Apple Event: May 7th at 7 am PT
I did the new update on Monday and when it was done I went in and saw it deleted all my music. Yesterday I spent over five hours uploading cds, downloading purchased items, etc. to find out today when I got back on the finish the job that it deleted it AGAIN. This is really ******* me off.
iTunes-OTHER, Windows 7
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. Note that in iTunes 11 an "empty" library may show your past purchases with links to stream or download them.
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.
Alternatively, depending on exactly when and why the library went missing, there may be a more recent .tmp file in the main iTunes folder that can be copied & renamed as iTunes Library.itl to restore the library to an earlier state. Look for a recent .tmp file that is similar in size to the .itl files in the Previous iTunes Libraries folder. If it has happened repeatedly you may want the earliest such file generated since the last iTunes upgrade.
If applicable, 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!
Should you be in the unfortunate position where you are no longer able to access your original library, or a backup of it, then see Recover your iTunes library from your iPod or iOS device.
I've noticed more of these missing library posts of late and a common factor to most since I started asking is AVG Anti-Virus. It seems in some cases it might be at least part of the reason why the library file disappears. Try excluding the iTunes folder from any AV scanning process.
tt2
Dear TT2. I tried this and it has not worked. What I see when I open iTunes are 6 playlists: Top 25 most played = empty; recently played = empty; recently added = empty; my top rated = empty; classical music = about 20 bought/downloaded tracks; 90s music = 3 bought tracks.
On C drive (Libraries - Music) there is an iTunes folder and the properties shows 20.3GB and 4000+ folders, so I suspect the tracks are there.
OK. That sounds like an empty library to me... Perhaps I've confused things by including the .itl extention when it isn't visible for you. If you don't see the .itl extension displayed then you don't need to add it to files copied from the Previous iTunes Libraries folder.
Your iTunes folder might look something like this:
... and the Previous iTunes Folder might look like this:
In the case of a renamed .tmp file you may find that iTunes reports it as damaged. In this case the file you copied isn't a valid library file and you'll need to try another.
These steps should restore a working library, however if the conditions that caused problems originally are still present, e.g. interference from a third party application like AVG, then the restored library may be deleted again. If that happens, which should be evident because new .tmp files are generated, then remove the other software before trying again.
If you've performed the steps above and it still hasn't resolved things then perhaps iTunes is connected to a library file in a different location. Search the computer for all files of the form *.itl and check which has the most recent modified date. When you've worked out which file should be restored copy it to the main iTunes folder, rename as iTunes Library then press & hold down shift as you start iTunes and use the option to choose a library file to open.
tt2
THANK YOU! It worked. I owe you a drink. Hugh
You're welcome. 🙂
tt2
thank you so much tt2!!! your post worked brilliantly!!! you have made me a very happy person!! thank you again!
🙂
tt2
Hi, I too want to be a happy person!
Like previous users the recent update to iTunes 11 has removed access to my music which was previously displayed by iTunes.
My data is stored on my F Drive and I can see my music in F:\My Documents\My Music\iTunes – it is all there, and not deleted!
With iTunes open and I go to Edit – Preferences – Advanced, I can see that the iTunes Media Folder Location is set as F:\My Documents\My Music\iTunes, but I can see none of this music in the iTunes display.
I have tried the various fixes shown above regarding replacing the iTunes Library.itl with an earlier one but still I only see what music I have purchased and no display of music that I have on my hard disc.
Note that I do not use AVG (actually use MSE), so that can be excluded!
I am thinking of uninstalling iTunes and doing a fresh install. Do you think this will solve the problem?
Hi. Uninstalling & reinstalling iTunes will be of no help at all.
Do you know where your active library file is as opposed to the setting of the media folder? If you're not sure the script iTunesXMLPath can reveal the true location. There is where you should be looking for a Previous iTunes Libraries folder or .tmp files that could be renamed.
tt2
Hi tt2, and thanks for your prompt reply.
Could you please give me some clues as to where I will find the script iTunesXMLPath on my system. There is nothing like that in my iTunes folder.
Click on this link >>> iTunesXMLPath <<< to go the site where the script is hosted, right-click on the text iTunesXMLPath in the left hand column to get options to download/save as...
tt2
Hey tt2,
When I first opened iTunes this morning it came up with a licensing agreement (like I'd never used iTunes before), I clicked 'accept' otherwise I wouldn't of been able to access.
When iTunes opened, all my music appeared to have gone, so i clicked 'scan for music' to which only a few songs/videos in a seperate folder were made known. The next thing I did was to try to open previous iTunes libraries, but each one of them now only contains the few songs and videos that were scanned on to it this morning, like they've all been duplicated. I wonder if you are able to help with this, I have tried following your steps above but to no avail, as all my libraries are basically duplicated 😟
Would appreciate any help on this,
thanks,
Phil
Double-clicking a library file will open iTunes, but not necessarily with the file you click on. That is why they all appear the same. You need to copy & rename the file you want to inspect as suggested. If you don't see the .itl extension then don't include it when editing the name (unless editing a .tmp file)
tt2
Ahhh got it working now after many hours of hard labour 🙂 Thanks.
Hi tt2
Ah, found the Previous iTunes Library on my C: Drive, in C:\Users\MT\Music\iTunes. My only previous iTunes Library files (two) were dated 2013-05-12 and 2013-05-29 so I renamed my iTunes Library.itl to iTunes Library Corrupt and then transferred the file from Previous iTunes Library and renamed it to iTunes Library.itl and fired up iTunes.......sadly no change, and only my purchased music was showing.
Any other suggestions, please!!
Ahhhhh now I see what has been going on..I think.
It seems that for some reason iTunes, since the recent update, is now looking on my C: Drive for the iTunes Library.itl instead of my F:Drive!!
I looked on my F:Drive in iTunes and there were a number of old files in my Previous iTunes Library so I used one from last September, renamed it iTunes LIbrary.itl and placed it into my iTunes folder on my C:Drive instead of the one I did earlier. That solved the problem.
So I have to back up my iTunes and work out that my iTunes working files are now on my C:Drive instead of my F:Drive!!!
Thanks for the pointers tt2.
iTunes 11 deleted all my music and playlists.
