Windows C drive check deleted my iTunes library file!

My laptop (HP HDX 16 running Vista) was having trouble resuming from sleep mode and I had to do a forced shut down. Upon booting up, it started to check my C drive for errors, and for some reason, deleted my iTunes Library file (it literally said it was doing that). Now my iTunes is completely empty, and the last backed up library file is from months ago. Is there any way to get my iTunes back to the way it was earlier today?!

Hi rpvee,
Thanks for visiting Apple Support Communities.
Depending on which library file was deleted from your computer, you may be able to rebuild the iTunes library.
See the "Re-creating the iTunes Library file" section of this article for the instructions:
iTunes: How to re-create your iTunes library and playlists
http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1451
Regards,
Jeremy

Similar Messages

I've unknowingly deleted my iTunes Library file, and now I'm stuck!

I was in the process of moving my songs and videos to an extrenal hard drive, and it had worked successfully--the files were on the new hard drive and iTunes recognized them after the move. And I even knew that I wasn't supposed to deleted the ITL file, but somehow managed to do so anyway. I am very stupid and deserve some (mild) derision.
I realize that by deleting my ITL file I will not get back my play counts, ratings, and play lists, and tho angered, I can live with that. My problem now is that I can't get iTunes to recognize the library on the external drive AT ALL. I get the blank library screen, even tho iTunes knows where it is (based on the "Advanced" menu in iTunes Preferences).
1) How do I get iTunes to display the contents of the relocated library on the external drive?
2) Is there an outside chance that all of the play counts, ratings and playlists could be resurrected by synching with my iPod?
Any help would be greatly appreciated!

even tho iTunes knows where it is
No, iTunes doesn't know where your library is.
You're not the only one who is confused by that.
By setting the 'iTunes Music' folder location, you set the location where iTunes has to store the next imports.
And you told iTunes where to put the songs after you choose 'Add to Library...' (when you have checked 'Copy files to iTunes Music folder when adding to library').
The location of your songs is stored in the 'iTunes Library' file, which you, unfortunately, trashed.
Just drag and drop the folder with all your music on the Library icon in the Source pane or select 'Add to Library...' and navigate to the folder containing your music.
I can't tell you how much information is restored by syncing your iPod.
I have no experience with it.
If it was set to 'automatically update', it could be wiped.
Several 3rd party applications can transfer songs, including playlists, ratings and play counts to the computer.
Try Senuti or iPodRip (find the latest versions on versiontracker.com).
Hope this helps.
M
17' iMac fp 800 MHz 768 MB RAM Mac OS X (10.3.9) Several ext. HD (backup and data)

I deleted the "itunes Library" file...

(This question pertains to a Mac, not PC, latest version of iTunes)
So I was juggling around "iTunes Library" files, and I accidentally deleted the existing one but kept the new (empty) one. I found a support article about using the xml file in the same folder, and doing an "import playlist" command, so I tried that, but unfortunately it didn't do anything -- my itunes window is still blank (and this is the existing xml file, no changes have been made to it).
My iTunes library lives on an external HD, but even though my preferences still point to that path, iTunes isn't seeing it. I even tried to consolidate that iTunes folder to a new location, but it wouldn't work because iTunes currently isn't seeing the music folder, so there's no "point of origin" for the consolidation.
I know that PC users can do a Shift while they start iTunes, and designate the new file path... is there something similar for Mac that will magically restore my playlists and full library? I'm hoping there's a way to get everything back aside from the "Add to Library" command, because I'm not sure if that will allow me to play things I've purchased from the iTunes store. My iTunes preferences still point to the correct folder where I keep all of my music, but iTunes remains empty.
Lastly, in the "Previous Versions of iTunes" folder, the most recent library file is from 2 months ago, so that doesn't help me much, unless I'm able to do that, then do an "Add to library" command, hoping that iTunes will just add all of the music I've bought in the last 2 months?
I feel like there's an easy answer to this one, but I'm just not getting it... anyone have any ideas?
Many thanks,
Kirby

After you deleted the iTunes lbrary file, then opened iTunes, the .XML file was rewritten y iTunes, erasing the info in it.
in the "Previous Versions of iTunes" folder, the most recent library file is from 2 months ago, so that doesn't help me much, unless I'm able to do that, then do an "Add to library" command, hoping that iTunes will just add all of the music I've bought in the last 2 months?
Yes.
Open iTunes.
File -> Library - Import playlist and select the latest iTunes library file in Previous iTunes libraries.
Then File -> add to library and select the iTunes music folder where your music is located.

ITunes library file corrupt after updating?

Just the other day I updated to the latest iTunes software. This is the first time I've tried to use it and it keeps freezing (the swirly rainbow icon) until I eventually have to give up and force quit. My iTunes library is on an external hard drive which has admittedly been taking longer and longer to boot up each time I connect it, I don't know if this is related.
After doing some research on here I created a new test iTunes library on my hard drive and it worked perfectly, so it must be a corrupt library file? I followed the advice on an old thread and replaced the corrupt library file with an older one from December.
It worked....but here's the complication. Since that last backup in December I started using iTunes Match. When I opened the older library file, I saw that iTunes Match wasn't turned on, so I turned it on and it was saying that none of my library had been uploaded to iCloud except for iTunes purchases. I quickly exited, because frankly I couldn't bear the thought of all my library having to be uploaded to iCloud again (it took days and days...and days!). The music is still on the iCloud, but if I open that older version of my iTunes library it doesn't seem to think that it is.
Any idea what I should do?
Thanks for your help

hmmmm. perhaps try running a chkdsk over the drive on which your iTunes library file is stored:
How to perform disk error checking in Windows XP
does that find/repair any damage? if so, do you still get the same message from your itunes?

ITunes Library file corrupt or unreadable -- unable to be saved

When I open itunes, I have to import my library everytime... and it says that the library file is corrupt or unreadable and cannot be saved. Can anyone else with this issue, please?

hmmmm. perhaps try running a chkdsk over the drive on which your iTunes library file is stored:
How to perform disk error checking in Windows XP
does that find/repair any damage? if so, do you still get the same message from your itunes?

My itunes cannot be update on my windows xp. so i delete my itunes and install new, but now i got new problems, it says "The file itune.library.itl cannot be read because it was created by newer version of itunes." so how can it be solved?

my itunes cannot be update on my windows xp. so i delete my itunes and install new, but now i got new problems, it says "The file itune.library.itl cannot be read because it was created by newer version of itunes." so how can it be solved?

Hello Bebyida,
Thanks for using Apple Support Communities.
For more information on this, take a look at:
http://www.apple.com/itunes/download/
Best of luck,
Mario

Trying to back up iPad to external hard drive, "iTunes library file cannot be saved. The disk you are attempting to use is full."

This issue is somewhat complex so I will try to explain it as clearly as I can. Any help will be greatly appreciated.
It all began when I kept getting popups from my iPad saying that I had not backed up since May. I realized that was pretty dangerous so I decided to finally try syncing it to iTunes, though I had avoided doing so for so long because I knew that when I tried there was no room on the computer. I then remembered that I have an external hard drive with plenty of storage space, so I got that out and set it up with a folder to move iTunes and the backup into.
On iTunes I went to the Advanced Preferences and changed iTunes Media Folder Location to the G: folder, with the keep organized box checked. I also copied the previous backups from the original C: drive to G: so that I could delete the ones on C:.
I used Junction Link Magic to link my now empty MobileSync backup on C: to a new (JLM would not work unless it was empty) backup folder on external hard drive G:.
I plugged in my iPad to iTunes to sync it, and while it was backing up I checked the new folder on G: to make sure that the backup was being put there. It was.
However, about halfway through I got the message "iTunes library file cannot be saved. The disk you are attempting to use is full."
My question is Why? If it is being made in a 1.5 terabyte hard drive now, and not the computer, why is there no disk space? My guess is that it must still somehow be saving to the computer. But how? And how can I get it to save solely on the G: drive where there is enough room?
I am running Windows XP and the latest version of iTunes.
An additional but not as crucial issue:
Much of my music has been lost, with the being displayed next to the songs in the iTunes library, and only 50 (purchased) songs remain on my iPad. This was because those missing songs were stored on a different external hard drive ( I:). However, I copied many of the music folders on I: over to G: so that everything could be together. I am wondering if it is possible for me to get these songs back onto my iPad. But this is not my most important issue right now, because I believe that once I get the first issue solved I can simply plug in I: and G: at the same time while syncing the iPad, and get the songs back.
Note: I have come to realize the iTunes program itself is still under Program Files in the C: drive. Does this have to do with anything?

Short term, free up some disk space. Long term, move the library to a bigger drive.
tt2

I have multiple libraries on an external drive. Somehow all the iTunes library files i.e. iTunes Library.itl, xml, itdb, Media folder, etc disappeared! Only the music files remain. Now when I start iTunes w/option it can't find any of the old libraries!

Help! I 'm using an old G4 powerbook, Mac OSX 10.5.8, iTunes ver 10. I have multiple iTunes libraries on an external drive. Everything was fine for a while, then all of the iTunes library files, i.e. iTunes Library.itl, xml, itdb, artwork folder, Media folder, etc mysteriously disappeared! Only the music files remain (thank god) So now when I start iTunes w/option key to choose a library, I can't choose any of them because iTunes won't recognize them. Because all the library stuff is missing. So can I re-create the library files? (I don't care if I lose my ratings)
Or should I create a new empty library on the external drive, then manually move all the music files to the Media folder in the new library?
I tried some stupid ideas like creating a new library just to start iTunes, then going into prefs and advanced, then under iTunes Media folder location, selecting the location of the old library on the external, to see if iTunes would then find all the music which is still there, but no workee.
I'm out of ideas, and I searched the archives.
Help! anyone?
Scott

I don't know if this is me adding files to iTunes when the external wasn't connected
it is.
is it OK to just keep deleting that library on the Air?
i wouldn't - at least not until i
mount the external
point iTunes media folder location back to the external via preferences > advanced
consolidate my library via file > library > organize library
The ntfs hasn't seem to be causing any problems, but I've always wanted to know.
in order for your Mac to write to NTFS drives, it needs some help by installing e.g. the NTFS 3G driver. apparently that or something similar is installed on your Mac already. preferably, it would be formatted for Mac but then windows machines would need to have e.g. MacDrive installed to recognize the drive.

Accidently deleted both my itunes library files

I accidently deleted both my itunes library files and because I restored them back from my recycle bin I seem to have managed to overwrite them with empty files, I still have all my music files that i can import back in to my itunes but how do i get my playlists back? The only place they are stored is on my ipod. I have never been able to do a backup becuse you have to do one to disk and don't seem to have the option to back up to a hard drive and since havn't found any disks that store 160gb i haven't ever been able to backup itunes. I have a portable hard drive and have all my music backed up to it but not a backup that contains the playlists, does anyone know how to get them back

Each time you restart iTunes it assumes that all the tracks are where it thinks they are. The exclamation marks only show up if iTunes attempts to do something with the files and cannot find them.
Possible causes are that you or some third party tool like WIndows Media Player have moved, renamed or deleted the files, or that the drive they live on has changed drive letters. 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.
Select a track with an exclamation mark, use Ctrl-I to get info, then cancel when asked to try 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.
Alternatively, as long as you can find a location holding the missing files, then you might be able to reconnect iTunes to them using my FindTracks script. To start with test it out on a handful of tracks that show up as missing in action. If it can find & repair the links to those throw larger selections at it until everything is connected.
tt2

Can I create a "new" iTunes library on an external hard drive and transfer my iTune library to save space on my laptop

Can I create a "new" iTunes library on an external hard drive and transfer my iTune library to save space on my laptop hard drive

Yes. Just copy all your music to a folder on your external. Then delete the music on your computers hard drive.
It is not quite that simple. If you do that you will end up with many broken links and will have to re-create your library from scratch . iTunes does not like it when you move or rename files or folders and doing so between drives is guaranteed to result in exclamation marks indicating you have broken the links to all your media files.
If you are content with moving the whole library to an external drive (usually the best thing for most people), try:
iTunes: How to move [or copy] your music to a new computer [or another drive] - http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4527
Quick answer if you use iTunes' default preferences settings: Copy the entire iTunes folder (and in doing so all its subfolders and files) intact to the other drive. Open iTunes and immediately hold down the Option (alt) key (shift on Windows), then guide it to the new location of the library.

How to delete multiple old ITUNES LIBRARY files safely ?

I'd like to clean up my Itunes LIBRARY files, but don't know what's safe to do and not to do. (I have Itunes 8.1 / OSX10.4.11)
MY QUESTION IS TWOFOLD :
(1) how do I create a new Itunes library file now with today's date; and
(2) how do I delete multiple (old) Itunes library files, without risking the loss of what I've got ?
This all stems from exploring Itunes as a result of a problem I had today... when trying to import mp3's from my terrabyte drive, after about 150 successful mp3 track imports, Itunes froze and everything else on my MAC froze as well (constant spinning colored wheel). After many failed attempts to force quit Itunes, I turned off my MBPro. On restarting, Itunes tooks ages to "import" files. Eventually Itunes opened but with only half of my original tunes (1500+ songs 8.11GB) and had nothing from today's import.
I found a post suggesting to hold down OPTION while starting Itunes. Then I selected a file from my hard drive > me > music > Itunes > "Itune library" with the most recent date and shezam, Itunes once again has all my songs, as before. Nothing I imported from the terrabyte drive today appears however, but no matter.
In my "Itunes" file there appear MULTIPLE Itunes libraries ! such as Itunes library, Itunes Library (damaged), and as well a folder called "Previous Itunes Libraries" which itself contains multiple Itunes Library files and multiple "previous Itunes Library files" with dates back to 2007. These I want to clean up and delete .... should I ? ... Can I ?
I really could use some words of wisdom from the wise ! Thanks in advance

Whenever you install a new version of iTunes and run it teh first time, iTunes will create a backup of the current iTunes library file and copy it into \Music\iTunes\Previous iTunes libraries, then update the iTunes library file in \Music\iTunes\ for the current version of iTunes.

I redirected iTunes to an external drive and moved my iTunes library and folder, but my hard drive is still low on space. How can I be sure that my music is all on the external HD ONLY, especially with the new iCloud technology?

I redirected iTunes to an external drive and moved my iTunes library and folder, but my hard drive is still low on space. How can I be sure that my music is all on the external HD ONLY, especially with the new iCloud technology? It doesn't look like I created any more space by doing this, AND I totally lost all my iTunes playlists. I'm not sure if because I added old library materials manually if this messed up my playlists, or if the new location is just not reading my moved library. In any case, I followed step by step instructions and found a few holes and thought I'd just "figure it out" but I guess I'm not as smart as I thought since I'm still scratching my head many hours later.
Thanks for any support ;-)
Eaglerocker

Quick answer if you use iTunes' default preferences settings: Copy the entire iTunes folder (and in doing so all its subfolders and files) intact to the other drive. Open iTunes and immediately hold down the option (alt) key (shift on Windows) so you get a prompt to select a library, then guide it to the 'iTunes Library.itl' file in the moved iTunes folder.
If this is to a new computer and you put the copied iTunes folder in the default location of Macintosh HD > Users > *User Name* > Music then you don't even need to start with the option key held down, iTunes will automatically look for it there. (Make sure there isn't anything already in the iTunes folder there that you want to keep since you will be replacing it with the one you are moving.)
iTunes: How to move [or copy] your music [library] to a new computer [or another drive] - http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4527 - a somewhat bewildering and not always easily understandable set of options.

I have a new PC and I am getting the message "The iTunes Library File cannot be saved. You do not have enough access privileges for this operation." I am the only one using this PC and I have Windows 7 Pro and have an administrator account. Help

Can anyone help me with this problem. ITunes message," The iTunes library file cannot be saved. You do not have enough access privileges for this operation." I have administrator account and transferred files from old PC. I downloaded new iTunes program on new PC. I synced my iPhone to new PC, no problem. I deleted old account after indicating shared files to new admin account. Can anyone help?

A belated reply, as the problems itunes has have discouraged me from using it much. If you uncheck the "read only" box, it doesn't stay that way! Next time you use it, the box comes up checked.
I'm still having that problem, even when I open iTunes as administrator.
I've yet to see the answer to this problem. I use itunes mostly to download audiobooks, and I'm ready to download more, and want to save them!

New Hard Drive, No Access to ITunes Library on Old Hard Drive

My hard drive died yesterday, and no data recovery was possible, so I lost my ITunes library, which was made up mostly of songs that I had imported from my extensive CD collection.
I have no backup CD with the library on it.
I had hoped that I'd be able to transfer over the songs from my IPod to the new hard drive that I had installed today. I downloaded ITunes and attached my IPod, and received a message stating that my IPod was synced with a different computer, and only had the option to (1) Transfer songs bought from the ITunes store, or (2) Sync with the new computer and erase everything off of my IPod.
I read a few help articles about using the IPod as a hard drive, but I can't do that as I don't have access to the original ITunes Library folder.
Any ideas?
Mini Windows XP

There's an answer to your question but first it's time for a little lecture - if it makes a difference, I don't feel any better about this than you do. ; - )
I hope you take this unfortunate state of affairs as an opportunity to learn a very important lesson: Back up your iTunes library as soon as you can after resolving this situation because right now you are only one glitch of your iPod away from losing your music entirely.
Many people come to the Discussions having lost their music in just such situations and, believe me, it's not a happy time for anyone.
If you place any importance on your playlists and the data they depend on, make sure to include the iTunes Library files in your back-up regimen as well.
Anyways, that's the lecture. The answer to your problem should be found in Zevoneer's post .
Good Luck! But once you have the music back on your computer, remember:
Your music is valuable - please back it up!

How to make an app deleted from iTunes library be deleted from all the iOS devices synced with this library?

Hello!
I have 3 iOS devices synced with iTunes apps library (OS X 10.10.2)
Can someone tell me how to make not only added but deleted apps be synced also? I mean I want an app deleted in iTunes library be deleted from any iOS devices synced with this library.

But it was working some time before! What and when has changed?
There was even a warning popup window something about "this application will be deleted from all the devices synced with this library"
Now there's opposite message - "This application will not be deleted from any device syncing with this account". Isn't it some kind of clue that there can be conrarily circumstances - when application IS deleted from ANY device synced with this computer?

Windows C drive check deleted my iTunes library file!

Similar Messages

Maybe you are looking for