AZ RZR

Q: how to repair iTunes

I have itunes loaded to my MBA but from the start have been running it off of a removable drive. You guest it, the external drive died. How do I repair this? iTunes opens on my Mac but all of my songs shows a ! in front of the song. I have my songs on my iPad and iPhone still but I backup to iCloud. Can this be fixed or is all lost? Thx

MacBook Air, iOS 7.1.2

Posted on Sep 6, 2014 11:56 AM

Close

Q: how to repair iTunes

  • All replies
  • Helpful answers

  • by Limnos,

    Limnos Limnos Sep 6, 2014 12:21 PM in response to AZ RZR
    Level 9 (54,543 points)
    Mac OS X
    Sep 6, 2014 12:21 PM in response to AZ RZR

    iTunes: Finding lost media and downloads - http://support.apple.com/kb/TS1408

     

    The easiest way to get back missing items?  Restore your whole hard drive with all your irreplaceable things like photos in about 20 minutes from the backup clone you make on a regular basis.

     

    Downloading (using iOS or computer) past purchases from the App Store, iBookstore, and iTunes Store - http://support.apple.com/kb/ht2519 - enabled with iTunes 10.3 and newer; not all media formats are available in all countries (see: iTunes in the Cloud, iTunes Match, and iTunes Radio availability by country - http://support.apple.com/kb/HT5085); apps, books (not audiobooks), music, t.v. shows, and movies (some - not all studios have permitted this).  Downloading previously purchased movies and TV shows requires iTunes 10.6 or later.  Discontinued items not available. For items not included in the iCloud list (e.g., ringtones, audiobooks), or locations or computer systems where iCloud is not (yet?) available, you only get one download per fee paid.  Apple recommends,  "... back up your iTunes library. " (http://support.apple.com/kb/ht2519).

     

    As for using your iPhone or iPod, your i-devices were not designed for unique storage of your media. They are not backup devices and media transfer was planned with you maintaining a master copy of your media on a computer which is itself independently backed up against loss.  To use a device with a new computer you transfer the content from the old computer (or its backup) directly to the new computer, not the device to the new computer. Media syncing is one way, computer to device, updating the device content to the content on the computer, not updating or restoring content on a computer. The exception is iTunes Store purchases which can be transferred to a computer.

     

    iTunes Store: Transferring purchases from your iOS device or iPod to a computer - http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1848 - only purchases from iTunes Store

     

    For transferring other items from an i-device to a computer you will have to use third party commercial software.  See this document by turingtest2: Recovering your iTunes library from your iPod or iOS device - https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-3991