13 Replies Latest reply: Jun 26, 2009 4:45 PM by Scott Rouse RSS

    missing files after upgrading to lr 2.3

    lost in pt Community Member

      lr 1.4 starting acting odd a couple days ago when certain photos in certain folders when clicked on and viewed in the filmstrip mode suddently changed right in front of me. they were cting like the syn mode was stuck in +20 wb. as soon as the change occured on each file there appeared an error message above it with 3 straight lines and an exclamation mark saying metadata had been charged. so i figured it was finally time to upgrade to 2.3 which i did by trying the trial issue just to see if the files showed up normal or appeared corrupted or changed too. well it got worse when the new catalog automatically loaded and of my 25,000 images nearly all say photo missing. this wouldn't be a problem if this was a couple but it is most of the catalog. i did a back up before the devil took over my machine and started changing the metadata. so i have that if i knew what to do with that info.

       

      I was hold on the phone to tech support from 6-7 last night and have been on hold with tech support since 10 am and it is now 1:30 on the west coast. I can't do much of any of my work as all my files, editing, printing are tied to LR. i got desperate and even tried creating a new catalog but when i clicked the photos on my tree in explorer to add them to a new catalog lr couldn't see them. i have avg software and no virus, i can see my photos in explorer, adobe cs3 and in bridge. i haven't changed the placement of the folders on my computer, any changes i have done have been within lr and they were mainly adding new meta tags which also didn't come thru and renaming some of the files from 2009-3-9 to adding pt scenery etc.

       

      i'm totally frustrated, i have spent so much time on hold i had to run out and spend $40 to buy a land phone so i could sit here without my phone battery dying. any suggestions while i sit here? i'm afraid to hang up on cs as i have been disconnected twice and they must have some sort of order in answering however at this point in time i can't figure it out.

        • 1. Re: missing files after upgrading to lr 2.3
          Saskatchewanobie Community Member

          What platform are you running on?

          • 2. Re: missing files after upgrading to lr 2.3
            lost in pt Community Member

            vista home premium 32 bit

             

            • 3. Re: missing files after upgrading to lr 2.3
              Scott Rouse Community Member

              For the files that show up as missing, are you able to tell Lightroom you'd like to re-locate the file and point Lightroom at it now?

               

              Can you do this at the Folder level in the Folders panel on the left in the Library module?

               

              Perhaps a screen shot of the library module?

              • 4. Re: missing files after upgrading to lr 2.3
                lost in pt Community Member

                yes, i just figured that out. it seems to be working to have lr search for them.

                 

                it seems to be creating the file with the date and name after words plus a second folder before the name change and deletions. so once i see the correct folder i'm deleting the old file(with the deleted files and missing files). i think that should work. sound good? thanks for your response.

                • 5. Re: missing files after upgrading to lr 2.3
                  Scott Rouse Community Member

                  Sounds good.  Hope that works out for you.

                   

                  I was a bit confused by one of the things you said regarding file/folder naming.  Your file names don't happen to have any slashes (/) or other strange characters in them, do they?

                  • 6. Re: missing files after upgrading to lr 2.3
                    lost in pt Community Member

                    nothing unusual, 2009-03-09 cathe

                     

                    so after asking to find the missing photos i delete the folder from before, the one with the missing photos.

                     

                    my hands just broke out in a sweat thinking i was deleting the originals but after checking my recycle bin nothing is showing up in the trash. so this must be ok?

                     

                    once i correct these files i should probably do a backup?

                     

                    any thought on my original problem with the pictures changing in 1.4, i couldn't find any threads on anyone else having this problem.

                     

                    thanks again.

                    • 7. Re: missing files after upgrading to lr 2.3
                      Scott Rouse Community Member

                      Sounds like your file names are just fine.

                       

                      You, of course, want to make sure you are not deleting the original files.  If you can see them in Windows Explorer, then it may be best to make a duplicate copy of them on another drive (or other folder) if you have the space so you have something to fall back on.

                       

                      Once you get everything correct in Lightroom, you should backup both the Lightroom Catalog and your folders with your images.

                       

                      Your problem in 1.4 does sound quite a bit like Auto-Sync may have been on. I've seen people inadvertently turn that on more than once, so it is possible.

                      • 8. Re: missing files after upgrading to lr 2.3
                        lost in pt Community Member

                        scott

                         

                        after finally backing away from the computer for food and drink i got to thinking is this going to happen all over again when my 30 day trial expires and i use the upgraded cd that i bought today that is coming by mail?

                         

                        so i save the corrected catalog tonight that will take me hours to go back and fix and find all the missing files with names.  will this only happen in 28 days or less when the cd arrives? is extended file names a problem with just 2.3 and something that has been resolved with the 2.4 that came out like yesterday? or did something else cause this latest problem?

                         

                        everything is backed up on external hard drives, on site, some cd's and two external drives in the bank safety deposit box.

                         

                        thanks

                        • 9. Re: missing files after upgrading to lr 2.3
                          Scott Rouse Community Member

                          It sounds like you have everything backed up well.

                           

                          Go ahead and make sure you're using the most current version (2.4).  If you need to upgrade, you can download it from here.

                           

                          Once your CD arrives in the mail, you won't need to re-install.  Just use the serial number off of the CD and enter it into the already-installed software on your computer.

                           

                          -Scott

                          • 10. Re: missing files after upgrading to lr 2.3
                            lost in pt Community Member

                            i have been so busy trying to find the files i just went back to some older files and found that the same rendering problem still exists. i open a folder click on a photo in the filmstrip and it automatically changes before my eyes, for a second i see a message that says rendering setting changed. i didn't touch a thing it just does it. i have gone into the syn and checked that everything is unchecked and it still happens. is there some other place for the rendering setting to be changed? it can't be a preference that i've accidently changed?

                             

                            so you think i can just click on your link and do the 2.4 update and things should work? i'm just not sure i want to do a backup with all the missing files, won't 2.4 open up with all the same problems or do you think the file naming issue will be corrected?

                             

                            thanks

                            • 11. Re: missing files after upgrading to lr 2.3
                              Scott Rouse Community Member

                              i have been so busy trying to find the files i just went back to some older files and found that the same rendering problem still exists. i open a folder click on a photo in the filmstrip and it automatically changes before my eyes, for a second i see a message that says rendering setting changed. i didn't touch a thing it just does it. i have gone into the syn and checked that everything is unchecked and it still happens. is there some other place for the rendering setting to be changed? it can't be a preference that i've accidently changed?

                               

                              For those photos that are changing, I can think of two things that it may be:

                               

                              1. If images are edited outside of Lightroom (in Camera Raw, etc), that can change the metadata (or Develop settings) of the file.  When you view the file next time in Lightroom, the new conflicting settings are applied to that photo.
                              2. When raw files are imported into Lightroom, they initially appear with the embedded camera-generated JPEG preview. After that, Lightroom generates its own previews which typically look different than the original ones.

                               

                              Not sure if it's either one of those.

                               

                               

                              so you think i can just click on your link and do the 2.4 update and things should work? i'm just not sure i want to do a backup with all the missing files, won't 2.4 open up with all the same problems or do you think the file naming issue will be corrected?

                               

                              I'm not saying that upgrading to 2.4 will necessarily fix the way things are now.  I doubt that it would make it worse, though.  I think you should make sure your photos and catalog are backed up, which it sounds like you said they are, then upgrade to 2.4 (if you're not already running that version).

                               

                              After the upgrade, you can go through your catalog and clean things up.

                               

                              -Scott

                              • 12. Re: missing files after upgrading to lr 2.3
                                lost in pt Community Member

                                Thanks for your help Scott. Everyone seems to have calmed down today and I did a backup this morning. I still have 6 months of files to import that didn't come thru but most my files were found and the auto rendering seems to have stopped. I needed to print a ton of things today so I decided to postpone the 2.4 update a couple days.

                                 

                                I do have one more question on your recommendations for backup. While all my photos are on external drives and safe this whole experience has reminded me that my catalog and instructions are on my main hard drive. If my machine crashed I'm not sure what sort of backup of LR files, and which files, I should have on a different drive. Is there a link to an article I should read so I'm prepared before a crash.

                                 

                                Thanks again, I was really stressed out yesterday! Today the sun it out and I'm having a much more productive day.

                                 

                                Deja Webster     Deja View Photography  www.dejasphotos.com

                                • 13. Re: missing files after upgrading to lr 2.3
                                  Scott Rouse Community Member

                                  Glad things seem to be coming back to normal for you.

                                   

                                  Lightroom's built-in Catalog backup can be quite helpful.  Having the backup copies of the Lightroom Catalog file can be very useful in the event of a corrupt catalog or a failed hard drive (as long as the backups are on a separate drive than the main catalog).

                                   

                                  Sean McCormack has written a nice overview of the Catalog Backup in Lightroom here.  I'd recommend reading that.

                                   

                                  ==================

                                  Scott Rouse

                                  TheLightroomLab.com