Ext Drive w/ Media Crashed iTunes Won't Recognize Backup Files

Question

Ext Drive w/ Media Crashed iTunes Won't Recognize Backup Files

I appreciate your willingness to help here!

My external harddrive with my iTunes media folders crashed.

As far as I knew, the Library file itself was on the internal drive under users/music/etc. It seems to be, because I still have access to all my latest listens, numbers, etc.

I have a previous set of media files with almost all my music still there, in folders, on another external harddrive.

When I try to use preferences to direct my Library file to that set of folders, it does nothing.

I cannot replace my "iTunes Music" folder in the internal drive w/ external folders because I don't have the space (I did think I could fool my system).

What can I do?

Using ITunes 10.6.3 (25)

2.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo Laptop

Thank you for your help!

Dual 2.3 GHz PowerPC G5 Tower, Mac OS X (10.5.8), 2.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo Laptop

Posted on Aug 23, 2012 2:55 PM

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Answer 1

Aug 23, 2012 3:06 PM in response to Francis Smith - Photographer

The easy answer is to make a new library.

A library contains several parts, in particular a database file which tells the iTunes application where your various media are located. Once those links are no longer valid it is hard to regenerate them.

Changing preferences is not the way to do it. Many people mistakenly think changing the media folder location will automatically regenerate the links. The links are in the .itl database and right now it is telling iTunes that song #1 is located on such-and-such drive in a certain cet of folders. You no longer have that drive.

What are the iTunes library files? - http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1660

More on iTunes library files and what they do - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ITunes#Media_management

What are all those iTunes files? - http://www.macworld.com/article/139974/2009/04/itunes_files.html

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Answer 2

Aug 23, 2012 9:57 PM in response to Francis Smith - Photographer

Limnos, thank you for your input. As I had more information here than what I supplied, I found my answer---can't quite recall how I got to it.

Because I had copied my media library over to the crashed drive a 17 months ago and had kept the files on the old drive, too, I figured that if I open up iTunes by using my "Previous iTunes Library" file it will find my files on that old drive. I found this folder with the necessary files in the iTunes user folder on my internal harddrive.

"option + clicking iTunes to launch" and it asked me if I wanted to use a previous iTunes library. I selected previous library and it found the files from last year in their original location. iTunes now knows where everything is.

Before this, while I still had my newest, now defunct .itl file loaded into iTunes, I did a screen capture of everything I had added since I migrated to the crashed disk. Now I know exactly what needs to be restored in my library. The media files that were lost were indeed lost, but at least I still have my library.

When I was satisfied I'd done the best I could, I made a copy of previous iTunes library file and renamed it "itunes library.itl" thus making it my default library.

I'm now as close to restored as possible. I lost only one irreplaceable file. Pretty good considering my initial despair!

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