Help! Library and XML files deleted!!!

[msh441]

I moved my iPod music collection to another hard drive to free up space last night.

I was reading the directions from apple one at a time and following them step by step.

Everything was going great until just after "drag your iTunes folder to the trash bin and delete".

It was 2:00 AM, so I failed to read the next line about keeping the library and XML files!!! Now iTunes doesn't see my relocated music any more OR recognize my iPod as being associated with my library!!!

I'm hoping some combination of removing and re-installing iTunes (possibly initializing new library and XML files), followed by recovering my music (album art, play lists and ratings) using my demo version of ipodcopy will get me back in the game (at least with files back in my C: drive). I'm hoping I can then switch my library location again in the settings.... this time KEEPING the vital files in the C: drive.

Any experience with this?

HELP!!!!

[msh441]

...anyone?



*crickets chirping*



Well, like my other questions so far, I've managed to answer this one on my own after some searching. Kind of disappointed, though. A search of iLounge forus (as well as 3 or 4 other ipod boards) determined this to be a very frequent question. Just about every search I did had similar results, too: No reply to the problem, or an incorrect reply (delete these files and your screwed - no way to recover, even with an aftermarket program). iPod support dosn't give ANY hint of a solution.

Well I've determined that you CAN recover from permanantly deleted library and XML files PROVIDED YOUR IPOD STILL HAS MUSIC ON IT, or you've backed up you music files elsewhere.

Don't fret... just do some searching. There are at least three programs I came across that say they can recover/rebuild these library and XML files from your ipod itself. I sucessfully used CopyPod from www.copypod.net, but theres also PodPlus from www.ipodsoft.com and ipodcopy from www.ipodcopy.com that also suggest they can do the same.

As often as this question get asked, I'm suprised there's no stickey here to keep this one close at hand. Or if it's there, I struck out finding it for myself.

[mithra]

iTunes library files aren't in the iTunes directory.

Read: What are the iTunes library files? and How to recreate your iTunes Library

Edit: (At least mine weren't, but that might be because my music files are already on another partition, not the default location.)

[msh441]

My guess is that your's were in a different location because of your patition and hard drive configuration.

The default location for these files (using windows) is: Documents and Settings\username\My Documents\My Music\iTunes\iTunes Library.itl

and

\Documents and Settings\username\My Documents\My Music\iTunes\iTunes Music Library.xml

The articles you provided only help if theres been some minor corruption to the files, AND they still exist somewhere on your hard drive. This process will recreat/fix them, but it's likely that you will loose some information (possibly album art, ratings and other file tags depending on the degree of corruption).

If the XML and ITL files have been inadverantly deleted from the system, or hopelessly corrupted (as I and others have experienced)... well, apple doesn't give any answers there and neither of these articles apply to this situation.

[carmhayley]

Hi

I'd really appreciate any help in this regard: this is my situation "If the XML and ITL files have been inadverantly deleted from the system"

Sadly, I do NOT have an Ipod with which I can restore my library. However, I do have a back up of all the music. Additionally, I'm not quite sure how to explain this but my 'back up' on my D drive is actually the location of my Itunes library but I had lost all my Playlists and Music on my Itunes when I went and deleted all data from the location C/Username/Music/ITunes/Itunes Media. This location included I assume my iTunes Library.xml file.

I hope you can make some sense of this, Thank you

Carmen.

[cjmnews]

Revived a 6 year old post eh?

The playlists and library are all in the iTunes Library.itl file. It should be located in your backup of Music/iTunes folder. The XML file is not that important. It will get built when you restore the ITL file and open iTunes. The files child be located in C:/users/<login>/Music/iTunes folder or wherever your library is usually located.