ITunes Library Deletion Issue

Hi, thanks in advance for the help.
I am running iTunes on a PC with windows XP Pro. I have my library stored on my external hard drive, as it is too large for my internal.
The problem is that, about 30 minutes ago, I unplugged my external, and then replugged it back in a few minutes later. This is something I do on a regular basis, as it is how I usually move my data around the house.
However, once my PC had gone through it's usual auto-read of the external, when I opened iTunes, my library was no longer there. This is incredibly frustrating, as I had just spent several hours customizing "My Top Rated" and other play lists. There doesn't seem to be any reason for this malfunction whatsoever, and I would like to know what can be done to resolve the issue.
Thanks again

ed2345, I misspoke. I should have said I have already placed a duplicate copy of the files on the external drive (the original files are still in place) and repointed my media files location to the external drive. what I'm trying to do is basically re-point my current itunes library to the files on the external drive as opposed to the files on the internal drive. When I try to organize my library, itunes freezes. When I try to consolidate my library (which is what I thought was supposed to help accomplish this) itunes freezes.
I'm working with about 45 GB of music files, and I don't know if the size is what is causing iTunes to crash, or if it is something else. Sorry for the confusion.

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