Restored emac / itunes missing

Just restored my emac as I wait for my new mac mini to arrive. I have a partioned EHD with a clone of the emac content and the other half with 100 GB of itunes. What would have to be moved from the EHD clone to get my itunes to play. The emac recognizes the EHD. I am using this as a practice run as I wait for the new mini.

bigstar62 wrote:
So when I copy over the files they will still play from the EHD correct.
iTunes uses the iTunes library file, which is inside the iTunes folder (see earlier screenshot). this database contains details such as ratings, playcounts, etc. it should also contain the path to the media files.
consequently, if you move the iTunes folder from the clone to the new mini, all those details should carry over and, when you launch iTunes on the new Mac, it will use the iTunes library file you moved. given that the external is connected to the new mini, it should look @ the external for the media files on the 2nd partition.
Will the migration function allow me to just drag over the entire itunes from the EHD?
when you start up the mini for the 1st time, you will be guided through some basic setup steps, e.g. your name, email, etc. at some point, *setup assistant* will launch and offer you to migrate data from another Mac (for example your eMac), or a time machine backup etc. take a look here: http://web.me.com/pondini/Time_Machine/19.html.
if you really want to only transfer your iTunes, you might want to choose +do not transfer+. however, i would recommend you connect your external HD and choose to migrate users and settings at least.
when the desktop on your new Mac finally loads, just connect your external HD and move the iTunes folder as per my earlier instructions:
what you'll want to move from the clone is the entire iTunes folder. just drag it from <MacintoshHD>/users/<yourname>/music on the clone to the corresponding location on the new Mac. there will be an iTunes folder in place there (devoid of content) and you will be asked if you want to replace it with the one you're moving. choose to do so.
JGG

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Can anyone tell me how to restore my itunes library and playlists? After I downloaded mountain lion my library is missing and my devices can be synced to only one library ...the missing one

can anyone tell me how to restore my itunes library and playlists? After I downloaded mountain lion my library is missing and my devices can be synced to only one library ...the missing one

That .itl file actually is the library -- at least the critical part of it although the library is actually many files and folders.
Try starting iTunes and immediately hold down the option key. When it asks, guide it to the .itl file.
It's really hard to say without being able to poke around your computer. Upgrading should not delete the old library, but still it happens to the very, very few which is why we make backups before updating. If the old library file is gone then so are your playlists. You can always see if the following is of any use:
iTunes: How to re-create your iTunes library and playlists - http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1451

Problems with restoring my iTunes library after performing an HP backup and system recovery

Hello,
Last Sunday night/Monday morning, I had to perform a system recovery (from the discs supplied by HP) on my HP Compaq Presario SR5310F 32-bit desktop computer running Windows Vista Home Premium, (on the recommendation of samone at HP) and just backing up my 90+ GB iTunes library took 12 hours (the actual system recovery took only about 2-1/2 hours, the following morning). After the recovery process was complete, I 'restored' the backed-up files by either double-clicking or just opening the first backup file (the one whose file name ends in '.1') and following the prompts, which placed the files into something called the 'System Restore Files' folder. I thought I could just restore my iTunes library by dragging and dropping the music, video and iTunes folder files from this System Restore Files folder back into their original places on my computer, but while the song titles did show up in my iTunes library, whenever I tried to actually play one, an exclamation point would appear beside the song's title and I'd get the error message 'iTunes cannot find the file'; when I clicked on 'Find missing file'--or whatever it's called--the C < Users < [username] < Music folder would open, and it would be completely blank, with only the words 'This folder is empty' appearing in it. (And BTW, before you try to recommend the 'Finding missing content in iTunes' or 'How to find missing music in iTunes' articles to me, I should point out that I did try all of the steps in those articles, but my iTunes library was still completely empty at that point, despite trying those steps; that was why I finally tried 'dragging and dropping all of those files back into the Desktop, Downloads, Documents--yes, some really large download files, not from iTunes, showed up in the Documents folder--and also a couple of downloaded music files--again, not from iTunes--showd up 'loose' [by 'loose', I mean not in one of the folders (e.g., Documents, Downloads etc.) in my [username] subfolder] in my [username] subfolder, after which, I was able to get most of my song and video titles listed in iTunes again, but they just won't PLAY! Also, it appears I'm missing about 5 GB from my iTunes library now, as it's saying that I only have about 85.15 GB worth of files in it, where before I had 90+ GB worth of files in it.)
BTW, I can play the files I moved to Desktop, Downloads, etc. if I right-click on the individual files in these locations and then click on 'Play' or 'Open With', but they just won't play in iTunes.
And one more thing: I stupidly deleted my 2 iTunes podcast file titles after I discovered that these, too, would not play; is there any way I can recover these--and my iTunes library--without performing yet ANOTHER system recovery and starting over 'from scratch'? (But if that's what I'll have to do, I'll do it--or else I'll just give up and start all over again with the new computer I plan to buy over the Labor Day weekend [it'll be a 64-bit Windows 7 computer, I know that much at least], as most of my music was ripped from CDs or else downloaded from places like Bandcamp or Amazon MP3, and these downloads were saved to a series of USB flash drives; I was informed that if worst came to worst, I could redownload my iTunes purchases, but my 2 podcasts will be lost forever, as iTunes doesn't 'keep' those--or words to that effect...)
P.S. The computer I'm using has only a 250 GB hard drive, of which 223 GB were available, I couldn't perform the 'Consolidate' function so I could properly back up my iTunes library, as, what with the accumulated Windows downloads (I got this computer in February 2008) and other programs, I had only a few (< 10) GB free--not enough to consolidate the iTunes library, and second, the computer malfunctioned just prior to my performing the system recovery, so that I could no longer log on in 'normal' mode, only in the various safe modes. A lady at Microsoft told me I could back up my iTunes library by logging on in safe mode with networking (since I could do that, albeit with the error message 'Your account has been loaded with a temporary profile') and pasting my iTunes library to my external hard drive, but when I tried this, I got a message listing my iTunes library as '(empty)' when I clicked on iTunes in 'All Programs', and needless to say, my iTunes library wouldn't even open in any of the safe modes (I don't know whether it was 'just' my computer, or whether the lady didn't know what she was talking about--she does work for Microsoft, after all).

OK, before you moved the iTunes folder did the library contain entries for your original files?
This is the normal layout of the iTunes folders. From what you said at the outset it would seem that, as far as that copy of your library is concerned, it thinks the media folder is C:\System Recovery Files\C\Users\<User>\Music\iTunes\iTunes Media
Not quite sure where you have moved the original set of library files to (that is the five files listed above and the Album Artwork folder) but you should move these to C:\System Recovery Files\C\Users\<User>\Music\iTunes, (leaving everything else in place) then click the icon to launch iTunes and immediately press and hold down the left shift key until asked to choose or create a library. Click choose and browse to the library file at C:\System Recovery Files\C\Users\<User>\Music\iTunes\iTunes Library.itl - fingers crossed this will open your old database, which will be able to find your old files. If that goes well we can look to moving them somewhere more sensible.
tt2

To restore my itunes library. but no songs will play. what next? i

i had backed up iTunes to external hard drive since i had to do a clean install on my computer. My os is windows vista.
I installed iTunes on my computer.
Then i copied the iTunes folder on the external hard drive to the music folder on my clean computer.
these are the steps i followed: iTunes: Back up your iTunes library by copying to an external hard drive
i followed these steps for
Restoring your iTunes Library backup
When you need to restore your backed up iTunes Library from your external hard drive to your computer, follow these steps:
Quit iTunes.
Locate your external hard drive.
Windows: In My Computer
Drag the iTunes folder (backed up earlier) from your external hard drive to whatever location you desire on your internal hard drive. It is recommended that you choose the default location for the iTunes folder, which is:
Windows Vista: \Users\username\My Music\
Open iTunes while holding down the Option key (Mac) or Shift key (Windows).
In the resulting dialog, click the Choose Library button.
Select the iTunes folder you just moved to the internal hard drive.
Click Choose (Mac OS X) or Open (Windows) and then choose the iTunes Library file inside .
After following these steps, iTunes will open and your iTunes Library will be restored.
to get my iTunes library in iTunes.
Well, my library IS there with playlists. But no songs will play.
Obviously i've missed a step or done something incorrectly.
please help.

Are the songs displayed with exclamation marks? The exclamation mark for missing files is shown if the file is no longer where iTunes expects to find it. Possible causes are that you or some third party tool has moved, renamed or deleted the file, or that the drive it lives on has had a change of drive letter. It is also possible that iTunes has changed from expecting the files to be in the pre-iTunes 9 layout to post-iTunes 9 layout, or vice-versa, and so is looking in slightly the wrong place. Changing the path to the media folder won't fix the links to files you've moved by hand.
Select a track with an exclamation mark, use Ctrl-I to get info, then say no when asked to locate the track. Look on the summary tab for the location that iTunes thinks the file should be. Now take a look around your hard drive(s). Hopefully you can locate the track in question. If a section of your library has simply been moved, or a drive letter has changed, it should be possible to reverse the actions. I can provide a step by step guide if you give me the two paths.
In some cases iTunes may be able to repair itself if you go through the same steps and locate the lost track. It may then offer to attempt to automatically fix other broken links. Alternatively, as long as you can find a location holding the missing files, then you should be able to use my FindTracks script to reconnect them to iTunes. I would suggest you untick Edit > Preferences > Advanced > Keep iTunes Media folder organized before you start so that things don't have to move around as they are repaired.
tt2

Restoring from iTunes backup

After losing my entire iTunes library (which, fortunately I backed up onto DVD via iTunes) due to an external hard drive failure, I am now in the process of restoring from backup. I first created an "iTunes" folder on the new drive so I would have something to point to. I assumed, incorrectly, that iTunes would create a "Music" folder under iTunes and restore to it. Instead, I now have individual artist folders directly under the "iTunes" folder. Granted, this should work with no problems, but is this something I should be concerned about? Does iTunes really care where the files are located? And could this potentially cause a problem down the road?
I am still in the process of restoring my iTunes library (a large initial backup followed by a number of incremental backups). If I want or need to move the artist folders to a "Music" folder, is there an easy way to direct iTunes to now find the music in the new folder structure, or would I have to individually update each song (yikes!) to tell it where to locate the file? Or is this a non-issue and can I leave everything as is?
I'm at work right now and don't have access to my computer. I didn't look to see where movies, TV shows, apps, etc. are being restored, but I'm assuming that iTunes created the appropriate folders under the "iTunes" folder to store those files. Since I don't have access to my old drive and I'm relying totally on my iTunes-produced backups, there's no way for me to compare the new iTunes folder structure to the old one.
Once I've completed the restoration, I know there's a few cleanup things I need to do: re-subscribe to Podcasts, restore any missing album cover art, and I need to move the playlists from the restored playlists folder to the main area directly under the Playlists dropdown. I also need to recreate the Purchased playlist, which was previously addressed in another thread. Besides syncing my devices, which I'll get to in a second, is there anything else I need to do?
I realize that when I attempt to sync my iPad and iPods, that they will most likely not recognize that they have been previously been connected to this computer. No big deal, except that my iPad has some new apps that I bought (from the iPad) and my iPod Touch has some music on it that was bought from iTunes on my Mac (shortly before the crash). I don't want to lose this information. Will iTunes prompt me to transfer from the iPad/iPod and simply copy the apps/music to my iTunes library? Do I then have to erase and sync?
Between my wife, my kids and myself, we have five or six iPods in the house, plus the iPad. What's the best strategy for restoring these? My plan was to examine each one and note which playlists, photos, apps, etc. were on them and then attempt to sync them with the appropriate settings (making sure the appropriate playlists are in iTunes first). As I noted above, to my knowledge the only information not backed up before the crash is on my iPad and iPod Touch, and all of it was purchased from the iTunes Store. Hopefully iTunes will recognize and transfer my recent purchases.
Finally, given that it's been three years since I first backed up my iTunes library (I've done periodic incrementals up through last week), should I do a new full backup or keep doing incremental backups? Part of my reason for asking this has to do with the questions regarding folder location. If the folder structure is different, will iTunes consider this as changed information (i.e. incremental backups only back up information that has been added or changed)? If that is the case, would I be better off just doing a full backup--even though that means I'll spend the next two weeks stuffing 130+ DVDs into my Mac? Or would it be sufficient to just do the next incremental backup once I've got everything completely restored?
Any advice or suggestions for completing this restoration successfully (and for backup strategy in general) would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Moderator, please delete this thread unless you think it will be helpful to someone. I answered most of my own questions through a combination of trial-and-error and this excellent article I stumbled upon.
http://www.ilounge.com/index.php/articles/comments/moving-your-itunes-library-to -a-new-hard-drive
Thanks,
PL

My ipod is asking me to restore but itunes and windows dont recognise it!

Hey,
I've been having issues with my 30GB Ipod video it started off by not loading and making a clicking noise but then it went onto automatically loading into disc mode and you can't get out of it you can reset it but it was just going back to the same screen now its moved on and asks me to connect to the computer and restore using itunes however itunes does not pick up the ipod when I look in my computer it picks it up as a removable disc and when I click on this it asks me to format but it does not say format to for itunes like I have read in other forums so I'm not game to do that.
Any suggestions?? I have come to terms with the fact all of my music is gone but it would be nice to get something happening with the device again.

Holy Flicking Cow! I see two period punctuation marks in your post, so I know your keyboard must have one. Could you maybe try to make use of it a little more and make your posts readable. That might be the worst run on sentence I have ever had the pain to try and read.
Anyway... Start with these articles and see if that gets you anywhere...
iPod is not recognized properly by computer when USB drivers are not installed properly or are out of date
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=305136
iTunes for Windows: iTunes 7 doesn't recognize iPod
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=304434
iPod missing in "My Computer" or in iTunes for Windows
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=61711
Also you might try forcing the iPod into disk mode first, then connecting it to your computer and see if that makes it show up in iTunes...
Putting iPod into Disk Mode
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=93651
Windows confuses iPod with network drive or hard drive and may keep iPod from mounting or songs may seem to disappear
http://support.apple.com/kb/TS1493
Patrick

I cannot tell you how frustrated I am with Apple right now! I need hel getting my ipad back and so far I am not getting any. What do I do when restore on itunes does not work?

I am so frustrated with Apple and my ipad2, which I have allways loved so much. While attempting to download and install the latest update, I got stuck on the itunes connect logo. I followed the directions listed here to restore using itunes on my laptop. It would not work and gave me several error messages. Now what do I do? I miss my little computer so much.

Reading some older threads from 2012 and 2011 it appears the problem was present even then. Part of the problem was due to people using multiple or different account id's on the various devices. In my case, I only have one ID and it is the same on all devices yet the iPhone and iPad are still throwing the same error when I try turning on iTunes Match. This is very frustrating . . . any help out there? Thanks.

Use Time Machine to restore my iTunes library ?

I installed this plug-in into iTunes which is supposed to organize your music collection by filling in the dates, genre and any missing album artwork, but I was not satisfied with the results. I uninstalled the plug-in, but now I was wondering if I could use Time Machine to restore my iTunes library back to the way it was before running the plugin. I tried using Time Machine to revert my music library in my Home folder, but that did not seem to restore the data back to the way it was. Perhaps there is another folder in which iTunes stores information that I need to revert? The plug-in's documentation offered no assistance in this matter.

I was thinking I might wipe my macbook then reinstall it from the disks in my Macbook box.
Yes, you can retore your iTunes Library using Time Machine but since you are running Lion you need to use Lion Recovery to reinstall the Mac OS X, not the install discs that came with your Mac.
Not enough free space on the startup disk can slow the system down.
Right or control click the MacintoshHD icon. Click Get Info. In the Get Info window you will see Capacity and Available. Make sure there's a minimum of 15% free disk space.
Freeing Up Hard Disk Space - Mac Guides

Can I restore my iTunes library file (iTunes Library.itl) from my iOS device?

After upgrading iTunes to 12.1.1.4 (around 2/25/2015), my library has reverted to a version from 12/28/2013.
None of the "Previous iTunes Libraries" or .tmp files are newer than the 12/28/2013 version.
All of the media files are perfectly fine and in their normal location.
Can I restore my "iTunes Library.itl" file from my iOS device?

I suspect you have been attempting to access the previous libraries in a way which always shows you the same content. See Empty/corrupt iTunes library after upgrade/crash for advice.
Otherwise see Recover your iTunes library from your iPod or iOS device. You can import any missing media from the media folder into the library. There are some scripts mentioned towards the end of the recovery tools section that can rebuild ratings, play counts and playlists.
tt2

Updating to IOS7 caused all files on iPad to disappear and restore from iTunes does not work

I recently updated my iPad to IOS7. Before doing so, I backed up the contents to iTunes. After completing the update, I found that the iPad has been completely cleared out of all files. .It is now completely empty and prompts for a new setup when I turn it on.
So naturally I tried to restore from iTunes. However, although the restore process appears to have completed, nothing changes at all on the iPad. It remains a blank slate.
Can someone please advise how I can recover my files? There are a lot of important photos I want to preserve. Perhaps I am missing some obvious step.
Thank you

Restore from iTune Backup
1. Settings>General>Reset>Erase all content and settings
2. You will be asked twice if you want to erase iPad
3. Slide to set up
4. Select Language
5. Select Country
6. (a) Use Location Service (b) Don't use Location Service
7. Choose Wi-Fi Network
8. Enter Wi-Fi password
9. (a) Setup as new (b) Restore from iCloud Backup (c) Restore from iTune Backup
10. Select "Restore from iTune Backup"
11. You will be instructed to connect to iTune (computer)
On computer
12. Two options offered
13. (a) Set up as new iPad (b) Restore from backup (a list of backup will be shown)
14. Select Restore from backup and select the backup
15. Continue
16. Restoring iPad from backup
17. The settings for iPad restored

Can't Slide to Unlock - Restore Freezes itunes

I've been missing calls because I can't slide to unlock. I've turned the phone on/off, and done a reset using the home key + on/off switch. No change. When I try to restore software, iTunes freezes up each time the phone is connected.
I see a lot of other people have this problem, but a reset or restore has resolved it. How can I restore if I can't get to iTunes?

I had the same issue. IPhone worked fine then I started using micrsofts office mail, calander and contacts with the sync. Then my phone would not unlock or would just freeze. So I went back to mac mail killed office mail ECT restored phone. All is good now
Message was edited by: bradley Glaberson

My iPad 2 will not restore using iTunes. It keeps telling me - the iPad "iPad" could not be restored. An unknow error occurred (4) - I have tried every suggestion I could find so far. Any ideas as to what I can do?

My iPad 2 will not restore using iTunes. It just quit a week or two ago and showed that I had to connect to iTunes.
When I do the "restore and update" it does not complete the "verifying iPad restore with Apple" and then shows the following message:
The iPad "iPad" could not be restored. An unknown error occurred (40).
I have tried it a number of times. Also turned of anti-virus and firewall. Tried on different computers. All resulted in the same message. The iPad is only 2 1/2 years old, so I hope it can be fixed.
Does anyone have a solution?
KandAfromMO

Found this thread by searching the forum. I hope it helps.
https://discussions.apple.com/thread/5471311

TS1717 I had to restore my itunes library however everytime I try to go to my podcasts I am kicked off of Itunes with a send/dont send error report I can acess podcasts only while syncing ipod

I have been having trouble getting into my podcasts after restoring my itunes library to an earlier library, every time I select podcast i am kicked off itunes with an error send/dont send pop up however I can acess the podcasts when sinking my ipod only

Hello there, danbucfan.
It seems that you were referred to us from the very article that provides steps for troubleshooting your issue. Although they may seem extensive, these steps will help pinpoint where the issue lies:
iTunes for Windows Vista, Windows 7, or Windows 8: Fix unexpected quits or launch issues
http://support.apple.com/kb/TS1717
If you continue to get the error, please feel free to provide the exact error message, to see if that sheds further light on what your issue may be.
Thanks for reaching out to Apple Support Communities.
Cheers,
Pedro.

How can I restore my itunes library from iphone 4?

My backup files failed to restore my itunes library music after I had to reinstall Win 7. I followed all the instructions from Apple but my music library is empty. It now shows duplicate folders in my itunes file under 'My Music.'
Is there a third party software that will let me back up my iphone music so it will not get erased by itunes? Or is there some way to use icloud to send my iphone music to itunes?

lol, nevermind. I came across an article that made it easy. For anyone else with this problem it's real simple.
Open itunes
File>Add Folder to Library
select 'itunes' and it will add your music to your library
Although it went through all my apps asking if I want to replace or don't replace with newer, when it finished all my music appeared in itunes just like I left it before reinstalling Win 7. Easy Peasy. I've seen others with same problem but nobody seemed to have this easy solution.
Now I can finally plug in my iphone and sync without losing all my music from my iphone.

My question is about the 'Restore Backup' option on iTunes (Not 'Restore iPhone'). So, if I click on Back Up Now, then 'Restore Backup', would that go through the process of erasing everything on my phone as new then restore whatever iTunes has backed up?

My question is about the 'Restore Backup' option on iTunes (Not 'Restore iPhone'). So, if I click on Back Up Now, then 'Restore Backup', would that go through the process of erasing everything on my phone as new then restore whatever iTunes has backed up?
I do not want this to happen, as with previous experience iTunes doesn't restore a mirror of what the iPhone was when it was backed up as is the case with iCloud backups.
What I am trying to do is, as I've found a method on Youtube, there is an application where I can delete all the multimedia saved in my 'iMessages' so clear up some space. As doing that manually through the phone would take a lifetime. The method is to backup on iTunes, then using the backup created, importing that into the application then deleting the messages through that then restoring the phone using that amended backup.
So back to my question, would restoring through 'Restore Backup' just restore the backup internally or would it flush the entire phone and then restore the backup? And if it does so, what would be lost in the restore?
Thank you all,
Fahmid

iCloud should overwrite your phone with the data stored in your account, preserving your newer data. However, to be sure I would go to Settings>iCloud and turn data syncing to Off before restoring the backup. Then, after restoring the backup, turn the data syncing back to on, and when prompted about Merging with iCloud, choose Don't Merge. This will ensure that the data in your iCloud account overwrites the data on your phone (which is your goal).
Also, you don't sync text messages with iCloud so you will end up losing your more recent messages when they are overwritten by the backup.

Restored emac / itunes missing

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