How to Restore Library and Playlists to Newly Wiped Hard Drive

Question

Due to Windows problem, I had to reformat my hard drive.
Before I did, I copied the entire My Documents folder, including My Music and the iTunes music files and the My Playlist text files to a second hard drive - the D drive - in the same tree structure as they existed on the C drive.
I do NOT want the music files on the C: Drive - I want the music files on the new D: storage drive. I want iTunes on the C drive but knowing the music files are on the D drive.
I installed the iPod disc onto the newly cleaned C: Drive and downloaded iTunes ver 6.
Now I would like to have my iTunes library and playlists back just as they were but I am confused over the ADD FILE and ADD FOLDER commands.
Add Folder appears to copy the full music files back to the C Drive, which I do not want.
Add File appears to add the meta data, the library list, and
the playlists to iTunes, but when you go to play a track, the program says it cannot do so because it can't find the music file. To tell each track the new location of the music file listed means I would have to edit over 1200 line items -- even though I already told the program where the
music files would be.
Before trying to add the library and playlists as files, I went into EDIT, Prefences, Advanced and changed the iTunes folder location from
c:\mydocuments\mymusic\itunes\itunesmusic to
D:\mydocuments\mymusic\itunes\itunesmusic
Earlier I had used the Add Folder option and it copied all the music files to the C: drive. I had to delete them and
try something else.
What must I do to transfer just the meta data and keep the actual music files on the D drive?
Dell 8250 desktop   Windows XP  

Answer 1

The XML file is less important (See the link that Katrina provided above).
First re-install the iTunes program (if you have not already).
Make sure that the music folders and files are copied to the exact same location they were in prior to the PC Restore. If they were running on the C: drive, you'll need to place them there at first, then move them within iTunes.
Then copy the original ITL file you saved into the 'iTunes' folder, replacing the newly created (and smaller) ITL file that was created when you reinstalled iTunes.
Open iTunes and the Library should be as it was prior to the Restore.
To move the files to your D: drive keeping iTunes 'informed' see this link:
http://discussions.apple.com/click.jspa?searchID=721335&messageID=1316838
Post back if you still have questions.