LR 6.14 and Win10 consorting to erase my original files on Import?

[Umanemo]

Lightroom Version Number

6.14

Operating System

1. Windows 10

I placed the files from my wife's SD on my desktop in order to save her pictures somewhere so I could erase her full SD card for her and she could go out shooting immediately.

So today when I went to import those saved files to LR I went through the usual procedures; I set the source file to my desktop, TEMP X-Q2, and output to her LR external Hard Drive :/D.
Later she was categorizing her pictures on her laptop using the external hard drive :/D and noticed that she had many .jpg files missing. I went to my desktop and opened the folder TEMP X-Q2 where I had left the temporary download untouched since I imported earlier to her hard drive :/D.

When I went into the folder under DCIM>115_FUJI and 116_FUJI and they are now empty? I have never - never ever - seen any file transfer remove files from a hard drive when importing but this import origin was my desktop. Does LR automatically erase files from a desktop folder? I know Adobe expressly does not erase my SD cards after imports - that's a good thing but what does LR do if you are importing from your desktop folders to an external drive?

Could Win10 be the culprit here? I have been seeing "Missing Files" posts here and there on the web regarding the Win10 Fall update. Is anyone else having this issue?

 

[Johan Elzenga]

If you import from a hard drive, you will not only get the option to copy the images to another destination (the only option if you import from a memory card), but also to move them to another destination. Sounds like you moved them.

 

[clee01l]

Also, another explanation. Windows has an automatic setting to erase any images from the camera card after copying the image files from the card. Check to make sure the Windows camera card detection process is disabled or if enabled the copied image files are not deleted from the camera card.

 

[Umanemo]

Well... I have almost "Move"d files before. You are right, I can see that now. When I have imported files from other than my SD I have run into that and corrected it before such a disaster occurs as has likely occurred here. This time I really didn't pay attention.

I don't expect that you have forensically recovered files erased this way in your past? Well, that's kind of specific. But anyway thanks for jogging my memory as that's probably the best explanation. I'll be scanning with 'Recuva' shortly. Thanks!

FYI. The Win10 "Missing Files" issue is most commonly explained by the new option in disk cleanup named "Erase Download Files" which is ticked by default. That's where everyone is losing their downloads automatically. Best to untick that one and decide for yourself. That's a little off subject but helpful.

 

[clee01l]

I don't expect that you have forensically recovered files erased this way in your past? Well, that's kind of specific. But anyway thanks for jogging my memory as that's probably the best explanation. I'll be scanning with 'Recuva' shortly. Thanks!

You can copy the deleted image files back into the folders on the camera card from the disk drive. Most camera cards maintain an index file (usually in a separate folder) listing the image files shot by the camera. Simply copying the image files back to where the index file expects to find them is usually enough. The index file may be an ASCII text file easily readable using a text reader.

 

[Umanemo]

Thanks again for the guidance and kick to my memory!

The originating SD card had been over written only by a few pictures fortunately so "Piroforms Free version of Recuva" found all the files and I was able to restore them easily to the LR catalog. Though the recovered files were not numbered as the camera would have tagged them, the metadata and shoot date remained intact so my LR name change convention to Yr.Mo.Day.Hr.Min.Sec. was successful and they were all replaced as usual in the catalog.

Success was attained. Thanks again.