The itunes library.xml file doesn't make sense.
I edited all 2,000+ songs' file path locations in the library.xml file and even after that itunes only saw half of the files, if it saw half of them why didn't it just put all of them???
I would seem that you are.
The XML file is provided for 3rd party support. It allows other applications to interrogate your library. iTunes doesn't normally have any cause to read it back or make use of it.
Create a smart playlist with the rule Checked is True. Drag the contents of this into a new playlist called iPhone Tunes (or similar), Select the Songs list and CMD-click on any empty playlist. Delete the initial playlist. Sync your device with iPhone Tunes. Drag new stuff into it when you want, delete stuff when it gets too big.
That's the simple way of reworking your current selections into a more flexible set up. There are other things you could do like create smaller size-limited playlists along the lines of "Recently Played", "Recently Added", "Not Played In Ages", "Top Rated", along with say a regular list called "Essentials" which, once set up, would allow you to have some rotating content on the device without having to do any extra work.
tt2
Similar Messages
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Is there a way to rebuild the ITunes Library XML file from my IPod?
After several promptings, I finally decided to install ITunes 7.4.3.1. Like a fool, I did not backup my entire library prior to doing this upgrade. Nothing is going to go wrong now mate, is it? Everything seemed to proceed just fine with the upgrade. I noticed that ITunes updated the XML Library in the process. Where the problems occured was after the upgrade, I was in the middle of listening to the latest "NPR Wait Wait Don't Tell Me" Podcast (I have some 3,000 downloaded podcasts in over 85GB worth of space) when ITunes crashed. When I brought ITunes back up, it had seemed to have reverted to an earlier backup ITunes Library XML file that I had made months ago.
I still have all of the .mp3, .m4a, .mp4 and .m4v files stored in my ITunes Music folder. Somehow when I brought ITunes back up, it had lost all of the music I had dowloaded from the ITunes store even though the files were still out on disk. It thought there were only 395 podcasts despite the 3,000 plus files out there.
Clearly, something went horribly wrong and I don't want to spend weeks downloading these files again when the only thing that really needs to be done is the ITunes Library XML data file needs to be rebuilt. It dawns on me that my IPod has an XML data file that save any updates I have not yet synced with it that it is quite current. Is there some way that I can sync my IPod with ITunes and copy the IPod XML data file into ITunes Library XML data file? I know that there must be some way to access the IPod since I can plug it into my Kenwood car stereo and read through the IPod's contents.
Is there anyone out there that has an idea that might be able to help me recover my ITunes library?
Thanks for any assistance,
--randyt00The XML file is not used by iTunes. It is created for the use of other programs. Your library is in the itl file. SInce you still have the file you could simply add them to your library using the add folder option instead of downloading again.
What are library files
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=93732
Rebuild library.
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=93313 -
Help please. Lost itunes library.xml file
Hello,
I have windows 7 and have failed in my attempts to locate my itunes library xml file. I think I lost it when I transferred music from one computer to the next. Online I have seen a tutorial on how to find it, user - my music - itunes. However it's not there. I was trying to sync my itunes music to android, but cannot do so unless I have the xml file. Please note, i am not a computer savvy guy. please don't make it to technical.
Thanks
- AnthonyI already have itunes installed and all my music, playlists and podcasts which work fine, but the media cannot be transferred onto my phone via Isyncr due to not having the itunes library.xml file. You are saying all I have to do is get the itl file from my old computer and save it onto my new one. then re-download itunes and it should work?
Edit: I found my old computer and still cannot locate .xml or itl file.
Looked in users/music/itunes music. and nothing saying xml or itl is there. -
Help!!
Hello Whit1erj,
It sounds like you are not able to access your iTunes library. With the error message you are receiving, you will want to first locate the iTunes Library.itl file. These are the default locations for this file on a Windows computer, but if you dont find them here, you may need to search for the file:
Windows XP: C:\Documents and Settings\username\My Documents\My Music\iTunes\
Windows Vista: C:\Users\username\Music\iTunes\
Windows 7: C:\Users\username\My Music\iTunes\
Windows 8: C:\Users\username\My Music\iTunes\
You can find the full article about iTunes file locations here:
Where are my iTunes files located?
http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1391
Once you locate the iTunes Library.itl file, you can make iTunes point to it using these steps:
Steps to create or choose a different iTunes Library file
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.
You should see one of the following screens:
Then you can select Choose Library and navigate to the location of the iTunes Library.itl file. You can find the full article here:
iTunes: How to open an alternate iTunes Library file or create a new one
http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1589
Thank you for posting in the Apple Support Communities.
Best,
Sheila M. -
When i double click itunes it doesn't open it just comes up with an error saying " The itunes library.itl file cannot be found or created. The default location for this file is in the 'itunes' folder in the 'music' folder. How can i fix this problem?
Anyone can help to advice how to solve this issue ?
-
Editing the iTunes Library.itl file?
I'm going back to iTunes v6 from v7. The iTunes Library.itl file for v7 doesn't work with iTunes v6 so I had to go back to my old version of the file (last one from v6).
Problem is I added about 7 CDs while in v7 and none of this is coming up (album art, ratings, music files) in the old v6 iTunes Library.itl file.
Is there anyway to extract the info for the new stuff from the v7 iTunes Library.itl file and include it into the v6 version of that same file?
Please?I would seem that you are.
The XML file is provided for 3rd party support. It allows other applications to interrogate your library. iTunes doesn't normally have any cause to read it back or make use of it.
Create a smart playlist with the rule Checked is True. Drag the contents of this into a new playlist called iPhone Tunes (or similar), Select the Songs list and CMD-click on any empty playlist. Delete the initial playlist. Sync your device with iPhone Tunes. Drag new stuff into it when you want, delete stuff when it gets too big.
That's the simple way of reworking your current selections into a more flexible set up. There are other things you could do like create smaller size-limited playlists along the lines of "Recently Played", "Recently Added", "Not Played In Ages", "Top Rated", along with say a regular list called "Essentials" which, once set up, would allow you to have some rotating content on the device without having to do any extra work.
tt2 -
Hello. I have a Mac Mini operating Mac OS X 10.7.2. I recently had to move my iTunes Library to a new hard drive. I followed the directions on how to move the library and refind everything yet when I do so what comes up is a mere skeleton of what I had. I have had to hunt down my purchased Apps, Music and Movies and re-add them to the library. I also noticed in doing this I have multiple iTunes Library.xml files ... shouldn't there only be one? If so how do I clean this up without doing any accidental damage (i.e. how do I find the one that is being used and delete the rest?)? If I delete the others is there any risk of losing purchased content? Lastly syncing my iPads has become a nightmare as I get the "This iPad is currently synced to another iTunes library" message. Obviously something
It's hard for me to picture the exact situation. It sounds like you still have your library file on the internal but some files on the external, and maybe some on the internal, some of which are in the library and others not... By re-adding things after consolidating it may have made things into a hodge-podge. Yes, that article you referenced says: "iTunes for Mac: Moving your iTunes Media folder"with Media Folder being the emphasis. You probably should have just moved your whole iTunes folder. Still, moving the media folder as instructed should not have messed up the library. Did you make the mistake of starting up iTunes before the external drive had mounted fully and it then told you it couldn't find many files? How you proceed to sort it out will depend upon how much time you want to spend and how important things such as ratings and playcount are to you. I have not actually used the consolidate feature across different drives myself (and don't feel inclined to do so here to test ).
If you are in the USA you can download some previous purhcases with iCloud, but not all.
Here's a bit on what an iTunes folder should look like:
What are the iTunes library files? - [http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1660]
More on iTunes library files and what they do - [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ITunes#Media_management]
Library files with graphic and explanation of different iTunes versions - http://discussions.apple.com/message.jspa?messageID=13169517
Once you get iTunes working off the external drive it should just put new media to the external when you add it.
I have almost no experience with synching (I synched my neice's iPod, once, about 4 years ago). -
"The iTunes Library.itl file cannot be found or created."
I have tried all to suggestions for moving around the old library and this is still the only thing I have gotten from the upgrade, as of yet. The message appears when trying to get into iTunes thu any source; desktop shortcut, thu the start menu, or opening the library directly in the My Music folder.
The full message reads:
"The iTunes Library.itl file cannot be found or created. The default location for this file is in the "iTunes" folder in the "My Music" folder."
I half expected a problem when i was told to upgrade, but I have got no idea how to fix this one. Any help would be great.Will iTunes open at all or do you just get the error message and when you click 'ok' the dialog box closes?
I have successfully restored my library using the iTunes Music Library.xml file, which I figured out by messing around. If you want you can try this; note that it takes a really long time:
1. With iTunes closed open the My Music>iTunes folder (if for some reason you had iTunes set up to use a different folder look in there). Move the 'iTunes Library.itl' file out of the folder onto your desktop, but don't delete it unless this restore works.
2. Open iTunes; it should be empty. Go to File>Import. When the box opens you should be in the same iTunes folder; select the 'iTunes Music Library.xml' file.
3. The library will rebuild itself, which takes a long time (I think it took an hour when I did it and I have about 25GB), but just let it go. Don't stop the process or try to close iTunes while it's doing this. You should eventually get all your songs and playlists back, but I don't remember if playcounts restore this way; you might lose those.
4. Close iTunes - it should now save the new 'iTunes Library.itl' file. Then try opening iTunes again - hope this will work for you! If it does you can just delete the old 'iTunes Library.itl' file. If it doesn't you can move that old file back to where it was, and you'll be back to where you were before.
Normally when the iTunes library.itl file gets corrupted you can replace it with an older version from the 'Previous iTunes Library' folder, but it sounds like you've already tried that and it didn't work. If this really is a registry issue I don't know how to fix that - maybe reinstalling iTunes?
ps - I always export my library before upgrading now, because restoring from that if you have a library problem is a lot faster and it only takes a few extra seconds.
Message was edited by: meeshala -
HT203288 the itunes library .itl file cannot be found or created
After new iTunes install.
Clicking the icon gives me this error message saying"The default location for this file is in the "iTunes" folder in the Music folder.
The xml files are present but no itl. file
How do I get iTunes to recognize the libraryWill iTunes open at all or do you just get the error message and when you click 'ok' the dialog box closes?
I have successfully restored my library using the iTunes Music Library.xml file, which I figured out by messing around. If you want you can try this; note that it takes a really long time:
1. With iTunes closed open the My Music>iTunes folder (if for some reason you had iTunes set up to use a different folder look in there). Move the 'iTunes Library.itl' file out of the folder onto your desktop, but don't delete it unless this restore works.
2. Open iTunes; it should be empty. Go to File>Import. When the box opens you should be in the same iTunes folder; select the 'iTunes Music Library.xml' file.
3. The library will rebuild itself, which takes a long time (I think it took an hour when I did it and I have about 25GB), but just let it go. Don't stop the process or try to close iTunes while it's doing this. You should eventually get all your songs and playlists back, but I don't remember if playcounts restore this way; you might lose those.
4. Close iTunes - it should now save the new 'iTunes Library.itl' file. Then try opening iTunes again - hope this will work for you! If it does you can just delete the old 'iTunes Library.itl' file. If it doesn't you can move that old file back to where it was, and you'll be back to where you were before.
Normally when the iTunes library.itl file gets corrupted you can replace it with an older version from the 'Previous iTunes Library' folder, but it sounds like you've already tried that and it didn't work. If this really is a registry issue I don't know how to fix that - maybe reinstalling iTunes?
ps - I always export my library before upgrading now, because restoring from that if you have a library problem is a lot faster and it only takes a few extra seconds.
Message was edited by: meeshala -
Why do i have to itunes library xml files?
Along with iTunes Library, there are two xml files i have; itunes music library.xml and itunes library.xml, do i need them both? I only ask as the file path information in itunes music library.xml are not up to data(i moved my library to an external HD) and would like to know if it would be safe to delete it.
The links in itunes library.xml have seem to been updated.
Thanks
"If it's not broken, don't fix it...
........I never learn!"Google is your friend! (To quote:)
iTunes Music Library.xml
This file contains some (but not all) of the same information stored in the iTunes Library file. The purpose of the iTunes Music Library.xml file is to make your music and playlists available to other applications on your computer. In Mac OS X other iLife applications (like iPhoto, iDVD, and iMovie) use this file to make it easier for you to add music from your iTunes library to your projects.
Actual article: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1660 -
The iTunes Library.itl file is locked
I have read many, many postings on this issue, but can't seem to find a resolution that works for me.
The problem occurs whenever iTunes is forced to close unexpectedly. Upon attempting to reopen iTunes, I get the following error message:
"The iTunes Library.itl file is locked, on a locked disk, or you do not have write permission for this file."
However, when I browse to the library.itl file and select "get info", it does NOT show as locked. In fact, if I attempt to check the "lock" selection, it immediately unchecks itself. Also on the "get info" page, the Sharing & Permissions area says "You can read and write".
I do not know of any other way to change permissions in OSX. I do not know how to use the terminal and view the chmod permissions on a networked drive.
However, since I do store my music library on a NAS device, I have browsed to the library.itl file via PC and viewed the properties. Again, it is not checked as "read only", and the permissions clearly allow read and write by everyone. I have even changed the permissions to "full control" for everyone. But that doesn't resolve the problem. As far as I can tell, there is not a permissions problem at all.
I have tried to copy the library.itl file to my mac desktop, in order to rename the original file and replace it with the copy, to try and reset the permissions that way. But OSX tells me "The operation can’t be completed because you don’t have permission to access “iTunes Library.itl”. So I cannot move the file. Interestingly, I CAN rename the file in the iTunes folder. But this does not help me. I find it funny that I can rename it, but I can't move it...
I am running OSX 10.6.5 with all the latest updates, and the latest version of iTunes as well. 10.1 I think? But I can't check because I can't get iTunes to open right now.
I have had this problem many times in the past. And I have gone as far as creating a whole new library, which takes FOREVER as I have nearly 120GB of music. And I lose all sorts of info... playlists, album art, etc. This is a real pain which I hope to avoid.
What gives me hope is that the last time this happened iTunes just spontaneously started working again. As if there were some sort of "timeout" issue. I have restarted multiple times of course, but still have not got a resolution this time. It would be nice if there were a simple "iTunes Library.itl.LOCK" file that I could delete.
Apple, would you please institute a crash recovery protocol for this issue? In all my reading and research, it seems like people are just sort of guessing at what is causing this problem, and coming up with a variety of different fixes that they think might work, or that occasionally work in given situations. But there seems to be no official word from anyone at Apple as far as a direct response to these library file locks caused by crashes.
Additionally, I feel that this may fall along the same lines as the lack of Time Machine support for networked drives. There is something sub optimal about Apple's networking. I don't know what it is. But there seems to be very little support for Apple users who use networked storage. Just to put my iTunes library on a NAS took a whole lot of reading and understanding to get done right, with no official help from Apple to be found anywhere. Not all mac users are dummies who need the simplest and most limited configuration options in order to avoid "problems". Networked storage is the future of home media and data backup. Please pay more attention to those of us who are trying to pave the way here.
Thanks for any help I might find here.CB many thanks!
woke up today with the exact same problem... iMac locked up while playing a video podcast off my NAS
(it was happily playing the audio even though the mouse was frozen)
couldnt get permission control of my Library.itl so found your post,
turned off the iTunes Server in my Synology (dont use it like that anyway) and rebooted the NAS.
iTunes immediatley launched WITHOUT the lock, performed its repair check and up it came!
THANK-YOU
...oddly I notice that I dont have permissions to ANY of my directorys/files,
guess 'cause they are set in the Synology Shared Folder permissions?
All are listed in the finder as:
(unknown) R&W
everyone NO ACCESS
cockbongo wrote:
I had exactly the same problem, but appear to have solved it
Not sure what make/model NAS you have, but if it has an iTunes Server type service on it, turn it off. This won't delete your music folder, don't worry, but it will stop your NAS thinking it deserves exclusive access to the library files. Then reboot your NAS and voila, you can do what you like with the files.
You can turn the iTunes service back on whenever you've finished doing what you need to do.
Hope that helps. -
yes itunes will not open it gives me an error that the file itunes library.itl is locked or on a locked disk or i don't have write permission for it.
Make sure that you have closed all programs that might be using the iTunes library.itl file. I would hit CTRL + ALT + DEL buttons and enter the Task Manager - from there end any unnecessary program running in the background.
Next try to start iTunes again. If it fails, restart PC, do the same with Task Manager and try to open iTunes again. -
iTunes will not open. I get a message that says, "The iTunes Library.itl file cannot be found or created. The default location for this file is in the "iTunes" folder in the music folder". How can I fix this?
Hi pgarard1,
If you are having issues with launching iTunes after an update, you may want to take a look at the troubleshooting in the following article:
iTunes for Windows: Doesn't open after upgrading in Windows Vista or Windows 7
http://support.apple.com/kb/TS2363
Regards,
- Brenden -
When I try ot open iTunes on my computer I get an error message stating "The iTunes Library.itl file cannot be found or created" and the program fails to open. How can I fix this issue?
Hi pgarard1,
If you are having issues with launching iTunes after an update, you may want to take a look at the troubleshooting in the following article:
iTunes for Windows: Doesn't open after upgrading in Windows Vista or Windows 7
http://support.apple.com/kb/TS2363
Regards,
- Brenden -
V7: "The iTunes Library.itl file cannot be found or created..."
Ok it's the second time it happens. The downloading and installing of version 7.0.1.8 went ok, but then when i first restarted my computer and tried to launch iTunes this message appeared :"The iTunes Library.itl file cannot be found or created. The default location of this file is in the iTunes folder in the MyMusic folder", and nothing else happens. Last time I got back to version 6 but my iPod requires v7! Can anyone help?
unfortunately it doesn't seem to work. the message shown in my case is slightly different, the file that cannot be found is the iTunes Library. the thing is the file IS in the right place, i.e. in MyMusic/iTunes. and when i upgraded iTunes all was working , this message first appeared the first time i rebooted my computer.
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