snkhan

Q: iTunes Library cannot be saved (Error -54)

Hey guys,

Recently started getting the following error "The iTunes Library file cannot be saved. An unknown error occured (-54)."

!http://img3.imageshack.us/img3/9720/picture1tt8.png!

I've searched the forums and Google, but can't seem to find a solution which fixes the error and which does not delete my ratings and playcounts.

Any help appreciated!

Message was edited by: snkhan

Apple iMac 20" 2GB RAM, Mac OS X (10.5.6), iPhone 3G 2.1, iLife '08, iWork '08

Posted on Feb 19, 2009 1:47 PM

Close

Q: iTunes Library cannot be saved (Error -54)

  • All replies
  • Helpful answers

Previous Page 2 of 7 last Next
  • by jordanfrank,

    jordanfrank jordanfrank Mar 2, 2011 5:10 AM in response to snkhan
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Mar 2, 2011 5:10 AM in response to snkhan
    I recently moved my iTunes library to an external drive. This allows me to open it from a 2nd computer as well as the one it is connected to.

    I had it open on the 2nd computer where I was syncing a phone. I pulled the phone out before the sync was done (had to go to work) and then had to do a force shut down on that computer.

    When I tried returned to iTunes on the main computer, it gave me this error repeatedly. When I quit and tried to come back to iTunes, it would not let me open the library.

    After opening iTunes on the 2nd computer once more (and doing a full phone sync - not necessarily related to fixing the problem) and closing it down... then I was able to open it happily again on the primary computer.
  • by splurben,

    splurben splurben Jan 26, 2012 3:17 PM in response to iMacPodshuffle
    Level 1 (100 points)
    Jan 26, 2012 3:17 PM in response to iMacPodshuffle

    This link is dead.

  • by bediddleby,

    bediddleby bediddleby Jan 30, 2012 6:08 AM in response to iMacPodshuffle
    Level 1 (44 points)
    iPhone
    Jan 30, 2012 6:08 AM in response to iMacPodshuffle

    iMacPodshuffle wrote:

     

    Have you already tried this:
    Go to iTunes, "file", choose export library. Save the library.xml file on your desktop. Quit iTunes, delete the library files in the iTunes folder. Relaunch iTunes, go to "file", click on import library and choose the library.xml file.

    I was having this problem in OS X 10.7.2 and this simple trick fixed it. Thanks.

  • by PattieLennoah,

    PattieLennoah PattieLennoah Feb 8, 2012 3:46 PM in response to bediddleby
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Feb 8, 2012 3:46 PM in response to bediddleby

    I'm running 10.6.8 and just started getting this error today. So, if I do what you're suggesting, I won't lose my playlists or anything?

  • by bediddleby,

    bediddleby bediddleby Feb 8, 2012 9:21 PM in response to PattieLennoah
    Level 1 (44 points)
    iPhone
    Feb 8, 2012 9:21 PM in response to PattieLennoah

    No, I retained all my playlists, etc.

  • by handyman3,

    handyman3 handyman3 Feb 11, 2012 5:52 AM in response to bediddleby
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Feb 11, 2012 5:52 AM in response to bediddleby

    Hey, just a quick question, you mentioned  "delete the library files in the iTunes folder". I was wondering if you meant to delete all library files ? I have "Library Extras.itdb" "Library Genius.itdb" and "Library.itl". Just want to make sure this stuff is all new to me, Thanks !

  • by bediddleby,

    bediddleby bediddleby Feb 12, 2012 8:44 AM in response to handyman3
    Level 1 (44 points)
    iPhone
    Feb 12, 2012 8:44 AM in response to handyman3

    The XML. Mine is called "iTunes Music Library.xml"

  • by handyman3,

    handyman3 handyman3 Feb 13, 2012 6:09 AM in response to bediddleby
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Feb 13, 2012 6:09 AM in response to bediddleby

    I have saved the library.XML as you mentioned, on the desk top. I was just wondering about which other libraries were to be deleted. I have the 3 I mentioned earlier. "iTunes extras.itdb" "iTunes Genius.itdb" and "iTunes library.itl". I appreciate your help, Thanks very much !

  • by bediddleby,

    bediddleby bediddleby Feb 13, 2012 6:14 AM in response to handyman3
    Level 1 (44 points)
    iPhone
    Feb 13, 2012 6:14 AM in response to handyman3

    Oh, I see what you're saying. I don't believe I deleted any of those other files. They might get recreated after you create your new main library file anyway, but I'm not 100% sure. Maybe someone else can offer better insight here.

  • by handyman3,

    handyman3 handyman3 Feb 13, 2012 8:47 AM in response to bediddleby
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Feb 13, 2012 8:47 AM in response to bediddleby

    No worries, I appreciate your time thanks.

  • by Jason Warth,

    Jason Warth Jason Warth Mar 8, 2012 4:11 PM in response to snkhan
    Level 1 (10 points)
    Mar 8, 2012 4:11 PM in response to snkhan

    There's a solution that's even a bit simpler than the already-simple one outlined in this thread.  Instead of exporting the library to the desktop, deleting the library files (in the iTunes folder), moving the exported library file to the iTunes folder, importing, etc...

     

    Simply export the iTunes library to the existing iTunes library folder

     

    (Use the same name as the existing library.xml file—and, when asked, confirm that you want to overwrite the existing file.)

     

    Ta-da!  No manual file management needed.

  • by BaristoSan,

    BaristoSan BaristoSan Mar 24, 2012 4:00 AM in response to snkhan
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Mar 24, 2012 4:00 AM in response to snkhan

    Thank you so much! I tried two suggestions, unsure which one fixed the problem:

     

    1. Changed my Recently Played smart-list to only display entries from the last two days.
    2. Reset my warnings via the advanced menu.

     

    I also happened to switch from SFTP to FTP in a plugin I use. No more silly -54 errors! Thank you again for bearing with me.

     

    I too tried two things (previously unsuggested) and not sure which fixed it. My errors began occurring after I restored my OS X install from a Time Machine backup:

     

    1. File > Library > Organize Library... > Consolidate Files

    2. Disk Utility > Repair Disk Permissions

     

    The same error occured a crap load of times during the Consolidate Files process.

     

    It's also worth noting that I had exported my library as suggested in this thread, but decided to give the two options above a try before deleting and importing the library file.

  • by nenis26,

    nenis26 nenis26 Apr 1, 2012 6:45 PM in response to snkhan
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Apr 1, 2012 6:45 PM in response to snkhan

    i had the same problem today by no reason i try to delete a song from my itunes library and shortly after i got a box with a message saying "The Itunes library file cannot be saved. error (-54) and i was concern because i never got this message before but i came here and i was reading any solution in how to get rid of this message and i just quited my itunes library and open it again and delet the same song and the box was gone i havent received it anymore

  • by francese02130,

    francese02130 francese02130 Apr 18, 2012 5:15 PM in response to snkhan
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Apr 18, 2012 5:15 PM in response to snkhan

    Same error (-54) here. There are lots of solutions in this thread, but this did it for me:

     

    - deleted all my podcasts and emptied the trash. Restarted itunes. Deleted them again and restarted itunes again.

  • by Annalea,

    Annalea Annalea May 21, 2012 4:58 PM in response to BaristoSan
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Mac OS X
    May 21, 2012 4:58 PM in response to BaristoSan

    Fwiw, Consolidating files did nada for me.  Still waiting on the permissions repair to see if that makes a difference.  Considering the nature of the error, that's the one that seems it would work, out of the two.

     

    Well, repairing disk permissions seems to have done it.  Thanks!

Previous Page 2 of 7 last Next