missing photos found, folder not in LR

I will not assume, and at this point probably not scroll up to see if this has been commented on, too lazy of me at this point.

About missing images,

Adobe Lightroom - Find moved or missing files and folders   (also includes guidance on folder issues)

another:  https://www.lightroomqueen.com/lightroom-photos-missing-fix/ (also mentions ! as well as ?)

and

https://photofocus.com/opinion/5-common-lightroom-lost-my-photos-mistakes/   (note this one also mentions those ! marks in the grid view as well as the ?  marks in folder panel (typically something got moved outside of lightroom)

and: https://lightroomkillertips.com/lightroom-images-go-missing/

If you have external drives, an issue can occur if they do not have static names, that E drive for example perhaps:

Lightroom loses photo location after connecting removable devices

.

.

In the first screenshot, you have your mystery drive E. And that drive, it’s folders have lots if not entirely missing images .

Now, I have run into something similar, that if moving an entire catalog structure (lrcat file preview files image files) from one drive to another. In my case I have an internal drive B (as in Backup) an internal driveF (as in Files) an internal drive W (as in working), and an external drive E, B, e, and F are slow, W is fast, Worked on a photo shoot catalog on W, finished, copied to drives B, F, and E, then deleted it from the smaller W.

Yes, I know... OCD,...gives me two copies as backup, and one copy to treat as master (F), W is not large enough for too many files.

Anyhow, later, occasionally when I decide to rework a catalog and copy it from F to W, well sometimes in Folder, i see F and W, should have only noticed W,      and yes missing in F. Solution is to relocate folder, relocate that erroneous F to W, can result in a merge, corrects the issue, does not foul up the copy still on F. (but that gets replaced next day or two)

Your drive E, perhaps you had a drive that at one time was labeled E? And the catalog was on it? something went bonkers during a copy or a move?

Some of us do in fact have multiple hard drives including internal, older C drives just for the OS and programs, another drive for files, one for internal backups, one for scratch space, one for work in progress (a super fast one), several external, probably one for removable backups, another for backups we lock away, maybe one for Private identifiable info like banking (balance sheets, etc)

RLCadence  wrote I have 1034 missing photos. They - at least lot of them - are in folders that LR Library does not show. I have the separate issue of using two versions of LR. Adobe  could have done me a BIG favor by naming them distinctively, which certainly did not happen, but both versions have the issue. With a lot of - maybe all of - the same files. So merging - as if I could - won't cure it. I have located the first batch and LR does not show, not grayed out, not at all (except in Import) the folder they are in. It was looking for them in drive E - so on a portable storage device - but since LR won't allow Add from such externals they had to be Copied to my hard drive, but LR isn't looking for them there. I have read the Lightroom Queen bits on merging and finding, and getting no traction in this situation. How could this happen, and what can I do now? Creating the folder in LR will make two of them. A fresh import from the hard drive .  .  . gonna get messy. Help! Thanks!

If the image files are showing as missing in LR then the folder LR THINKS they are in MUST be included in the Folders section of the Libraries left hand side panel.

Otherwise the images would NOT be seen or show as missing.

Please show us a Screen shot of the library module with the Folders section shown and expanded.

Right click on one of them and select "Go to Folder in Library".

So, I will muddle in to this, starting with an assumption based on your comments.

1. You have an old copy of Lightroom 6

2. You have a new copy of Lightroom Classic, probably v8 (8.?)

First up, when you install a major update to Lightroom, it creates a new copy of your most recent catalog, At least it is supposed to. Also, the update should by default, remove the old copy, but apparently you chose to check the option to keep.

moving on

Lightroom has always done this back to at least v3, Back before v6, the new catalogs would have been given a name syntax like lightrrom3.lrcat, lightroom4.lrcat, etc, now days they are given a name involving a suffix, so my lightroom.lrcat would be named my Lightroom-2. lrcat or something like that (might have some errors in that, foggy memory)

note, occasionally the update process might fail to work this way, and a new catalog may be created instead, nit clear what issues cause that.

Now this happens when accomplishing an update that Adobe considers major, so going from v6 to v8, yes, going from v8.1 to v8.2, no.

At this point you may have several lightroom catalogs going back years,

So, what is going on, how to fix.

First up identify the correct catalog to work on. As you apparently have your older lightroom program, carefully start it. When started, click on Help, click on System Information, and note the program version, first line I think. Bring up the catalog properties and note the catalog name and path (not on PC right now, forgetting something). Go to that location in your file explorer (finder on MAC). close Lightroom.

In that directory, notice if their is a similarly named catalog, probably with -2 added (_2?). Double click on it, the newer Lightoom version should launch opening that catalog.

Has that happened? What us the status?

P.S. make sure your external hard drives if any are connected, should any of the images reside on them.

EDIT

Ahh, missed that you have created two discussions on similar issue, gotten wordy as in repetative, my bad.

Which version of Lightroom are you using?