Tzioup
Level 1 (0 points)

Q: Fresh Win7 install, impossible to recover files from previous iTunes Media folder from external HDD.

Hi there

 

I dropped my Windows laptop and squashed the HDD a little while ago. Thankfully I had transfered my entire iTunes library on an external HDD as it would not fit on my laptop anymore (i.e. the library on my external drive IS my iTunes library, not just a back up of it).

 

After going through a period of mourning, I got it together and replaced the internal HDD, reinstalled Windows and iTunes. But I cannot get a single track from my library to play, whether in iTunes or VLC, and am unable to import it either (whether single file or bulk import).

 

I thought I had bypassed this issue when I downgraded iTunes to 10.7, and replaced the iTunes Library file from iTunes Media with the one from my external HDD. Magic! Most of my music showed up, along with my playlists (up to the point in time when the iTunes Library file had been backed up), BUT I was still unable to play a single track.


So far, I've attempted to:

 

  • Remove the read-only tick from the iTunes folder on my external HDD; after processing for a couple of minutes it would simply come back to the folder, however the tick would still be present in Properties.
  • Remove the 'Encrypt content to secure data" tick in Properties\Advanced, however it then tells me I need to provide administrator permission to change the attribute, I click Continue and it tells me Access is denied.
    I should underline that this is the ONLY time I ever got an error message throughout this entire ordeal.
  • Make sure I have administrator rights (only user on a fresh install of Windows .....?) and ran iTunes as admin.
  • Selected the iTunes folder where all my music is located on the external HDD in the iTunes preferences, then tried 'Consolidating'.

 

I'm running out of inspiration, and starting to get pretty annoyed by having over 10 years of music locked away on my own private HDD.

Any suggestion would be much appreciated.

Thank you

L

iTunes, Windows 7, iTunes version 10.7

Posted on Oct 22, 2013 6:40 PM

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Tzioup

Q: Fresh Win7 install, impossible to recover files from previous iTunes Media folder from external HDD.

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  • Helpful answers

  • by turingtest2,Helpful

    turingtest2 turingtest2 Oct 23, 2013 1:26 AM in response to Tzioup
    Level 10 (87,434 points)
    Apple TV
    Oct 23, 2013 1:26 AM in response to Tzioup

    Eeek, it sounds like you encrypted the drive with your library on it. If so you would need access to a backup of the encryption key to gain access to the data. See http://windows.microsoft.com/en-gb/windows-vista/recover-encrypted-files-or-fold ers.

     

    The read-only tick remains present on folders even when you remove it and apply to the contents.

     

    tt2

  • by Tzioup,

    Tzioup Tzioup Oct 23, 2013 3:36 AM in response to turingtest2
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Oct 23, 2013 3:36 AM in response to turingtest2

    Erm I don't remember encrypting anything, and wouldn't really know how to go about it if I wanted to! Have had a quick browse about that EFS business, and that certainly does not ring a bell.

    Plus only the iTunes Media folder (and contents) shows in green..

     

    Could it have possibly been done, without my knowledge or through some kind of box ticked in the library preferences, through iTunes?

     

    Starting to be pretty scared by reading posts about 'lost your certificate? forget about your files'.

     

    Thanks for your reply.

     

    L

  • by Tzioup,

    Tzioup Tzioup Oct 23, 2013 3:58 AM in response to turingtest2
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Oct 23, 2013 3:58 AM in response to turingtest2

    *Also, when I check in advanced properties of any one track, it shows my user as having all permissions listed... Not sure whether that's related to EFS though.

     

    Screenshot 2013-10-23 21.54.35.png

  • by turingtest2,Helpful

    turingtest2 turingtest2 Oct 23, 2013 6:37 AM in response to Tzioup
    Level 10 (87,434 points)
    Apple TV
    Oct 23, 2013 6:37 AM in response to Tzioup

    iTunes won't have encrypted the contents. I can only assume that you chose that option at some point in the past, or it happened if your user profile was set up as encrypted with your original library and the encryption carried over when you moved the library to the external drive. If you right-click one of the encrypted files and then use Properties > Advanced > Details what do you see?

     

    tt2

  • by Tzioup,

    Tzioup Tzioup Oct 23, 2013 7:06 AM in response to turingtest2
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Oct 23, 2013 7:06 AM in response to turingtest2

    It does mention the name of my previous computer/user. Impossible to make any change there, of course.

  • by turingtest2,

    turingtest2 turingtest2 Oct 23, 2013 7:20 AM in response to Tzioup
    Level 10 (87,434 points)
    Apple TV
    Oct 23, 2013 7:20 AM in response to Tzioup

    I rather fear that unless you can get the old drive to fire up or you have a backup of the encryption keys then that data is permanently scrambled...

     

    Any of the media on an iPod/iOS device? The user tip Recover your iTunes library from your iPod or iOS device explains how to recover data from any that you have.

     

    tt2

  • by Tzioup,

    Tzioup Tzioup Oct 23, 2013 7:24 AM in response to turingtest2
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Oct 23, 2013 7:24 AM in response to turingtest2

    The old HDD does not read, died after a fall, hence the fresh install..
    Regarding recovery, we're talking about 200 gigs of media, of which I have a sprinkle on my iPhone.
    Bad luck it seems. Since I can still 'read' the files, I can always spend two months downloading everything again.
    Sigh..

     

    Thank you very much for your persistence regardless.

     

    Cheers

     

    L

  • by turingtest2,

    turingtest2 turingtest2 Oct 23, 2013 7:35 AM in response to Tzioup
    Level 10 (87,434 points)
    Apple TV
    Oct 23, 2013 7:35 AM in response to Tzioup

    You're welcome. I guess you do at least have the luxury of knowing what you have lost.

     

    When rebuilding your library see this backup tip.

     

    tt2