Corrupted drive, lost iTunes library

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Level 1

20 points

Corrupted drive, lost iTunes library

I had a ^&&$*$%** Seagate drive crash, "Can't read or write to the drive". My backup Time Machine drive also wasn't working to my surprise. So my 80K songs and 3K videos are GONE! Is there anyway I can retrieve the songs in my playlists and any musicI had purchased on the old iTunes?

It is beyond belief that BOTH drives went bad.Since iTunes library is gone I image I would have to create a new library on a new drive.

Thanks for any suggestions.

iMac 27″ 5K, macOS 13.7

Posted on Aug 19, 2025 05:25 PM

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Answer 1

Old Toad

Level 10

214,230 points

Aug 20, 2025 03:10 PM in response to Joe Banko

Does Disk Utility see the two drives?

Have you tried the two drive with another Mac to see if it sees them?

Have you tried a different port/cable?

If you have to purchase new drives don't skimp on quality and price. I recommend OWC (MacSales.com) drives. OWC is considered the premier hardware supplier for Macs.

Of budget os a concern consider this type of setup:

Although they are not as fast as a SSD with its own case they operate at 500 MBs which can open a 183 GB Photos library in 2 seconds.

Disclaimer: I'm retired so don't need the Speedy Gonzales of SSDs.

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Answer 2

Aug 20, 2025 03:33 PM in response to Joe Banko

Music that you purchased from iTunes may be redownloaded.

Apple's guidance for that is here: Redownload music from the iTunes Store on your Mac - Apple Support

As for the rest of your music and video library, recovery will partly depend on the type of drive(s) that failed. HDDs may be easier to recover files from than SSDs simply because of the nature of the way the storage media works. A utility such as Disk Drill from cleverfiles may be useful. Files stored on SSD may be darn near impossible to recover even for pro services.

For future reference, as far as backing up your important files goes, it's best to use a 3-2-1 backup strategy.

Three copies of your data, using two types of backup (system clone & TM backup), with one copy kept off site in case of catastrophe.

I also agree 100% with @Old Toad regarding the use of quality devices.

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