My music files disappeared. . .iTunes library (damaged)

[PiecesOF8]

I really hope someone can help me here. . .
I was adding some music to iTunes downloaded through acquisition x, and my external HD (Seagate 320 GB) all of a sudden has no music files anywhere on it. The available space is still the same as when i had 40 gigs of music on it, and iTunes says on opening:
"The file "iTunes Library" does not appear to be a valid iTunes Library file. iTunes has created a new iTunes Library and renamed this file to "iTunes Library (Damaged)."
I can't find any .xml or .itl or a (damaged) library file ANYWHERE.
THEN the next dialog display says the iTunes application could not be opened, the required file is in use.

So used an applescript to unhide invisible files and folders, and the .Trash is empty, Finder's trash is empty, searched all OVER for any trace of the .mp3 files in my library, but they have disappeared.

I also can't unmount or eject, verify or repair my External because it is "in use." The only process running i can see is finder, though I'm not sure.

Any ideas? Please help; 6 years of music means a lot. . .

 

[UltraNEO*]

If you're having issues verifying or repairing the disks. Try booting from the OSX installer disk and instead of going with the default install function, choose Disk Utility from the menu.

 

[Tumbleweed666]

Any ideas? Please help; 6 years of music means a lot. . .

Restore from your backup. Or, if you dont have have one, well, obviously 6 years wasn't worth that much as you couldn't be bothered at any point over six years to make a copy somewhere.

 

[UltraNEO*]

Restore from your backup. Or, if you dont have have one, well, obviously 6 years wasn't worth that much as you couldn't be bothered at any point over six years to make a copy somewhere.

Yeah.. You do have a valid point there.

Personally I don't' think the OP has lost his/her actual music files, if anything it's just a corrupted iTunes Library/preference file. In which case the OP just needs to delete it them (while iTunes is closed).

Then relaunch iTunes and drag all the folders from the iTunes Music into iTunes application. iTunes will recreate a new iTunes Library file with all the OP's files (may take some time).

Last time i did this it took about 2 hours on my little MacBookPro but I have more then 16,000 tracks.

 

[PiecesOF8]

Restore from your backup. Or, if you dont have have one, well, obviously 6 years wasn't worth that much as you couldn't be bothered at any point over six years to make a copy somewhere.

Ouch. It's true, I hadn't had an external until recently, and now there is no way to make a backup. There are no .xml, .lib, .itl or any other files, just a partially full External... with nothing in it. I guess i'm just screwed I will try booting from OSX Installer when I get back home at some point, but other than that I have no idea what could have obliterated everything
Thank you for the reprimand about backing up data
20/20 hindsight

 

[PiecesOF8]

Dude. Miracle.
I just bit the bullet and unplugged and reconnected the external; it's all back.

WHEW

another question for a relieved idiot. . .
would partitioning aforementioned external for use with time machine be prudent?

 

[tabs]

It's just happened to me - help!!

Hi.

I have been merrily using itunes on my imac and go to play some songs tonight and find that all but one album purchased in the last week has the dreaded exclamation mark next to it and file cannot be found. When asking it to find where it is, it sends me to the itunes library file on the HD but there's only a handful of songs in there - where have all the others gone??

I haven't been moving files or library stuff around, the preferences are on for organising itunes and keeping stuff in the library; all that's happened is that my ipod was connected to it yesterday and it was fine then.

Many of the tracks are on the ipod and on my macbook pro, but I don't understand why this has happened or how I get them back as they don't seem to exist anywhere on the computer.

Please help!