Migrating from NAS to an internal hdd

[yanz]

Hi,

To migrate all my pics stored in a NAS hdd to an internal HDD I have done the following things step by step. After these steps, I had a lot of "?"s on each folder because the stored HDD had been changed from NAS to an internal HDD.

1. All my pics had been stored and located in a NAS hdd mapped Z:.
2. I have installed a new additional internal HDD to store pics, which is mapped D:.
3. I've moved all my pics and folders from a NAS hdd to an internal new hdd by manual. They have the same folder structure.
4. Copy the catalog file in local drive C: to D:. I heard LR will search source folders automatically if the catalog exists in the source drive, but this might be false because LR did not do anything.
5. Start LR2.2 as usual. "?"s have appeared on each folder.
6. Open the different catalog that had been copied in step 4. However nothing happened with "?" marks on each folder. This did not work too as well as step 4.

Is there any smart way to eliminate these "?"s except choosing a proper source folder at D: each by each? As I have too many folders in this catalog, say over a hundred, it must require too much time to complete all folders by manual. So I need a shortcut. I'm using LR2.2. Thanks in advance.

[FONT=verdana,sans-serif]<a href="http://www.lightroomqueen.com/community/newthread.php?do=newthread&f=8"></a>

[/FONT]

​

 

[stuwhitt]

If you point Lightroom to the root folder where your images live, then any folders within that structure will be brought back into line automatically.

HTH
Stu

 

[Denis Pagé]

3. I've moved all my pics and folders from a NAS hdd to an internal new hdd by manual. They have the same folder structure.

This is really sad you Moved rather than Copy... Is this really what you did? They are no more on the NAS? If they still are, tell us and the solution will be simpler. But don't get discouraged and read on...

4. Copy the catalog file in local drive C: to D:. I heard LR will search source folders automatically if the catalog exists in the source drive, but this might be false because LR did not do anything.

False as you discovered.

5. Start LR2.2 as usual. "?"s have appeared on each folder.

Normal as per #4.

6. Open the different catalog that had been copied in step 4. However nothing happened with "?" marks on each folder. This did not work too as well as step 4.

Again, same as above...

Is there any smart way to eliminate these "?"s except choosing a proper source folder at D: each by each?

YES!

The biggest problem you got into is by not having a main parent folder with all your folders underneath So, do this:

1. Close Lightroom
2. In Windows Explorer, create a parent folder to all those pictures folders you have if there is none. Suppose it is called My Pictures... You may need to create that My Pictures folder at the same level than all the others folders. If so, just then move all those folders on the newly created My Pictures folder.
3. Back into Lightroom, select a random missing folder and right click on it. Choose the option to "Locate Missing Folder" and browse to the new location on D:. The question marks for this one should now disappear.
4. Rather than doing so for each one. Just right click that done folder again but this time, choose "Add Parent folder" to make My Pictures appear in Lightroom.
5. If you still have some ? on the other folders. Just repeat step 3 with another missing folder and all the others should follow the update process.

Now you can follow rule #5 again! 8)
And Welcome to the Lightroom Forums Yanz!

 

[yanz]

Thanks for your replies, stuwhitt and Denis Page'!

Denis,

> This is really sad you Moved rather than Copy... Is this really what you did? They are no more on the NAS?

I wrote wrong and actually copied not moved, and original files still remain on the NAS.
So When I operate Lightroom for migration, I disconnect Wi-fi Lan to the NAS.

> The biggest problem you got into is by not having a main parent folder with all your folders underneath

Though I have not explained enough, there is a parent folder named "photo" on D:. The structure of D: drive is as follows.

D:\photo\2''8'1'1\... **pics**
D:\photo\2''8'1'2\... **pics**
...
D:\lightroom... **catalog file in this folder**

So I could follow your instruction from step 3 to 5. I have "photo" folder on D: in Lightroom folder pane now but unfortunately ? folders are still remaining on Z:.

> 5. If you still have some ? on the other folders. Just repeat step 3 with another missing folder and all the others should follow the update process.

Somehow all the missing ? folders did not follow the update process even after several tries for step 3. See the current screenshot of the folder panel. "Photo" folder on C: has multiple folders that I repeated step 3.

Now I'm almost giving up automatic update So I started to update missing folders manually day by day.
Is there any advice or encouragement?

 

[Victoria Bampton]

If you right-click on Z (with the dated folders underneath), choose Update Folder Location, and point to the new location for that parent folder, what happens?

 

[yanz]

Thanks Ｖｉｃｔｏｒｉａ!!

Ｉ did it several times.
When I pointed Z: to the new location Photo or D:, an error massage came up.
I don't remember the exact sentence but it might be like this.

"Folder 'Photo' already exists in Lightroom folders"

That is translation from Japanese though.

 

[Victoria Bampton]

I was wondering if that might happen. It means you've already got the location for the old Z drive updated for some of the folders. If you hadn't already relocated some of them, it would be easy to relocate them all in one go using that technique, however as some have already been moved, you're probably down to relocating one folder at a time, sorry.

 

[Gene McCullagh]

From the looks of the screenshot you posted, Z: isn't online at all. Make sure it's plugged in and you should get a Green light to the left like you see for C: and D:

 

[Victoria Bampton]

I think Z is the old NAS he's moving away from, and D:/Photo is the new one Gene. I could be wrong though!

 

[yanz]

Thanks Victoria and genemcc again!

genemcc,

Victoria is right.
I copied all photo files from NAS as Z: to a internal hdd as D: but I used not LR but a mirroring software to do it. So all photo files are located on both Z: and D: currently. I'm sure all ? will disappear as soon as I connect to NAS via wi-fi.

Victoria,

> It means you've already got the location for the old Z drive updated for some of the folders.

I already have some folders relocated from Z: to D: as you can see 1417 on D:. It is just because I followed Denis's steps above.

​

 

[Victoria Bampton]

Well, depending on how many folders you've updated the locations of, and how many folders you still have to go, you may find it quicker to attached the NAS, set those D:/Photo ones back to Z again so that LR no longer knows about D:/Photo, and then try again, just relocating the top level Z folder. If none of them have been relocated, you should be able to do them all in one go. (I know it's silly it works like that....!)

 

[yanz]

Victoria,

I appreciate your patiant replies to me very much.
I've finish relocating all missing folders as many as more than 15'. So now there is no ? on any folders.
I will follow your procedure absolutely if I will have the next time.
Thanks again.

 

[Victoria Bampton]

That's great to hear Yanz. Thanks for reporting back.