Hard drive crash/iTunes on External Hard Drive

I have a 40GB iPOD with the flywheel. For years, I have been using an old laptop (Dell Inspiron 5000e with Windows 2000) essentially for iTunes/iPod only, using an external harddrive to hold my ~3500 songs. This week I added new songs and synched with the computer, but the process was slow and my computer made strange noises and then would not shut down. The iPod--which had to be pulled even though it said "Do Not Disconnect" because the computer was just going through agonal gear-grinding heartbreaking death-- initially played normally but then began to skip through the songs erratically and finally showed the dreaded file folder/exclamation point sign, and now is just showing the Apple and will not reset. When I tried to fire back up the laptop it just makes lots of groaning sounds and will not even stay booted up. So I'm guessing my problem is that my computer is very sick or dead, and this is not an iPod problem.
I've had headaches everytime I try to change anything about my setup (probably because I was trying to squeeze a lot out of an obsolete computer, but anyway...), so I'm anxious about proceeding to a new arrangement without seeking advice first. How do I set up anew using a different computer? Should I use the same disk that came with my original iPod to download iTunes/iPod software to a new hard-drive? Or can I get the latest versions from on-line without needing the original disk? Once these are downloaded onto a new computer, I assume I can then hook up my external hard drive and that it will fill in the iTunes of my new hard drive (I am confused about the access to these tunes because they were stored in the external drive but somehow directed to my computer desktop--I'm easily lost when it comes to drives, etc, and I may be Jones'ing from not having my Shuffle of tunes this morning)? Is there something I need to do to train my iPod to synch with a new computer? Will it likely still synch even though it is showing the Apple sign and appears not to respond to any commands or to charge in its cradle?
Sorry so detailed, but I mainly need advice about the order of the steps I need to take to change my set-up. Thanks!
Michael

Hey jcaqualung,
Thanks for the question. I understand that you are experiencing issues with iTunes on your Windows Vista machine. The following resource may provide a solution. I would also recommend installing iTunes on the internal hard drive of your computer, as opposed to the external drive.
iTunes for Windows Vista, Windows 7, or Windows 8: Fix unexpected quits or launch issues
http://support.apple.com/kb/TS1717
Thanks,
Matt M.

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