Try uninstalling itunes 4 and 6 then reinstalling 6?

Isn't it supposed to automatically replace iTunes 4 with the one I just downloaded? And what's with all my playlists disappearing?

...and thanks, phantom editor, for fixing the formatting.

You're welcome.

God I hate iTunes. Sorry, I don't have a solution for you but hopefully someone else can help. This happened to me too. All of your files are still there, right? It's just that iTunes won't recognize them? I did what agropyron suggested, and it worked fine. I did end up uninstalling iTunes and going with Winamp Pro, though. Just because I hate iTunes!

No idea, interrobang. Just making a suggestion. I upgraded from 5 to 6 without any incident, and yeah, I believe it just replaced it automatically.

All the files are still there (that's how I got them back into the re-born iTunes 4), but I don't know how to uninstall iTunes 4, because spotlight doesn't seem to be able to tell me whether it's iTunes 4, or iTunes 6.1.

Oh, and I'm on a Mac G5, by the way.

Do you have some kind of system restore? I'd restore to right before you installed 6, and then I would uninstall every blessed iTunes file from my computer, and then I'd do a clean install of 6.

And then I would uninstall 6 and upgrade to Winamp Pro ;)

The thing is, it seemed like iTunes 6 just finally "showed up" the other day, out of nowhere. I'd kind of given up on it, and then there it was.

I guess I mostly care about this because all my listening statistics are gone, as are my compilation playlists I've made for my girlfriend, and compiled "live versions" of albums I love.

iconomy, I don't know if I can do a systems restore.

I still don't quite understand your problem, can you answer the following?

- Describe how you are launching iTunes 6
- Describe what you mean by "iTunes 4 is still there". Does iTunes 4 come up when you launch iTunes (even though you were expecting 6?) Do you see iTunes 4 somewhere else?
- Type iTunes into spotlight. How many entries come up under applications?

Here's what I think is happening: when you installed iTunes 6, for whatever reason, it didn't get rid of iTunes 4. It did however update the iTunes database (home/music/iTunes/iTunes library.xml) for version 6. When you try to launch 6 (from the dock? from finder? from spotlight?) you're getting 4, which can no longer find its database (because 6 overwrote it). Fear not though! If I'm right, you can find where both 6 and 4 are using spotlight. You can
a) Check that 6 works. If so, uninstall 4 by throwing it into the trash (it's that easy).
b) Throw 6 into the trash. Retrieve your old database as follows:
- move the iTunes 4 Music Library.xml file from home/music/iTunes/Previous iTunes Libraries/ to home/music/iTunes/
- move the iTunes Library.xml file from home/music/iTunes/ to home/music/iTunes/Previous iTunes Libraries. Rename it iTunes 6 Library.
- Rename the iTunes 4 Music Library "iTunes Music Library.xml"

Of course I could be wrong, but that's what your description suggests. emails in my profile.

- Describe how you are launching iTunes 6

I downloaded iTunes 6 about a month ago. It didn't show up until three days ago.

- Describe what you mean by "iTunes 4 is still there". Does iTunes 4 come up when you launch iTunes (even though you were expecting 6?) Do you see iTunes 4 somewhere else?

iTunes 6 disappeared. When I open iTunes from the Dock, iTunes 4 now appears. When I type "itunes" into Spotlight, it doesn't specify which iTunes is on the computer. It just brings me to the iTunes I currently can use, which is iTunes 4. I downloaded iTunes 6.1 earlier tonight, but no amount of restarting is making iTunes 6.1 show up.

- Type iTunes into spotlight. How many entries come up under applications?

In Spotlight, two iTunes show up, and clicking on either of them brings up the sam iTunes; iTunes 4.

Here's what I think is happening: when you installed iTunes 6, for whatever reason, it didn't get rid of iTunes 4. It did however update the iTunes database (home/music/iTunes/iTunes library.xml) for version 6. When you try to launch 6 (from the dock? from finder? from spotlight?) you're getting 4, which can no longer find its database (because 6 overwrote it). Fear not though! If I'm right, you can find where both 6 and 4 are using spotlight. You can
a) Check that 6 works. If so, uninstall 4 by throwing it into the trash (it's that easy).
b) Throw 6 into the trash. Retrieve your old database as follows:
- move the iTunes 4 Music Library.xml file from home/music/iTunes/Previous iTunes Libraries/ to home/music/iTunes/
- move the iTunes Library.xml file from home/music/iTunes/ to home/music/iTunes/Previous iTunes Libraries. Rename it iTunes 6 Library.
- Rename the iTunes 4 Music Library "iTunes Music Library.xml"

I'm going to try this, and thanks.

I bet there's some bug that wouldn't be there if you'd had some form of iTunes 5 in the middle part.

In Spotlight, two iTunes show up, and clicking on either of them brings up the sam iTunes; iTunes 4

Right. That sounds like two copies, but I don't know why they're both launching 4.

You can find out where each of those copies are by clicking "show all" in spotlight, then in the detailed results window, control click each copy of iTunes and select "reveal in finder". (I would be surprised if they arent in /applications). Delete as necessary. In fact I'd delete them both and download a new copy of iTunes. (It shouldn't matter, but make a copy of your home/music/library directory first, for safe keepings).