HELP! My Library keeps resetting itself

So far so good with Micrsoft Security Essentials and iTunes. However, now I have noticed that iTunes does not import all the files that I select. It leaves out songs from inported albums and also does not import track number information. I have to manually input track numbers, but some songs WILL NOT import no matter what I do. If you have the actual CD you can import it with no problems, but now iTunes puts imported CDs in a folder called "Music" inside the iTunes Media folder...NOT in the artist folder as before. An annoyance but I can live with it. At least now I can sync my iPhone 4S. I hope the next version of iTunes addresses this problem.

iTunes will have switched to using the new (with iTunes 9) layout that music in a music folder as other media goes in named media folders. iTunes doesn't have an option to switch back to the old layout, but if you really want to there is a hidden file in the media folder called .iTunes Preferences.plist - use an editor like Notepad++ to change the integer value from 1 to 0, then turn keep organized off and back on again. See make a split library portable for reasons not to.

As to the files that don't come back with all their metadata this may be a tagging problem. iTunes works best with files that have a single ID3v2.3 tag.

tt2

Before iTunes 11.0.2.26 I didn't have a problem with it not importing track numbers or not importing all of the songs in a folder. I can live with imported CDs going into a Music folder instead of iTunes Media in the artists folders, now that I am aware that iTunes does this. I hope the software guys at Apple are watching these discussions and will fix the importing issues. I have no other problems to report with iTunes since I removed AVG Free. I won't be going back to AVG as I no longer trust them.

I've notice a teen in Apple, they seem to becoming more like Microsoft...putting out products before they work out the kinks. They also try to "fix" things that aren't broke.

I've been having this problem too. I'm glad people have seemed to figure out what's causing it. I just wanted to know it seems I have like 30 iT.tmp files in my itunes folder next to the library file. Does anyone know if I can delete them or not? Is this just what AVG has been doing?

AVG is interfering with iTunes' process.

I believe you should keep one of those files, there is advice in the earlier comments.

Restore a working library. Close iTunes. Copy the working .itl file to the Previous iTunes Libraies folder and date it. Start iTunes again and make sure it is still OK. If so, then delete all the .tmp files.

tt2

I have received update to framework yesterday for AVG, not just regular virus database update. I am still free of problems, what is everybody else's impression. Did they fix it or not?

I just wanna put my name in the hat. I've had my library bite it a few times over the last few months. I run AVG as well. I blew away and reinstalled iTunes, put the exception in for anything iTunes related in AVG, rebooted, and poof. Gone again. Blew away iTunes again completely and waiting to reinstall. Looks like I'll be blowing away AVG tonight before reinstalling iTunes. Ugh. At least it looks like we all know what the problem is now.

Thanks everyone

AVG has fixed the issue on their end - here is a page explaining whet to do next;

http://forums.avg.com/eu-en/avg-forums?sec=thread&act=show&id=227297#post_227297

Thanks AVG - 🙂

Thanks to you and others for the replies. I went back and fixed my library; luckily, my OCD about file organization made restoring it quite easy. Just found a backup from December 1st 2012, then went into my iTunes music folder and sorted by dated modified to pull up all the music added/changed since 12/1/12. The rest is history.

Has anybody verified the news from AVG?

There are some threads on the AVG Forum from AVG staff that say the error was fixed today. I cannot confirm as yet as I havnt had time to reinstate Itunes after loosing my music and playlists twice.

Please see below the AVG Forum entry. Hope this helps. I feel from a customer point of view it would have been helpful for a statement to have been made by AVG and / or Itunes regarding this issue asap. It was left to us on various forums to discover the issue. Customer service from both sides very poor.

Franta Běžný, an employee of AVG Technologies, replied to AVG Update deletes iTunes library, a problem about AVG Technologies.

Hi all,

I'm sorry for the delay and inconveniences. Please be informed that fix was released today in Virus database: 3162/6226. Summarized steps how to recover iTunes library if it was already rewritten by iTunes can be found here. Let me know the results.

Thanks, Anthony.

I didn't want to be first, but I went ahead this afternoon.

I have a new old version of iTuens because I didn't like the ones with the Cloud.

I un-installed MSE, which went without much protest.

I re-installed AVG, which is already pushing boundaries and trying to argue with me. I am wondering if I made the right decision here.

There's been time to call up iTunes twice, and so far, so good.

Thanks for your bravery! I just can't stand cringing every time I open iTunes and find everything gone. The very best of luck to you!