For some reason -- an upgrade I suppose -- my iTunes library is now completely empty. Everything, gone. Where is my library file stored? Can I re-import it?
If you kept all of the default settings, iTunes stores your music files in your User Folder under ~/Music/iTunes/iTunes Music. If your files are still there, all you have to do is re-add them to the iTunes Library by choosing "Add To Library" from the File menu in iTunes and selecting that "iTunes Music" folder when prompted. I would delete two files before doing this, however: the "iTunes Library" and "iTunes Music Library.xml" files that are in the same location as the "iTunes Music" folder. It sounds as though these files might have gotten corrupted. iTunes will create new versions of these files when you re-launch it.
If your music files are not still there, then you will need to restore them from a back-up.
Thanks S.M., but I was asking where my Library files are, not my music files. It looks like the Library files got wiped out in the last upgrade. I have thousands of music files on my iPod, and dozens of playlists, and I usually remove the music files from my hard drive after synching up my iPod to save disk space. Just "re-adding" them is not really an option.
Is this standard behavior when upgrading to iTunes 6? If so I'll avoid future upgrades.
I do have a backup "iTunes Music Library.xml" file I made last summer. I was able to Import that file; however, it only imports songs that it can find on my hard drive. Is there any way to import that file and have it still list music files that have been removed?
I may have to use PodUtil to export all of my song files back to my hard disk, and then rebuild everything with those files; but that's a bit of an arduous task as well, and of course I'd have none of my playlists. None of this is improving my attitude toward iTunes as an application.
