Updated LR and now folders have ??

[BeePhotography1]

I just installed a LR update and now when I open LR all my folders have question marks and the folders can't be found!!  Help!

[dj_paige]

Right-click on a top level (parent) folder and select Find Missing Folder.

[BeePhotography1]

I tried that but I'm not sure how to find it.  I directed it to the external hard drive where I save everything to but there are still question marks.  Can I reverse the update that I installed??

[dj_paige]

I don't think uninstalling will help.

You have to find where the photos are using your operating system. Once you know what folder they are in, and the exact name/letter of the disk they are on, you should be able to use Find Missing Folder to point to that folder that you just found, and then you're good.

[BeePhotography1]

If I store everything on an external drive, why is it not finding the photos?? I didn't move anything.  All I did was update. Some of my folders now say 0 pictures are in them??!  WTH??  I'm freaking out right now!

[dj_paige]

Just because the photos are on the external drive, that doesn't mean Lightroom can find them.

Instead of freaking out, please follow my instructions, or read and follow the instructions here: Adobe Lightroom - Find moved or missing files and folders

Also, please state your operating system.

[BeePhotography1]

I tried what you suggested and it's not finding the pictures.  I am using Windows 10

[BeePhotography1]

I do the "find missing folder"; I direct it to my external drive; there all I have are my backups; I click on the most recent backup I made which was 12/7/16; I click on that and nothing happens.

[JP Hess]

BeePhotography1 wrote:

I do the "find missing folder"; I direct it to my external drive; there all I have are my backups; I click on the most recent backup I made which was 12/7/16; I click on that and nothing happens.

Are you talking about the Lightroom backups of the catalog? If yes, that isn't what you want to click on. You want to click on the folder that contains your images. And that has nothing to do with the Lightroom catalog backups.

[BeePhotography1]

Yes, that's what I'm talking about.  Okay, where would one typically find the folder that contains my images?  The way I work is that I insert my SD card into my computer, LR opens and it loads everything to a folder in LR, I work on my images and each time I exit I do a backup to my external drive.  Does that help??

[JP Hess]

The images are not in the catalog. The images are in folders on your computer. You designate where that folder will be whenever you import images into Lightroom. I suggest you use your system browser (File Explorer or Finder) and discover where your images have been placed on your computer. When you find the folder that has your images then you can  use Lightroom and the library module to update the folder location to show where the images are located. Apparently the drive letter has changed or you have moved the images and Lightroom doesn't know where they are now located. Hopefully, you didn't delete the images.

[Just Shoot Me]

Do a search for the file extension of your images. That would be .jpg if you shoot just Jpeg images or whatever the file extension is for the RAW images you camera creates. NEF, RAF, CR2 and so on depending on the camera manufacturer.

[BeePhotography1]

I can't find anything and I've only made it worse messing around in it. I just don't understand how it "lost" the file when I didn't change a thing!  All i did was that update!

[Just Shoot Me]

When I said do a search I meant with the Search feature of your OS.

Open the File Explorer and in the search box, upper right hand corner if it is the same as Windows 7, type jpg.

Please post a screen shot of the Library module showing the left hand panel with the Folders section open.

As the saying goes "A Picture is worth a thousand words".

[BeePhotography1]

[BeePhotography1]

When I have LR open it was calling the drive "G" so maybe windows did change the drive letter?  Now that I've played around with it so much, though, when I open LR it's not seeing "G" or showing any of my folders.  :0(

[BeePhotography1]

And this is a screen shot of LR.  Like I said, at first yesterday there was a "G" drive that listed all my folders but they all had question marks.  That is not even showing up anymore. 

[dj_paige]

In Windows, change the drive letter back to G How To Change a Drive Letter (Windows 10, 8, 7, Vista, XP)

[BeePhotography1]

Change which drive to G? 

[Just Shoot Me]

For some reason Windows keep assigning a new drive letter to your external drive that you have all your images on or at least the ones that are missing.

Please post a screen shot of a File Explorer window showing the drives connected to your computer. Something like what I show below.

[BeePhotography1]

[BeePhotography1]

My screen shot is "currently being moderated"

[Just Shoot Me]

So you have 2 internal hard drives in your computer, C and D, correct? Not sure why the D drive is named "Use This Hard Drive". But in any event it is just a name.

So if you open the F drive in File Explorer do you see the folders that hold your images and the actual image files on that drive?

If that Seagate external drive has always had the letter F then as I pointed out in a previous post something has Run Amuck with that drive and that is why LR can't find your image files.

Please post another screen shot with the F drive expanded in the File Explorer window.

[BeePhotography1]

Yes, I have 2 internal hard drives...that's why I named one "Use This Hard Drive" so I would know which one I should default to.  :0)   (as you already know, I'm technically challenged!).  LOL

When I ope the "F" drive it shows my backups.  OH!  And it does have a "pictures" folder that has most of my LR folders!  There are some more recent folders that are missing, however.  But here's my next question.  If you look at my LR screenshot you'll see that both "F" and "G" are missing from the list now.  G was there yesterday with the LR folders.  How do I get that back??

[Just Shoot Me]

In the screen shot of the Folders area of LR I don't see a G drive listed but I do see a E drive which is really your CD/DVD drive.

I also see the D drive listed but not expanded.

G comes after F so maybe yesterday you had some other external drive connected and or a memory card connected?

On the Pictures folder listed right click on it and select "Update Folder location" then point it to the Picture folder on the F drive.

But the F drive and the folders under it list 0 ( Zero ) photos

Also I'm wondering if you somehow opened a different catalog. Go to the File menu and then Open Recent and see what is listed. If you have more than one entry there click each one to open then and see if things go back to normal with any of them.