Apple Event: May 7th at 7 am PT

Looks like no one’s replied in a while. To start the conversation again, simply ask a new question.

Level 1

135 points

iTunes 10 Keeps Creating Temp File.tmp Files

I am using iTunes 10.6.1 (7) on Lion 10.7.4 and I have (yet again) noticed that iTunes has started creating multiple copies of Temp File.tmp in the iTunes folder.

It creates a copy every single time I do anything inside iTunes, including skipping a track or checking the iTune store. I thought that maybe my ClamXav Sentry scanner was causing issues so I removed the iTune directory from the scan and even shut it down alltogether. I have not shared my iTunes library either so I can se no reason that anything else is holding onto this file and causing iTunes to create a copy of the iTunes Music Library.xml file.

A disk repair has also not helped.

I have searched everywhere within the forums and via Google and can find no solution or explanation.

Its simple starts at some random time and they stops just as randomly. However this time is particularly bad as EVERYTHING I do inside iTunes caused the problem.

Any help or guidance greatly appreciated.

Regards

NIALL8-(

MacBook Pro, Mac OS X (10.7.4)

Posted on May 15, 2012 12:18 PM

Best reply

Niall Mallyon Author

Level 1

135 points

Posted on May 15, 2012 12:44 PM

Its just possible I may have resolved the issue but it took some tinkering and is not for the faint hearted.

I tried to delete the iTunes Music Library.xml file in order to try and recreate it and I got a -8072 error. I looked at the info for the file and noticed that the rights to the file could not be determined.

I checked my rights to the Temp file.tmp file and I had the correct read/write ones. So I wondered if permissions were an issue hence iTunes recreating the file everytime.

Having given my admin account the necessary access I used terminal to delete the original iTune Music Library.xml file and then renamed the .tmp file to be the correct iTunes Music Library.xml one. They were the same size.

I then logged back in with my normal non admin account and checked the rights I had to the file were still correct and they were.

Now when I doing anything in iTunes the tmp files are created and then disappear as expected and I am left with the correct iTunes Music Library.xml file with the correct rights.

I hope this has resolved my issue and will continue to monitor and report back if necessary.

I also hope that this 'fix' may work for others and stay fixed!

View in context

70 replies

Sep 24, 2012 2:38 PM in response to Niall Mallyon

I just noticed I had this same issue minutes ago. Your suggestion, Niall Mallyon, with the Terminal commands resolved the issue. I was under a bit of distress, as I feared yet another time consuming troubleshooting issue, and didn't have much hope that something so peculiar would be resolvable through Applecare--or at least with much time wasted. So thank you so much for sharing your resolution. I truly appreciate it.

Niall Mallyon Author

Level 1

135 points

Sep 29, 2012 1:53 AM in response to Libertine Lush

Its worth noting that I still get the issue occasionally and have yet to resolve it 100%, just work around it. I can go for days without a problem. Then it happens several times a day. I have even written an Applescript appliction to do everything to save time!

That said I am trying a different work around today that may or may not help. I discovered this elsewhere and its an interesting suggestion.

If you launch iTunes whilst holding the ALT key it will prompt you to CREATE or CHOOSE an iTunes Library. Choose CREATE and this will start a new library called iTunes 1 under the same music folder as your original iTunes library. It will be empty - don't panic. Close iTunes.

Do the same again in starting iTunes whilst holding ALT. This time select CHOOSE and then point iTunes at the original iTunes library. Everything will then return.

In my case this forced iTunes to create an iTunes Library.xml file NOT update the existing iTunes Music Library.xml file. Note the filename difference. This is interesting (But may be a red herring) because my library is very old so previous versions of iTunes used a differently named xml(?).

N.B Be sure to delete the old iTunes Music Library.xml and the newly created blank iTunes 1 library.

Now this may basically just be doing the same as removing all temp files and forcing the xml delete through terminal but it may also be that later versions of iTunes have issues with old xml file names in certain scenerios? Who knows. Time will tell but if nothing else we're trying to get around it and find a long term fix. I hope iTunes 11 is different but I doubt it. It will be all UI changes and nothing underneath I bet.

Am monitoring now to see if this helps but ML 10.8.2 and iTunes 10.7 still appear to be a problem for me.

Sep 30, 2012 10:47 AM in response to Niall Mallyon

Update

So after couple months of trying to solve this issue, I'm still having the same problem. I tried everything. Even recreating an library folder via the XML just migrate the problem over. It's still an intermittent problem. That means for me that I able to solve the situation so a week or so and than the problem still continue.

So I contacted apple an got so good support, but the conclusion of all this with apple is that it seems that everyone that encounter this issue seem to have old if not very old iTunes library (often huge) that just kept upgrading the application over and over, years after years. If one of you it's not the case please post it.

My library is from 2007 and is 150GB of Music 500GB of Movies and much more with app and so.

So it seams in the process of updating the architecture files in the background of iTunes (in finder) are not the same. What I mean by this is that If you would start a brand new library with iTunes 10.7 the architecture of the files would be the different. That why that re creating a new library based on a old XML would migrate the problem over.

So the only way to be sure to not migrate the problem over would be to create a brand new library from scratch in parallel of the original one and import all media separately (music, movies, app, etc.). The ''new'' library would than rebuild the architecture in a modern way. It could be a very tedious job but would probably be much cleaner stronger and faster as an outcome.

For my personal conclusion, I will wait iTune 11 as Niall Mallyon suggested in October, in order to see if 11 would solve this issue. If not I will this huge task of re importing all my media in a new library and should be expected to be done by 2019…

Joke a side I will wait iTunes 11 and then decide. Mine while I tolerate and monitor this problem in the finder.

Please I would like to know your perspective on this point gentlemen.

Keeping you posted with the update.

Niall Mallyon Author

Level 1

135 points

Sep 30, 2012 10:52 AM in response to Mr Blond Qc

Have you tried the CREATE/CHOOSE option I described above ??

This seems to have stabilised the issue for me at least over the last 48 hours or so.

I'm convinced you are correct in that old libraries are an issue but as to the architecture differences the main files are still held in the iTunes folder but their names appear to have changed, for the XML at least.

I cant see how importing afresh will solve things. Its not the ITL file thats at fault only the XML.

Try the CREATE/CHOOSE option and see if this helps.

Sep 30, 2012 10:23 PM in response to Niall Mallyon

Yes I did try it. It solve the problem but no longer than a week. Which is one more temporary solution.

So for me I'll work again on this issue just after iTunes 11 release and see if we can finally solve this one for all.

Niall Mallyon Author

Level 1

135 points

Oct 12, 2012 10:44 AM in response to Niall Mallyon

OK. Over 2 weeks have gone by and no issues so far.

I'd therefore advise anyone with this issue to follow my previous post from Sept 29th.

Oct 12, 2012 11:08 AM in response to Niall Mallyon

Good thanks,

Keep me posted.

Did you import anything (new music, albums etc) during these two weeks?

Have you done some modification on some of your music?

Niall Mallyon Author

Level 1

135 points

Oct 13, 2012 1:09 AM in response to Mr Blond Qc

I have added new apps, updated music and podacasts.

I've basically used it as I always have done. The difference being the XML stayed OK.

Niall Mallyon Author

Level 1

135 points

Oct 23, 2012 8:53 AM in response to Niall Mallyon

Problem has reappeared again - ahhhh!!!

I do however know reason it happened in this instance but I have no idea how to resolve it.

The problem occurred when I downloaded an updated app via the iTunes store. The final step in the update is to 'process' the download. This stalled for quite some time during which the iTunes Library.xml file permissions became correct and a temp xml was thus left behind.

I can't understand why after what is nearly a month this rears its head again. Its by far the most annoying problem I have ever had with my Mac.

I'm convinced iTunes 11, which I'm guessing will be out really soon (if not today as its the 23rd 'mini iPad' day) will NOT fix the issue. Its clearly a bug in the iTunes process and app as a whole as this has occurred in previous releases.

Oct 23, 2012 11:22 AM in response to Niall Mallyon

AAAAAHHHH!

I feel your pain. Same here. I feel like an handicap.

Please let's keep posted with our respective situation.

Keep the faith.

Niall Mallyon Author

Level 1

135 points

Dec 4, 2012 10:48 AM in response to Mr Blond Qc

And the problems continue under iTunes 11.

Well done Apple! Very consistant.

Dec 4, 2012 11:04 AM in response to Niall Mallyon

Ah no! Are you serious?!

I did the update yesterday. So far I'm ok. But I will keep you posted about this.

I must say I'm not that pleased with itune 11 it self. And if on top of this it does not solve our problem.

They took out itune DJ which I just don't understand why.

Any ways if the problem aprear again I will re create a librairy and re import all the media again. Not happy about this at all....

Why apple have to screw things up latetly.

Hard to not blame it on the absence of Mr. Jobs.

Niall Mallyon Author

Level 1

135 points

Dec 4, 2012 11:46 AM in response to Mr Blond Qc

It definately only happens when iOS apps are being updated. I have had no issues with adding CDs but then again I upgrade apps far more than adding music.

Beats me why, when the XML is ONLY used by iTunes for sharing info with other applictions, that theres an issue. I don't share my library OR have home sharing turned on.

I just want it gone. I may have to export all my play lists, scrap the library and recreate it. Maybe that will help but it doesn't see well documented and is not for the faint hearted.

Dec 12, 2012 12:29 PM in response to Niall Mallyon

For the record: one more here with exact the same issue. One more in a list of many. In my opinion iTunes 11 is one of the worst releases of Apple software in a long, long time. Specially if you realize that iTunes is strategically one of Apples most important pieces of software. I love Apple but I have to say the screwed up this one big time.

Siddhi67

Level 1

4 points

Jan 4, 2013 4:29 AM in response to Jerry Nick

I have a similar situation.I ve macbook pro i7 16 GB.And i use external hard discs with a really huge library (362828 tracks on 12TB)

The temp files(258 pieces) are kept size is 36GB!!!!!! Moreover, sometimes text doc was ... what did it do???and why?? This is terrible!!!!

There are two pics from my temp files:

http://kepfeltoltes.hu/130103/11566227232_www.kepfeltoltes.hu_.png

http://kepfeltoltes.hu/130104/a_www.kepfeltoltes.hu_.png

I did a PRAM reset and now looks like fine....

I prey for God...!

...but what is it?????

iTunes 10 Keeps Creating Temp File.tmp Files