Mysterious iTunes disappearance

[jivecat]

I downloaded a couple of tracks from iTunes last week but I can only find one of them now. The other is not in the recently added/purchased list and can't be found on any of the playlists even though I'm pretty sure I'd added it. I don't think I clicked on anything that might have deleted it. It's not in the recycle bin.

What do you think I've done to it? Any ideas?

[Lory]

Originally Posted by jivecat

I downloaded a couple of tracks from iTunes last week but I can only find one of them now. The other is not in the recently added/purchased list and can't be found on any of the playlists even though I'm pretty sure I'd added it. I don't think I clicked on anything that might have deleted it. It's not in the recycle bin.

What do you think I've done to it? Any ideas?

Have you tried simply typing in the name of the song, when itunes is in 'music' under 'library'?

Or how about 'recently played'?

One other possibility... have you got different screen names set up on your PC?

[Dreadful Scathe]

can't you download it again? dunno ive not used itunes . DRM is evil

[Tessalicious]

Try a search in Windows Explorer using the track name - if it's still there, you're pretty likely to find it that way. If not, no idea what's happened there, but you should always be able to redownload especially on the same computer - at least you can with Napster.

[NZ Monkey]

If memory serves the actual files are often stored with names like ZKYT.(insert some random iTunes format here) to help with security. At least that’s been true of all the iTunes files I’ve copied from other peoples computer who were using legal downloads. The track names and other data iTunes uses are encoded in the files and iTunes and your iPod display that data instead of the file name. Running a Windows search may not help if this is happening because the name will just be a random assortment of letters.

Perhaps if the download were interrupted the files may be incomplete in a temp folder somewhere? I’m afraid I don’t have any really helpful suggestions that haven’t already been given though

[Tiggerbabe]

Originally Posted by NZ Monkey

Perhaps if the download were interrupted the files may be incomplete in a temp folder somewhere?

This is what I thought might have happened, have you logged into the iTunes store again to see if it completes the download?

[Chef]

A few weeks ago I had a similar problem. I had downloaded a tune and had been happily playing it on the iPod and the computer and then I went to play it from the main library and iTunes told me that it could not find the tune on the computer. I could still play it from one of the playlists but not from the main library (it was also still in the "purchased" playlist).

I eventually sorted it out by going to the purchased playlist selecting the son and right clicking to get a menu up and selecting the "info" section. At the bottom of the general info box was a disk address of where the file was stored.

I used windows explorer to go to that location to verify that the file was still there. I then went back to the main library on iTunes and from the file menue selected "add file". I then navigated to the file location and selected it and the file was then once again available from the main library.

iTunes just holds pointers to the files that it wants to use and it appears that sometimes one or more of those pointers can get corrupted. By reloading the file into iTunes you restore that pointer again.

The tricky bit is finding where the file is located on your computer.

Hope this helps.

[ducasi]

Originally Posted by NZ Monkey

If memory serves the actual files are often stored with names like ZKYT.(insert some random iTunes format here) to help with security.

That's only on the iPod, and I think it's more about file system limitations that security. On the computer it's usually named after the track number and name of the song, with a ".m4p" file extension if it's an iTunes Store purchase.

Like others have said, if you've downloaded the file, it should be on the disk somewhere, and doing a search will hopefully find it.

[NZ Monkey]

Originally Posted by ducasi

That's only on the iPod, and I think it's more about file system limitations that security. On the computer it's usually named after the track number and name of the song, with a ".m4p" file extension if it's an iTunes Store purchase.

Like others have said, if you've downloaded the file, it should be on the disk somewhere, and doing a search will hopefully find it.

I wonder if they're displaying that way on my computer because I used my iPod to transfer the files from my friends machine to my one then? I may have simply copied the contents of the folders in my iPod into my existing library folder and then added it in iTunes.

Oh well, it hardly matter when that library is half the world away

[jivecat]

Thanks everyone, but still haven't found it.

It's not on the recently purchased list even though another track bought the same day is.

iTunes Search did not come up with it, or the Windows search.

The download was definitely complete 'cos I'd already played it lots of times.

I asked iTunes to purchase it again and they very smugly told me that I'd already purchased it, which was honest of them, I guess. Annoys me to have to spend 75p twice over, but I may as well, assuming it'll let me!

[Tiggerbabe]

Originally Posted by jivecat

75p

Cool! All my iTunes cost 79p
You have searched the "trash" too, just in case you threw it out by mistake?

[DavidY]

Originally Posted by jivecat

iTunes Search did not come up with it, or the Windows search.

The download was definitely complete 'cos I'd already played it lots of times.

What Criteria did you use to search for it using Windows Search (which isn't the best search facility ever)?

If it was me, I'd first find the working one which you know is still there, have a quick look in whichever folder it's in to make sure the "lost" one isn't there, and then search for every file on the entire computer with the same file extension.

I hesitate to ask, but I don't suppose you have a recent backup...?

[jivecat]

75p, 79p, whatever! You surely don't expect me to get things right, do you?

Originally Posted by DavidY

What Criteria did you use to search for it using Windows Search (which isn't the best search facility ever)?

If it was me, I'd first find the working one which you know is still there, have a quick look in whichever folder it's in to make sure the "lost" one isn't there, and then search for every file on the entire computer with the same file extension.

What working one? There's no evidence of it anywhere. Not convince I'm using the search facility properly, though. I typed in the name of the track, initially.

I hesitate to ask, but I don't suppose you have a recent backup...?

Errmm

[ducasi]

I'd do a search, as DavidY suggests, for all files with the extension ".m4p" and see what it turns up...

[DavidY]

Originally Posted by jivecat

What working one? There's no evidence of it anywhere.

I meant the other tune you said you'd downloaded and which you said still works (so you know it's there somewhere).

If you can find that one, it may give you pointers on finding the "lost" one...