Restoring my itunes library
I hope someone can help me with my problem. Recently my computer crashed and through the manufacturer I had to reinstall all my software, so in the process I lost everything in my itunes library. All of my music is still on my ipod but not in my itunes library. Is there any way to move my music from my ipod back to my computer? I'm kind of a nerd when it comes to computers so any help would be great......please be gentle...HaHaHa
Connect your iPod to your computer. If it is set to update 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. When your iPod appears in the iTunes source list change the update setting to manual, that will let you use our 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
Once you are safely connected there are a few things you can do to restore your iTunes from the iPod. If you have any iTunes Music Store purchases the transfer of purchased content from the iPod to authorised computers was introduced with iTunes 7. You'll find details in this article: Copying iTunes Store purchases from your iPod to a computer
The transfer of content from other sources such as songs imported from CD is designed by default to be one way from iTunes to iPod. However 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. Have a look at the web pages and documentation, this is just a small selection of what's available, they are generally quite straightforward. You can read reviews and comparisons of some of them here:
Wired News - Rescue Your Stranded Tunes
Comparison of iPod managers
TuneJack Windows Only
iPod2PC Windows Only
iGadget Windows Only
iDump Windows Only
SharePod Windows Only
iPodRip Mac & Windows
YamiPod Mac and Windows
Music Rescue Mac & Windows
iPodCopy Mac and Windows
iRepo Mac & Windows (iPhone and iPod Touch compatible)
iPod Access 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
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. 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.
Similar Messages
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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. -
How do I restore my itunes library on a new PC?
I recently had my PC windows XP reinstalled as I had a virus. I think I saved my iTunes library however as my external hard drive shows that I have an ITunes folder and in it is an iTunes library. In the iTunes folder is a sub folder called iTunes music. Is this data what I use to restore my ITunes library on my new PC?
All my songs have been moved out of their original location on the C:/ drive however. Do I have to move the music etc. back to the PC as they are on my External HD now.
I'm clued out as what to do. I got an old IPod Nano with probably 80 percent of my songs from the original PC location and iTunes library.
I am guessing I have to move all my music back from the External HD to my PC's HD and name it exactly the same folder name. Then I use iTunes to re-sync my iPod. Is this the right procedure?
Sorry if this is a redundant question as I don't know where to search for this answer.I couldn't edit my original post so I replied to myself.
I think I solved my problem! I moved my itunes folder to destop and then moved my backed up one to the same folder/ I made a wrong assumption that I had to also move back my source music files (I bought nothing from itunes store they are just CD rips etc.) . -
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 -
Long story short....I restored my computer to an earlier point using time machine and now all of the previous back-ups are gone. My question has to do with itunes...is it possible to restore my itunes library to the most recent backup because the restore that I did was in march and the latest backup was in may....the reason being is that there were app that i had downloaded that are in my most recent back-up, that were not in the backup I restored to. Is it possible to just restore one application ie)itunes?
See this post.
tt2 -
My mac hard drive crashed. Can I restore my iTunes library from my iPod to my new hard drive?
My mac hard drive crashed, and had to be replaced. Can I restore my iTunes library from my iPod to my new hard drive? About 2500 songs, some from iTunes store, most from other online sources or my own CDs.
To restore non-purchased music on the iTunes Store to iTunes from the iPod, you need a third-party application as Senuti > http://www.fadingred.com/senuti/ You can use others, but this has worked perfectly for me
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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 -
How can i restore my itunes library to get back playlists i accidently deleted
how can i restore my itunes library so i can get back playlists i accidently deleted
Hey Russfromchicago,
Thanks for the question. After reviewing your post, it sounds like you want to move content from your iOS device to the computer. I would recommend that you read this article, it may be able to help you resolve or isolate the issue.
If you purchased items from the iTunes Store and you've stored them on only your iOS device or iPod, you can transfer them to any computer that is authorized with your Apple ID.
iTunes Store: Transfer purchases from your iOS device or iPod to a computer
Thanks for using Apple Support Communities.
Have a nice day,
Mario -
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 -
How do I restore my itunes library after replacing a faulty hard drive?
How do I restore my itunes library after replacing a faulty hard drive?
did you make a backup of your library before replacing the HD ?
if so, how and what did you back up ?
if not, you can redownload previous purchases ☞ Downloading past purchases from the App Store, iBookstore, and iTunes Store.
if you have your media files on an iPod, check out this post by Zevoneer. -
Impossible to restore my iTunes library from a backup
Two days ago I subscribed to MobileMe and synchronized everything. Yesterday, I created a new MobileMe account and cancelled the first. Everything works fine.
But I lost my iTunes library yesterday afternoon. In the iTunes folder: iTunes Music, iTunes Applications and Album Artwork still have all their items, but I can not see any music, playlists, software or anything when I start iTunes! It looks like new and empty...
I tried restoring my iTunes library as suggested:
1. repaired authorizations on my hard disk and backup disk;
2. followed the recommendations in Apple Technical note No HT1451 ( http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1451 ) - no luck;
3. attempted to restore my iTunes library by using Time Machine… (BTW, it appears that TM does not backup "iTunes Music Library.xml"…!?);
4. I used Onyx in order to find out if "iTunes Music Library.xml" might be hidden on my HD or backup, but did not find it in any location.
Nothing seems to work… My iTunes library is kaput… I'm out of my wits.
Could it be an interference caused by MobileMe?
Message was edited by: fdboucherOh well… not much help really…
Anyway, I did at least recover all my music, podcasts and other files, by throwing away ALL the iTunes preferences plists in my User>Library>Preferences file.
But I'm still ****** at not being able to recover my playlists… The only "iTunes Music Library.xml" that is available does not hold that information. Earlier versions are not to be found on my Backup disk.
1. Is that file "iTunes Music Library.xml" THE file that holds all the information on playlist content and music ratings, play history etc.?
2. Is that file "iTunes Music Library.xml" recoverable from my iPhone? Or elsewhere? Is it hidden somewhere in my backup?
Thanks for your consideration. -
Hi, I tried to restore my itunes library from an external drive and did everything that's written here step by step. when I chose the itunes library to import itunes just said that its accessing the itunes store but nothing happened. Does anyone know how to do this so that all my playlists are also imported and not just the music itself?
When I have done this, all I did was network the two machines and copy the contents of the iTunes folder to the other machine, and that's it.
My understanding (which may not be 100% correct) is that the one file that is absolutely necessary is iTunes Library, and that the XML file is actually a copy auto-generated from the iTunes Library, appearing in a different format only for non-iTunes apps that take advantage of the iTunes Library data.
As far as I know, if you simply have the Library (database) file and all your original music files, iTunes on that computer should operate as it did on your old computer. I believe that the Album Artwork, Genius Data, and XML files can be regenerated from the Library file. Not sure about the Extras file. -
After a crash of my HD, i need to restore my Itune Library which is in an external HD. how can I do that, Thanks
I still don't know if the drive that crashed was the external drive, or if it was the internal drive, and if it was the external drive if that was the only copy of the library.
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 available in all countries; apps, books (not audiobooks), music, t.v. shows, and movies (some - not all studios have permitted this). Movies currently available in the USA only. 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), 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 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. -
I recently restored my itunes library and many songs imported from CD are now marked mpeg audio stream. I can't play them. Other imports are just fine. Why did this happen?
If there is a cure you may find the folks over here have more information for you. Repost your question here:
https://discussions.apple.com/community/itunes/itunes_for_mac?view=discussions -
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
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