# Why is my computer deleting my music? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 18, 2011, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-my-computer-deleting-my-music/596714 "2011-09-18T14:53:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Illuminatiprimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/illuminatiprimus/32/11520_2.png) [@Illuminatiprimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Illuminatiprimus)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2011, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-my-computer-deleting-my-music/596714/1 "2011-09-18T14:53:41Z")
FFS… This has happened a few times now where I’ve opened up windows media player to put on a song or album and, oh lookee here, the tracks that were there last time are now missing. What the fuck is going on? I’ve even gone into my music library on my hard drive and the tracks have actually been removed, I’m not doing it so what the hell is going on? I wouldn’t mind but this has happened several times now. I synch my computer with my creative zen sometimes but that shouldn’t be doing anything to music not being synched should it? ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2011, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-my-computer-deleting-my-music/596714/2 "2011-09-18T15:09:07Z")
Maybe your computer is correcting for your appalling taste in music? What did it delete - disco. rap, mood music? ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2011, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-my-computer-deleting-my-music/596714/3 "2011-09-18T15:10:48Z")
Maybe your computer is correcting for your appalling taste in music? What did it delete - disco, rap, mood music? ---
**Author:** ![drachillix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/48db29/32.png) [@drachillix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drachillix)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2011, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-my-computer-deleting-my-music/596714/4 "2011-09-18T15:14:56Z")
> [@Illuminatiprimus](#): > > FFS… This has happened a few times now where I’ve opened up windows media player to put on a song or album and, oh lookee here, the tracks that were there last time are now missing. What the fuck is going on? I’ve even gone into my music library on my hard drive and the tracks have actually been removed, I’m not doing it so what the hell is going on? > > I wouldn’t mind but this has happened several times now. I synch my computer with my creative zen sometimes but that shouldn’t be doing anything to music not being synched should it? Windows does not randomly delete anything. Things not appearing in playlists within a given application can have different rules, are the tracks still present if you navigate to where the music is stored? ---
**Author:** ![The\_Tao\_s\_Revenge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/73ab20/32.png) [@The\_Tao\_s\_Revenge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Tao_s_Revenge)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2011, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-my-computer-deleting-my-music/596714/5 "2011-09-18T16:49:51Z")
If by “actual tracks” you mean the actual files then if I were you I’d run [chkdsk](http://www.ehow.com/how_4967757_run-chkdsk-utility-vista.html), checking “check for and attempt recover of bad sectors”. Disappearing files can mean hard drive trouble. ---
**Author:** ![standingwave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9de0a6/32.png) [@standingwave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/standingwave)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2011, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-my-computer-deleting-my-music/596714/6 "2011-09-18T17:40:07Z")
I once picked up a virus that deleted music and image files, a few at a time. Very annoying. ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2011, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-my-computer-deleting-my-music/596714/7 "2011-09-18T17:45:27Z")
Is it trying to copy music files from their original locations to some common storage area and then deleting the originals? ---
**Author:** ![Illuminatiprimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/illuminatiprimus/32/11520_2.png) [@Illuminatiprimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Illuminatiprimus)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2011, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-my-computer-deleting-my-music/596714/8 "2011-09-18T18:17:33Z")
> [@The\_Tao\_s\_Revenge](#): > > If by “actual tracks” you mean the actual files then if I were you I’d run [chkdsk](http://www.ehow.com/how_4967757_run-chkdsk-utility-vista.html), checking “check for and attempt recover of bad sectors”. Disappearing files can mean hard drive trouble. Thanks - I’ll try that. > [@standingwave](#): > > I once picked up a virus that deleted music and image files, a few at a time. Very annoying. Hmmmmm, I hope not as I have McAfee running and it’s not throwing up any warnings. > [@Sunspace](#): > > Is it trying to copy music files from their original locations to some common storage area and then deleting the originals? Sort of - I have a backup hard drive which does a regular mirror of my hard drive. I went into the file library and the actual files themselves were missing, it wasn’t just the titles in WMP. Oddly enough some of the album was deleted but not the rest, so no idea what was going on there. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2011, 8:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-my-computer-deleting-my-music/596714/9 "2011-09-19T08:45:31Z")
Could the RIAA have hacked your computer? ---
**Author:** ![Illuminatiprimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/illuminatiprimus/32/11520_2.png) [@Illuminatiprimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Illuminatiprimus)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2011, 9:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-my-computer-deleting-my-music/596714/10 "2011-09-19T09:24:54Z")
I don’t see how seeing as 1) I bought the MP3s from Amazon legally and 2) I don’t live in the US so they have no jurisdiction over me. ---
**Author:** ![Autolycus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/22d042/32.png) [@Autolycus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Autolycus)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2011, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-my-computer-deleting-my-music/596714/11 "2011-09-19T13:34:45Z")
Stop listening to Nickelback. ---
**Author:** ![Illuminatiprimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/illuminatiprimus/32/11520_2.png) [@Illuminatiprimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Illuminatiprimus)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2011, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-my-computer-deleting-my-music/596714/12 "2011-09-19T22:19:59Z")
> [@Autolycus](#): > > Stop listening to Nickelback. But they’re cool. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Nunzio\_Tavulari](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Nunzio\_Tavulari](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nunzio_Tavulari)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2011, 12:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-my-computer-deleting-my-music/596714/13 "2011-09-20T12:22:14Z")
Windows Media Player has an option to delete files from your machine when you remove them from the playlist. Tools \> Options \> Media Library \> delete item from your computer when deleted from media library