iTunes playlists/media missing since sierra update

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Level 1

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iTunes playlists/media missing since sierra update

This is going to be hard to explain but my Mac threw a fit when I updated to sierra. Initially I lost my whole library. It's on an external drive and sierra seemed to point back to the default library. Called Apple and they said the "iTunes media file was missing". Pointed itunes to the external drive and it couldn't see it. Presumably due to the missing iTunes media file. Took an hour of moving files round and the technician left me with items copying and said "that should do it". After a few hours I got a message that the hard drive was full!! Somehow he had copied to files and duplicated the hard drive. All my playlists were missing too along with the play counts and bookmarks from tv shows etc. Did some work myself and somehow got all of it back, the whole lot but now I have 2 folders on the external HDD. one with the actual files (minus the media file previously mentioned). The other folder has the itl files etc and the iTunes media folder in it along with the artwork BUT in preferences, the library is pointing to the folder that just has the files in it and NOT all the libary database info in it. It works, which is more that can be said for apples fix but it's a weird way of working and im just about to move my library to a new drive and I can see trouble ahead. Do I move both folders to the new HDD? If so how will it find my playlist info and files when they're spread across 2 folders. Apologies for the long question. Thanks for any pointers

Posted on Sep 22, 2016 4:51 AM

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Answer 1

Limnos

Level 10

428,147 points

Sep 22, 2016 9:40 AM in response to thx67

Preferences do not "point" to media location except to tell iTunes to put anything added from that point on in that location. The only thing pointing to media location is each individual line of entries in the .itl file. It sounds to me like you used to have a split library with media files on one drive and the rest of the supporting library files on your internal drive. You don't specify what happened when you "lost" your library. If you say you lost playlists and playcounts it sounds to me like you were creating a brand new library (.itl) by starting with a blank one and adding media to it to get a self-contained library the way things normally are. Personally I wish you had come here first because we likely could have cured it all in 5 minutes, being a bit more of a can-do than a by-the-book mindset. There was probably some easy solution but now that everything has been muddled by you and Apple apparently trying to get everything back onto the main drive I am not sure where we are.

Do you have a backup from before doing the update? You always need a backup. If you do then likely things can be restored without too much problem.

Are your files on the external drive still as they were before? Do you have two library folders in your Music folder? One should be the old one. Try starting iTunes while holding down the option/alt key and when prompted select the .itl file in the old folder. This is the file "pointing" to to your media files on the external drive and containing playlists, ratings, date added, etc.

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Answer 2

thx67 Author

Level 1

13 points

Sep 22, 2016 9:39 AM in response to Limnos

Thanks for the info. Its not easy to explain but when I lost the library it was like a new library when launching iTunes ie no music and a welcome Page. Going into preferences the location of my library was in the old/correct place before the calamity ie my external drive. In my music folder (internal drive, default place) was what I assume is the database (indexing files or whatever they're called) which I assume contains all the playlists and track counts etc. From what I remember, apple moved that file to the external drive alongside my iTunes files. Then they selected "add to library" and selected the folders (music/tv shows etc) from the external drive library. This is where they copying started and it took hours. This is what ground the Mac to a halt. I ended up deleting the "new library" relaunched iTunes and chose the library from the itl file. My brain is hazy with this last bit as I now have 2 folders on the ext drive. One called "iTunes new". the other called "new iTunes" courtesy of Apple so no wonder my memory of the solution is hazy! I'll try a screen shot and show you what I mean. Whatever I did it's currently working BUT the files and folders look chaotic. Hope that's explained it a bit. Thanks again

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Answer 3

thx67 Author

Level 1

13 points

Sep 22, 2016 9:53 AM in response to Limnos

This might explain it better. The folder called new iTunes is my original library that worked before the update. The other folder called iTunes new is what was added by apple. Again, going from memory, I had to delete files from somewhere in the new folder. The apple rep said the "iTunes Media" file was missing but I'm not so sure. The bit that baffled me is the fact that the location of my library in the preferences panel was unchanged at the correct place and hadn't been somehow reset back to the default place as first thought by the apple rep. Are you any wiser with this screen shot?

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Answer 4

Limnos

Level 10

428,147 points

Sep 22, 2016 9:57 AM in response to thx67

Preferences are independent of library file and can work for any library file you use. Doing a major change to your computer caused iTunes to lose track of which library file it should use so it created a blank one, but the old preferences file (which is actually in your hidden user Library folder) was still being used so you saw the setting location for the external drive as being the location for media added (nothing at all yet as far as iTunes was concerned with a new library file).

You say it is more or less working now and what you need to do is make sure it is all in one folder:

turingtest2 article: Make a split library portable - https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-7392

Additional information:

About iTunes library files - https://support.apple.com/HT201610 - Does not mention that a complete working library also includes other files and folders also in the iTunes folder.

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

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Answer 5

Limnos

Level 10

428,147 points

Sep 22, 2016 11:37 AM in response to thx67

Read the turingtest2 document on what a normal iTunes folder looks like. You probably don't want to do it now but I bet if after you started having problems you had simply held down the option key while starting iTunes and had select the iTunes Library.itl file in that "new iTunes"folder, iTunes would have started normally.

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Answer 6

thx67 Author

Level 1

13 points

Sep 22, 2016 11:47 AM in response to Limnos

Wow. What a lot of info to absorb. Thanks for all those links. From what I've read I would say that all files are in the corrrect place as i checked "keep files organised". Ideally all my folders including the library files should be contained WITHIN the iTunes media folder? i don't know how far itunes can drill into folders. I'm leaning toward leaving it as it is at the moment. But moving to a different drive would mean dragging both folders new iTunes and iTunes new to the new drive and opening the library with the itl file? would that do the trick? the stupid thing is, I've moved libraries before and never had a problem but not sure how I did. Maybe consolidated library. Anyway, I'm back up and running but was just concerned that the files looks jumbled up. Dragging the media folder and library files inside the iTunes media folder would cause it to throw a fit I assume. Thanks once again for your help. I've learned a few things and the articles are in my reading list.

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Answer 7

Oct 18, 2016 8:51 AM in response to thx67

I NEED my playlists back and Sierra doesn't recognize them any more. I use my library for teaching and I usually listen to music where I don't have WiFi so Apple Music is NOT an option for me. How can I get my lists back to use with my new computer? I also want to create new lists. I can't stand listening to lists that are created online.

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Answer 8

thx67 Author

Level 1

13 points

Oct 20, 2016 3:05 AM in response to ellenfromedmonton

As far as I'm concerned Apple Music isn't an option for anyone. I had the trial and it destroyed my library. Lost rare albums, playlists, artwork. Wrecked it completely. Apple did sort it out for me though but it took days to get it all back. Time machine was a big help too but I'm convinced there is a bug somewhere in iTunes that damages libraries as work colleagues have all had similar glitches. Hope you managed to get your playlists back. The info above from limnos is pretty helpful. For what it's worth, I launched iTunes with option held down. When it asked which library to use I selected the iTunes library file as opposed to the iTunes media folder which I've always done until now. That seemed to do it. After I got the playlists back I exported each playlist to iCloud Drive in case I have another calamity. Good luck sorting it.

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Answer 9

sungyle

Level 1

40 points

Nov 7, 2016 2:15 PM in response to thx67

Hi,

I have a similar problem with iTunes. I hope this discussion is still open and I hope Mr. Limnos can show me where to go find a fix.

My iTunes had been working since I installed Sierra about 3,4 weeks ago.

I am 70 years old and I know nothing about computers. All I know is it works (ok, worked).

Today, when I tried to load iTunes, it suddenly said the Library is missing and asked me to start a new one.

I knew better so I just closed it.

I went into my external drive looking for the Library but I can't find it.

My library had always been in the external drive (G-Drive 4TB). I found a file called iTunes Library.itl last open Monday October 31, 2016. But now, when I tried to open it, it says no application set to open the document. So this is not the library. Where did the library go?

Sierra did offer me something about cleaning up my hard drive and wanted to move things to iCloud. I said no. I also assumed it only meant things in the built in HD.

I made a lot of home videos of the grand children. Lots. My wife will kill me if I lost all of them. Please help me.

Sierra really *****. I almost lost all my iPhotos and I spent 1 week with a supervisor from the Apple help desk. iPhoto still does not work. I gave up.

Now iTunes is also dead.

OMG. Please help.

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Answer 10

Nov 7, 2016 3:40 PM in response to sungyle

I'm having similar problems. I managed to "find" my old iTunes Playlists, but I don't really know how. I recovered a lot of my photos with hours and hours of technical support but almost all of my photos for the last couple of years seem to be missing. Of course, those are the photos that I haven't printed. No idea why Apple chose such a ****** update, since it means that their tech staff are wasting hours helping us with something that should happen automatically. And of course, the less patient customers will just choose products that aren't made by Apple.

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Answer 11

sungyle

Level 1

40 points

Nov 9, 2016 10:16 AM in response to ellenfromedmonton

I don't know what I am talking about, but try to find a folder that says "iTunes Media", open it and see if you can find a video or a song.

If you do (I did, don't ask me how), click it to run it.

Lucky me, mine actually open itself up in iTunes and the whole library somehow came back for no reason.

Again, I don't know what happened.

This whole MacOS Sierra, an iPhone OS wanna be, is so buggy even the drag and drop is a "sometimes" thing. CMD-Drag is supposed to move a file, well, you try it and you tell me if I am stupid.

Not sure if you do face book. The two finger magnify does not work any more. Oh it works, but the screen is all screwed up. If you have 70+ years old eyes like me, you will need to use the command + keys to magnify pages in FaceBook.

With Donald Trump leading now, may be Apple will be out of business soon.

Not sure if Bill Gates was financing Trump...

Have a drink.

Just don't use Photos. Never use Photos... ok? Wait till they do the update...

To good mental health.

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