare say it would cause a lot less distress in the future for the unsuspecting public at large. Thanks for the support.

I'm having installing itunes on my computer. Will removing itunes remove my music files?

I'm having installing itunes on my computer. Will removing itunes remove my music files?

No, it won't remove your other files.
Solving MSVCR80 issue and Windows iTunes install issues.

Can I change the file path that itunes reads my music files from? 65000 files trying to be transferrd from external to internal HD. I dont want itunes to manage my collection, just read it. thanks

Can I change the file path that itunes reads my music files from?
I have about 65000 music files that i have transferrd from my external to a new laptop internal HD.
I have organised the folders myself as I use a PC and do not want itunes to organise the folders because when I'm searching through music on windows it is sorted out by artists/albums with 'the...(eg The Beatles)' under 'T' instead of 'B'.
Long story short.... Is there any way that I can keep my itunes library as it is on the external HD and copy it to the new laptops C drive, keep all the info (playlists etc) and still have the same folder structure as on the external HD?
Or, is there any way of making windows sort things in alphabetical order like it is in itunes (eliminating the 'the' issue)?

The files that weren't inside the media folder on the original machine need to be copied over to exactly the same paths as they had on the source machine. See this thread for an ongoing discussion of a similar problem. See also this post on migrating the iTunes library.
tt2

My playlist appears in itunes, but the music files have mysteriously disappeared in my iTunes Media file. Is there a way to recover them? Tried searching and cannot find them.

My playlist appears in itunes, but the music files have mysteriously disappeared from my iTunes Media file. Is there a way to recover them? Tried searching and cannot find them.

This page might help: http://support.creative.com/kb/ShowArticle.aspx?sid=44083
Older Zens don't support AAC, which is the format iTunes uses for songs.
You can convert from AAC to MP3, which every media player under the sun will play. Here's a tutorial: http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-12519_7-10096807-49.html

How do I get my itunes to access music files on external disc hooked up to my imac?

how do I get my itunes to access music files on external disc hooked up to my imac?

assuming copy to ... when adding to library is checkmarked in preferences > advanced, drag the files from the external into an open iTunes window while holding the option (⌥) key.

I have an iPod whose contents I want to transfer to a newer Ipod. At some stage I lost the music files from my library. Is there any way to get them back from the older iPod and put them onto the newer one again? I stupidly synced the wrong one.

I have an iPod whose contents I want to transfer to a newer Ipod. At some stage when I thought I was syncing correctly I wasn't so I lost the music files from my library. Is there any way to get them back from the older iPod and put them onto the newer one again?

Have you not got a backup of your content on, for example, external drives ? If not then you could have a look to see if any of the utilities mentioned in this old post still exist and work : https://discussions.apple.com/message/11014893?messageID=11014893#11014893

Itunes has lost all music file locations

Itunes has lost the location of ALL the music files in the library. I have not moved my files so I believe it may have happened when Itunes updated a few days ago. If this is the case, it is not very smart of the programmers! When I locate individual songs, Itunes only finds the other songs that are in the same subfolder, that leaves about 5000 files missing! I realise I can import my whole music folder but this will revert a lot of incorrect track information that I have manually edited over the months.
I would love some help as all the other posts seem to refer to slightly different problems and can never get around the problem of files being in various subfolders.
Thanks.

Hey Lhatcher1987,
That can definitely be stressful, but there's an article that can help you find the media you expected to appear in iTunes. I'd read through it and see if that helps you find the missing music:
iTunes: Finding lost media and downloads
http://support.apple.com/kb/TS1408
All the best,
David

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 synchronises my music files, but not the apps.

About a week ago I bought an Ipod touch. My computer recognises the Ipod and synchronises the music files on Itunes, but not the apps.

Reset the device:
Press and hold the Sleep/Wake button and the Home button together for at least ten seconds, until the Apple logo appears.
If that doesn't help, tap Settings > General > Reset > Reset All Settings
If that didn't help, tap Settings > General > Reset > Reset Network Settings
You will have to re enter the Wi-Fi password.
If that doesn't help, try here > iOS: Troubleshooting Wi-Fi networks and connections
No data is lost due to a reset.

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.

How to link itunes library to music files on another drive

this thing seems to be very easy at first but I have been trying to find a fix for this for quite some time now. It started when my stupid SSDrive just stopped working after one year (they say that is not unusual). I lost my windows install and my itunes library file.
Since my music is on another drive it sure was annoying but I found a not too old backup of itunes.itl. However after I reinstalled windows and Itunes I found out that the old itunes.itl was was looking for my music files on drive D:\ - so the easiest thing would be to change the drive where my .mp3s are (currently F:\) to drive D:. However D:\ drive is now the Win7 System drive and I read I am not allowed to change anything and leave it as it is or it would mess up my win7 install.
The itunes.itl is not plaintext so I can't change anything in it. I could go through my thousands of songs and relocate each and everyone by hand but that is not really an option.
I googled my problem quite a bit and found some step by step guides but they often start with "activate keep Itunes Music Folder organized" or "consolidate". But I don't want itunes to change anything to the way my mp3s are stored. I have been using the same file structure for years and don't want itunes to manage it for me.
Is it really so difficult to relocate all files at once?
Any ideas anyone?
PS: I still have the iphone that I always synchronized with the library before I lost the library. Is there a way to get a .itl out of the iphone and use it on the computer? That library would be up to date.

My script FindTracks can probably sort you out. To keep things simple in future I'd suggest you move the library folder to F:\iTunes and put the media folder inside it as F:\iTunes\iTunes Media, that way when the library is repaired it will be easy to move it to any other location as and when required.
tt2

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 match and music files part company

My iTunes library became corrupted, so I have lost all the playlist and star ratings I had. I do have iTunes match, so they exist there, but not connected to my physical files. Is there a way to reconnect it with my music files on disk?
Even if this was done in batches I wouldn't mind as I'm not too bothered about all of my library, and it's probably a good time to prune, but I don't want to have match as my only usable copy, with the metadata and files becoming graudally more different.

Try posting in the iTunes Match forum - you'll get better responses there.
https://discussions.apple.com/community/itunes/itunes_match

Itunes 'lost' my music files

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