Missing folders and backups (lrcat files)

[jayvee]

Lightroom Version Number

Lightroom version: 5.7.1 [994254]

Operating System

1. Windows 10

Folders previously imported from January to October 2017 have disappeared from the LightRoom Library - as have the backup catalogues for this period (I back up every time I quit LightRoom).
Quite a lot of images were edited from those folders and then exported as finished jpegs. .....At least I still have them, but if I want to re-work any of these, I will have to start from scratch from re-imported folders. Not a disaster perhaps, but I'd like to know where the missing folders and backups have gone.

I've checked through my computer and external drives, where I back up my backups, and found nothing. I also tried re-importing some of the folders to check, but as I expected, the images are in their original unedited state.

I would very grateful for any advice.
Many thanks.

 

[Dunks]

I have the same problem today. LR asked me to update and it created an Ircat2 file. Upon opening I seem to have lost latest three years folders and photos.

NB I have back ups but.....

Any help would be great.
Thanks

Dunks

 

[Johan Elzenga]

Sounds like you upgraded an old catalog. Check your catalog folder to see which catalogs are present. The modification date of the correct catalog should be a bit before the moment you upgraded, so that can give a clue.

 

[Dunks]

Sounds like you upgraded an old catalog. Check your catalog folder to see which catalogs are present. The modification date of the correct catalog should be a bit before the moment you upgraded, so that can give a clue.

Hi Johan
Thank you for your helpful advice. I only had one catalog so that was offered (and used) by LR in the update procedure. Using your advice I checked my drive as well as the catalog and it confirms that the single lrcat file exists. However, I was wondering if LR used the original creation date of the catalog and ignored all subsequent imports and updates! This is the only thing that makes sense so far. How do I get the files back now...it seems to be lost and I need to rebuild. This is very frustrating and makes me wonder about carrying on with LR.

I am sure others have or will experience. Has anyone found a solution?

Thanks again, Johab.

Dunks

 

[Johan Elzenga]

However, I was wondering if LR used the original creation date of the catalog and ignored all subsequent imports and updates! This is the only thing that makes sense so far.

No, that does not make any sense at all. If Lightroom upgraded a recent catalog, then all your recent imports and updates should be in there. Do you make regular catalog backups?

 

[Dunks]

I do make regular back ups. Normally at least once a week within LR. I also make other back ups in case of problems like this!

 

[Johan Elzenga]

I do make regular back ups. Normally at least once a week within LR. I also make other back ups in case of problems like this!

OK, then find a recent catalog backup from just before you upgraded. It may be zipped, so unzip it. Place it in a new folder. Then launch Lightroom, choose 'File - Open Catalog' and open this backup catalog. See what happens and if this time the folders are there. You will initially not see any thumbnails, and if the folders need to be 'reconnected' then that needs to happen before Lightroom can rebuild any thumbnails, but the most important thing for now is to check if those folders are in the catalog.

 

[jayvee]

Folders previously imported from January to October 2017 have disappeared from the LightRoom Library - as have the backup catalogues for this period (I back up every time I quit LightRoom).
Quite a lot of images were edited from those folders and then exported as finished jpegs. .....At least I still have them, but if I want to re-work any of these, I will have to start from scratch from re-imported folders. Not a disaster perhaps, but I'd like to know where the missing folders and backups have gone.

I've checked through my computer and external drives, where I back up my backups, and found nothing. I also tried re-importing some of the folders to check, but as I expected, the images are in their original unedited state.

I would very grateful for any advice.
Many thanks.

Can anyone help please?? .....My post seems to have been hijacked on a somewhat different topic. Or perhaps I should just start again and re-post my question? .....I really would appreciate some advice. Thanks in advance

 

[Johan Elzenga]

Can anyone help please?? .....My post seems to have been hijacked on a somewhat different topic. Or perhaps I should just start again and re-post my question? .....I really would appreciate some advice. Thanks in advance

Maybe you should post it again, although I’m not sure how I could help you find files on your computer. It seems you already checked everything.

 

[jayvee]

Maybe you should post it again, although I’m not sure how I could help you find files on your computer. It seems you already checked everything.

Maybe you should post it again, although I’m not sure how I could help you find files on your computer. It seems you already checked everything.

Thank you Johan, perhaps I will post again. It's just that I can't see how my folders could disappear from Lightroom Library along with the related backups, and I'm sure someone, more knowledgeable than me, might be able to advise or give me a clue, in case I've missed something. ....I get the feeling they might be lurking in the depths of LR somewhere? .... I'll leave it a bit to see if anyone responds on this thread, if not, I'll re-post. Thanks anyway.

 

[Johan Elzenga]

Thank you Johan, perhaps I will post again. It's just that I can't see how my folders could disappear from Lightroom Library along with the related backups, and I'm sure someone, more knowledgeable than me, might be able to advise or give me a clue, in case I've missed something. ....I get the feeling they might be lurking in the depths of LR somewhere? .... I'll leave it a bit to see if anyone responds on this thread, if not, I'll re-post. Thanks anyway.

I don't see how catalog backups could be lurking in the depths of Lightroom. Losing folders from the Lightroom catalog is one thing, but losing all your catalog backups from the same period seems a very strange coincidence.

 

[jayvee]

I don't see how catalog backups could be lurking in the depths of Lightroom. Losing folders from the Lightroom catalog is one thing, but losing all your catalog backups from the same period seems a very strange coincidence.

Exactly Johan! That's what I can't get my head around. It's VERY strange. At least I have the exported edits from that period.

I'm beginning to think that re-importing those folders is all I can do. If I want to re-edit some of them (and there will only be a few), I'll just start from scratch. ....Altogether about 1200 images are involved, of which about 80 -100 were edited and exported. Some are still worth editing and the rest will be for the bin!
Like I said previously, it's not a disaster, but it would just be nice to know the answer to this mystery.

Many thanks for your input, which I really appreciate.

 

[Johan Elzenga]

The only thing I can imagine is as follows: By default Lightroom saves catalog backups inside the catalog folder, in a 'Backups' subfolder. That is not a good location, but that is another subject. Assuming that you did not change the default, is it possible that you somehow opened an old catalog, located in a different folder? Then the backups in that folder would also be as old as this catalog...

 

[jayvee]

The only thing I can imagine is as follows: By default Lightroom saves catalog backups inside the catalog folder, in a 'Backups' subfolder. That is not a good location, but that is another subject. Assuming that you did not change the default, is it possible that you somehow opened an old catalog, located in a different folder? Then the backups in that folder would also be as old as this catalog...

Hmmm! That's got me thinking Johan. Can't see how I could have done that, but I guess it's a possibility - anything's possible! I'll have to try and recall when I first discovered the 'missing' folders etc and what I might have been doing prior to that.
Incidentally, as you mentioned where backups are saved, I have LR on drive C (which is an SSD drive) and send my catalog backups to drive D when quitting LR. And I keep my photos on drive F (on a second hard drive). So I try to keep things separate. Everything gets backed up to external drives quite regularly. Unfortunately, the missing catalog backups will have been backed up to an external drive, but since overwritten with later backups, unfortunately

Thank you so much for your help. If I do come up with an answer or find the missing folders and backups, I'll let you know.