Lost Entire Library w/o Back-up
I had some issues with my computer and it had to be restored. I had never backed up any of my iTunes and I don't have an iPod and I don't have an MP3 player. Is there anyway I can get my library back? In addition when I try to download iTunes again it won't let me. It looks like it completely downloads and then it takes me back to the download screen. When I try to get in I can't. I'm not sure what other information you need: I'm using Windows XP and I have close to 600 songs in my library. I know the chances of me getting back my library are slim but I'm hoping you might have a suggestion for me. Thank you so much.
Maybe a well constructed email plea to the iTMS explaining your situation and promising that you have learned the value of backups and will do so from now on, may get you a second chance at a download:
http://www.apple.com/support/itunes/musicstore/lostmusic/
Similar Messages
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Upgraded to iTunes 9.2 - lost entire library from iTunes
I upgraded to iTunes 9.2 today and it seemed to work fine. I synced my iPhone and played some music etc. Turned my computer off later and back on - reopened itunes to fine my entire library missing including all my playlists etc.
It looks like a blank install, even though in preferences it is still pointed at the folder where all my iTunes content is.
How do I fix this without starting from scratch?Are you running Windows as your computer information line suggests? If so I'll asked to be moved from the Mac iTunes forum to Windows iTunes.
Are your files missing, or is it just they don't show in iTunes? On a Mac you can hold down the option key (no idea what this would be on a PC) while starting iTunes to tell iTunes to let you guide it to a library. -
My computer had a virus and I lost everything in my library-- I followed the instructions for re-installing the library but I still only have half of the songs I used to. I own an iPod Touch (second generation, I think). Is there any way I can plug it in without syncing it to my library to see if I can get my songs off of it? My iPod wants to sync every time I plug it in. All of my missing content is still on the iPod, so if I could somehow rip the songs from it and add them back to my library, it would help a lot. Thanks! (If you reply, could you give me instructions to getting the content off of my iPod, too?)
did not think that we were allowed to do back-ups of the music,
Certainly you're allowed. iTunes even encourages it; you get a message popping up when you purchase (at least for the first time).
anyway I've lost everyhting that I've bought. Is there a way with my history to get a second copy of my purchases, that I will make sure to back-up this time? Thank you
Sorry, but officially Apple does not allow redownloads of purchased items other than iPhone/iPod touch applications. It's your responsibility to make backup copies (as iTunes itself advises) in case something goes wrong with your system, as unfortunately it apparently did in your case, and you lose all the information on your hard drive. The official statement of their policy can be found here, among other places. If your hard drive was erased and you don't have a backup of your purchased items, and don't have them on an iPod, you're probably out of luck and will need to repurchase your tracks.
You can try contacting iTunes Store Customer Service (select the "Music Purchases" or "Video Purchases" category, as appropriate, then "Lost or Missing Items". Then you'll see a button that says "Email Us") and explaining what happened. Reportedly in some cases Apple has allowed redownloading on a one-time basis. But don't count on it; they're not obligated to do so.
Good luck.
BTW, for future posts, it's better to ask a question as a new topic rather than tagging onto another poster's thread. It's rather impolite to clutter up someone else's thread with your issues, especially since the original poster might be subscribed to the thread and getting emails when someone replies. Regards. -
I used the Amazon downloader for the first time last night. Today, my entire itunes library vanished: ITunes opened as if it were a brand new installation, with no content at all. I had a very large library. I had 50 playlists. I had many purchased songs from iTunes. None of it is in iTunes right now.
I have two problems.
First, I want to know how and why this happened.
Second, I want to know how to restore my iTunes library and iTunes data (ratings, playlists, etc) into iTunes.
I have an HP Simple Save drive that is hooked up to the computer, and presumably backed up the iTunes data. I don't know how to restore it though, and I don't know why this happened.
Please, dear iTunes Gurus, help me fix this!beckijc wrote:
now do I have to do that everytime i open it? or should i change it somehow?
No, you should not have to do it everytinme.
However, as part of your regular backup plan (you do have one, yes?) make sure to backup the entire /Music/iTunes/ folder. -
TS1363 Lost entire library on different computer
I cannot locate my library of music on my friends computer. Is my library still on mine? I thought if I logged in on any computer that I could access my library....
Hello Annie121470,
It sounds like you want to access your iTunes purchases on another computer. You can use the Mac or PC section from this article to play your puchases of this article named:
Downloading past purchases from the iTunes Store, App Store, and iBooks Store
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT2519
You may need to Authorize the computer as well:
iTunes Store: About authorization and deauthorization
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1420
Thank you for using Apple Support Communities.
Cheers,
Sterling -
I have lost my MAC entire library all of the music,book, and podcasts, this not good consider I don't know to get all two year worth products. Selma
< Edited by Host >You can get your music, apps and ibooks back. Follow these instructions:
Downloading past purchases from the App Store, iBookstore, and iTunes Store, http://support.apple.com/kb/HT2519 -
Lost entire music library and on my itunes. Is there any way I can get it back?
Our computer stopped working, so I downloaded th new version of itunes onto my laptop. When I plugged in my ipod, my entire library was there, however when I tried to sync it, I must have pressed some weird button because all of my music is now gone on both itunes and my ipod. Is there any way I can get it back? Please help, I've been collecting this music for years, and it was there one minute and gone the next. Pretty much all of it was downloaded from Cd's and stuff, i can't really afford the itunes store as I'm only a student. Thanks.
Copy the ENTIRE iTunes folder from the old computer or backup of the old computer to the new computer.
iDevices are not and have never been backup devices. -
I updated my itunes and lost my entire library. I found it again as a .xml file
How do I take this file and get it to look like my library used to?
(I am dumb with computers and need step by step instructions)
Thanks!Se my response on this post:
] Screen Message"File iTines Library.itl cannot be read because it was created by a newer version of iTunes" What is this and how can it be fixed?
They do not appearon the right-had side of your post. -
Can you recover/download all of your iTunes Match account onto your computer? I synced the iPod that I had the entire library on to a new computer and lost almost all of my music. The old computer that had the library on it blew a hard drive and I can't sync the iPod back to the old computer. Everything is in iTunes Match, but can I load it onto my computer, so I can get it back on my classic iPod?
If you had iTunes Match before all this happened, yes. Just log in, activate iTM and download the music. If you did not have iTunes Match prior to these incidents, no, it can not help you.
You should also be doing regular backups of your personal data to an extnal HDD. If you had a backup hue could simply restore it. -
I can't open my iTunes because it says MSVCR80.dll was not found. What can I do? Have I lost my entire library? Thank you for any help.
Click here and follow the instructions. You may need to completely remove and reinstall iTunes and all related components, or run the process multiple times; this won't normally affect its library, but that should be backed up anyway.
(99810) -
I recently had a catastrophic hard drive failure and had to replace it. At the time, I had a VERY extensive music library and it is now lost. This entire library was also on iTunes. Is it possible to recover that library, or do I have to download again?
If your hard drive was not backed up then you can download items purchased from the iTunes Store.
Downloading past purchases from the App Store, iBookstore, and iTunes Store - http://support.apple.com/kb/ht2519 - enabled with iTunes 10.3 and newer; not available in all countries; apps, books (not audiobooks), music, t.v. shows, and movies (some - not all studios have permitted this). Movies currently available in the USA only. Downloading previously purchased movies and TV shows requires iTunes 10.6 or later. Discontinued items not available. For items not included in the iCloud list, or locations or computer systems where iCloud is not (yet?) available, you only get one download per fee paid. Apple notes it is your responsibility to back up your purchases.
Did you subscribe to iTunes Match service? If you did, your other music would be available too.
Note, this restores the music files themselves, not playlists, playcount, ratings, or other things associated with the actual library file structure.
You really should consider getting a backup drive. Hard drives failures are a certainty and it saves a lot of grief. -
hello...all of my playlists have disappeared from my itunes with the latest upgrade I did, what a mess! My entire library and playlists are on my ipod. Is there any way I can import my ipod back into itunes?
Many thanks.Post by Zevoneer: iPod media recovery options - http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=6273675
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How do I restore my library from an i-pod? My home computer with my i-tunes library was recently destroyed in a fire. I have the entire library on a 160GB i-pod that I bought a few years back. How should I go about getting this content back to a computer so that I can access it with my other ipod/pad/touch/phone devices?
You can't transfer songs from iPod to computer using iTunes, except for songs you purchased from the iTunes Store (and you can re-download any previous purchase from the iTunes Store Purchased screen).
However, there are third-party methods and utilities that can transfer songs files from iPod to computer. If you do a Google search on something like "ipod transfer," you should get some links.
Once the song files are on your computer, drag the files (or the folder containing the files) to the iTunes window to add them to the iTunes library. -
hello,
if i back up my itunes library to an external hard drive and then add subsequent music and want to back up the newly added music a few days later, can i do it without backing up the entire library again? or do i need to back up the entire library each and every time i back up to the external hard drive?Just copy Users/yourusername/Music/iTunes (containing your library-files) to your external drive as well as that (extaernal) folder that contains all your audio-tracks.
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My old hard-drive has corrupted and i have lost my library. i lost my back up too. I have restored all my purchased stuff but had 5000 songs uploaded from my CD collection. Is there anyway of transferring the CD tracks from my ipod or ipod to my iMac? Or do I have to manually upload the CDs again?
Hi,
See if this doc helps https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-3991
Jim
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