How can I migrate my iTunes library, playlists, etc from XP to Windows 7?

Question

I apologize if this has been asked and answered before.  I cannot find a relevant article with google or the
search here on Apple support.
My iTunes library is on an external drive.  iTunes keeps a few folders in XP
on the C: drive under
Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Apple,
Documents and Settings\Mike\Application Data\Apple,
Docuemnts and Settings\Mike\Local Settings\Apple, and
Docuemnts and Settings\Mike\Local Settings\Apple Computer.
I copied these folders to my external drive and hooked it up to my new computer
that runs Windows 7 where I had already installed a new copy of iTunes.
I tried copying the folders that were on the (XP) C: drive to my best guess as to where
they would go on the (W7) C: drive.  Microsoft being Microsoft, they cannot let
the names of anything remain the same.
I set the preferences on my W7 iTunes to point to the external drive as my library
location.  Nothing happened.  I tried restarting iTunes, but still my existing data was not
acknowledged.
I then used the import files from folder option, using the location of the ITUNES folder
on my external drive.  This ran fairly quickly.  But, to my dismay, all my ratings were
lost and (thinking about it, not surprisingly) none of my playlists were there either.
So, does anyone have any experience on what files should be copied from XP to W7
and where?  It seems to me this should not be that difficult.  After all, the data is
all there, right?
One article I read suggested using the iPod as a backup device to transfer the files.
Would this work?  Would it also transfter the playlists, ratings, etc?  My concern
(again based on another article I read) is that I will wind up with duplicate copies
of all the music in my music library.
(As a precaution, I have backups of my iTunes library and the (XP) C: folders on
two other external drives.  Also, the XP PC still has iTunes on it, so I could easily
reconnect the external drive there and do other stuff if necessary.
When I purchased my new iPod, it took almost 24 hours to transfter my music library
to it.  It also takes almost 24 hours to do the drive to drive backup.  (Maybe my new
computer will be faster.)  Based on this experience, I would like to avoid having the
migration of data take that long.
If the changes I made to the W7 PC need to be undone, I can easily just remove iTunes
there and start again.
I hope my question is clear and I thank you for your time.
Cordially, MZ
PS: The XP box is an IBM and the W7 box is a new Dell.  Both are desktop models.

Answer 1

You will need the iTunes Library.itl file which generally lives in ~/Music/iTunes/. You can recover this from the backups you were making before the HDD died. Otherwise, you cannot recreate the library.