corrupted images in lightroom, originals fine

[katier97825504]

I am  having a problem with corrupted images in Lightroom. I download my CF cards (raw files) onto a portable external hard drive via my laptop (windows 7) and then I copy the images onto another external hard drive attached to my desktop computer (windows 7). I import my images into Lightroom (4.4) and I’m seeing an increasing number of corrupt images – it had happened once or twice here or there in the past, but just recently I had a about 40 images from one shoot all corrupted so I need to figure out how to resolve this.

I don’t know how to figure out where in the process the corruption is happening. The original file I downloaded to the portable hard drive is fine – I’ve opened that in Photoshop.  If I copy this file to my desktop hard drive I can replace the corrupted file. Is it safe to assume then that the problem is not the camera, memory card or card reader? I know LR doesn’t really do anything to your images – it just reads them – so would that mean the corruption is happening in the process of copying them to desktop hard drive? And if so, does that mean it’s desktop hard drive or desktop computer at fault?

Thanks so much for any help or advice.

[dj_paige]

You have a hardware malfunction somewhere. It could be camera card, transfer hardware, hard disk or memory. You have to run diagnostics on the hard drive and memory. You have to be 100% sure it isn't the transfer hardware or camera card.

[katier97825504]

Thanks. Is it safe to rule out the camera card and card reader since my original downloaded file is fine? Since it's the copy from that file that becomes corrupted, not the original, that would mean it's not the card or the card reader, correct?

I don't know how to run diagnostics. Is there somewhere you can point me to find more info about how to do that?

Thanks so much.

[dj_paige]

I don't think it is safe to assume the card reader and camera card is fine. When you open the file in Photoshop, also open it in ACR to make sure that the corruption doesn't appear there.

I don't really have advice on exactly which diagnostics to run on your hard disk and memory. When I need to do so, I go to my favorite search engine.