Q: All the content from my iTunes library has disappeared

There's two listings for the library I want, 2013-02-10 One has a little square notepad next to it, the other has a musical note. Which is the one I want to copy and rename? And where's the iTunes folder you refer to? Should I create one named that?

Also I don't see anything with .itl after it...

Here's your instructions so I don't have to go from one window to the other.

Take the most recent of these and copy it into the iTunes folder. Rename iTunes Library.itl as iTunes Library (Corrupt).itl and then rename the restored file as iTunes Library.itl. Start iTunes

You're interested in the file with the musical note which is the .itl file, the other will be the .xml

The instuctions now become:

Take the most recent of these and copy it into the iTunes folder. Rename iTunes Library as iTunes Library (Corrupt) and then rename the restored file as iTunes Library - start iTunes while holding down shift, click Choose then browse to and open ..\iTunes\iTunes Library

tt2

BLESS YOUR EVER-LOVIN HEART!

It even has my most recent playlists.

I hate to even go there, but can you explain further where those cloud symobls went and why they showed up to begin with? I like this library, it is basic and all there, and doesn't have the clouds which then I had to download songs... most of my playlists are back, and I am only a little nervous plugging in my Nano, since that was when things went most wrong. But first, I have to save this somewhere. Can I just drag it to my seagate?

btw I will be canceling my AVG and going for that free other one someone mentioned above... just in case!

When you are "signed in" to iTunes 11 with an "empty" library iTunes will show cloud links to your previous purchases because it doesn't know they already exist on your computer. Now that you're connected to your earlier library it can see those files so doesn't show the cloud links. Since the backup maybe a few months old you should probably use File > Add Folder to Library and add the iTunes Media folder.

You can just drag & drop the iTunes folder to your external drive as a backup, but this backup gives you a way to efficently update the backup in future. If you pay attention to the preview of changes it will also alert you to any potential problem, e.g. if it was about to replace your archived .itl file with a much smaller one that would show that the library had been corrupted.

I've switched to Microsoft Security Essentials. Free and no nags.

tt2

Thanks so much! I just coped two versions of my iTunes library to my external drive. The first time I used synctoy, and wound up moving wayyyyyy too much stuff, with three "errors" and the iTunes library I renamed "iTunes Library" didn't move over, just the one named, "iTunes library corrupt" which, by the way, turned out to be the correct library. I don't know why the name didn't change. I then did a drag and drop from my library to the external harddrive, into a new file called, 2nd attempt iTunes backup. Just in case. Now I will also create one on my harddrive. I do not trust my iPod not to mess things up again.

I am very happy.

Glad we got there in the end.

Sure copy the library files by hand for now. At some point having a complete clone of the entire iTunes folders on a separate drive would be a good move. Once done SyncToy can help keep the two copies in sync with minimal effort.

tt2

googling window security essentials brings up mediocre reviews. is that that only one you use? Do most people use more than one security program? I never give it much though til now, with this AVG business. Wow, I am going to step aay from my computer for a while! I'm fried.

thanks again, your've been awesome. I hope you have a great, day, tt2!!!!

Yes, I just use MSE but I'm also cautious about where I roam on the net or what things I click on. Having cleaned up after various "best of breed" AV packages have failed to protect the computers of friends and colleagues from "drive by" attacks I take such reviews with a pinch of salt. Any AV package can fail to protect against the new. I'd rather not pay or have my system slowed down by something that I know cannot offer complete protection. I've also got an arsenal of backup and recovery tools should the worst happen.

Multiple AV software is a potential cause of instability so I would caution against installing more than one. Avast is another option.

tt2

From 2009:

http://gigaom.com/2009/07/27/avg-antivirus-update-targets-itunes/

From 2013:

http://forums.avg.com/us-en/avg-forums?sec=thread&act=show&id=227017&type=0

http://forums.avg.com/ww-en/avg-forums?sec=thread&act=show&id=227297

Guess what. I just went into iTunes from a variety of paths, including my external drive, my hard drive, and we are back to just cloud songs. I even disabled AVG and saved a copy that way. ***????

This is why my instructions tell you to make a copy of the library file you restore rather than switching between alternatives with the shift-start-iTunes process. Even if the problem repeats you haven't touched the orginal and can restore it again on demand.

Disabling AVG won't undo the damage it has already caused. Uninstall AVG, copy a known good library file into the correct location, then shift-start iTunes if you're currently connected to a file on another path.

tt2

I did as you suggested. I made a copy and put it on my external device. When I opened it from there, it was the cloud version. However, and I say this with a very tired brain, right now, it all seems good. I took AVG off my computer, installed the Windows one. I restarted my computer a few times and then clicked on the little iTunes icon... and my whole lovely library is there. I now need to look at the one on the external drive again and possibly re-backup the library. Somehow the only one there was named, iTunes library corrupt. I'll get back to you.

just opened it from seagate external and it is fine. I don[t know why it didn't work earlier but . whatever. thanks again.

it's gone again. back to wrong version of library, with no ripped songs. I just don't understand what I'm doing wrong. Why does it work one minute and half an hourlater it doesn't???

Have we checked you don't have a Sony VAIO? If you've removed AVG and rebooted then you've removed the main culprit that I'm aware of at present. If you've installed another AV package it is as well to exclude the iTunes folder from real time scans. Perhaps you have some other active file scanning software that trips up iTunes as it goes about the business of updating the library files.

tt2

I don't know. I don't know how to check that. As far as I know I just have the windows security program installed now.

It's like there's something at work here, going into my external drive even, and changing the library. It was fine. I rebooted, and an hour later looked in on it, and the library was missing half my stuff. I just went in and was able to finally land on a decent version, after clicking a long series of "previous library" tabs that kept opening up. Still not the version I wanted, but it has my ripped songs and some playlists. I had to hold down the shift key and eventually got there. This is disheartening. Would a best buy Geek be able to sort it out? I am exhausted.