After moving Music folder to external disk, iTunes and iPhone Apps gone :-(

My 70GB PowerBook G4 needed disk space, hence I copied the Music folder to an external backup drive, and from there to a tiny portable drive, and then deleted it on the Mac (gained 14GB of space).
When I ran iTunes, and changed the location of the iTunes library to the portable drive, none of the music files are visible; worse yet, none of the iPhone Apps shows up. So I don't dare to synchronize, because I am afraid that I may even loose the iPhone Apps on the iPhone.
Your hints/solutions/suggestions are most welcome.
Thanks and cheers,
Veit

Thanks. John, for your excellent problem-solvers.
Since I had already deleted the itunes files on my Mac, I went the "TimeMachine restore way" and it works. Thanks! Good also to know that the iPhone Apps are always available.
Perhaps you know the answer to another iTunes/iPhone question:
On the iPhone I have some iPod music, but I hardly use it. When I sync the iPhone with the Mac, I'd rather just leave the music on the iPhone "alone" and only sync the iPhone Apps. But when I un-check the Sync Music box (in iTunes>Devices>iPhone>Music tab) I am getting a message that if I do not sync the music, the tunes on the iPhone will be deleted. How do I leave the music on the iPhone, WITHOUT syncing it with iTunes on the Mac (while syncing Apps, and perhaps photos)? Any suggestions there?
Cheers, Veit

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matty_234 wrote:
Will this enable me to plug my iPhone in without any changes or reformatting? ...
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matty_234 wrote:
.... Also, I guess this will overwrite the purchases already on my mac? ...
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matty_234 wrote:
... One last thing, does this include the iphone backups?...
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After moving Music folder to external disk, iTunes and iPhone Apps gone :-(

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