Since Update ITUnes cannot auto find my 14,000+ songs on disc

Question

None of my songs in my library play. I get a warning that it cannot locate the file. In preferences, It shows the correct external disc the files are located at. If I individually search for the file on the disc/folder on that external disc I find it and it plays and ITunes finds it again afterwards. I have purchased over 14 thousand songs from ITunes that I have in there and categorized them in many types of individual folders. I cannot see looking for all of them individually and re-organizing them back into those various folders, which would easily take over six months of work. WHAT THE HECK is an answer her.
Just guessing, of course, but the last time I made an update resulting from a prompt from ITunes to do so, the external drive where my ITunes music folder is located was not on. I do this because I've had too many breakdown of external drives over the years with nightmares re-constructing files. These external drives seem to have a limited life to them. Maybe that is the reason it cannot now find the files. There was NO warning in the update prompt regarding this issue before I did the update.
Would appreciate any help I can get here from those with much more experience than I.
Respectfully submitted
Edward D Fogell
773-735-6400
[email protected]

Answer 1

this script might help:
_*iTunes Track CPR v1.3*_
This script attempts to locate the files of so-called "dead tracks"--iTunes tracks designated with (!)--that you assume are not actually missing but are still located in the iTunes Music folder in their "iTunes File Order" (Music -> Artist -> Album -> file.xxx)."
JGG