Recreate or Rebuild a new iTunes database

I have found several people need help recreating or rebuilding their databases. This is NOT the same thing as recreating a music library, this is a deeper issue.
I discovered that by tricking iTunes into thinking you are starting it for the first time you can command it to go and search for all of the mp3's and .m4a's on your computer.
To do this you need to reset your iTunes preferences.
Here are the steps I follow when myself or a friend needs this kind of help.
This process will probably erase your playlists. You may want to export your playlists as text files before doing this process. (I never back mine up.)
Before starting, Quit iTunes.
1. Go to your iTunes folder, usually in OSX this is located at "Users/username/Music".
2.Open your iTunes folder.
3.Drag your "iTunes Music Library.xml" to the Desktop or a safe storage place in case you need to restore.
4.Drag the following file from your iTunes folder to the Desktop "iTunes Library" or in older versions "iTunes Music Library"
5. Pull your iTunes preferences out by goin to "Users/Library/Preferences" and locating two iTunes files:
com.apple.iTunes.eq.plist
com.apple.iTunes.plist
6. Take these two files out onto your Desktop.
7. When these four files are out, relaunch iTunes. It should take you thru the same dialogue as when iTunes was launched for the first time. When it comes to a question about, do you want iTunes to find existing music on your computer, click yes.
8. iTunes will now do the legwork and rebuild your database. This may take awhile. It may also take awhile for your Album artwork to reload as long as your Album Artwork folder is in "Users/Music/iTunes" as well.
After this step you should be good to go.
PLEASE NOTE, this process will only search for .mp3, .m4a, and m4p files. If you have any truly uncompressed audio you will have to drag those .aif and .wav files in following your rebuild.
By the way, to learn how to export your playlists as text files, this might help.
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=93763
Good luck!

or ... shudder ... reload everything onto the iPod?
Why is that a " shudder "?
Restore the iPod an let it resync. Nothing you need to do except go make a sandwich while it reloads.

Similar Messages

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    Message was edited by: jere7my

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