sky1415

Q: HELP! My Library keeps resetting itself

Hello all

 

     Since yesterday my iTunes library has reset itself, twice! I am on a HP Pavilion DV7 running Windows 8 with iTunes 11.0.2. It has been a while since I updated the software and have done absolutely nothing to my music folders or iTunes. It was working fine then when I fired it up yesterday morning everything was gone. I have tried reloading the library but the only library file is the blank library.

     

     All my music is still on my computer it's just not in complied into a library anymore. And for some reson the only playlists i have in my iTunes folder are ones from several months ago that have since been deleted, updated, renamed (within iTunes itself), etc. I have 5000+ songs and I really don't want to try to repopulate my library again until I can get this problem solved. Here is a list of the files that are currently in my iTunes folder.

  • iTunes Library (1) - 9/1/2011 - iTunes Database File
  • iTunes Library Extras (1) - 8/17/2010 -  iTunes Database File
  • iTunes Library Extras - 9/3/2011 -  iTunes Database File
  • iTunes Library Genius (1) - 8/17/2010 -  iTunes Database File
  • iTunes Library Genius - 9/3/2011 -  iTunes Database File
  • iTunes Library - 3/26/2013 -  iTunes Database File (This is the current library file that is blank)
  • iT 1.tmp - 7/24/2011
  • iT 2.tmp - 3/24/2013
  • iT 3.tmp - 3/26/2013
  • iT.tmp - 7/23/2011
  • Temp File.tmp - 2/20/2013
  • iTunes Music Library - 3/26/2013 - XML Document

 

     Out of all those files what can i delete? I feel like half of those aren't needed.

 

     Is anyone else having this problem?

 

Thank you for any help you can provide

iTunes 11.0.2, Windows 8

Posted on Mar 26, 2013 10:28 AM

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Q: HELP! My Library keeps resetting itself

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  • by Denise Woodcock,

    Denise Woodcock Denise Woodcock Mar 30, 2013 4:53 AM in response to turingtest2
    Level 2 (423 points)
    iBooks
    Mar 30, 2013 4:53 AM in response to turingtest2

    The only recent tmp files were very very small and the files in previous itunes libraries were dated 2011 and 2012. 

     

    I use iTunes every day, there's usually some mobile apps updated each day, adding books or music so I wiould have expected to see a large file dated earlier yesterday in the tmp list.  The largest one I did rename but it is now labelled as damaged.

     

    I'm not too bothered about losing app info from the phone but have backed up the mobile synch folder which contains the back ups I did of the phone, iPad and iPod Touch yesterday before this happened.  Does your comment though mean when I attach my phone next it is going to mean I have to re-add photos, music and videos?  Just so I am forewarned that it might take a little more work on each of my devices.  Thanks

     

    I also noticed some of my preferences had changed including the one that keeps the iTunes library organised and adding media to the iTunes library so it might be worth users checking their own preferences have not been changed.

     

    I also have two copies each of iTunes Library Extras and iTunes Library Genius in my recycle bin, one of each dated at the time I opened iTunes late last night and another of each from when I tried using the renamed itl file.

     

    So I am continuing re-adding my iTunes Media folders into my account and will wait and see what happens.  My AVG update is set for 18.00 so I will re-boot my PC around then and see if it all disappears (I have excluded iTunes from AVG scan).

  • by joshuadcook,

    joshuadcook joshuadcook Mar 30, 2013 5:37 AM in response to Denise Woodcock
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Mar 30, 2013 5:37 AM in response to Denise Woodcock

    I've been having the same problems in the last week or two, and it's really beginning to frustrate me, as it's now removing my library every day, regardless of when I open iTunes.

     

    I also had AVG, and created an exception for iTunes like another user suggested, and that hasn't made a difference either. I also did a complete re-install of iTunes and it's accompanying software, and just opened iTunes and it's all disappeared again.

     

    I really hope Apple does something to correct this soon, as I'm already considering using another program to manage my media.

     

    Any other solutions people find would be much appreciated.

  • by Koppster,

    Koppster Koppster Mar 30, 2013 6:03 AM in response to Denise Woodcock
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Mar 30, 2013 6:03 AM in response to Denise Woodcock

    The *.tmp files will only be a few megs, not especially large

  • by jameslatter,

    jameslatter jameslatter Mar 30, 2013 6:20 AM in response to sky1415
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Mar 30, 2013 6:20 AM in response to sky1415

    I've been having the same problems - removing the library 4 or 5 times in the last couple of hours. No changes to the computer except for updating AVG & I'm running iTunes 10 on Windows 7.

     

    AVG advised me to exclude iTunes (exe file), but this hasn't worked. However, watching what happens to the iTunes folder when opening and closing iTunes shows that it kept creating one of the .tmp files and then not deleting it. Whenever it was creating one of those, it then seemed to lose the library upon the next opening of iTunes.

     

    I have now deleted all of the .tmp files, the sentinel file and the library related files and then restored only the library ones from a backup. So far, it doesn't now seem to create the .tmp file upon opening and the library seems to be all ok. But we'll see as it's not been too long...

  • by Denise Woodcock,

    Denise Woodcock Denise Woodcock Mar 30, 2013 6:40 AM in response to Koppster
    Level 2 (423 points)
    iBooks
    Mar 30, 2013 6:40 AM in response to Koppster

    By small I mean around 412 kb, whereas I expcted them to be maybe 15-18 Mb??  The 'damaged' file which was the one I re-named is just over 18 mb.  The rest are all less than 1 Mb.

     

    Now I've re-added all my folders I have an itunes Music Library just over 18 mb and an itunes library of almost 6 mb.

     

    But then lots of the small .tmp folders. 

     

    Note that I usually update iTunes software as soon after issue as I can, and AVG runs every night, so I had installed the latest iTunes some time back and AVG has been updating each day and this only hit me yesterday

  • by nosenabook,

    nosenabook nosenabook Mar 30, 2013 6:57 AM in response to Denise Woodcock
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Mar 30, 2013 6:57 AM in response to Denise Woodcock

    I can't predict how your experience will go, but so far (knock on wood) my iPod has not been changed by iTunes while connected.

     

    Back to the main topic:

    I left iTunes open but minimized while reading the last few posts and checking (and deleting) my Recycle Bin. iTunes had reset when I called it up to transfer some podcasts.

    The Recycle Bin now has one iTunes Library Extras folder and one iTunes Library Genius folder. Before deletion, the Recycle Bin had multiples of these folders.

     

    Possibly related:

    While I'm at it, in case there's a connection, I have trouble managing my podcast list because iTunes will randomly set the view to the general iPod device page.

    I have chosen the "old" look for iTunes, with a sidebar to the left. With the iPod connected and the list of podcasts on the iPod highlighted in the sidebar, the list of podcasts often disappears and leaves me looking at the device page. Podcasts remains highlighted. I have to click out of podcasts and back in to show the llist again.

     

    Cold comfort to know I'm not alone with this problem.

  • by jameslatter,

    jameslatter jameslatter Mar 30, 2013 6:58 AM in response to sky1415
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Mar 30, 2013 6:58 AM in response to sky1415

    Ok, so it kept renaming the iTunes Library.itl file as iT.tmp upon opening/exiting iTunes which caused the library to disappear next time. Very frustrating. With iTunes open, I renamed the .tmp file to iTunes Library.itl and it fixed it...until the next time.

     

    However, I have just disabled AVG and have successfully opened and exited iTunes with no problems around 20 times. I couldn't get past two times before this. So I guess there is a problem with the new AVG version...even though I'd excluded iTunes within AVG. Odd.

     

    Now looking for another free antivirus programme..

  • by Hector Rodriguez,

    Hector Rodriguez Hector Rodriguez Mar 30, 2013 7:40 AM in response to sky1415
    Level 1 (53 points)
    iTunes
    Mar 30, 2013 7:40 AM in response to sky1415

    By the way, I have two user account's on my computer, mine and my wife's.  Her account has her own seperate iTunes library database and media folder.  The same thing was happening on her account.

     

    Well after having uninstalled AVG last night, I too have opened and exited iTunes many times, turned the computer on and off many times, switched between users many times and NO DELETED libraries on either account.  I'll keep you posted if this changes.

  • by Ashkeroth,

    Ashkeroth Ashkeroth Mar 30, 2013 9:15 AM in response to sky1415
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Mar 30, 2013 9:15 AM in response to sky1415

    Hi, I am in the same situation as you are now. I am very keen to see the actual solution. My library has been resetted THREE times and it's getting frustrating because I upload songs base on the "Added Date". So because I wipe them all out, I can't find which ones were my latest added ones...very frustrating. Hope someone rates the solution soon.

     

    EDIT: I also use AVG, if this is a common issue nudge me.

  • by turingtest2,

    turingtest2 turingtest2 Mar 30, 2013 9:18 AM in response to Denise Woodcock
    Level 10 (87,395 points)
    Apple TV
    Mar 30, 2013 9:18 AM in response to Denise Woodcock

    A quick look at my library suggests about about 1k per track for the .itl file. Looking now it seems the default name for the temporary file is Temp File.tmp. If that name is already being used due to an earlier crash iTunes will create Temp File 1.tmp and, presumably similarly named objects. In the past I'm pretty sure it used to create iTunes Temp.tmp and iT.tmp befpre moving on to numbered files.

     

    I've just tried to capture the action with my library and it seem that iTunes plays the same temp & rename trick with the .xml file. Depending on when the problem strikes the .tmp file may be either the .itl or the .xml file.and it could still be in the process of being updated. Restoring the library from the .tmp will only be successful if it is a complete copy of the .itl file.

     

    If you end up rebuilding the library from scratch it may have a different identity from the old one (so iTunes will want to erase & reload the device) which is why restoring an old version and bringing that up to date with the contents of the media folder may be a better move. File > Add Folder to Library > <Media Folder> will generally do.

     

    tt2

  • by Koppster,

    Koppster Koppster Mar 30, 2013 9:41 AM in response to Koppster
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Mar 30, 2013 9:41 AM in response to Koppster

    Bad news, my library disappeared again. I'm going to uninstall AVG  and restore my library. I'll let you know what happens.

  • by turingtest2,

    turingtest2 turingtest2 Mar 30, 2013 9:46 AM in response to Koppster
    Level 10 (87,395 points)
    Apple TV
    Mar 30, 2013 9:46 AM in response to Koppster

    I suggest Microsoft Security Essentials as an alternative...

     

    tt2

  • by Koppster,

    Koppster Koppster Mar 30, 2013 9:54 AM in response to turingtest2
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Mar 30, 2013 9:54 AM in response to turingtest2

    TT2...that's the plan, we'll see if it works. I noticed Hector uninstalled AVG and is having good luck...so far...lol

  • by erica216,

    erica216 erica216 Mar 30, 2013 10:56 AM in response to sky1415
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Mar 30, 2013 10:56 AM in response to sky1415

    I have uninstalled AVG as well.  Got my full library back together.  I'll let you know if it disappears again.

  • by fromsouth,

    fromsouth fromsouth Mar 30, 2013 12:11 PM in response to sky1415
    Level 5 (4,826 points)
    iCloud
    Mar 30, 2013 12:11 PM in response to sky1415

    I wish one of you guys, the once who decided to stick with AVG reported that to AVG as false positive.

    There is a tool that allows reports inside of the program. I suspect that thread is going to grow until they know.

    Few years back I reported something took them 2 days and they fixed that. (program was stopping start up of online game)

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