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If I delete my iTunes library on my Windows 10 desktop, and then re-install iTunes on my Windows 10, can I download/transfer the contents/music of my iPod back into the iTunes library on Windows 10?
iPod, iOS 15
While it may be possible to retrieve the media content from a device (see Recover your iTunes library from your iPod or iOS device - Apple Community) it can be complex, and one wrong move can result in everything on the device being wiped. What is the issue you have right now that you think deleting the library will resolve? When referring to the library do you mean the database file, the media files, or both. Typically uninstalling and then reinstalling the application leaves your media intact. You should nonetheless backup your library for security.
tt2
Uninstalling and reinstalling iTunes doesn't impact your iTunes library. It is stored in a separate location. Imagine if you had to rebuild your library every time iTunes was updated. The core of the library is a database file called iTunes Library.itl. There will be some other files in the same folder, and an Album Artwork cache, but all the dependent files can be rebuilt from the .itl if necessary. This is like an index in a book. It lists where everything is. Your actual music files (.mp3, .wav, .m4a etc) are like the other pages. When you delete items from the library you can sometimes remove the entry from the index, without removing the file itself, which would stay in the original artist and album folder inside the media folder. Or that file might be sent to the recycle bin. If still there it can be restored. Sometimes it is even possible to unerase files that have apparently been completely removed from the computer.
To create a new empty library you can press and hold down shift as you launch iTunes and then select the Create Library button. Alternatively if your library is in the default location of <User's Music>\iTunes then rename the iTunes folder to say iTunes (Old) and when you launch iTunes it should build a new empty library automatically. Note an empty library will show your unhidden purchase history in the cloud. If you take this approach you could then reimport any of your old content that remains on the computer.
See Empty/corrupt iTunes library after upgrade/crash - Apple Community and/or Recover your iTunes library from your iPod or iOS device - Apple Community. As previously noted extracting content from your device is possible, but certainly not simple. If the files exist on your computer or any backup start there.
tt2
The issue I am having is a little complicated. Basically, it consists of the following:
-when I added Apple Music and Apple TV apps is when my problems started. All of my music library on iTunes was transferred into Apple Music. Apple Music, for me, was not as satisfying an experience as was iTunes.
-after realizing that re-building my music library in iTunes would be exhausting and very time consuming, I finally inquired if there was an alternative. I was finally given the solution to simply delete the Apple Music and Apple TV apps. Magically, it seems, my library was restored in iTunes.
-I then noticed that, while I was attempting to restore my iTunes library, and before I deleted the 2 apps, only 2 categories were now available on my new iTunes library: podcasts and audiobooks. So, it seems all the songs were not in the song (nor album, genre, etc.) category. Songs were in the audiobooks category. This seemed unnecessary and annoying. In a foolish attempt to organize my iTunes and remove all the songs that were in the audiobook category, I deleted the songs there. Well, ALL the songs disappeared from my library, well it seems at least 99.9% of them did.
-So, I began the process of rebuilding my iTunes library yet again.
-The realization occurred to me that my iTunes library is intact on my iPod. Thus, this gave rise to the question I posed: can I simply transfer my library on my iPod, directly on to my iTunes app on my computer's Windows 10?
-I wanted to delete the iTunes app and then reinstall it first because I want the iTunes library to be clean, i.e., blank, with no music, and just be ready to receive all the songs on my iPod smoothly.
I am not sure what you mean by database file, the media files or both. If by database files, I think you mean the music files that are on my computer, of which there are many, thousands, all of those seem to be present, untouched. If by media files you mean the files that are the files (be it mp3, WAV, etc. format) I download to iTunes, which I then download onto my iPod, these are the files I am talking about. So, forgive me if I misunderstand your terminology. What I mean are the music files that have been transferred onto my iTunes library, I guess the media files.
Any more help from you would be greatly appreciated.
iPod Touch iOS 15.8.3 Library: Transfer to iTunes app on Windows 10?
