Lost my iTunes library when old computer died. Now what?

My old MacBook Pro died. My mom gave me her old MacBook Pro. My problem is that my itunes were on my old one. Up till now it didn't matter much. I just used my iPod which had the old library on it. Then today I plugged my itunes into a computer to charge and it synced and wiped out all my music. Now I have nothing.
I'm sorry if this is a stupid question but I have no idea how to get all the music I've purchased on my "new" used computer and on my iPod. I tried downloading iTunes for this computer and using my Apple id and everything. Couldn't figure out how to get my music on this device.
What do I do? Explain it to me like I'm a three year old, even though three year olds are better at this than I am.

Downloading (using iOS or computer) past purchases from the App Store, iBookstore, and iTunes Store - http://support.apple.com/kb/ht2519 - enabled with iTunes 10.3 and newer; not all media formats are available in all countries (see: iTunes in the Cloud and iTunes Match Availability by Country - http://support.apple.com/kb/HT5085); apps, books (not audiobooks), music, t.v. shows, and movies (some - not all studios have permitted this). 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 (e.g., ringtones, audiobooks), 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.
Select the iTunes Store on the left side of iTunes.
Click on Purchased on the right side under Quick Links.
You can re-download your available previous purchases.
Now you know why people invest in a backup drive.

Similar Messages

HT1727 How do I transfer iTunes songs when old computer died?

Old computer died so cannot deauthorize. So how do you move contents? Yes I do have a backup.

It should be a matter of restoring the ITunes folder from the backup of \Users\<User>\Music into your current user's music folder.
Should your restored backup not contain the complete library see Recover your iTunes library from your iPod or iOS device.
tt2

Moved iTunes library to new computer, but now what?

I am in the process of migrating from a G4 Ti Powerbook to a brand spanking new Mac mini. Using firewire target disk mode, I easily transferred my 12GB of music (which does include some purchased music) to the new machine and it appears in my iTunes library. I did NOT copy over any of the other iTunes information, because I really didn't have any ratings, playlists, etc. that I cared to keep.
I thought all was well...until the next time I launched iTunes on the new machine. First, the Library containing all my music came up and then a few seconds later a new icon appeared in the list called "Brightgirl's Music" which appears to be a DUPLICATE of my entire library along with the few playlists I had on the old system. iTunes allows me to "connect" with a password and "disconnect" from this second library list.
I'm wondering where this second list came from and how to make it go away. Since all my music is in the main Library (and I successfully authorized my purchased music within that), why do I need a second list to remind me that I used to have another computer?
Any advice to help me? Also, I haven't yet tried hooking up my iPod to the new machine. Is it going to freak out?

Hi,
Welcome to the Apple Discussions.
The other Library you're seeing is from the PowerBook. You have "Share my Music" enabled in the "Sharing" pane of the iTunes Preferences. Once you disable this on the TiBook, or if the TiBook is not on, you won't see this.
Also, if you plan on selling the TiBook, make sure you de-authorize it before you wipe the hard drive prior to selling it.
As for the iPod, I don't remember any problem when I hooked mine up to the new PowerBook for the first time. I think it was pretty straightforward.
charlie

HT1329 I lost my iTunes in my old computer. How do I transfer my music files in my ipod (old generation) to the new iTunes (which is currently blank) set up in my new computer?

I lost my iTunes in my old computer. How do I transfer my music files in my ipod (old generation) into the new iTunes (which is currenelty blank) set up in my new computer. Thanks for your help.

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 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's hard drive, you can add them to your iTunes library.
NOTE: You can also re-download previous song purchases from the iTunes Store at no cost, from the iTunes Store Purchased screen.

How do I transfer my itunes library from old computer to new computer

How do I transfer my itunes library from old computer to new computer?

See this migrate iTunes library post.
tt2

Got new computer, can someone tell me how to transfer itunes library from old computer to new computer. Please go step by step, i am new at this.

got a new computer, need help transferring itunes library from old computer to new computer. i am very new at this please give instructions step by step.

Hi 45atopp,
Thanks for visiting Apple Support Communities.
The article at the link below describes a few methods and provides some detailed instructions on how to transfer your iTunes library to your new computer:
iTunes: How to move your music to a new computer
http://support.apple.com/kb/ht4527
Best,
Jeremy

I was trying to add an itunes library to my computer, and now my itunes library can not be found. An ipod can be synced with only one iTunes library at a time. How can I find my Itunes library, complete with playlists ?

I was trying to add an itunes library to my computer, and now my itunes library can not be found. An ipod can be synced with only one iTunes library at a time. How can I find my Itunes library, complete with playlists ?

I have the same problem too and tried alot of things like time zone , restarting or changing DNS of wifi connection to 8.8.8.8 still nothing happens .. !!
iPhone 5s, iOS 8.3

How do i get my music from ipod onto new computer when old computer died

my old computer died unexpectedly and now i have a new one ...how do i get my music from ipod to itunes...i don't want to lose it since i have already paid for it...

1). Connect your iPod to your new computer. If it is set to sync automatically you'll get a message that it is linked to a different library and asking if you want to link to this one and replace all your songs etc, press "Cancel". Pressing "Erase and Sync" will irretrievably remove all the songs from your iPod.
2). When your iPod appears in the iTunes source list change the update setting to manual, that will let you continue to use your iPod without the risk of accidentally erasing it. Check the "manually manage music and videos" box in Summary then press the Apply button. Also when using most of the utilities listed below your iPod needs to be enabled for disc use, changing to manual update will do this by default: Managing content manually on iPod and iPhone
3). Once you are connected and your iPod is safely in manual mode there are a few things you can do to restore your iTunes from the iPod. iTunes will only let you copy your purchases directly from an iPod to the computer, you'll find details in this article: Copying iTunes Store purchases from your iPod or iPhone to a computer
For everything else (music from CDs, other downloads and including iTunes purchases) there are a number of third party utilities that you can use to retrieve the music files and playlists from your iPod. You'll find that they have varying degrees of functionality and some will transfer movies, videos, photos, podcasts and games as well. You can read reviews and comparisons of some of them here:
Wired News - Rescue Your Stranded Tunes
Comparison of iPod managers
A selection of iPod to iTunes utilities:
TuneJack Windows Only (iPhone and iPod Touch compatible)
SharePod Windows Only (iPhone and iPod Touch compatible)
iPod2PC Windows Only
iDump Windows Only
YamiPod Mac and Windows
iPod Music Liberator Mac & Windows
Floola Mac & Windows
iPodRip Mac & Windows (iPhone and iPod Touch compatible)
iPod Music Liberator Mac & Windows (iPhone and iPod Touch compatible)
Music Rescue Mac & Windows (iPhone and iPod Touch compatible)
iGadget Mac & Windows (iPhone and iPod Touch compatible)
iRepo Mac & Windows (iPhone and iPod Touch compatible)
iPod Access Mac & Windows (iPhone and iPod Touch compatible)
TouchCopy Mac & Windows (iPhone and iPod Touch compatible)
There's also a manual method of copying songs from your iPod to a Mac or PC. The procedure is a bit involved and won't recover playlists but if you're interested it's available on page 2 at this link: Copying Content from your iPod to your Computer - The Definitive Guide
4). Whichever of these retrieval methods you choose, keep your iPod in manual mode until you have reloaded your iTunes and you are happy with your playlists etc then it will be safe to return it auto-sync.
5). I would also advise that you get yourself an external hard drive and back your stuff up, relying on an iPod as your sole backup is not a good idea and external drives are comparatively inexpensive these days, you can get loads of storage for a reasonable outlay: Back up your iTunes library by copying to an external hard drive

Trandferring iTunes library from old computer to new computer

How do I transfer files from my old computer to my new computer. I have copied my music library to an external hard drive and copied it to my new computer. However, I have lost most of the album artwork. Also, I am showing multiple copies of the same album, but each album has a song or two only. I encountered this problem previously when I first loaded my CDs onto my computer. I spent countless hours fixing that mess and it now appears that I am faced with having to redo it. Help anyone.

How to Copy and Move (Clone) your iTunes Library from One Computer to Another – or Archive Prior to a PC Re-Image or Reformat
This well-written iLounge Article is a must-read for anyone considering moving their Library to a new computer or a new location. Or, just wants a better understanding of how iTunes manages your music.
Below is the conceptual framework with related and important links. Apply and adapt it to your specific situation and equipment resources.
The safest, quickest, and most optimal method to move your Library to a new computer is to actually clone the entire ‘iTunes’ folder (directory) structure, rather than just copying just the song files. By copying the entire ‘iTunes’ folder and all sub-folders, you capture not only the music files, but the all-important ‘iTunes Library.itl’ database file (usually located in the ‘iTunes’ folder), which contains all the data about your songs (Playlists, Ratings, Play Counts, Last Played, Date Added, etc). See: What are the iTunes Library files?
Install iTunes on the new computer. Then go back to your old computer and move (copy) the "iTunes" folder which usually resides inside your "…\My Documents\My Music" folder from the old computer to the exact same place (both Drive Letter and complete Path) on the new computer. When you open iTunes on the new computer it will look and behave exactly the same way it did on the old, Play Counts, Ratings, Comments and all!
NOTE: It is usually safer moving files between computers with the same version of iTunes!!
iTunes Files to Copy and Move to your New PC (for iPod, iTouch &/or iPhone – use as needed)
1) All Music Files in their current folder structure (usually located in and under the ‘iTunes Music’ folder)
2) All Application Files in their current folder structure (usually located in the ‘Mobile Applications’ folder)
3) All Album Artwork Files in their current folder structure (usually located in and under the ‘Album Artwork’ folder)
4) The Library database file: ‘iTunes Library.itl’ located in the ‘iTunes’ folder
5) The Library XML file: ‘iTunes Music Library.xml’ located in the ‘iTunes’ folder
6) The iTunes Library Extras.itdb and iTunes Library Genius.itdb files, also in the ‘iTunes’ folder
Some additional files to consider also include in a backup:
7) Any XML playlist files created for Playlist retention
8) The two iTunes.pref files (optional)
i) C:\Documents and Settings\<your username>\Application Data\Apple Computer\iTunes\iTunes.pref
ii) C:\Documents and Settings\<your username>\Local Settings\Application Data\Apple Computer Inc\iTunes.pref
9) The XML file of Ratings, Play Counts and Last Played attributes saved from the main Library and created by Otto’s SaveRatings script (also optional, but recommended):
“Download this: http://ottodestruct.com/itunes/SaveRatings.zip . It's a program, just run it like any other program. Run it on the machine where you're copying the info from BEFORE you move the files to the new machine. Click the "Save Ratings" button and it'll create a ratings.xml file. Now when you move the files, move the program and this file as well. Then after you make your new iTunes library, run it again and click the "Restore Ratings" button. Voila, all your information is back in the Library. Well, most of it anyway, it's not perfect. It'll tell you what songs it couldn't figure out though, and there's usually not very many.”
10) The folder(s) used to store and sync photos to your iPhone (if applicable)
11) The iTunes created Backup of your iPhone usually located at:
C:\Documents and Settings\USERNAME\Application Data\Apple Computer\MobileSync\Backup
Here's a list of methods to copy and move your music files from one computer to another:
1) Use an External Hard Drive (ExHD) to move the complete files and Folder structures from one computer to another (my preferred option). You can clone’ the entire ‘iTunes’ folder structure in one very easy step. Also great to have available for complete backups of your Library. External hard drives now run less than $100 for 500GBs-1TB of storage. See This Link
2) Directly connect the two computers:
2a) Connect them through a Router &/or Network
2b) Directly connect using an Ethernet cable: Straight for using at least one Mac; or Crossover for PC/PC Instructions here.
2c) Connect them via a USB-to-USB Network Bridge. Example here. There are various types out there (use Google).
--Then copy the files from one computer to the other.
3) Use the iPod as a transfer device, as this extensive Apple link explains. It will be a bit easier if your iPod has a larger capacity than your music collection, otherwise you will need to perform multiple copy/move transfers. This well written process also works fine while using any other data transfer medium (ExHD, Flash Drive, DVD, CD, Zipp, Jazz, etc.).
4) Burn several DVDs (at 4.7GBs each) with your music data files and folder structure, and load them onto the new computer. Re-writable DVDs are more cost effective (if your DVD drive can manage these types).
5) Burn 6x more on CDs (at 700MB each) than in #4 above and load the files and folders on the new computer. Re-writable CDs are more cost effective (if your CD drive can manage these types).
6) Use a larger USB Flash drive (1GB - 4GB) to move the files and folders. Best if the flash drive is larger than your Library, otherwise you will need multiple copy/move transfers.
These are links to various additional instructions on performing the transfer (read them all, but some listed steps may not be required depending on your specific situation):
Switch from PC to Mac Using the iPod
hudgie: Migrating iTunes for Windows to a new PC
How to copy music between authorized computers
Also, remember to Deauthorize your PC before you reformat it, dispose of it, or retire it from iTMS use (if applicable).
Best of Luck

Need help transferring itunes library from old computer to new laptop

Hello,
I recently purchased a new laptop and am having trouble getting my library to transfer to my new laptop, i followed this step by step process http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1329?viewlocale=en_US and in the end ended up with no music on my ipod and no music in the itunes library on my new computer...
So then i went into Itunes on the new computer and clicked import library under File, so i found the Music folder that i had transferred over and it imported the music but all my playlist were not there, just songs. So i ended up syncing my ipod back to my old computer so i would get all the songs and playlist back on as it was originally before this whole process...
My desktop runs XP while my new laptop runs Vista Ultimate w/ SP1 home edition, dont know if this matters...
So not sure where i should go from here, i have already Authorized my laptop with the itunes store , i was thinking of uninstalling Itunes on my laptop and starting over from scratch, will this help?
BTW when i did the original transfer i used my Ipod as the hard drive as it had plenty of storage room left on it, i do have access to a 250GB external HD i was thinking of using that and trying that to transfer the library...
So if anyone can tell me how to transfer my Itunes library from old comp to new laptop it would be greatly appreciated...

The method you used should work if followed exactly.
The key points are - is your music all together? It must all be in the iTunes Music folder in the iTunes folder.
When you copy the iTunes folder to the iPod you get the library database with your playlists and the iTunes Music folder containing the music files.
Since you had trouble doing this with the iPod, why not try copying your iTunes folder to the external drive.
The method is identical the one for the iPod except you leave out the iPod specific stuff.
You install iTunes on the new PC, then you drag the newly created iTunes folder out the Music folder to the desktop, then you copy the iTunes folder from the EHD into Music, replacing the one you dragged out.
When you have done that, you need to check that your account has full control of your iTunes folder - Vista is fussy about that - you will not be able to edit track info if you don't have full control.
Vista file folder permissions help
http://windowshelp.microsoft.com/Windows/en-US/Help/2464a180-e5dc-45d1-a2b8-3c8a 2b571e9d1033.mspx
http://www.mydigitallife.info/2007/05/25/how-to-take-ownership-and-grant-permiss ions-in-windows-vista/

The HD was recently changed on my MacBook Pro and I lost my iTunes library (Time Capsule also died!) but have all my songs on my iPhone. How can I copy them to my laptop?

The HD was recently changed on my MacBook Pro and I lost my iTunes library (Time Capsule died also!) but all my songs are still on my iPhone4. How can I copy them back to my laptop? Tks

Your i-device was not designed for unique storage of your media. It is not a backup device and media transfer was planned with you maintaining a master copy of your media on a computer which is itself properly backed up against loss. Syncing is one way, computer to device, updating the device content to the content on the computer, not updating or restoring content on a computer. The exception is iTunes Store purchases which can be transferred to a computer.
iTunes Store: Transferring purchases from your iOS device or iPod to a computer - http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1848 - only purchases from iTunes Store
For transferring other items from an i-device to a computer you will have to use third party commercial software. See this document by turingtest2: Recovering your iTunes library from your iPod or iOS device - https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-3991

How do I transfer my itunes library from old computer to new?

How do I transfer my itunes library from old windows based computer to a new one?

From your OLD computer...
Copy your ENTIRE iTunes FOLDER to an External Drive... and then from the External Drive to your New Computer..
Full Details Here > http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1751
Also...
Have a look at these 2 Videos...
http://macmost.com/moving-your-itunes-library.html
http://macmost.com/moving-your-itunes-media-to-an-external-drive.html

I lost my ITunes library when my windows laptop had a major glitch. Have recovered about half of it. All of my library is on my Ipad- can pull this music from the IPad when I connect it to the laptop in ITunes? Thanks.

I lost all of my ITunes library when my windows laptop had a major glitch. I have all of my music on an IPad and IPhone. Can I pull the music from the IPad or IPhone when I connect them in ITunes? Thanks.

One application that's able to accomplish what you want is called Senuti.
http://senuti.en.softonic.com/mac.
I've used it many times to recover music from my iPod to iTunes.

Itunes Library from old computer to new computer

I have just purchased a new laptop and therfore downloaded Itunes. My old computer has all my music on the itunes it, can I get the old itunes library to sync with new itunes download on the new laptop so that I don't have to start all over again on my new computer?

Yes. Copy itunes to an external drive and put it on the new machine. You could also follow the back up instructions and use the back up to populate the new computer.
The help feature in itunes will help. I searched Apple web site and found this for backing up to external disk. I'm sure that if you searched you could find this and more to help you.
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1751

How do you authorize a new computer when old computer died

My old computer died today. I am using a new computer and when I try to download from cloud the pop up comes up and says I am not authorized to download. How do I fix that when old computer is not working at all?

If the computer's running Mac OS X, move the cursor to the very top of the computer's screen, click on Store, and choose Authorize this Computer.
If the computer's running Windows, press the Alt and S keys and choose Authorize this Computer, or click here, follow the instructions, click on Store in the menu bar, and choose Authorize this Computer.
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Lost my iTunes library when old computer died. Now what?

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