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Library database with no media

I reverted the OS from Yosemite to Mavericks so my internal HD was erased (have subsequently returned to Yosemite, that’s another story!). My iTunes Media Folder is now empty. My content still lists in iTunes but none of the media files remain.


Can someone help me with the correct terminology:

My items are still "in iTunes" (still in the iTunes Library database), right?

The media is "missing"?


To rebuild, I have 2 separate tasks: re-rip CDs I possess and restore Store purchases I have made.


My questions:

To avoid duplication of items as I re-rip, it seems wise to delete original items from iTunes. I don’t anticipate deleting the iTunes Library file because I would like to preserve playlists and other metadata. Would a re-ripped song re-appear in the playlist its predecessor was in?


How is a "missing" purchased item affected if I delete it or keep it in iTunes? Will redownloading from the Store be easier if it is still "in iTunes"? Will redownloading previous purchases still be possible if I delete purchased items from the iTunes Library? I have attempted a few redownloads but the download cloud icon is fussy, doesn’t appear without several clicks. Would it work more smoothly if I deleted purchased items from the Library (my assumption is that they persist in my Store account even if deleted from iTunes)?

iPad 2 Wi-Fi + 3G, iOS 6.0.1, Screens VPN app

Posted on Apr 20, 2015 1:22 PM

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Posted on Apr 20, 2015 2:05 PM

It is difficult to respond when you use such a large font to post. I have to keep on scrolling to reference your original post = I am not likely to answer some questions to which I know answers.


It is kind of surprising to keep the library folder but lose media.


Items in the library file point to specific files on your computer. If you re-download from the Store or CD and add to iTunes the application will see those as new files. If you truly absolutely have to have the old links point to the new files then you need to get the files back into the old location with exactly the same names, then start iTunes and find one file and hope it will rebuild the links for all. This won't work if you use iTunes to redownload your purchases (which would require some tricks to avoid) or if you use iTunes to rip from CDs. In both those cases the files would be seen as new and not re-linked. Basically it you want to re-link from media you no longer have it will take a lot of work.


New downloads won't go into an old playlist unless it is a smart playlist. They are seen as brand new files even if they are ones you had before.


Better would be for you to tell use why it isn't the case you kept a backup for you library before doing something as extreme as downgrading OS and if you did what we could do to use it instead.


Realize the underlying feature behind all this is all the library file is is a text listing of what files are in your media folder and where. It isn't the music, it is just a catalog.

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Question marked as Best reply

Apr 20, 2015 2:05 PM in response to Frank Parks

It is difficult to respond when you use such a large font to post. I have to keep on scrolling to reference your original post = I am not likely to answer some questions to which I know answers.


It is kind of surprising to keep the library folder but lose media.


Items in the library file point to specific files on your computer. If you re-download from the Store or CD and add to iTunes the application will see those as new files. If you truly absolutely have to have the old links point to the new files then you need to get the files back into the old location with exactly the same names, then start iTunes and find one file and hope it will rebuild the links for all. This won't work if you use iTunes to redownload your purchases (which would require some tricks to avoid) or if you use iTunes to rip from CDs. In both those cases the files would be seen as new and not re-linked. Basically it you want to re-link from media you no longer have it will take a lot of work.


New downloads won't go into an old playlist unless it is a smart playlist. They are seen as brand new files even if they are ones you had before.


Better would be for you to tell use why it isn't the case you kept a backup for you library before doing something as extreme as downgrading OS and if you did what we could do to use it instead.


Realize the underlying feature behind all this is all the library file is is a text listing of what files are in your media folder and where. It isn't the music, it is just a catalog.

Apr 20, 2015 1:54 PM in response to Limnos

Thanks for your reply and apologies for font size abuse. I'll try to zoom Safari instead of bumping up font size to make it easier to read.


Sounds like you would agree that in the circumstance I describe, nothing more would be lost by "deleting all" items in iTunes before I start rebuilding. Is there a functional distinction between deleting the iTunes Music Library file and deleting all its contents from within iTunes?

Apr 20, 2015 2:24 PM in response to Frank Parks

You need to learn iTunes is a bunch of files and support folders. Essentially it is two things. It is your media. It is the library file. When you add a file to iTunes the application moves a copy of the file into a media folder and makes a note of the location of that specific file in its database. From that point on iTunes does not keep track of the file. It assumes the information it has for the file in the database is correct. Generally if something happens to the file the most iTunes will do is report a broken link. iTunes does not see your files as music. To iTunes is is just a file and you could have 20 copies and iTunes will think they are all different and handle each one separately (but you would see them as duplicates). That is why iTunes will not re-link to replaced media files unless you do it yourself (slow) or it can do it in bulk by looking at the location of one and rebuilding the others assuming that its basic location information (file name and path) is correct.


What are the iTunes library files? - http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1660


More on iTunes library files and what they do - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ITunes#Media_management


What are all those iTunes files? - http://www.macworld.com/article/139974/2009/04/itunes_files.html


Where are my iTunes files located? - http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1391


iTunes 9 [and later]: Understanding iTunes Media Organization - http://support.apple.com/kb/ht3847 - plus supplemental information about organizing to new structure https://discussions.apple.com/thread/6477809?answerId=26404702022#26404702022


Are you absolutely positive you lost all your media? It is not uncommon (especially where something radical has happened such as a downgrade) for the library file to lose the links to media files, but they are still there.

Apr 20, 2015 3:53 PM in response to Limnos

Not absolutely sure but pretty **** sure....

I made the decision to NOT BACK UP media files many years ago before the age of cheap capacious hard drives. It was before iCloud, before mac.com....

The idea of filling up precious external disk space with hourly/weekly/monthly copies of a song that was already on a commercial CD seemed foolish.


Flip to the present: Apple's Security Update 2015-002 broke my mac (keyboards stopped working). I tried a forward update from Mavericks to Yosemite but the glitch persisted. Desperate to fix the glitch, it appeared that backwards reversion to a Time Machine OS backup prior to the suspected Sec. Update was the required course. Pre-occupied with the glitch at hand, I consented to internal drive erasure without understanding its effect on the media files.


Looking back, I'm pretty sure that the original issue was just a buggy Security Update and that I could have eventually fixed that without reverting the OS (which is what erased the internal drive).


So, if others may profit by my cautionary example....


For me, it's on to rebuilding iTunes.

Library database with no media

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