HELP! My Library keeps resetting itself

It's maddening that the reset doesn't happen every time.

Well, AVG just lost me as a customer. I switched over to MSE. I can't be afraid to turn iTunes on every day and not know what I'm going to see.

I decided to take tt2's advice in the end, I temporarily disabled AVG which seemed to prove decisively that it was indeed the problem. So I uninstalled AVG and installed MSE as suggested, and as of today there have been no more problems.

I think I'll update everyone in a week's time to inform of any problems. Thanks for your help tt2 🙂

Yeah I've gone to 'Avast!' now. Let's hope AVG fix it soon, although I probably won't go back...

How glorious it is to open iTunes and see my library there, time after time! I still cringe a little bit when I click the icon, but there it is! Thank you, all of you who have helped. I took AVG off last Friday, and have had no trouble since. I had AVG for years, but their repeated denial of causing the problem discourages me from ever going back to them.

Well, I'm trying not to blame AVG alone, because the problem is a lack of co-operation between AG and iTunes due to recent updates by both, but if the only solution is to delete one of them, then I know which has to go.

I agree.

I have been experiencing the same problems as the majority of this thread (running Windows 7 x64 with AVG free and having repeated 'empty' iTunes throughout the last week) and must ultimately conclude that there is a problem with the compatibility/communication between both AVG and iTunes (11.0.2).

Ultimately though, Apple has us all by the nuts and they know it. I too will choose iTunes over AVG as your post implies you will, but the fact of the matter is that we shouldn't have to be forced to make this decision in the first place. I have run iTunes and AVG together for many, many years without any problems at all. I have as much brand loyalty to AVG as I do to iTunes/Apple, but there are plenty more free and relatively effective AVs out there and as I need iTunes for my other devices, I am monopolised into sticking with it 😟

You have the whole situation in a nutshell. I don't want to choose between the two free programs, I'm trying not to choose between them, but there's no benefit for staying loyal.

Well, I'm the odd man out on this, but since iTunes 11 offered me no new features that are important to me... I kept my latest version of AVG free, deleted iTunes and installed an older version of iTunes, and everything works perfectly.

I really wish I'd found this thread instead of all the others... I've just re-installed windows, with AVG and iTunes 11, and it's still doing it... at least now I know AVG is pretty much the culprit, so thanks for that!

As someone else said, I hope if AVG fix this, someone will know and can post here, as I would love to go back to it.

I like your solution, I didn't know I could do that. I'll be checking to see if Google knows where to find old versions. I do not like the new iTunes.

Once I got a new version of iTunes I thought I was stuck with it. Not so.

Uninstall iTunes and all its components (I used the directions at http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1925). Get an old version from a website such as oldapps.com and Bob's your uncle.

Version 10.whatever is so pretty. I missed it.

Got an old version of iTunes at oldapps.com. I liked iTunes 10. (Plus, for those who save and hold on to downloaded files from the past, you might find an old version of the setup file on your hard drive.) The only downside is that the older version of iTunes won't be able to read your current (iTunes 11) version of the iTunes Library.itl file. Thus, it will be necessary to rebuild playlists, etc.. But for the sake of having a stable program, I think it was worth it. Btw, since older versions of iTunes work fine with all, even the most recent, versions of AVG, I put most of the blame for the problem on Apple. But good luck, all!

Oh, btw, in case anyone needs it: simple instructions at "Reverting to a Previous Version of iTunes" by Jason Spindle on Chron.com

I have had the same problem as everyone else. I use AVG Free and Microsoft Security Essentials and have not had this problem before. The only problems I have had in the past was 2 earlier versions of itunes KILLED 2 80GB iPods which could not be fixed. I started having my current problem AFTER AVG Free had its last big update. Now it doesn't matter what iTunes version I use I have the same problem, I loose my library, apps, purchases as well as iTunes deleting the iTunes Extras and iTunes Genius files EVERYTIME I open iTunes add to that now I have to enter my password everytime iTunes opens. I have an HP Pavillion Dv7 laptop that runs Windows 7. I have tried EVERYTHING that has been suggested and NOTHING has worked. I every thought I might have had a bad bug and was considering wiping out my laptop and restoring it (glad I didn't do that...restoring all my programs takes forever).