ITunes Music Library Empty

I recently moved my library (by back up disk) from my desktop to laptop. Everything has been running fine for three weeks or longer. A couple of days ago I opened iTunes and it was empty. I am not sure why it would have deleted everything in the library. I do have the original back up disks but nothing that I had bought in the past couple of weeks has been backed up. What happened and is there any way to restore it??

Are all your songs still in the usual folder(s) on your computer? Try holding down the Shift key in Windows when launching iTunes 7. In the resulting dialogue you will get the option to create a new library or navigate to an existing one. The default location for your iTunes library is in C:\Documents and Settings\Username\My Documents\My Music\iTunes\ (or C:\Username\Music\iTunes\ in Vista). Look in there and see if you have more than one library file (they have the extension .itl) If you have more than one try opening them in turn, you may find your original library is still intact: How to open an alternate iTunes Library file

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HT1660 My "itunes library" folder is empty. My libray music (prior to upgrading itunes) is now in an .xml file in my itunes location under my music. How do I extract/convert this .xml file to a Itunes database and restore my Itunes music library??? Than

My "itunes library" folder is empty. My libray music (prior to upgrading itunes) is now in an .xml file in my itunes location under my music. How do I extract/convert this .xml file to a Itunes database and restore my Itunes music library??? Thanks, Tom

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. 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.
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!
tt2

Playlists empty, no iTunes Music Library file

Is it possible to recover songs from a playlist?
I was reading over some posts on the subject, which mention moving the iTunes Music Library file. I see the iTunes Library file, but not the iTunes Music library file.
Thanks for any help!

I don't know exactly what you mean by recover songs from a playlist. What are you trying to do?
The two library file terms are the same, just differ with iTunes versions.
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

TS1717 how to restore my itunes music library when an apple download stuffs up

how to restore my itunes music library when an apple download malfunctions

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. 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.
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!
tt2

ITunes Library.xml versus iTunes Music Library.xml

Hi.
What is the difference between the two?
Thanks

From this article: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1660
iTunes Library (iTunes Library.itl in Windows) is a database of the songs in your library and the playlists you've created. Some song-specific data is saved in this file. If you delete the file, iTunes creates a new, empty copy when you open the application, but any playlists, song ratings, comments, or other information you created is lost. The iTunes Library file is only used by iTunes.
iTunes Music Library.xml file contains some (but not all) of the same information stored in the iTunes 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.

TS4062 Have lost itunes music library from my iPad

Cannot access my iTunes music library from my iPad3. It was working fine until I installed iTunes on my netbook (windows 7) yesterday. That seemed to result in losing my music library on the iPad. I also have the iTunes account on a desktop pc. Any suggestions as to what caused this and how to fix it? Thanks!

iOS devices can only be synced to one iTunes library.
You probably allowed syncing of your iPad when you plug it to your Netbook which was previously synced with your PC (by the way, you posted on the iTunes for Mac forum). It that time, you must have seen a popup warning telling you that your iPad is synchronized with another iTunes libray.
If you sync your iOS device with an empty iTunes library, it will result in deleting everything on it. In you case, you should plug back your iPad in your PC and then, select to restore it from your latest backup.

Remaining junk in iTunes Music Library.xml

Hello all,
while browsing the cover view of iTunes, I discovered 2 remaining covers from a podcast and a TV-Show which I already deleted long time ago. Just the covers were listed and as the original files are gone, I neither could work/edit them nor could I delete them.
I checked the "iTunes Music Library.xml" and found 2 entries representing the old podcast/TV-Show.
Now I would like to know, how I can get rid of those. If I delete the xml file, it is being rebuild with exactly the same error.
Any ideas out there?

When you add things to your library, iTunes creates folders to hold the files. You may have deleted the podcast and TV show files, but the empty folder could still be in your iTunes folder and showing up in your library. Can you check to see if there are empty folders that need to be deleted? I don't have any podcasts or TV shows in my library to figure out where these might be located. But, do you have a podcast and TV show folder inside your itunes main folder similar to the iTunes music folder? If you do, look inside these for the empty folders.

My iTunes Music Library.xml includes 2 location paths for files

A while ago, I copied and consolidated my itunes-songs from internal drive c: to internal drive f:
I changed the location of my "itunes library" accordingly to look at f:... - all went well and all songs were playing from the new location (I thought).
However, after a while I decided to delete the OLD physical location of the mp3-files on c: and now about 2.000 songs in my iTunes are missing and have the well know "!" mark in front of them.
Now, in the itunes music library, there are 2 different locations for my songs listed - although there is only 1 location given in the settings.
Most songs are - where they should be - at localhost/f:/....
But the missing songs still are listed at localhost/c:....
Apart from the fact that I am still searching for the songs (have emptied the trash since) - how in the world can the itunes library still contain 2 different paths?
Any ideas?

One point where this seems to occur consistently is if you reboot or turn off Windows while iTunes is running, and have a largeish music collection.
Explanation: Programmatically, iTunes main window apparently responds OK (=TRUE) to the Windows WM_QUERYENDSESSION message and at the same time starts to write the *.ITL and *.XML files to the hard disk. Meanwhile, Windows continues to end the session because - after all - it was OK'ed by iTunes. Now, if the iTunes music library is "large enough", Windows will finish ending the session before iTunes has finished writing said files, and the next time you run iTunes they'll turn up corrupt. This is a huge caveat during iTunes reinstallation, because most of the time a reboot is needed whilst iTunes will necessarily be running at the same time (consequently, if you have a largeish music library, always back up the *.XML and *.ITL files before reinstalling or updating iTunes!!!!)
This is nearly an elementary bug, and a sad indication of the level of testing done by the Apple to products before they're released.
Workarounds: I myself just frequently backup the *.ITL and *:XML files to a different directory, and restore if file corruption occurs. Another workaround is to have another program (say, Notepad.exe) with an edited but unsaved file currently open. When Windows session ends, you will have one extra chance to delay the session end, so that either you remember to close iTunes first, or if iTunes was closed first, it'll have enough time to complete writing the library metadata back to disk.
Asian and European phone giants have nothing to afraid about iPhone, if iTunes and iPod classic are any indication of its quality.

ITunes music library file, yet again...

I apologize for this advance:
About every other post on this discussion board relates to how people are missing their music, playlists, etc. and I roll my eyes to read them. Now I am one of them.
Two days ago, I consolidated my music on my external drive, fixing a longstanding problem with syncing my iPod. For good measure, I figured I would make a copy of the iTunes Music Library file to have a backup. I am almost sure I copied it, but I may have MOVED it from the Music folder on the Mac (despite how none of my music was stored in that location). When I next opened iTunes, everything was reset: no music, no playlists. I have attempted SEVERAL times since then to import the backup file; my playlists have returned, but my ratings and the last played category are empty. How do I restore this information?
Know also that I had retitled my music library within iTunes to "The Jam." When I import the .xml, does it need to be named "The Jam" or "iTunes Music Library" or what? Does it need to be in the Music folder on my HD? with the actual music files on the external drive?
Any help would be appreciated (and eye rolling, too).
Grant

Also, a corollary:
Out of frustration, I imported the backup of my library into iTunes, but did it about 20 times changing the options a little each time in an attempt to restore the rating/play count/last played information (it didn't work). As a result, I have 20 copies of each playlist, so many that it has slowed everything down to the point that it takes around a minute with the spinning beach ball of death to delete EACH playlist. Is there a way I can start from scratch? I already followed the instructions on this discussion board about reinstalling iTunes...I did, deleted my copy, downloaded a new one, and the new iTunes came up with the exact same playlist configuration (despite my replacement of the iTunes music library file with the desired file).
Just know that I have spent days of my life amassing the information I now seek to reclaim and if a proposed solution requires that I reset and reinstall iTunes, I would be more than willing to go through with it.
Grant

I open itunes "importing itunes music library.xml" then nothing???

so itunes is my everyday sanctuary.. I listen to all kinds of music.. Im also a great DJ!!
that is until now:(
yesterday i tried to open itunes and it says "importing itunes music library".. but it goes on for
like an hour.. so i clicked "stop"..
and now when i open itunes, i have no content, no playlists, no music... no NOTHING!!
please help me with this.. i have a gig and no music??!!
somebody

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. 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.
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!
tt2

The iPod is linked to another iTunes music library

My daughter just purchased an iTunes Shuffle with her birthday money. We imported several CDs into the iTunes Library and successfully loaded the iPod Shuffle with about 120 songs. We then turned off the computer. The next time we attached the iPod Shuffle to the USB port, iTunes opened up and gave the following message:
The iPod is linked to another iTunes music library. Do you want to change the link to this iTunes music library and replace all existing songs on this iPod with those from this library?
Wow, that's a confusing question. I answered "no" to it initially, and the message went away, leaving my library empty. I disconnected the iPod Shuffle and then reconnected it and got the same question. This time I answered "yes" and our library is still empty. I can see all the CDs we imported in the iTunes folder and the individual songs are there as well. But for some reason, the library is not displaying them. iTunes also doesn't show the icon for the iPod when it's connected. Any ideas on how to fix this situation?

We are using this iPod on only 1 PC with 1 user with WinXP. I have been able to "file/add folder to library" to retrieve my daughter's songs. I also 'restored' the iPod to factory settings and updated it with the latest software and I did the same for the iTunes software. Everything is updated now. When I click on the button to "autofill" her iPod, I can get a few of the 118 songs in our library to download, but then I get an error messages that states, "Attempting to copy to the disk failed. An unknown error occurred. (-69)" Any ideas on what's happening here? Another I noticed that's strange is when I try to autofill the iPod, my 3.5" floppy light starts blinking. Perhaps this iPod software thinks the floppy is the iPod???

Itunes music library "damaged"

my ibook crashed when trying to download a large email attchment and when I re-started, my music library was damaged and a new one was "created" with nothing in it. How can I re-install my old library.... I can see the one labelled damaged but I can't import it via itunes.

A damaged 'iTunes Library' file is unusable and there is no way to repair it as far as I know.
If your 'iTunes Music Library.xml' file still reflects the contents of the now damaged 'iTunes Library' file, you can try to use this one.
Choose 'Import...' from the File menu and navigate to the 'iTunes Music Library.xml' file. Click 'Choose'. There's a very small chance it will work.
Usually you have to re-create the library after a 'damaged library file' message.
Drop the 'iTunes Music' folder (in./Users/YourUsername/Music/iTunes) on the empty library in iTunes.
iTunes will rebuild the library. You have lost your playlists, play counts, date added, ratings and podcast subscriptions, but at least the library is populated again.
Hope this helps.
M
17' iMac fp 800 MHz 768 MB RAM Mac OS X (10.4.7) Several ext. HD (backup and data)

ITunes musical library located on a WD 2TB, ext. drv. Computer destroyed by virus; ED survived. Bought new laptop, connected ED. Not able to see library. ED shows as 'G:' 95% full. How can I reconnect my old library to new laptop?

I had my iTunes musical library on an ext. drv. WD 2TB, ‘MY BOOK ESSENTIAL'. Three weeks ago, my computer was infected by a virus that fried it. It did not affect the external drive. I bought a new computer: a laptop, Dell XPS, Intel Core i7-2630QM CPU, Windows 7 Home Premium. I have been able to connect the WD external drive; however, I am not able to see the musical library in my iTunes or Explorer. ‘My Computer’ shows the external drive as ‘G:’ 95% full. It reads, 32.1 GB free of 1.36 TB. When I click on the drive to see its contents, it shows nothing. The library in iTunes also shows nothing. Can anyone help, please? How can I reconnect my old musical library to my new laptop and iTunes? Many thanks.

Hmm, viruses don't generally "fry" drives. They can make bootable operating systems not bootable, hide data, and corrupt executable files. Software can potentially wipe all the data from the drive but it shouldn't be able to physically damage the drive. Bah! What's done is done.
As to unhiding your files assuming they are just hidden....
Hit Start > Run, type in CMD and press enter. Type the following at the prompt and then press enter:
attrib -h -s -r g:\*.* /d /s
This tells windows to clear the hidden, read-only, and system flags from all files on the drive, assuming of course your profile has the power to "see" the files and change them.
If that doesn't work then you may need to take ownership of the drive first. The drive may have security settings that make it "belong" to an account on your old system. Right-click on the drive in Windows Explorer and click Properties. Click the Security tab, the Advanced button, the Owner tab, then the Edit tab. Make yourself the owner, then you can make any other changes to the security settings you want to back on the Permissions tab. (If you can't change the owner log out and log back in as Administrator). For iTunes your account (or everyone) and SYSTEM need full access to all files. Any changes you make should be applied to "This folder, subfolders and files", should be inheritable and you should also replace the permissions on all child objects.
tt2

Why doesn't my whole iTunes music library show up on Apple TV? Only songs I have purchased or downloaded show up

Why doesn't my whole iTunes music library show up on Apple TV? Home sharing is on on all devices.

nevermind, i had automatic graphics switching check off. i removed the check mark and then went into about my mac and voila there was the amd card. Figured i'd post what i found in case anyone else was looking for an answer.

I bought a new laptop and used Windows Easy Transfer cable and moved all files from one computer to another. I installed iTunes and found my iTunes music Library. However, when I plug in my iPod it says it is already synced with another iTunes Library.

I bought a new laptop and used Windows Easy Transfer cable and moved all files from one computer to another. I installed iTunes and found my iTunes music Library. However, when I plug in my iPod it says it is already synced with another iTunes Library.
I don't see anything in Help that shows when you already have transfered all the files over. Why would it want to erase and sync when I already have all the music folder copied over? I didn't have an issue when I had another technician copy from one laptop to another. Home sharing is also on but not being recognized.

I suspect you only migrated the media folder instead of the complete working library. Either review the transfer process and copy over the entire iTunes folder from your old profile's music folder or see Recovering your iTunes library from your iPod or iOS device.
tt2

ITunes Music Library Empty

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