Hi,
Sorry for the loss of laptops
Here is what I suggest:
1. Install Clean MM portable onto c:\MMtemp\ (Do not start on install end)
2. Copy your backup MM.DB into c:\MMtemp\Portable\
3. Start c:\MMtemp\MediaMonkey.exe
4. Skip startup wizard
5. connect external drive and try to Play some tracks
6. If they do not play Select them and
7. use File -> Locate Moved Missing Tracks hile pointing to your External Drive
8. On scan complete check if files are found and they are playable now
9. If Yes check if they are in correct playlist (Right click on one track -> properties -> Classification)
After that you simply repeat steps 6-8 on batch of files (eg. ~1k not on whole library as it will lock UI and can take hours to complete depending on your library size)
That should work.
Let us know the result