Recovering Metadata on iTunes

Our Windows XP Media computer crashed but were able to recover the iTunes library and copied it to an external drive. We purchased a Vista 32 bit replacement computer and loaded iTunes 8. We cannot replace the iTunes music in the exact same directory heirarchy because the new computer has an Raptor HD with only 160GB (we wanted a fast drive to open the program files) which is too small for our library plus it seems Vista will not let me create the exact same directory hierarchy (something to do with junction between XP legacy root and the new Vista setup). Anyway, we would like a solution to allow us to repopulate the new iTunes installation with our old library with its playlists, play counts, lyrics, etc. Some people suggest we need to edit the .xml file and corrupt the .itl file. Yikes! Any help would be appreciated.

Yes, if you have iTunes Music Library.xml, it can be edited in WordPad.
If you open the the xml file with wordpad and look for lines starting:
<key>Location
You will see the paths to music files. Note that the space character is replaced by %20.
If there is a simple change in the path that you can make with search and replace, then you can rebuild your library using the xml file.
Normally this would be something simple like a change in the drive letter or a change in the path above the level of the music folder so it is constant across all tracks.
Then you use this method to recreate your library:
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1451
Work on a copy of you xml file so you can have another go if it gets messed up.

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How can I salvage an iPad Mini that will not restart, reset or respond to Recover phase via iTunes and is not responding to any functions and will not access Home? Thanks

I have an iPad mini that will not respond and is non functional. It continues to intermittently try to automatically restart, access home page without success. It will not accept normal charge. I have tried to manually restart, reset and have been unsuccessful. It will not allow a Recover attempt via iTunes as well. Do you have any suggestions before I consider a replacement? Thanks.

Hello RC MD,
It seems you are unable to restore your iPad to factory settings, and it is not responding to power. Based on the information you have provided, it appears your iPad may need to be serviced. The following link should help you get started with the process and has links with additional information on topics such as warranty and service pricing, battery replacement, and express replacement service.
iPad Repair and Service - Apple Support
Thank you for contributing to Apple Support Communities.
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My iphone is on recovery mode and i can´t turn on it, when i try to recover it from itunes i get: "unknown error (36), i´ve tried to do lot of things but i can´t solve my problem. please help!!

my iphone is on recovery mode and i can´t turn on it, when i try to recover it from itunes i get: unknown error (36), i´ve tried to do lot of things but i can´t solve my problem. please help!!

Hi, i had the same problem. Try to find the file "apple" or "itunes" don't know it anymore exactly. Ahm well you need to delet any information or just plug in your iphone into an other computer. important is that your iphone never has been pluged in this computer before. This was what i did, and it worked!

My iphone 5s wont turn on. I tried to recover it through itunes and it didnt work. It said that due to an error my phone could not be restored. However when I plug it into itunes via my computer it turns on, I get the apple, the white line beneath it?????

My iphone 5s wont turn on. I tried to recover it through itunes and it didnt work. It said that due to an error my phone could not be restored. However when I plug it into itunes via my computer it turns on, I get the apple, the white line beneath it???? As soon as I remove it from the computer it goes completly off again???????

Hey beaches37,
Thanks for the question. I understand you are experiencing issues with your iPhone 5s. You mentioned you received an error when attempting to restore. If you remember this error, the following article may help to resolve it:
iTunes: Specific update-and-restore error messages and advanced troubleshooting
http://support.apple.com/kb/TS3694
Furthermore, you may want to try restoring your iPhone in recovery-mode:
iOS: Unable to update or restore
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1808
Thanks,
Matt M.

Editing Metadata in iTunes

i'm having a weird problem with metadata in itunes. when i import an album that i obtained from multiple sources (i.e., some songs from one place, some from another), itunes will often put these songs in different "albums." i go into get info and change all the metadata for all the tracks to be the same, but the files are still separated into multiple albums. this is especially obnoxious because i like to use coverflow, and some albums have 4 versions of the same cover, one next to the other. is there some way to force the metadata for the files to merge?

I can only assume that you are not getting the tracks legally and therefore we can't really discuss
topics like this as they break the term of use of the forums.
Oh pfft. In your own words you are merely making "assumptions". These could quite easily be compilations created from the poster's own separate CD collection. Don't look for dragons where there are none. This post does not break the TOS of these forums.

Recovering photos that iTunes deleted from iPad.

I just got a new mac computer and recently tried syncing all of my pictures on my iPad with iTunes. I've never backed up the iPad on iCloud or anything like that. When I clicked sync I noticed that step 1 said "Deleting Photos". Once it was done I looked through my iPad and noticed that about 100 pictures were missing. Why it deleted only some and not all I have no idea. But I really want those pictures back! I've tried googling and reading all the forums but everything I see is about recovering pictures from iPhones that have been backed up on iCloud. I tried one of those sites that are supposed to be able to recover anything from iTunes but when I clicked on my device it only showed the pictures that were not deleted from the beginning. I don't know what to do and I'm really upset that I've lost all of those pictures. Please help if you can!!

What pics?
If they were pics synced from your old computer, then they would indeed be deleted. Just copy them from the old computer to the new one.
If thye were pics you took with the ipad then you should have been importing them toyour computer regularly as you would with any digital camera.

How can I recover my past iTunes receipts?

I bought the app called "Video Lock".......... A couple days ago I got into a argument with my boyfriend with both have access to the app I change the "Pattern Code" before he could get access to it And now I've forgotten it!!!! Please help I went to recover my lock code and it told me I needed my iTunes receipt along with the confirmation code I bought the app so long ago and deleted the receipt email!!!!! how can I recover my past iTunes receipts? Plz help

Click here for information.
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TS1967 When trying to recover a lost iTunes library file, the programme moved all the normal contents of iTunes folder to the desktop. Now what must I do?

When trying to recover a lost iTunes library file, the programme moved all the normal contents of iTunes folder to the desktop. Now what must I do? There is no iTunes Library.itl file. On the desktop it is labelled iTunes Library.xml. Several others files have appeared there too including iTunes Music Library.xml
Before I can use the programme is it necessary to take another step?
Thanks for advice.

Don't worry. I'm all for caution. I guess I should have asked a little more about what steps you took while trying to recover your lost library?
The permissions thing may be a red herring, but if there is a problem with file access rights to the designated media folder iTunes has been known to place files on the desktop instead since it can access this location. The most common cause for such problems is working with a folder on an NTFS drive via a differnt account or on a different computer. In the normal course of events folders created inside user profiles have limited rights for other users.
Here are the typical layouts for the iTunes folders:
Normally the iTunes folder will be created at <User's Music>\iTunes with the media folder inside it. The library files should all appear in the same place so your comment about there not being an iTunes Library.itl file is confusing. Is it just the case that the .itl extension is hidden? The two .xml files makes sense from the above and indicates that the active library is not in <User's Music>\iTunes, but you have a recovered file from when it was.
If, in fact, the situation is that your desktop is acting as the main iTunes folder, and contains the library file, Album Artwork, iTunes Media and (optionally) Previous iTunes Libraries folders, with all other content being inside the iTunes Media folder, then it should be relativly easy to rearrange your into the correct shape and move them to the correct location.
If things are more complex, with something other than a library folder containing a media folder, then reestablishing the normal order is more complicated. The iTunes consolidate function is used to bring copies of files stored outside of the media folder into the media folder. It may sometimes be needed as part of the process of tidying up, however it leaves behind originals. There are circumstances where there isn't room for two complete sets of the media files on the same drive which is why I suggested the script might be useful as it produces the same results for the library without leaving the originals for manual clear up.
I think before you do anything however, we should get a clearer picture of exactly what is where. Could you perhaps take a screenshot of the desktop and post it here? Take a look at this post on making a split library portable. The same techniques I outline there can be used to lick your library into shape, it is just a question of working out which to use in which order for the best effect.
tt2

HT1222 My laptop was stolen and i am trying to recover my old itunes account

My laptop was stolen and i am trying to recover my old itunes account?

Thanks for sharing.
Did you have a specific problem? Do you want help? If so, tell us exactly what is happening and what error messages are occurring, we're not mind readers.

HT1937 How to recover an unreadable iTunes card redeemable code?

How to recover an unreadable iTunes code

You don't need to enter an iTunes gift code code, you can use your credit card as a payment method instead - iTunes gift cards are not available in all countries, and they are country-specific (you wouldn't be able to use one that was issued in another country).
If you want to download any content from the store then yes, you will need to use an Apple id (also referred to as iTunes account).
If you don't have a credit card and iTunes gift cards aren't available in your country (if they are then you can get them from Apple, and possibly supermarkets, electronic shops etc) then there are instructions on this page for how to create a new account without giving a credit card number (which should allow you to download free items) : http://support.apple.com/kb/HT2534

I cant able to save Re-Corrected metadata in itunes,Please help me

I cant able to save Re-Corrected metadata in itunes,Please help me

The link you gave me leads to a feed which is properly constructed as far as it goes but as I say is empty. Looking at the coding the text 'mp3' dopes not appear anywhere in it. You've constructed your feed in Wordpress/Powerpress and I'm afraid I can't advise on those. What have you done since originally posting?
You can see the text of your feed in the Feedvalidator report (you can ignore the two 'errors').
As you will see there is no 'item' tag nor any reference to mp3. If you are seeing a media file I can't explain that unless you aren't actually looking at the feed. The associated web page, http://www.pluggingintolife.com/podcast-page/ , has an embedded player referencing an MP3 file with a suitable URL (e.g. http not https) but it's not made it into the feed.

How would I recover all my itunes downloads?

How would I recover all the itunes downloads after loosing my entire libiary?

call customer support, they help you with a once only re-download the songs, given that you downloaded it on Itunes

My iphone is in Recovery mode. Need to recover it without iTunes. This happened when i tried to upgrade it to iOS 7.1.1.

My iphone is in Recovery mode. Need to recover it without iTunes. This happened when i tried to upgrade it to iOS 7.1.1.

You need itunes to get the phone out of recovery mode.
http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1808

My computer crashed, I recovered all my itunes files, I have them on a file on my new computer, How do I connect them to my newer version of itunes on my new computer?

My computer crashed, I recovered all my itunes files, I have them on a file on my new computer, How do I connect them to my newer version of itunes on my new computer?

Any music purchased through the iTunes store can be downloaded again for free as long as you are signed in with the Apple ID you used for the original purchase. Any other music you had in iTunes should be easily accessible in your system back up or from the CDs you ripped from originally.

Recovering playlists in itunes

can I save the xml file folder from my old emac to a cd and import it into itunes on my new imac so I can get my playlists back? What will happen if I just copy the xml folder to a cd, then import it into itunes on the new computer? I have about 300 playlists.
Here's what happened: I got a new imac, and now I have all 10,000 of my songs on my new imac in the itunes library. However, there are no playlists. The playlists are still on my old emac. I want to copy the xml folder to a cd and then import the cd into itunes on my new imac.....is it possible?

You should be able to recover playlists and metadata (e.g., ratings and playcounts) by forcing iTunes to rebuild the information in the iTunes Library file -- which is the database of songs and playlists that iTunes itself uses -- from the iTunes Music Library.xml file. You can do this by editing the iTunes Library file and deleting all of its contents. Deleting the iTunes Library file does not work, because iTunes will simply generate a new file that is appropriate for a newly created iTunes with no previous contents. If you're using all the same defaults, so that the music files are in the same directory, and your user account name is the same on the new computer, you can use the original xml file. Otherwise, you will have to edit the iTunes Music Library.xml file in Text Edit (or any hex editor) first, to correct the pathnames to the music files with Find and Replace.
If your Music Library fits on your iPod, Apple gives instructions on How to use your iPod to move your music to a new computer, which doesn't require manipulating the above files. You might alternatively be able to use the iPod.iTunes software.
There are a few posts from the iLounge forums that might help:
Making iTunes use new library location without losing metadata outlines the process described above
Restoring iTunes to a new disk while preserving metadata is from a thread about recovering an iTunes Library onto a new computer from a backup (which should also work; read the whole thread).
Transferring files to a new computer shows how to get your iTunes working with direct file transfers (like from backup)
Transferring iTunes Library from PC to Mac outlines the same process described above, but cross-platform.
Other relevant posts can be found by using the search function at the iLounge forums.
And for background information, see .
12 PowerBook G4, 1.33 GHz Mac OS X (10.3.9)

Recovering Metadata on iTunes

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