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what happened to my playlists? I just loaded version 11.0.4.4 and all my playlists and songs uploaded from CDs to iTunes disapeared!!!!

what happened to my playlists? I just loaded version 11.0.4.4 and all my playlists and songs uploaded from CDs to iTunes disapeared!!!!

Dell Latitude E6500, Windows 7

Posted on Jun 18, 2013 11:03 AM

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Posted on Jun 18, 2013 11:20 AM

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 as iTunes Library (Corrupt) 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.


User uploaded file


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 renamed as iTunes Library.itl to restore the library to a recent state.


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.


tt2

112 replies

Sep 28, 2013 11:26 AM in response to susan8231

susan8231 wrote:


That itunes folder is the same folder the previous library came from, right?


Yes...


So I've copied, pasted and renamed that previous library, and moved it back to the itunes folder. It still doesn't appear. Perhaps in that folder I should delete the file called "iTunes Music Library" because that's what the program automatically opens?


That will be iTunes Music Library.xml, iTunes creates this for third party software to read. How many .itl files in the Previous iTunes Libraries folder and are they all of comparable size? You may need to go back to an earlier copy.


tt2

Sep 28, 2013 11:55 AM in response to turingtest2

I went back to an earlier copy and still nothing appears.


I was about to give up on this when I remembered that the last iTunes upgrade I did coincided with upgrading my ipad to ios7. As as happened before when upgrading the ipad, my books were deleted. Fortunately this time I had backed up the ipad to itunes, so I did a restore from that backup. Lo and behold, my music library is on the ipad and it must have been put there from that backup, because I didn't have any music on the ipad before.


I've connected the ipad to my computer and opened iTunes. I don't see a way to copy the music from the ipad to iTunes but there must be a way. Do you know how to do that?

Sep 28, 2013 12:28 PM in response to turingtest2

Thank you for the link. I did the "transfer purchases" and got most of my music back, though the playlists are gone of course.


Well, lesson learned once again... don't upgrade ipad or itunes unless absolutely necessary... the risk of losing something is so great. Too bad about itunes, never had problems with its upgrades before.



Thanks for your help tt2.

what happened to my playlists? I just loaded version 11.0.4.4 and all my playlists and songs uploaded from CDs to iTunes disapeared!!!!

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