What are your thoughts on the New iTunes 11?

It is not unhead of for the library to be corrupted during an iTunes upgrade. iTunes 11 is no different in this respect, and a decent backup is a wise precaution. That said you can restore your pre-upgrade library database and iTunes should make a better job of it second time around.

Empty/corrupt library after upgrade/crash

Hopefully it's not been too long since you last upgraded iTunes, in fact if you get an empty/incomplete library immediately after upgrading then with the following steps you shouldn't lose a thing or need to do any further housekeeping. In the Previous iTunes Libraries folder should be a number of dated iTunes Library files. Take the most recent of these and copy it into the iTunes folder. Rename iTunes Library.itl as iTunes Library (Corrupt).itl and then rename the restored file as iTunes Library.itl. Start iTunes. Should all be good, bar any recent additions to or deletions from your library.

See iTunes Folder Watch for a tool to catch up with any changes since the backup file was created.

When you get it all working make a backup!

tt2

I really hate iTunes 11. With the previous version, I could easily see what was on my iPod and what was on my computer. Not anymore. Also, apparently, when I "upgraded" I lost a lot of the music I had before. Most were not purchased, but imported from CDs. Because I had been manually syncing music, everything appears to be there, but not in my library.

While I'm at it, I'd like to add that Apple's documentation on any product is pretty much worthless. I don't want to watch a series of 1 or 2 minute videos, I'd rather have a manual. Of course, Apple does not have a manual for anything so you have to buy it from David Pogue or someone like him.

In recent years, I bought a MacBook Pro and now also have an iPhone 5. Both work well, but the software and lack of documentation is really getting to me.

I don't think I'll buy any more Apple products.

Thanks for saying you list music because last night I was looking for a few songs from CDs I'd ripped before the upgrade and the entire albums are gone. Now I have to find what I did with the discs. I have been a loyal Mac/Apple product user for the last 5 years now and some of the recent problems I've had with iTunes, the new Finder UI and my iphone are testing my loyalty, seriously.

What I wish would happen, more than anything, is that SOMEBODY from Apple would come out and just explain to us where all of our stuff is!?!?!? Come out & tell us why everything has gone so horribly, horribly wrong - how we can get it all back.....I just...I just dont know.
I am having major accessibility issues with getting to my external hard drive. So from what I understand, my ONLY option is to uninstall iTunes (somehow) it wont actually allow me to but I'll figure that out when I can - and reinstall an older back up from my external hard drive (Time Machine. I suppose thats what everyon says when they say back up from Time Machine)....So the most perplexing and maddening thing of all, oops - second most after the fact that Apple has done this to us!!! is their lack of communication, options, apologies, a fix, some kind of replacement for iTunes 11....something.
SOMEBODY FROM APPLE TO COME OUT AND DO/SAY SOMETHING TO ADDRESS THESE COMPLAINTS.
And not just "these" complaints here on this site. But worldwide. Because iTunes 11 is an all-around, overall, bad, bad, bad thing in every sense of the word.

Yaelle wrote:

What I wish would happen, more than anything, is that SOMEBODY from Apple would come out and just explain to us where all of our stuff is!?!?!?

…

SOMEBODY FROM APPLE TO COME OUT AND DO/SAY SOMETHING TO ADDRESS THESE COMPLAINTS.
And not just "these" complaints here on this site. But worldwide. Because iTunes 11 is an all-around, overall, bad, bad, bad thing in every sense of the word.

This post has…

41209 Views 1,247 Replies

(not including the ones the moderators deleted).

I haven't seen any reply on here from an official Apple representative, you are asking Apple to reply in the wrong place, this is a USER based support forum. I also don't EVER recall Apple 'officially' replying to questions on this site, but Apple have genius bars in their stores for your situation, can you go along & ask them for help?

There have also been many posts listing how to revert to iTunes 10.7, and so long as iTunes hasn't deleted files your music should still be in the iTunes media library.

Apple also make full library backup (the index of files) before updating it so you should still be able to go back to the iTunes 10.7 state, look at ~/Music/iTunes/Previous iTunes Libraries/ to see when that was. Create a smart playlist in iTunes 11 that gets all items added since that date. Save that to a playlist file, & import that after you have reverted to iTunes 11 & you should get the old & the new files in the library.

I realize ranting is cathartic, however people on here are generally not Apple employees and you should take some time to read the advice people took time to write before demanding Apple come & fix it for you. The helpful people here have already solved this issue's but you didn't seem to read those parts.

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/4666718?answerId=20791469022#20791469022

<Edited By Host>

Yea... I am sooooo glad only one of my computers was "upgraded" to iTunes 11... wow, who woulda thunk that Apple would have taken such an elegant and intuitive user interface, one that us music lovers use daily and extensively and deeply and changed it so fundamentally... and yes, it would have been nice to have a heads up.

Problem is, many who use it have little experience really getting under the hood and seeing it for what it is.... a database... plain and simple... Your music is still there.... for this reason it seems impenetrable... and it is, unless you are willing to learn and do the hard work of understanding how databases and iTune work... Once you do, I am sure you can go back to iTunes 10.7 and get the database back to where you want it... Sadly, though, there is no easy one button, keystroke solution.

🙂

Yaelle wrote:

What I wish would happen, more than anything, is that SOMEBODY from Apple would come out and just explain to us where all of our stuff is!?!?!? Come out & tell us why everything has gone so horribly, horribly wrong - how we can get it all back.....I just...I just dont know. ...

To amplify what Drew said, Apple will never respond to these forums, and will almost never say anything public about its software. Maps was a rare exception.

Secondly, whatever went horribly wrong with your update, it's something entirely system specific. Some small percentage of software updates will always have really bad consequences because files can develop corruptions, Permissions can be wrong, important files or folders can me moved, etc. With over a hundred million iTunes users, there will be lots of unhappy campers whenever updates are rolled out.

All I can say is that it's much less likely to happen with current Apple software than previously. The reliability is getting better all the time. The design ... not so much.

My suggestion is to do some research about how to find your missing files. As Drew said, the answer has been posted several times in this thread, but it's a huge thread. If you're near an Apple store, set up a genius appointment. The only problem is that they'll get iTunes 11 set up for you, and iTunes 11 is not what most of us want.

Whether a Windows or Mac user, everyone will at some point learn a painful lesson about not having their computer fully backed up at all times. I've learned that lesson a couple of times. 😉 Now I have both a Time Machine backup, plus a SuperDuper (or Carbon Copy Cloner) bootable backup. I have my main system's iTunes database files in 3 locations, and I have two cheap USB hard drives for media backup.

I've been an Apple customer since 1985. Apple is now too big and making too much money to care what its customers think. If the bottom line is good, they're deaf. But they're now also dumb and blind as well.

iTunes 11 is just another symptom of the root problem, and the root problem began when Jobs was still around. I don't know if Cook and his cronies can actually fix it. Or if they even care to.

Apple is now too big and making too much money to care what its customers think. If the bottom line is good, they're deaf. But they're now also dumb and blind as well.

I hope you get a Pulitzer Prize for the above.

Frankly, I'm worried. I've watched what they've done to iMovie. They have dropped iDVD. For the first time in my life I'm seeing people switch from Mac to Windows (primarily because of the lack of DVD authoring software).

As an Apple customer since 1979 I don't like this trend.

but...

i hear you Mark and I hear you Drew, but...

while you are both absolutely correct, and the liklihood of seeing an official apple response on this page is very slim, this is a discussion, filled with opinion as well as fact.

so to get away from the facts (which you have so correctly highlighted) for a second - here's my opinion..

apple host this site, for users.

apple moderate the site too. entries are occasionally removed or editted (i see a note saying <editted by host> at the nd of your post Drew - not sure exactly what that means or what they've done, but actually that's part of the problem..!)

apple make great kit and have done for years, and has managed to turn it's product into an aspirational brand that people follow, like a fan base. I know this. I'm one. I'm a fan since 1993.

but...

does it make sense to anyone to agree with all this and then nonchalantly accept that apple will not respond?

i've seen posts saying (even more ridiculously) that apple do not even read these discussion forums.. really??!! hosted on their own site and with over 40,000 complaints, and they are not listening??!!!! they don't look at these pages???

get real guys.

apple are reading, listening and taking on board everything we say. the board of directors may - or may not - decide that some customer dissatisfaction means they should make a change or two. maybe they'll just bring back coverflow.

or maybe they'll re-write the whole ****** program so that it is not so blatantly commercial and is actually a bit more user friendly, like things used to be..

but in the end the decisions will be driven by the board of a major world-wide corporation who are there to make profit.

lets hope they take the long term view, and keep the long term customers happy, rather than the short term view which gets them a few bucks more in the apple store but loses them some fans.

and even as i was typing that i get a pop up saying a new version of iTunes is available for download.

what did i click?

no

and

don't ask me again.

iTunes11 did a lot of damage.

#paranoia

40,000 against.

you're for?

Paul Richards4 wrote:

apple host this site, for users.

apple moderate the site too. entries are occasionally removed or editted (i see a note saying <editted by host> at the nd of your post Drew - not sure exactly what that means or what they've done, but actually that's part of the problem..!)

Turns out the mods don't like people suggesting you tell the CEO your opinion via email.

They didn't like it when I said that I like to relax by smoking a fat one either....

....