Library just disappeared! SOS!!

I just opened my itunes on my computer and somehow mu current library, which I've had for many months, just disappeared and reloaded my previous library. What can I do to retrieve it? My new ipod has so much valuable music on it and I don't want to plug it into my computer and have it be replaced with the old much smaller library.

Hi, angelwings0624.
"Something" - I'm sorry but I don't know exactly what - has happened to your iTunes Library files - default location C:\Documents and Settings\User Name\My Documents\My Music\iTunes - which among other things tell iTunes where the song files that make up the Library are located.
We have seen a number of posts reporting this problem lately but unfortunately no one has figured out exactly what the reason for this behavior.
First of all, the new songs that aren't displayed in iTunes are most likely still on your computer's hard drive. And even though iTunes has lost track of them, there are a few ways for reminding it that they're still around.
The best approach is to use a back-up copy of the most recent .itl file.
If you don't have a back-up copy of the same - and I know most of us don't but it is a good idea to start making one from time to time - then you might want to have a look at this article in the Apple Knowledge Base for instructions on recreating your Library.
If that doesn't do the trick, post back and there are a couple of more strategies we can make use of for getting everything back in order.

Similar Messages

  • My iPhoto library just disappeared!

    All of a sudden my iPhoto library is missing. iPhoto can't find it, and it is not located in my pictures folder anymore. How can this happen? I googled this problem, and it seems it has happened to people occasionally over the years. Luckily, I have backed up my hard drive, but how can an entire 12 gb iPhoto library just disappear?

    The computer works just fine. The iPhoto library is the only thing that disappeared. My friend plugged his iPhone into my computer to charge it, and when I opened the computer, I was asked something about which iPhoto library to sync with it. That might have something to do with it.

  • ATV worked then library just disappeared

    I fired up home sharing, added access to my main library. Set up 3 iPhones and 2 ipads as remotes.
    ATV working great as an airplay speaker selected via remote directly through my main library, also.
    AWESOME.
    Then, in the middle switching from one song to another via iPad remote, the library just went away. It no longer shows up under "computers" on the ATV, or on the remote as a sub category under the ATV.
    The main library still shows up on "remote", but I can no longer connect to the ATV as a speaker via remote, or from my main computer...a mini that runs my itunes library. The ATV still shows up as a remote speaker, but I get the "unknown error" message when I try to connect.
    My airport express speakers still work.
    I seem to remember having to tweak something to get my remote speakers working (attached to airport express), but not exactly what I had to do.
    The mystery to me is what the heck happened that made the configuration change out of the blue?
    Help!

    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.  Note that in iTunes 11 an "empty" library may show your past purchases with links to stream or download them.
    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.
    Alternatively, depending on exactly when and why the library went missing, there may be a more recent .tmp file in the main iTunes folder that can be copied & renamed as iTunes Library.itl to restore the library to an earlier state. Look for a recent .tmp file that is similar in size to the .itl files in the Previous iTunes Libraries folder. If it has happened repeatedly you may want the earliest such file generated since the last iTunes upgrade.
    If applicable, 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!
    Should you be in the unfortunate position where you are no longer able to access your original library, or a backup of it, then see Recover your iTunes library from your iPod or iOS device.
    I've noticed more of these missing library posts of late and a common factor to most since I started asking is AVG Anti-Virus. It seems in some cases it might be at least part of the reason why the library file disappears. Try excluding the iTunes folder from any AV scanning process.
    tt2

  • My iPhoto library just disappeared... How can I get it back

    I had an old Macbook Pro with Snow Leopard, but when I upgraded from Leopard to Snow Leopard I didn't reinstall iLife to save space. As a result I had a folder named iPhoto Library left over from the reinstall and no iPhoto application.
    Now I just got a new Macbook Pro with Lion and the folder transferred over with all the images and software on the new computer. Everything was fine and the pics were still in a folder named iPhoto, sorted by year, etc as they were when I had iLife last. I wanted to open up the new iPhoto application that came with my new computer and sort through my photos as opposed to using Finder like I had been doing in the past few years without iLife.
    Somehow the folder icon named iPhoto Library has changed and the icon representing the same location on my hard drive is now an application icon and not a folder icon. In addition when I open up the app and try and import photos to iPhoto, I can't because the library is not recognized as an app and not a folder.
    I have these images backed up on a portable hard drive, but how can I recover them without using that method? In finder it says my iPhoto library is 4.4 GB in size, so I know the images are there somehow, but how can I open them in the iPhoto application? I can't open the finder folder any more.
    Thanks.

    Since iPhoto 7 (iLife 08) the old iPhoto Library Folder is a Package File. This is simply a folder that +looks+ like a file in the Finder. The change was made to the format of the iPhoto library because many users were inadvertently corrupting their library by browsing through it with other software or making changes in it themselves.
    Frankly, I suspect that you've long since trashed that library.
    Go to your Pictures Folder and find the iPhoto Library there. Right (or Control-) Click on the icon and select 'Show Package Contents'. A finder window will open with the Library exposed.
    Regards
    TD

  • HT1364 My library just disappeared... Help!

    I had about 17,000 songs in my iTunes library. A while back I added an external drive, then later another. I had some music on my C drive, some on one external drive, and more on a second external drive. Recently I had to empty my library and reload the music files. When I did I got 1 song on some titles, and frorm 2 to 4 copies of other titles.
    I realized that my music was duplicated in different spots on my various drives, and I tried to consolidate them - and now ALL of my music appears to be gone! Please help!

    Gone from the hard drives? Or just disconnected from the entries in iTunes? How did you go about consolidating?
    tt2

  • My entire library just disappeared! How the heck can I retrieve it? This is very upsetting!, My entire library just disappeared! How the heck can I retrieve it? This is very upsetting!

    I would like to know what happened to my iTunes library on my computer! I clicked the icon, and everything went blank. This is not the first time it happened; and it is very disturbing and upsetting! Someone, please help me answer this question and resolve this issue!

    Your content is still likely there, it's a issue with Windows or iTunes.
    What I would do first is look in your Music Folder for iTunes and transfer a copy of the entire folder to a external USB drive for backup.
    Next follow these steps to uninstall iTunes.
    http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1925
    Reboot and reinstall iTunes again, see if that clears up your issue.
    You might have malare or not enough memory or some other issue concerning Windows or your hardware specs.
    Hope that helps.
    As always, your responsible for backing up your data.
    Apple doesn't issue re-downloads of content.

  • My iTunes library just disappeared!!

    I don't know what happened, my mom tried to upload her iPod (shuffle) but she said that it didn't show up in iTunes, so I tried but when I pulled iTunes up everything was gone. Help please!!
    -my iPod is an iPod Nano

    Yes, that does help.
    Well, sounds like the library file got damaged, somehow. The actual music files are probably still on your PC.
    Here's an article on how to recbuild your library
    http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=93313
    I'm afraid you might lose all your playcounts and ratings, though.

  • Random albums just disappear

    For about 1/2 a year our albums in our iPhoto (most recent version) library just disappear.
    Thank goodness the photos are still around but this is getting old.
    My Time Capsule power supply went out a few days ago so the only backups I have are online on Backblaze.
    I have tried to repair the database.
    Is there anyway to just bring over files that will restore the library database?
    I don't need to restore the whole iPhoto library.
    Interestingly, if I open iPhoto Library Manager the missing folders appear.

    If you are doing the mirroring both ways (either left to right or right to left) and if both systems have changed since the last mirror then the changes on the target system will disappear since after the mirror both systems will contain only the information from the source system and any changes (albums, edits, etc) made on the destination system will be gone - which I believe is exactly what you are seeing
    As I said
    if you have a master (your wife's MBA) and only make changes there then use a clone program or probably even Chronosync to clone the library to your system then everything will be fine
    If you are making change to both systems then when you do the mirror those changes will disappear from the destination system
    LN

  • I have just downloaded itunes 10.6 and  in the process my "podcast" option under library has disappeared! The files are still on my laptop. I can also see some of my recorded music in my itunes library but can play them - there is an exclamation mark next

    I have just downloaded itunes 10.6 and in the process my "podcast" option under library has disappeared! THe files are still on my laptop. I can also see some of my recorded music in the itunes library but can't play them - there is an exclamation mark next to each track. Basically I can't use itunes - is the only option remove and replace? Thanks in advance

    Visibility of the Podcasts section is controlled from within the Edit > Preferences dialog.
    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.
    Missing tracks
    Typically this can happen because a file or folder is accidentally shunted to the wrong location. iTunes can also get confused if it expects to be talking to an external drive which isn't there. If will often reset the default media folder location and may have trouble finding files in the old folders.
    Select one of your tracks that is missing in action. Press CTRL-I to Get Info. Cancel when asked to try to locate the file, then look at the location given on the summary tab. This where iTunes thinks the file ought to be? Now find out where it actually is. Post back the two locations for comparison. I should be able to give you some steps to reconnect everything once I can determine which of the things that might have gone wrong is most likely in your case.
    When you get it all working make a backup!
    tt2

  • My iTunes Library/Playlist Just Disappeared

    Hello, I hope you are well.
    I have been using iTunes for years without any major problems. Today, it was fine during the afternoon, but after I shut it down and turned it back on, iTunes greeted me with the screen telling me to add songs to my Library.
    The Library that I have been using for years just disappeared, and there are no playlists at all. I checked for the music files on my computer, and they are all there - both the hundreds I've purchased directly from the iTunes Store, as well as the hundreds more that I've purchased or obtained elsewhere.
    I just spent the last hour searching up a way to retrieve my Library. I found that there are hundreds of people with the same problem, but most of them do not seem to care that they've lost their Library information. I know that I can probably just drag all the song files back into iTunes, but I really do not want the song information - play counts, ratings, etc. - to disappear, as I've spent a lot of time organizing my Library.
    Please help. Thank you very much. I am running Windows 7 Professional and am using the latest stable version of iTunes, 9.0.1.8. I also have an iPod Nano that has all the songs and is pretty much updated to the latest iTunes Library (before it reseted itself), if that helps.
    Message was edited by: VictorLy

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

  • Hi, I've just upgraded my itunes on my Mac OS and my library has disappeared when ive re-started my Mac?HELP! I still have it on my ipad but where has it gone form my computer?

    Hi, I've just upgraded my itunes on my Mac OS and my library has disappeared when ive re-started my Mac?HELP! I still have it on my ipad but where has it gone form my computer?

    try if this support article helps.

  • HELP! Library has disappeared, How do I get the music from ipod to my comp?

    Please Help me! I don't know what to do!
    I'm a fourteen year old and my Itunes library completely disappeared from nowhere. I honestly didn't touch anything on it!
    So know my Itunes wants to erase and sync my library with its library on there, which has nothing! So, How do I get my ipod music from my ipod to my computer? I'm on Windows XP and Itunes 10!
    Please don't make me download anything, because I'll probably get a virus....

    Have you looked in the recycle bin? If it's not there, do a search for a song and see if it can be found on your computer somewhere else. By design, iTunes is a one way street - from your computer to your iPod - not the other way around. However, if you can't find any files on your computer, do an internet search for how to move the files from your iPod. Good lesson on why you need to back up your files. FWIW, files/folders just don't "disappear".

  • My emails in mail have just disappeared leaving the headers of date etc

    my emails in mail have just disappeared leaving the headers of date etc
    any one out there who has had this before
    smburc

    Quit Mail. Force quit if necessary.
    Back up all data. That means you know you can restore the Mail database, no matter what happens.
    Triple-click anywhere in the line below on this page to select it:
    ~/Library/Mail/V2/MailData
    Copy the selected text to the Clipboard by pressing the key combination command-C. In the Finder, select
    Go ▹ Go to Folder
    from the menu bar. Paste into the box that opens (command-V), then press return.
    A folder window will open. Inside it there should be files with names as follows:
    Envelope Index
    ExternalUpdates.storedata
    Move those files to the Desktop, leaving the window open. Other files in the folder may have longer names that begin as above. Move those files, if any, to the Trash.
    Log out and log back in. Relaunch Mail. It should prompt you to re-import your messages. You may get a warning that the index is damaged and that Mail has to quit. Click OK. Warning: The process may take hours if you have gigantic mailboxes. For reasonable-sized mailboxes, it should only take a few minutes.
    Test. If Mail now works as expected, you can delete the files you moved to the Desktop. Otherwise, post your results.

  • HT5085 I have found that at least 3 music videos that I had previously purchased are not available in my I-tunes music video list.  I paid for them over a year ago, why are they not accessible, and why did they just disappear from my lists?

    I have found that at least 3 music videos that I had previously purchased are not available in my I-tunes music video list.  I paid for them over a year ago, why are they not accessible, and why did they just disappear from my lists?

    Have you deleted anything from your iTunes library ? Have you checked to see if they are still on your computer, but not listed in your iTunes library ?
    If not then do they show in the Purchased link under Quicklinks on the right-hand side of the iTunes store homepage for redownloading ? If they don't show there and others do and they are still in your country's store, then check to see if they are hidden : http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4919
    If they are no longer in your store for redownloading (or you aren't in a country where music videos can be redownloaded) then you will need to copy them back from your backup of your library/downloads.

  • HT201516 can iphoto just disappear? Why does my computer show no photos?

    I Was trying to look at photos and iPhoto had just disappeared from my computer and seemingly so had my 30,0000 photos stored on my external hardrive.  I am running MacKeeper and seem to have started to recover them.  I tried to download iPhoto again and it said It couldn't run on less than OSX 10.10 whereas I have 10.9.5.  When I have recovered my pictures I will update the OS.  Can I update it now while the recovery is happening? And can I download iPhoto while recovering the photos?  Has anyone experience of this?

    The first thing to do is get rid of MacKeeper.
    MacKeeper – Do Not Install
    MacKeeper – Do Not Install (2)        See  SDW2001’s post
    MacKeeper Removal
    MacKeeper Removal
    Is the iPhoto application in your Applications folder and does it open? If not, do you have a backup you can restore the application from? iLife disks?
    iPhoto 9.3
    Can you see the iPhoto Library on the external drive?  How are you recovering the photos?
    Before upgrading, I suggest you try to get iPhoto straightened out.

Maybe you are looking for