What iTunes menu bar? When I open iTunes I don't see anything that says "file" so I can't select "transfer" in order to transfer files from my devices (iPhone or iPad) to my iTunes library, which should be done before I can update the devices.  When I open iTunes the play, rewind, and fast forward arrows are on top.  under that I see the music, movies, and tv icons, followed by my device icon and a battery life indicator.  No "File"  So, why doesn't my iTunes menu bar have "file" for me to click on?  It's not anywhere on the iTunes page that I can see.  I've been trying to update my devices for quite a while but I always wind up with the same dilema
Looks like that you are using iTunes for Windows. The menubar is hidden in iTunes. In order to turn on the menubar follow the instructions provided on Apple support page link given below. You can turn on and keep it temporarily or permanently.

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT202662