All the media should have been inside iTunes Music before you started. No wonder it doesn't work properly! đź
So... Do you already have a user folder called christiansturgis? If not please create the following tree of folders: //Users/christiansturgis/Music/iTunes/ Then try moving a single artist folder from the iTunes folder on the external into //Users/christiansturgis/Music/iTunes/. If iTunes "knows" the files are missing close and then reopen iTunes before trying to access them again. Do these files now play? If so good news. You can repeat for other folders. (If not ignore the rest below and post back details.)
Some housekeeping first:
- Delete the file iTunes Music Library.xml it is no longer required, nor will it be updated. With iTunes closed rename iTunes Music as iTunes Media and iTunes Library as iTunes Library.itl.
- Start iTunes again, you may need to browse to the renamed library file.
- Check in iTunes Preferences > Advanced that the media folder is correctly given as <Device>/iTunes/iTunes Media, edit if not, also tick both the Keep... and Copy.... options.
- Use File (or is it iTunes?) > Library > Organize Library > Rearrange files in the folder iTunes Media.
- (You can also discard all but the most recent file from the Previous iTunes Libraries folder.)
Once you've moved all the relevant folders from the external drive to the correct path on the internal (don't move Album Artwork, iTunes Media or Previous iTunes Libraries) you can consolidate the library back into the correct folder on the external, (File > Library > Organize Library > Consolidate files) then discard the copies created on the internal drive, once you've made sure everything works properly from the external drive.
Your library will now be portable. đ Back it up to another drive.
tt2
PS If space is an issue you can do one folder of content, consolidate, discard internal copies, and repeat. But check carefully!