AnneMowat
Level 1 (4 points)

Q: Downloading previous purchases - TV Shows

I had all my media stored on a hard drive that failed, in late October 2012.  Yes, I learned an expensive, painful lesson and invested in a Time Capsule since then.  I haven't really had time to deal with all the lost content, as we had a household move in November.  But now, I am gradually trying to restore my iTunes content.    In some cases, I've been willing to pay again. Once, I was told by iTunes that I had purchased the movie, and would I like to download it again, and I was delighted.  But this second time, when I tried to download a TV series I had purchased, I am told I own it, it is in my iTunes Library, and I cannot download it again, and I also cannot purchase it again.    While I have carefully read the iTunes counsel respecting downloading of past purchases (see attached JPG) and followed the directions, there is no "Library" and no little downloadable arrows in my screen view.  Yes, I've logged into my Account in the Store.  I've also seen what these arrows look like because I've used them to download music tracks.  If I try to delete the show the only thing that happens is I am asked if I want to "hide" it.  I do not.  I want to watch it.  Please help!  Thank you.

iTunes help with past purch.jpg

MacBook Pro (15-inch, Mid 2012), OS X Mountain Lion (10.8.3), 15 inch, 2.6 GHz i7 8 GB DDR3

Posted on May 22, 2013 5:15 PM

by sberman,Solvedanswer
sberman sberman
Level 8 (41,031 points)
A:

Yes, I'm suggesting you rebuild your library from scratch.

 

But if all your stuff is on iCloud, you can retrieve it.  If you have a legitimate entry in your iTunes library, you can see this by control-clicking on the item and choosing "delete".  You will be asked if you're sure you want to delete it, and whether you also want to delete it from iCloud (which you do not!).  You can then cancel the deletion, but you will have been given the assurance that the item is in iCloud awaiting your reinstatement later.

 

Check out Help > iTunes in the Cloud Overview in iTunes' help for more information.

Posted on May 24, 2013 3:01 PM

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AnneMowat

Q: Downloading previous purchases - TV Shows

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  • by sberman,

    sberman sberman May 22, 2013 10:31 PM in response to AnneMowat
    Level 8 (41,031 points)
    May 22, 2013 10:31 PM in response to AnneMowat

    If you would be perfectly happy with an empty iTunes library for now, I suggest deleting the files that keep track of where the old library was.

     

    Please consider the following article, and consider deleting the two Mac OS X files referenced near the top.

     

    iTunes: What are the iTunes library files?

  • by AnneMowat,

    AnneMowat AnneMowat May 24, 2013 2:34 PM in response to sberman
    Level 1 (4 points)
    May 24, 2013 2:34 PM in response to sberman

    Thank you, SBerman.  I am not sure how this works, even though I read the post to which you linked me in your response.

     

    Is the effect to strip away all content and essentially empty the library? 

     

    My concern here is that I will do as you suggest and simply lose everything I've ever purchased from iTunes (over many years) and never get this content back without re-purchasing it (hundreds of dollars).

     

    If emptied of all previously purchased items, am I then able to download them via iCloud Library?  Why doesn't iCloud even "see" my Library when I follow the instructions shown in the JPG I included in my original question?

     

    Does this include all my Audible purchases (which constitute a large portion of my library)? 

     

    Does that mean I essentially need to rebuild my Library from scratch? 

     

    Thank you for any help you can offer. 

     

    Best,

    Anne

  • by sberman,Solvedanswer

    sberman sberman May 24, 2013 3:01 PM in response to AnneMowat
    Level 8 (41,031 points)
    May 24, 2013 3:01 PM in response to AnneMowat

    Yes, I'm suggesting you rebuild your library from scratch.

     

    But if all your stuff is on iCloud, you can retrieve it.  If you have a legitimate entry in your iTunes library, you can see this by control-clicking on the item and choosing "delete".  You will be asked if you're sure you want to delete it, and whether you also want to delete it from iCloud (which you do not!).  You can then cancel the deletion, but you will have been given the assurance that the item is in iCloud awaiting your reinstatement later.

     

    Check out Help > iTunes in the Cloud Overview in iTunes' help for more information.

  • by AnneMowat,

    AnneMowat AnneMowat May 24, 2013 4:05 PM in response to sberman
    Level 1 (4 points)
    May 24, 2013 4:05 PM in response to sberman

    This worked better than I hoped!  I only needed to delete the show from the Library, not the entire library.  Then, a little cloud magically appeared and I was able to download the show once again, without having to pay twice.

     

    Thank you, SBerman, and happy Memorial Day weekend to you and your countrymen.

     

    Best,

    Anne

  • by sberman,

    sberman sberman May 24, 2013 4:08 PM in response to AnneMowat
    Level 8 (41,031 points)
    May 24, 2013 4:08 PM in response to AnneMowat

    Ah, fantastic!  Delighted this worked for you, and with less effort than I would have imagined.

     

    Thanks, and have a great weekend also.

     

    Enjoy the show as well as your Mac.