Missing Files

[Kelly G]

I have had a missing folder before but about 7 hourse ago I finshed send off a project and decided to go grab dinner. Upon return I was to start another wedding gallery and I noticed the dreaded ?

On every file! I check to make sure the external drive was plugged in. Yep. Then I check my other drive same thing omg. Both are sea gate drives. MY WD Drive is working and my Internal SSD is working. I am missing 200,000 files I didn't accidentally delete these. I did nothing new.

I have tried a disk recovery on both and they are fine.

I read somewhere to. Take them to a Windows PC and do a repair there (that's the only thing I have not tried as I don't own a PC) I have a LR backup from 3+ weeks ago. I don't want to redo a months worth of work if I can avoid it.

I am. Exhausted. Out of ideas.

I need suggestions on a better way to handle about 250,000 files a season. I can't do this again if I survive.

 

[Jim Wilde]

Have you checked the contents of those two drives using Finder? Are all the folders still on those drives? Can you show us a screenshot of the Finder view of that Seagate Backup Plus drive so that we can compare its contents with that portion of the Folders Panel that you've shown us?

 

[Kelly G]

So I also have individual catalogs of each wedding. Those were the same. I was able to save each of those small catalogs. However when I found the image in the large catalog and I selected it the folder would empty. It happened twice. So obviously I'm scared.
I'll Screen shot whatever... let me do that now .

 

[Kelly G]

Here is a couple screen shots showing both seagate drives. As I can find the original file I cannot merge them or reconnect them without the entire folder disappearing. I took screen shots through the process.

 

[Kelly G]

I have a 5 hour drive today for an engagement session I would love to cancel as this is creating much stress for me.

 

[Jim Wilde]

To be honest, what I'm seeing is very confusing. If you can see the folders and sub-folders in their correct place on the drive using Finder, then Lightroom should be seeing them as well. Have you restarted Lightroom at all since you found all those missing folders? If not, I think the first thing you should do is take a catalog backup of the main catalog (which means exiting Lightroom to create the backup), then restart to see if the same situation exists. Don't try relinking and individual photos, that's not the best way. Get back to me after the backup/restart and we'll go from there.

One other thing....in one of the screenshots there appears to be two Seagate Backup Plus drives, do they have the same name or do they differ (the ending is truncated as the panel isn't wide enough to show the whole name)?