Itunes music files disappeared from HDD

Hello,
After an update of itunes for Windows (10.4.0.80), I found out that almost all of my music library disappeared from my hard drive.
All music exist in itunes library, but when I try to play a song, a message appear telling me that the music file is missing.
I even tried using an undelete software, but I couldn't find any of my music files.
Do you know what went so wrong?
Thank you

Your files are on your old computer, unless it has been wiped. Where else would you expect them to be?
See Recover your iTunes library from your iPod or iOS device (or purchase history).
tt2

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Itunes Music Files Disappearing

Hi,
I have a very troubling problem going on right now and I don't know how to handle it...
I am running itunes 10.1.2 on a 10.6.6 macbook. I have a large itunes library (20,000+ songs) stored on a portable hard drive, which I have directed itunes to. A week or two ago, while scrolling through my library, I noticed, next to every song in an entire album, the gray circle with the exclamation point signaling that itunes could not locate the file. I went into my itunes folder on my external and went to where the album should have been... but it was gone. I went back to my itunes and went through it, and I found 6 or 7 more albums where the songs popped up with the exclamation point. I went into the itunes folder and the files were no longer there. I finished going through my library, deleted all the songs, and thought I had cleaned it out.
Last night, as I was going through, I found several more songs with the exclamation. I went to the albums and found that all the songs were missing. I went into the itunes folder, went to where the files should be/were at one time, and they were no longer there. I looked everywhere, but they were wiped clean from the hard drive.
In these past two incidences, I have had to delete over 1,000 songs, as they have disappeared from not only my library, but my itunes folder itself.
I have looked all over, but cannot seem to find a similar problem. I am starting to worry that my music will continue to disappear. If anyone has any thoughts concerning what might be happing or what I can do to fix this, please let me know. Thanks.

Dear Apple,
Please stop ignoring this extremely serious issue that is quite obviously very real for a great number of people. I have an external hardrive set up with YOUR time machine and it has worked very well over the past year with my iMac... until the sum of all backups became too large. I only noticed this after I had to disconnect my hardrive from my iMac when I needed to bring it into an Apple Store for repair. This was in December. Ever since, files of all kinds, especially songs, have been disappearing from my Finder Folder where my files are stored. Same old story as everyone else in this thread; songs, movies, books appear to be there but are followed by an grey circle with an exclamation point in it.
NOW, it is happening to my photos from iPhoto. A thumbnail appears in iPhoto but when I control click to find the file it is missing. VERY uncool, in fact there needs to be someone who address this issue quick. Poor customer service no matter how you look at it to not address it.
iTunes support is only available by email (big surprise) and they are of absolutely no help. Went back an forth a couple dozen times with a seemingly very nice support tech, but ultimately it was my faultt that the files are missing because "I should have them backed up", which I did until my time machine failed - then this problem began happening.
APPLE, PLEASE DO SOMETHING ABOUT THIS. YOU ARE ******* YOUR CUSTOMERS OFF AND THAT'S NOT GOOD!

Music files disappeared from iPod Classic 120GB

Hi everyone.
Today I tried transferring music from my old iPod Classic (120GB) to my computer. These files were originally stored on another computer that since died, so I wanted to transfer them (backup) to my new laptop.
However, the software crashed, and my iPod now shows "No music".
However, the Settings page talks about 46.4GB used memory on the iPod.
These 46.4GB match the amount of music I had in it.
When I go to Settings > About, in the diagram that represent the space used on my iPod, there is a very small part related to my pictures (these did not get erased from the iPod), and then a very big part (about 2/5 of the total diagram) that says "Other".
I believe this "Other" part is linked to the music that used to be on it, but I do not understand why it doesn't show as "Music" anymore, and why all of my songs seem to have disappeared.
Did anyone encouter the same problem ? Is there any possible explanation/solution ?
I would really appreciate any help anybody can give me.
Virginie

"Other" means files that have become corrupt and the iPod no longer knows what to do with them.
The usual procedure is to move (or copy) your iTunes Library from your old computer to the new one. If the computer (or its hard drive) is not available, the procedure is to use the backup of the Library.
I'm guessing that you don't have a backup of your Library. Although your old computer has "died", do you still have the hard drive? If so, you could put the hard drive into a hard drive caddy, use it as an external device and copy the iTunes Library from that onto your new computer. A local computer repair shop should be able to help you with that.
Failing that, you will have to re-build your Library again.
If you purchased music from the iTunes Store, check in your store account to see if your country allows you to download the music (that you purchased) again.
If you purchased digital music from other stores, check with them to see if you can download the songs again. In Amazon UK, you can.
For music that you imported into your iTunes from CDs, you will have to import them again, from the CD.
For the future, I suggest you maintain a backup of your iTunes Library. If you now have an external hard drive in a caddy, use that. Otherwise, buy one, the larger the better.
Also, as you are now finding, an iPod cannot be put back into a new iTunes. Nor is it a backup of your Library. Everything should be in your iTunes Library - and backed up onto an external drive. The iPod is simply a portable "copy" of your Library, only for playing the music.
Sorry to be the bearer of bad news.

How do I redownload itunes music files deleted from my harddrive?

My hard drive was damaged and now I've lost at least half of my purchased music. DO NOT LINK ME TO THE SUPPORT PAGE HERE ON APPLE!!!!! That method does not work for songs that are pre-iCloud and don't try to tell me otherwise! these songs are not on any of my devices, I have a new iphone and that it is (my old one was damaged beyond repair, lost a lot of files on that too). I have records of purchasing all of these items on the itunes store yet I cannot find the option to re-download them. When I look them up in purchased, it gives me the option to play them then just asks me to locate the file, which I cannot as it is not on my new hard drive. I am very, very angry with apple for not giving me this option as I've given them hundreds of dollars, those songs belong to me now and I have every intention of getting them back. I would appreciate some help doing so if you would be so kind. Thank you.

Does it show in the Purchased link under Quick Links on the right-hand side of the iTunes store homepage ? If the track is no longer in the Music part of your library then it should show there with a cloud icon against it for redownloading. Or you can go into Edit > Preferences in iTunes, and on the Store tab there should be a 'shows iTunes in the cloud purchases' tick box, ticking that should get music to show in the Music part of your library with a cloud icon against it which you can click on to redownload it (again the 'locate file' entries will need to be deleted for them to show).
Store preferences tab (there is a bug on this forum affecting images so it might not show) :
If the tracks still don't show with the cloud icon then try closing/re-opening iTunes.
If you've taken a backup of your iTunes library then only you will need know what you did with it. Do you have any external drives that you might have copied your library onto ? A backup of an iOS device does not include the contents of its Music app.

HT1551 My iTunes music library disappear from my AppleTv 1rst generation, and would not accept it back. The Video part works find, but the Music part does not. I reseted to Original factory settings, but still has same problem. Any body has any suggestion

I have a 1rst generation Apple TV and My Music disappear; after trying several times trying to get My Music back, I opted by resetting it back to Original settings with no avail. The video part is find, all my movies are there, but when it comes to the Music nothing shows up.
Does anybody know what could be happening here and have any suggestions how fix it ?

So, when you go to Devices->AppleTVname->Music in the left panel of iTuens, you have:
1. "Sync music" checked
2. Either "All songs and playlists" or "Selected playlists" plus actual playlists selected
Correct?
And of course, in those actual playlists, there is music?
Is htis iTMS purchased music, or mp3's?

HT203167 All my music has disappeared from my iTunes, what do I do?

I don't know why but somehow all my music has disappeared from my iTunes. I store all my music files on external hard drives.
I don't know what to do to get it all back onto iTunes (other than individually adding each song)

If you are lucky you may be able to recreate your library using the method here:
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=93313
If that doesn't work you can just add your iTunes Music folder using "Add Folder to Library", that gets your music back in the library but loses playlists and ratings etc.
Becuase this is rather a common problem, it is a good idea to make backups of you Library file from time to time:
Backup the iTunes Library Files
The library files are in:
My Documents\My Music\iTunes
Close iTunes and wait about 30 seconds.
Copy iTunes Library.itl and iTunes Music Library.xml somewhere else e.g. into the Previous iTunes Libraries folder.
To restore, with iTunes closed drag the current itl and xml file from the iTunes folder to the desktop, then copy the backup iTunes Library.itl into the iTunes folder. The xml file isn’t necessary but can come in handy if the library needs to be recreated and the itl file is causing problems.

Recover lost deleted corrupted music files tracks from iTunes match icloud

Just spent an hour on Apple's tech suypport line, all to figure out how to recover lost/deleted/corrupted music files/tracks from iCloud / iTunes Match. Here's how to do it:
ASSUMPTIONS: You're in iTunes on your computer, logged into your iCloud account.
Within iTunes, in the left-hand pane, select your Music library. Alll your tracks should appear in the right-hand pane. Those that are missing from your disk should be marked with an asterisk icon to the left of the track. Do the following...
...select all the missing/lost/deleted tracks (using the option button), and hit the delete button.
NOTE: when the delete dialog box comes up, make sure you do ***NOT*** click the "Delete from iCloud" selection!!!
...once deleted, select all the same tracks again, then hit the right mouse button, then select "Download".
All the tracks should start downloading, one by one, from iCloud.
NOTE: If I were you, I'd perform this operation on discrete chunks (no more than 500 at a time), just to be safe.
Good luck!

You can also recover the missing tracks from the backup you are keeping on an external HDD. You are backing up, aren't you?

I subscibed to ITunes Match and all my music has disappeared from my Ipod touch and will only play through WiFi so I cannot play music in my car. How do I get it back please

I subscibed to ITunes Match and all my music has disappeared from my Ipod touch and will only play through WiFi so I cannot play music in my car. How do I get it back please

You'll need to switch off iTunes Match on the device & sync the iPod with iTunes as hopefully you've kept all your music on your PC.

Hi, just updated hubby's iPhone 4 and all of his music has disappeared from the iPhone and from the iTunes library! He does have music still stored on his iPod, but can't get it from the library on his iPod back to phone or itunes. technophobe help pls!

and all of his music has disappeared from the iPhone and from the iTunes library! Luckily he does have music still stored on his iPod, but I can't get it from the library on his iPod back to the phone or to itunes.Please help, but technophobe so put it in simple english please!

Sounds like the music you had on your phone was not the same music on his computer. The iPhone/iPod touch is not designed to be a storage device. When you sync with a computer that doesn't have your music, it deletes your music from your phone.
Was this music you purchased from iTunes? if so, and you are in the US, tap on itunes app, tap updates, tap purchased and tap on the cloud icon to get each song back. If you're not int he us, get iOS5 update later this week and do the same.
But you need to move your itunes library to his computer. Create a user account on his macbook pro for you. From your external drive backup, load your itunes library on it. Then sync as usual! (Don't tell me you don't have a backup for your computer!)

I am trying to stream music from my iMac using iTunes music files to my Cocktail Audio X10 music streamer. I have allowed my files to be shared the X10 sees the files but when I try to accsess them it gives me the message files not mounted. Please help?

I am trying to stream music from my iMac using iTunes music files to my Cocktail Audio X10 music streamer. I have allowed my files to be shared the X10 sees the files but when I try to accsess them it gives me the message files not mounted. Please help?

No, I have the music I want to move from the laptop to the phone selected. Then I go under file, devices, and try to click sync but it is not available to click.

I normally do backups of my iTunes music files. After a recent hard disc failure I tried reloaded iTunes from these backups. This was ok but I lost all my ratings. How do I have to save the music library to include the rating information?

I normally do backups of my iTunes music files. After a recent hard disc failure I tried to reload iTunes from these backups. This was ok, i.e. the music was all there but I lost my ratings. How do I have to save the music library to include the rating information?

See this backup strategy.
tt2

I have recently had some music files removed from itunes. The originals are still on my ipod. How do i restore these missing items to my itunes......

I have recently had some music files removed from itunes. This was not supposed to happen! However the originals (consisting largely of playlists) ae still on my ipd and I do not want to do any syncing until I have resolved the issue. Is there any way to restore these missing tunes from the ipod to my itunes? Grateful for any input........

You cannot transfer song files from iPod to computer using iTunes (except for songs purchased from the iTunes Store). However, there are third-party methods and utilities that can transfer song files from iPod to computer. If you do a Google search on something like "ipod transfer," you should get some links.
NOTE: Songs previously purchased from the iTunes Store can also be re-downloaded at no cost, from the iTunes Store Purchased screen.

HT204365 Why did all my PDF files disappear from ibooks on my iPad

All of my PDF files disappeared from iBooks on my iPad. Where and why did they suddenly disappear? How can I retrieve them?

As far as I can work out, from incomplete downloads, ticks denote all downloaded ok.
The manually manage option is for those who want to tailor their library collections in Music and Video to specific items. If you have this ticked, then it will sync with the sync selections in your devices pages (eg, Music, videos).
If you want to sync all of your collection 'all' the time, leave manually manage off and put the a tick in the devices' page to sync all items Dependent on iCloud use, and or automatic download options in iTunes, new purchased items are added and synced automatically as they are added - this only applies to Store purchased items.
If you are going to added content outside of the Store, then Manually Manage is the option to take for Music and Videos - it does not affect anything else. IE Apps or podcasts, etc.
If you have manually manage off, and 'selected playlist' option ticked, then it will sync existing ticked items, but new items downloaded will require you tick them (a) after the next iTunes automatic download when it connects to the store and downloads any items, or (b) you download to a device and then sync the device, in which case it transfers the new download to your library - but, as happened to you, deletes it from your idevice.
Retcicking and resyncing will add the item back on next sync.
Don't forget that whenever making any kind of manual change to hit Apply and resync, to stop changes being lost.
However, and i cannot stress this enough, iTunes is very problematic, especially when handling large collections. Its sync operations can be erratic or non-functional at times (even buggy perhaps)
If all options fail, then go to your program installation control folder (Control panel\Programs etc on windows) and select to repair iTunes.
And if you have not already got it
http://help.apple.com/ipad/5/interface/ the ipad manual (not the used guide - this is more about how it operates)
may prove usefiul to you.
Best wishes, Ct

I have two different itunes music files on my computer. How do I combine them into one file?

I have two different itunes music files on my computer. How do I combine them into one file?

I don't think so. The only other ID I have is a developer id, and I didn't get that until several months after I got the phone. In addition purchases I made from the App Store onthe phone would sync up with It unes on the Mac meaning it would be the same id.
However I looked at the AppStore on my phone while it was connected to the Mac with iTunes open, and now the balance has changed to the same as the others.

I can't drag and drop iTunes music files into Roxio Jam 6 anymore and, now I have to import music one song at a time by using the " " or "-" buttons on the bottom. What is going on? G5 Dual 2 Ghz and OS 10.4.11

Hi. I have not used Roxio Jam for quite a long time and I just wanted to make a few CDs. Jam used to work easily and well. I have a problem. I can't drag and drop iTunes music files anymore and, now I have to import music one song at a time by using the "+" or "-" buttons on the bottom. What is going on? I trashed the preferences file and restarted Jam to no avail. I also have selected that Jam should open files with iTunes in the Jam preferences. I have a G5 DP 2Ghz PPC machine with OS 10.4.11, iTunes 9.2.1 and Quicktime's version is 7.6.4. I have 2 GB of RAM and the machine has dual 1.25 Ghz. processors plus a 500 GB HD. Can anybody give me any suggestions?
Thanks in advance,
Larry

I found an solution.
Uninstalling AirParrot as well as the two offending AirParrotDriver.kext and APExtFramebuffer.kext files in System>Library>Extensions was the fix. All problems disappeared.

Itunes music files disappeared from HDD

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