How Do I Point iTunes to use my backup ext drive?

I think I've figured out a way that works for me. Again thanks for everyone's great responses to this question. I also believe there are multiple ways that can be used so many of you although you had different recommendations are probably correct with your responses. Here's what ultimately worked for me.

First I copy my iTunes environment from a primary hard drive to a backup hard drive every month or so depending on the amount of CD ripping I do. I use the drag & drop method to copy the files as backup programs all put their various naming conventions on the files which gets in the way of iTunes.

I discovered that using the File, Add to Library feature of iTunes I was able to direct iTunes to the backup drive and it recognized my songs & playlists on the backup drive without any problem. I did de-select the Copy files to iTunes Music folder option on the Advanced tab before I used the Add to Library feature as I believe it may have duplicated the songs. Afterwards I selected this option and changed the iTunes music library location to the new primary drive so that when I rip new CDs they'll go to the correct location.

Again, thanks for everyone's assistance as I couldn't have got it done without all of you.

Brian ...

I've been tied-up for the past few days, so haven't had a chance to chime-in till now.

First, in the "All's Well that Ends Well" Department, I'm very happy to hear that you've recovered your music, Brian.

However, I still think the way you're using iTunes is unwise, and likely to cause you problems in the future. I don't have a lot of time at the moment for a detailed discussion, but I would suggest that deselecting "Copy files to iTunes Music Folder" is a big mistake!

What happens when you do this is that your music files stay wherever they started out, and what you add to your library are merely POINTERS to those files. This is all well and good when everything is working well, but when you make a drag and drop copy of your iTunes folder, you have ONLY COPIED THE POINTERS, NOT THE MUSIC.

Should disaster strike your primary drive, you are left either without the music files (unless they're backed up elsewhere), or without a simple way to reconstitute your library, as the pointers now point to an inaccessible drive (as Herman has alluded to).

So in the "Flogging a Dead Horse" Department (are you reading this, Herman?), I would like to report the results of a little experiment I did.

Starting with a brand-new, completely empty iTunes library, I added a single disc to the library--and before anyone objects that this is not a useful real world experiment, I'll remind you of the newly chartered "Minimalist School" of Audiophilia, whose members pledge to own only one disc.

In order to eliminate as many variables as possible, the files I added to the library were ripped directly from a CD so as to insure they had no previous contact with iTunes or any other program, and hence, no association with any computer, file structure, etc.

Then, I copied this newly created library (by means of drag and drop) onto another drive. When I quit iTunes, I disconnected the drive containing the original library, leaving only the back-up drive (with a completely different name) connected to the computer.

On relaunching iTunes (with the option key held down), I choose the newly created back-up of the newly created library, and discovered the back-up was indeed IDENTICAL to the original.

I really can't think of anything simpler than this, and would be very leery of the suggestion made by Onhwy61 to "rename the backup drive whatever name you gave the drive that died," which, for many reasons, is likely to lead to a whole lot of trouble.
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Since I'm planning to use drive imaging to just back up the whole drive what you suggest may not apply to me.

But I must say your solution to Cycles2's original problem seems very straight forward. (Of course we have yet to hear from Herman about this.)

But I must also say that I have done exactly what Onhw61y suggested and have successfully accessed data (but not Itunes data) on an external drive, with no difficulties whatsoever. And I would be tempted to try it again if I were attempting to access only my backup Itunes and not using third party backup software to restore the whole drive.

Is there something particular to Itunes that would make this a bad ideah?

JPO

Sorry, I didn't address my post to Rel but meant to.
JPO

Rel, I don't mind being flogged, actually enjoy it.

I'm trying to wrap my head around this. Please clarify if it's not too much trouble.

What were the names of the drives connected including the internal and 2 external?

Where did you originally store the files from the one disc you ripped? In other words what drive/folder was designated as the "iTunes Music Folder Location" in the advanced-importing preferences when you ripped it.

When you say you "copied the library" what did you copy? Just the iTunes library file?

Thanks, I find this fascinating (how sad is that) so would really like to figure out what is happening.