I installed iTunes 12 this evening. After doing so, my Music in iTunes only shows music from the cloud. It does not show any music that I previously downloaded from CDs. The music from CDs is still on my hard drive, it is just not showing up in my iTunes library.
ASC user turingtest2 help document: Empty/corrupt iTunes library after upgrade/crash - https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-6561
when i go to Previous iTunes Libraries there are no files in there.
Do you have more than one iTunes folder?
Are there any hidden .tmp files in the main iTunes folder?
It is unusual for the Previous iTunes Libraries folder to be both present and empty. 😕
tt2
Only one iTunes folder.
Only hidden file that pops up in my main iTunes folder is something called "Sentinel" with no file extension.
When I go to Previous iTunes Libraries folder, it is empty.
However, if I expand the 'iTunes Music' folder, I can see all the folders of my music, including the items I ripped from CDs. I can drill down to individual tracks. None of these items are in my iTunes library, however. If I click on individual tracks, they open in Windows Media Player and play.
That dated .itl file in your main iTunes folder would normally end up inside the Previous iTunes Libraries folder. The fact that is in the folder above suggests there could be a permissions issue. See Repair security permissions for iTunes for Windows for steps to resolve. Make a copy the dated .itl file (select it, then press Ctrl+C, Ctrl+V), then rename iTunes Library.itl as iTunes Library (Corrupt).itl and finally rename the newly copied file as iTunes Library.itl.
tt2
I did these steps as well. Still only seeing songs that are in the Cloud (i.e., ones I purchased through iTunes). None of the rest of my library is showing in iTunes.
Compare the size of the active iTunes library.itl file and the apparent backup. Is one much larger than the other? Is there a new dated file since restarting iTunes? Is the last modified date changing when you access the library? If not iTunes could be connected to a different file in a different folder. You have checked for missing hidden .tmp files so there is nothing to gain there, assumin you have the active library folder. If needs be you will have to reimport the contents of the media folder to the library. If you have any Apple devices see Recover your iTunes library from your iPod or iOS device for tips on associating your devices with this new library, and recovering playlists, ratings, and play/skip counts. See also Backup your iTunes for Windows library with SyncToy for a recommended backup strategy for the future.
tt2
File sizes are the same. New dated files are being made, but are same size. Songs on my hard drive (and iPod) are songs I ripped from CDs. The songs are still on my PC but just refuse to show up in iTunes library. They will play in Windows Media Player, Amazon Music Player. If I have to resort to a third party app or software to get those songs back from my iPod into my iTunes library or re-import them from the CDs, then I will just be done with Apple and iTunes all together.
The songs will only show in a library if they are added to it, or you are able to restore a suitable previous version. The original user tip that Limnos pointed you to - Empty/corrupt iTunes library after upgrade/crash - includes tips on importing your media into the current or recovered library. At the simplest level you should be able to use FIle > Add Folder to Library. If that isn't working then I suspect you may still need to apply that permissions fix. Or possibly tear down iTunes and reinstall it.
The other thing that I can see from your screenshots is that you have both an iTunes Media and an iTunes Music folder. Ideally your library would be organized around the iTunes Media folder. iTunes Music was dropped as the default name for the media folder back in iTunes 9. This also adds hints that your library has been moved around at some point adding weight to the possibility of a permissions issue. Several other threads I've been involved in have hinted at a change in iTunes 12 which broke the ability of some users to make tag edits when they had not had a problem with the previous build.
tt2
turingtest2 -- first of all, thanks for your continued efforts. I have tried the permissions fix and the uninstall/reinstall route. I did note your comment about iTunes Media and iTunes Music folders. When I drill down into either of those folders, I see all of my music, i.e., it seems that it is in both places?
actually, that's not quite right. some of the music is in Media folder and some is in Music folder.
If you've given up on trying to locate a working past library then you can add both iTunes Media and iTunes Music to the library you have now.
Under Edit > Preferences > Advanced make sure that the media folder is given as iTunes Media and both options Keep... and Copy.. are ticked. After adding both folders you can delete iTunes Music as these tracks will have been duplicated in iTunes Media folder. On the off chance that process also creates duplicates in the library I have a script DeDuper that can tidy up.
The steps above would temporarily double-up on the contents of the iTunes Music folder. If you don't have room for the additional copies turn off the Copy... option before adding to the library, then my script ConsolidateByMoving does just that.
If you want Windows Media Player and iTunes to share a common media folder see Getting iTunes & Windows Media Player to play nicely.
If you have any Apple device there are two more scripts of mine listed towards the end of Recover your iTunes library from your iPod or iOS device which can be used to recover ratings, play counts, and playlists. You should backup any iOS devices and then restore them to make sure the devices are properly tied to your new library.
tt2
iTunes 12 library only contains songs from cloud; songs on my hard drive are still there but iTunes library does not show them
