How To Put iTunes Library To Work On An External Disk?

I want iTunes library to live on an external drive. Apple article #301748 "Moving Your iTunes Music Folder," is of no use because step #10 and onward don't describe what appears on my screen. Further, when step #10 is attempted, a small "how the process is going" window takes about 30 seconds to get to 100%. I've no idea what process is being described because the target folder on the ext drive is still empty.
Milling about, looking for a solution and after talking to an Apple tech, I
1. copied the iTunes Music folder to the external,
2. selected the external folder as the library in iTunes > Preferences >
Advanced,
3. closed iTunes,
4. moved the laptop's iTunes folder to the desk top, and
5. opened iTunes.
No music was shown. Preferences > Advanced showed the folder on the ext drive to be the library's location. Bummer.
Putting the folder from the desktop back into the Music folder let iTunes work.
How do I get iTunes to function with the library on the external drive?

Dave,
You need to keep going and go to Advanced>Consolodate
Library. iTunes then copies your music to the new
location. During those 30 odd seconds iTunes is
creating a new directory. Look on the Moving your iTunes Music folder page and
you will see that it isn't until step 13 that the
music is copied to the new location.
L
I'm sorry; I guess I'm having a brain poofie.
On step 10, the message does not appear. So there is not step 11. On step 12, on the Advanced menu, there is no Consolidate Library. So there is not step 13.
I just don't get it.

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