How to import ITunes library from external drive

Using Mac, Leopard, Time Machine, my hard drive crashed Had a recent backup on Time Machine. New computer doesn't recognize last backup of TM on external hard drive, but I can find my ITunes Library there, with thousands of songs.
when I go in ITunes to Import Library and navigate to the old ITunes Library, it won't let me import the whole thing, only lets me import one song at a time, which would take eons.
Any suggestions on how to do it in one fell swoop?

I'm sure that solution would work, but I guess something else I did is messing things up.
the first tip I got was to Consolidate Library. It forced me to consolidate on another partition of my external hard drive. Now that I tried Add Library, it's putting all the music on that external location, which filled up fast and can't take anymore.
Any thought on how to get my full library back on my internal drive?

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    Cannot play iTunes after importing library from PC into Mac.

    Simply highlight and delete
    But doing so it will also trash all  playlists, data added, ratings, etc.  Something the OP said about having to rename lots of files during a previous library rebuild suggests to me they may even be stored in WAV format.  If the OP deletes them from the library all the labels will be lost, they will get added back with only file names as track information and they will have to be renamed again.
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    Changing this preference setting will not get iTunes to inventory the files in the media folder, nor add them.  It simply tells iTunes to put any new media added in the location selected.
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    Well, yes, it will do it, essentially creating a brand new library that the OP will have to organize again vs. using the existing organization. My reservations about the need to rebuild the library from scratch still exist.
    If the OP desires to keep storing media on the external drive in the long run it is best simply changing the preferece to use the external drive for media storage.

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    polydorus, this was the response/post that i found and it was posted by sweepea on 9/4/2007. and all my music is now from the external drive to the itunes music folder on my laptop and it let me keep all my playlists. thank you again for your help!
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