New iTunes messed up my library.

My library was very nicely organized by "Album Artist", and albums of the same artist were grouped together. Now it is a total mess and I cannot change "Album Artist" tag. Help!

Perhaps try Chargedneuron's suggestion with that:
http://discussions.apple.com/message.jspa?messageID=12758546#12758546
But if no joy there, and if you aren't using iTunes 10.1.1.4 yet, try updating to that. (The Mac release notes say a problem with similar symptoms to yours was fixed in the 10.1.1.4 version.)

Similar Messages

How do I get new iTunes to recognize old library?

My pc crashed. I had to reinstall windows. I reinstalled itunes but I need it to recognize the original library. Please help.Thanks!

SteveJobsRIP_1955-2011 wrote:
Is this a Genius Bar type situation?
No.
It is a hold Option and launch iTunes.
Select Choose library... and select the iTunes folder on the external drive situation.
I now fire up iTunes on the MBP, in the Advanced Pref I point the iTunes Media folder location to the new external HD: /Volumes/iTune New/iTunes.
Don't do this...
But it really looks like you messed up something.
In the iTunes folder you seem to have all your music folders.
Your iTunes folder should have only these items...

How to get new iTunes installation to "recognize" library on different drive

I had two hard drives on my PC - call them A:\ and B:\.
iTunes was installed on A:\.
A:\ was limited in storage capacity, so at some point I moved my iTunes library to the much larger B:\ - and it remains there today. The iTunes Media Folder location is B:\iTunes\iTunes Media. (This switchover of the library to B:\ was accomplished a long time ago, and frankly I do not remember how I "made it work" - as will become clear in this post...).
The hard drive A:\ crashed and I lost everything. Good thing all the music and other content is on B:\ !
I replaced A:\ with a new drive, call it C:\ and installed iTunes on that new drive.
Now, how to I get the newly installed iTunes on C:\ to use the library that is on B:\ - to display all the music (and movies, etc.), let me create playlists, synch my iPods, iPad and iPhone, etc.?
I went into iTunes to Preferences > Advanced and changed the iTunes Media Folder location to B:\iTunes\iTunes Media, and saved. What do I do now? I thought it would be as simple as using iTunes' "Add file to library", then navigating to B:\, selecting the root iTunes folder and clicking "Open." But that doesn't do it.
What do I need to do?
Also - when I get the new installation of iTunes to work with the old library, will my old playlists still be there?
Will the device profiles of my various devices still be recognized (as they were when using my previous installation of iTunes), or will I have to introduce them to iTunes as if they were new devices?

Hello Mae Sot,
Thank you for using Apple Support Communities!
It sounds like, from your description that we need to point iTunes to the library located in the 'B:\' drive and have iTunes load it.
You definately did one of the steps to tell iTunes to store and access content to the correct library. Next do this to "load" that specific iTunes library:
If iTunes is running, quit iTunes.
If you are using Windows, hold down the Shift key and from the Start menu and choose All Programs > iTunes > iTunes.
If you are using the Mac, open iTunes and immediately hold down the Option key.
You should see one of the following screens:
From: iTunes: How to open an alternate iTunes Library file or create a new one
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1589
It should contain the playlists you had before.
All the best,
Sterling

Reinstall of itunes messed up my library.

I was in the middle of updating my itunes when my computer restarted and now my library is not fully there. I am missing music and videos. Is there anyway to fix this?

Hi I wasn't around yesterday evening.
The reason I was thinking about moving stuff out of your current iTunes was to avoid lots of duplicates when you load up from your iPod, but I didn't want you to delete it.
You really ought to have a backup system in case of disaster, especially as this is your work. For that the best thing is an external HDD if you can afford it. It's probably tax deductible.
That way you can make sure you can always recover from disaster quickly. As an aside this is an article about backing up.
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=1522195&#1522195
How do you feel about that? If you get an external drive you could just move you iTunes folder out to the external drive and start afresh on the PC.
If not, if I understand you correctly you have a 20GB iPod, do you have 20 GB free on your disk with some extra to spare?
If you look in My Music you should have an iTunes folder and in that will be a folder called iTunes Music, is that where your music is?
Anyway what I suggest you do is to close iTunes then rename the iTunes folder – maybe call it iTunesOld. This will be your old version of iTunes with the incomplete library and will be a backup for the time being.
Now if you start iTunes is will create a new iTunes folder with an empty library and iTunes Music folder.
Now use one of the methods from the Zevoneer link to recover your music back from your iPod into this new empty iTunes library.
I would suggest you use one of the commercial programs such as Copypod as they will be easier for an inexperienced user. I haven’t used it myself, but Copypod looks easy to use. I did have a look at Yamipod, but it gave a worrying message about not working properly with an iPod synced with my version of iTunes so I closed it without doing anything. Zevoneer also gives a link to Wired News which has some reviews.
Here's the link again
http://discussions.apple.com/message.jspa?messageID=3860757#3860757

New iTunes auto-ejects the library drive

Just installed the brand new iTunes, and every time I open it, it ejects the portable drive on which the iTunes Library is stored. I keep all my music, podcasts etc. on a LaCie Little Book of 320GB connected with USB. I have never had a problem like this with iTunes before. The drive fails to reappear on the desktop, and I have to restart the computer to get it back. Once I start up iTunes again it ejects again after a minute or two.
I wish I could get the old iTunes back.
Can anybody solve this one for me please?
Thanks

Just in case anybody having a similar problem reads my post, I think I have solved the problem.
The external hard drive was almost full, and I hadn't noticed that iTunes was in the process of trying to download a large podcast video. There wasn't enough room on the external drive, so it resolved the problem by ejecting itself!
I could hardly blame it could I!
I deleted several GB of old and unwanted podcasts, and there's now well over 30GB of space. ITunes has been working without a problem ever since.
Sometimes solutions are staring you in the face!
Cheers

Major disaster - upgrade of iTunes messed up my library

I live and die by my iPod, I am a dance teacher and cannot function without it.
I was prompted to upgrade my version of iTunes in order to download from the music store yesterday. Once I had upgraded the software, literally hundreds of songs in my library displayed the ! symbol and their files cannot be found. I really don't have hours to spend re-loading the hundreds of CD's that appear to be missing. Literally whole albums are either showing ! or do not even appear in my library at all.
Please help, I won't sync my iPod until i have fixed the issue but am really annoyed about the problem. Will the music still be stored in my previous iTunes library files, and if so can someone give me dummy steps to restore a) my library and b) my sanity!
Thanks
Windows 2000
Windows 2000

Hi I wasn't around yesterday evening.
The reason I was thinking about moving stuff out of your current iTunes was to avoid lots of duplicates when you load up from your iPod, but I didn't want you to delete it.
You really ought to have a backup system in case of disaster, especially as this is your work. For that the best thing is an external HDD if you can afford it. It's probably tax deductible.
That way you can make sure you can always recover from disaster quickly. As an aside this is an article about backing up.
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=1522195&#1522195
How do you feel about that? If you get an external drive you could just move you iTunes folder out to the external drive and start afresh on the PC.
If not, if I understand you correctly you have a 20GB iPod, do you have 20 GB free on your disk with some extra to spare?
If you look in My Music you should have an iTunes folder and in that will be a folder called iTunes Music, is that where your music is?
Anyway what I suggest you do is to close iTunes then rename the iTunes folder – maybe call it iTunesOld. This will be your old version of iTunes with the incomplete library and will be a backup for the time being.
Now if you start iTunes is will create a new iTunes folder with an empty library and iTunes Music folder.
Now use one of the methods from the Zevoneer link to recover your music back from your iPod into this new empty iTunes library.
I would suggest you use one of the commercial programs such as Copypod as they will be easier for an inexperienced user. I haven’t used it myself, but Copypod looks easy to use. I did have a look at Yamipod, but it gave a worrying message about not working properly with an iPod synced with my version of iTunes so I closed it without doing anything. Zevoneer also gives a link to Wired News which has some reviews.
Here's the link again
http://discussions.apple.com/message.jspa?messageID=3860757#3860757

Upgraded but new itunes can't find library

I just upgraded to the new itunes 7.0.2, but none of my songs or playlists transferred over from the older itunes. Does anyone know how to get 7.0 to find my library of music?

Your playlists reside in the 'iTunes Library' file (more info here).
Is your library empty or does it only contain songs, but not the playlists?
In either case the 'iTunes Library' file might have been damaged, forcing iTunes to create a new one.
You can check this by opening HD/Users/Username/Music/iTunes and looking for a file called 'iTunes Library (damaged)'.
Unfortunately, such a file cannot be repaired and reverting to iTunes 7.0.0 won't help either.
There is a way to go back to the pre-iTunes 7 situation. However, all changes you made during the use of an iTunes 7.0.x version will be lost.
Open the 'Previous iTunes Libraries' folder in HD/Users/Username/Music/iTunes and locate the latest 'iTunes Library yyyy-mm-dd' file.
Create a copy of it and rename it to 'iTunes Library'. Then put it at HD/Users/Username/Music/iTunes, replacing the one that's already there.
When running iTunes, it will recognize the iTunes 6 format and start 'determining gapless playback' again.
After a while you will have your library back (including playlist) at the moment just before upgrading to iTunes 7.
If you want to try iTunes 7.0.0 or 7.0.1, download it here.
Before installing an older version, trash the iTunes application and the 'iTunesX.pkg' file (in HD/Library/Receipts).
Hope this helps.
M
17' iMac 800 MHz, 768 MB RAM, 200 GB HD, DL burner Mac OS X (10.4.8) iTunes 7.0.2

New itunes mess up?

I just downloaded the new iTunes. I went to sync my iPod nano 5th generation and i clicked the convert higher bit rate songs to 128 kbps AAC. My iPod got stuck "updating a file" on one song. It has done this many times. I tried restarting the computer and the ipod. I even tried syncing without the converting to higher bit. Now my iPod is slowly "updating a files" and it took off 500 songs from my iPod. What can I do to make this sync correctly? help

Upgrading will normally not affect the tracks and settings already in your iTunes.
That said, it's wise to make a backup of any tracks that you've purchased from the iTunes Music Store or that would otherwise be difficult to replace and of your playlists before you upgrade, just in case something would happen to go wrong.

How to get new iTunes install to recognize library stored on External drive

iTunes was installed on Computer Alpha. Library was kept in external hard drive (External). The library on External was not a backup; it was the primary, one and only library used by iTunes on Alpha. All music purchased from iTunes Store downloaded directly into the library on External. Hard drive on Alpha was too small to contain the library.
Alpha died. Kaput. No chance of opening iTunes on Alpha any more.
New computer acquired, Computer Bravo. Windows 7. iTunes 9.2.1.5 for Windows downloaded/installed on Bravo. Bravo is authorized.
External connected to Bravo via USB. Windows explorer, viewed on Bravo, indicates the Library on External is still in place.
iTunes opened on Bravo. iTunes finds three music files on Bravo hard drive and adds them to the "music" view of iTunes.
I go to Edit/Preferences/Advanced and change the iTunes library location to Extenal/iTunes_library. Save.
Nothing happens. I can't get iTunes to load the "music" list in iTunes with the songs contained in Extenal/iTunes_library file.
iTunes closed. I hold shift key and open iTunes, thereby prompting the "choose library" dialog. In the dialog, I select "choose library" and once again select the External/iTunes_library directory, but when that directory is chosen, all the individual files within the library are displayed, and the dialog is waiting for me to choose one of the hundreds of individual files within the Extenal/iTunes_library file. None of those files is the library; only the entire collection of them together is the library, yet the dialog will not permit me to select External/iTunes_library file in its entirety as the library. I abandon the dialog.
iTunes uninstalled from Bravo. Wondering what to do next.

Chris CA wrote:
You mean the *iTunes media folder* was kept on the external.
Yes, I believe you are correct, and that I used the wrong terminology. By "library," I was referring only to the directory on External where the actual .mp4 music files are stored.
The iTunes library consists of the iTunes folder (default in \Music\iTunes\
and all contents as well as everything in iTunes.
So, in my case above, it seems you are saying that "library" ought to refer to the following:
1. The c\my music\iTunes directory and all its component files on the Alpha hard drive, AND
2. the iTunesmusicfiles directory on External
Is that correct?
If yes, then I am left scratching my head about something:
Before Alpha died, I went to Edit/Preferences/Advanced and, in the window where iTunes asks me to specify the location of my iTunes LIBRARY, I specified External\iTunesmusicfiles.
And it worked. Thus, I am left with the impression that "library" is a term referring only to the directory where the actual .mp4 files are stored. (Thus, iTunes itself provided a very good reason for me to think of the "library" in this limited, incorrect, way).
If I understand you correctly, the reason why that maneuver worked is because of the presence of the library.itl file that was located in Alpha\c\my music\iTunes, and because the .itl file was populated with some kind of data specific to the contents of External\iTunesmusicfiles, and because the contents of the .itl file pre-dated the transfer of the iTunesmusicfiles directory to External. And that every time a subsequent change occurred in External\iTunesmusicfiles such as the addition of a new music file via iTunes purchase/download, a concomitant change occurred in the .itl file on Alpha, thereby keeping the iTunes player on Alpha synced up with the warehouse of music over there on External.
Do I have it right so far?
Now, with Bravo, I am trying to establish the same setup I had on Alpha. And because Alpha is dead, I need to attempt this using a fresh installation of iTunes on Bravo. And a fresh installation of iTunes on Bravo means a virgin .itl file on Bravo.
Again, if I understand you correctly, you're saying that if iTunes on Bravo is going to work just like iTunes on Alpha did, then the .itl file on Bravo must contain the same data that the .itl file on Alpha did.
To accomplish this, I have two options:
1. Obtain a copy of the .itl file from Alpha and transfer it to the same directory location on Bravo
2. Build the .itl file on Bravo manually.
Again, am I getting this right?
If so, I don't think No. 1 above is an option. I'm left with No. 2.
If I have to click individually on all the files in External\iTunesMusicFiles, I guess I can deal with that. Not a huge problem. But what I want to prevent is transferring the .mp4 files to the Bravo hard drive. I want only one copy of each .mp4, and I want each of those .mp4s to reside on External, not on Bravo.
Doable?
Thanks to all who have taken time to respond to my issue. I do appreciate it.
Message was edited by: 2muchcoffeeman

ITunes messed up my library...what happened?

Ok so I finally downloaded the newest version of iTunes the other day. Here's the problem...after it went thru the whole installation process and re-launched, my library was messed up because somehow everything got auto-tagged and most of it is wrong. Some of my albums have been duplicated and half of my songs are in one album and the other half are in the other. If you right click on one of the albums and choose "Get Info," all of the info for both albums is the same...its just that some of the ID tags were modified (capital letters, track numbers, etc.). A lot of artist names have been replaced with "Various," "Soundtrack," "Unknown Artist," and some are even in foreign languages. Does anyone know how to fix this? Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks in advance....

kind of the same problem. A song from an album apeared faaaaar from the rest of the songs, and I've come to a pretty dumb issue:
When I order "Album by Artist" the songs of the multiple disc albums mix up. i.e.:
any two disc album: shows the track 1 of both discs together, then track 2 for both discs, etc. etc.
Was not like this in the previous versions of iTunes (and I've been using iTunes for like 3 years, gettin' VERY update.
This, plus the registry error on some windows plataforms, calls for a *MOST URGENT PATCH UPDATE!!!*
got a really fast "kind of" response.
9.0.1 update says that some scrambling issues has been solved. Downloading right now,... we'll see.
Message was edited by: Bagheera.Sk8

New iTunes messed up my iPod, what do I do?

I recently downloaded the newest version of iTunes on my computer, i was enjoying all of the new features and plugged my iPod into my computer to update it when... lo and beholed it charges for about 15 minutest then says that it can't find the file, i try to disconnect my iPod the correct way and find that the screen has frozen. It's been twenty minutes and its still frozen, should i just get a new iPod???
Compaq Presario Windows XP

See TS1538: iOS: Device not recognized in iTunes for Windows and Recover your iTunes library from your iPod or iOS device.
tt2

New Itunes can not find library file

After comuper crash and new hard drive, I downloaded current version of Itunes. Error message is can not find itunes Library.itl. Any suggestions?

Did you restore your iTunes folder and all its contents from a backup? The library.itl file contains all the references itunes needs to where your media files are located, playlists etc. Without the old copy and without the media files you are basically starting brand new.

New Windows install. New iTunes install. Old library: How to?

Some time in the next couple of days, I'll be installing iTunes onto a new install of Windows, and attempting to import the old library and files from the machine's previous (and dying) hard disk. I know I can just import the music, but the person I'm doing this for would like to preserve library metadata not stored in the files (play counts, ratings) and has a significant number of ITMS-purchased files. I'm trying to figure out the best way to deal with this.
My first thought on that subject is to just use the old library in place and consolidate the music files, but have a few questions.
1) I know that in Mac OS X one can pick which library to use by holding down the option key while starting iTunes. What's the Windows equivalent? Is there one?
2) WIll the fact that the music is now on another physical drive make a difference (i.e. are the paths in the library data file absolute or relative)?
3) Probably most importantly, is this even the best way to do it? Can someone suggest an alternative?
There are some additional quirks about this particular situation...
4) The machine became unusable before the release of iTunes 7.6. I know the previous install is at least 7.0, but I have no idea about which point release.
5) CHKDSK nuked one of the music files when fixing the old disk. I'm sure the reference exists in the old library, as iTunes has not been run since.
Finally, what's the expected behaviour (or required procedure) with respect to reauthorization of this computer to use the same ITMS-purchased files?
I guess that covers it. Thanks for any help in advance.
Message was edited by: stevebr -- small clarification.

I know that in Mac OS X one can pick which library to use by holding down the option key while starting iTunes. What's the Windows equivalent?
Press the Shift key.
WIll the fact that the music is now on another physical drive make a difference
No.
I know the previous install is at least 7.0, but I have no idea about which point release.
Try checking the content of the iTunes Music Library.xml file.
Finally, what's the expected behaviour (or required procedure) with respect to reauthorization of this computer to use the same ITMS-purchased files?
You will be asked to reauthorize the computer.
(28446)

HT1689 I have down. the new ITUNE,in the music library,it does not tell me how many pieces of music i have. I use to have it in the old version

Hi everybody. Since i have dowloaded the new version of ITUNE, when i down. new music in my library it does not tell me how many pieces of music i have in
the library. What is the solution. Thank you I have Windows 7

Ctrl B to show the top menu
View Show Status Bar and the grey bar will be back
Also View > Show Sidebar will make it look and act like itunes 10

New iTunes erases entire iPod library

So I downloaded the recent iTunes update and then plugged my iPod into my Macbook to charge/add new podcasts that I downloaded. After I took the iPod out, it was completely erased: no music, no podcasts. Nothing. All of my music/podcasts are still in my iTunes. Also, when I plug my iPod in to my computer to attemp to re-sync, it causes iTunes to freeze. Help??

See Corrupt iPod classic.
tt2

New iTunes messed up my library.

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