TechGuy ((wails)) are you there? Upgraded to iOS5 and my iPhone 3GS lost all apps and music

[GeetTallBird]

I've tried re-syncing for two days now, all I get is this error message "could not install blah blah because the file can not be found"
The files are THERE on my laptop but my newly crap iPhone can't see them, I'm missing 1401 music files. (I only have 2 Paloma Faith, 1 Alicia Keys and one Keane music file, Mötley Crüe and their ilk have GONE! wail!!!)

Is the music still really there on the laptop? If you load iTunes can you play the music through it?

Hi badger, yes the music is all there, I've played a track from one of my 4 tracks synced to my iPhone (Keane btw) and it played fine.
Should I try to play a song "not" in my iPhone but still on my iTunes? My genius mixes and playlists and all songs are still there, just iPhone can't seem to see them!

Yes, try and play a song that wouldn't sing to your iPhone. Trying to work out if iTunes can definitely see the song, if it can't then it's an iTunes issue and nothing to do with the phone. If it can then we can focus on the syncing side of things as the profile lies there.

You're a star, I'll try it first thing tomorrow, thank you!

Have you got t he sync all music box ticked on the music tab when you're syncing?

I've had the same problem with my iPad but then my iPad magically downloaded iCloud last night and I was able to resynch everything. Have you downloaded iCloud on your phone? Disclaimer: I may be confusing iCloud and i05, I know nothing.

Sync all music is ticked, iTunes won't play anything but the 4 songs downloaded on my iPhone. I've tried clicking to play any other song but it's doing nothing!

OK so the problem is something to do with iTunes and the missing music, the iPhone isn't the issue. If we fix iTunes then the music should just move over to the phone with no further trouble.

So now let's see if the music file is still there or if iTunes has got itself in a muddle.

Right click on one of the songs that won't play in iTunes, select "Get Info". On the Summary page there should be a bit near the bottom that says "Where" and will give the location of the file.

Open up Windows Explorer and move to that location, is the file there?

It says "the song could not be used because the original file could not be found. Would you like to locate it". Clicked locate and it opens up my itunes in windows explorer. Found the song in library and Nothing happens. Clicked in previous libraries but still nothing happens. What's next?

Can you find the music on your computer? Do you know where it is? I'm now wondering if either the music has gone from the machine or iTunes has just forgotten where it is.

If you can find one of the songs you could try dragging it into iTunes to add it again and see if that fixes that particular song. If it does then there are ways to add many songs at once that can speed this up if it's a fix.

When you open a iTunes library folder it opens in iTunes is that right? That's what's happening.

Try looking for an actual song.

Maybe search using Windows Search or have a look in the actual iTunes Folder which will vary according to which version of Windows you have:
XP: C:\Documents and Settings\username\My Documents\My Music\iTunes

Vista: C:\Users\username\Music\iTunes

Windows 7: C:\Users\username\My Music\iTunes\

Can you find any of the songs that should still be on there?

I found them! Thank you for your help :)

Where were they? Have you dragged them back into iTunes? Does it all now work?