I copied my itunes (Windows) files from my C drive to an external hard drive F, which then crashed 3 months later. I did not delete any Itunes files from my C drive.

Is there a relatively painless way to get iTunes working with a new external hard drive?

Is there a way to recover songs and podcasts downloaded between the last time that the program was on my C drive and the external hard drive crash?
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1. Install new external drive. Set your iTunes to point to the external drive. Restore your backup.

2. Restore your backup. Or pay a specialist to recover your data from the old drive.

iTunes has a backup mechanism File->Backup to Disc that will backup your songs, playlists and play counts to CD or DVD. Use it after you get your library back up.
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