Win LR Cat on USB stick creates date subfolders when opened on other Win-PC

[henrikg45397364]

(LR 2015.8 on Win 10 PCs)

I have a test-catalog and the associated videos (only) on a USB stick, created on PC-1; When I open that catalog in LR on PC-2, LR finds the folder but it adds some subfolders, each representing "the day taken". As these folders do not actually exist on the drive, LR can't find the videos and thus only thumbnails!

It seems that it happens only with videos, and strangely enough only with USB sticks, not USB disks(?)!

Is there a way to change that "LR behaviour" (to do its internal grouping into folders)?? Or is it just(!) a bug?

[dj_paige]

It's probably Windows that is changing the drive letter.

But ... only you can determine if that's what is really happening or not. What was the drive letter of the USB stick on PC1? What is the drive letter on PC2?

[henrikg45397364]

I have made sure they have the same drive letter (Q, btw) on both.

[dj_paige]

What is it that you see that leads you to say: LR can't find the videos and thus only thumbnails!

Please provide enough details so we can understand what you are seeing, or show us a screen capture.

[henrikg45397364]

Well, actually it seems that when I on PC1 import the video files from USB stick (Q) LR puts copies on to the C drive "Pictures" folder (with a sub folder for year and under that sub folders for each month-day) and I would assume that the catalog (created and saved on Q) then points to the C drive - and when moving to PC2 those folders and files obviously does not exist on that C drive.

I can submit a screen dumps if that would make it any clearer?

Later: I just suddenly realised that I should change the import dialogue to point to my USB (Q) !

Strange thing is that when I do the same thing with a USB disk (and import is kept to the C-disk) it works on both PCs..... (and nothing is in the C "Pictures" folder) !?

Also in LR (PC2) the only folder shown is the USB disk folder containing the video files (i.e. no ubfolders).

[ManiacJoe · Accepted solution]

LR knows that your USB memory stick is not an actual hard drive, and LR will work really hard to prevent you from keeping the photos and videos on that memory stick due to it being a temporary file location.

That said, if you really want LR to reference the files on the memory stick as the permanent original files, in the Import dialog make sure you have the "add" option selected at the top of the dialog.

[henrikg45397364]

Thanks a lot ManiacJoe!

That explains it - and with your remark on the "add" option I will be able to do what I want!

Once again thanks for your great support!