How to identify offline photos as missing (when original drive crashed)

Forum|Forum|7 years ago
October 20, 2018
4 replies
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I have numerous photos that were save to an external hard drive that crashed and is no longer accessible. I have copies on another external drive (with the same file structure) and would like to reconnect them in mass. I have windows 7 and adobe photoshop elements 9. However the elements program will not identify the offline photos as missing. I can reconnect them one by one but obviously would prefer the program to do that as there are lots of photos. How can I get elements to recognize the offline photos are missing without the original drive? If I could do that then I would just tell the program where to look

It is trying to find them under [My Book] and the other hard drives will start with a letter (K: for example) so unfortunately just plugging in the new drive to the same port did not work.. Trying to change the name of the drive did not change the letter.

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Correct answer MichelBParis

Troubleshooting catalog issues in Elements Organizer

This is the tech doc for recent versions, but it may help for PSE9.

You have to start from the folders view to see your drive and folder structure tree.

MichelBParis

Legend

"I am seconds away from editing the catalogfile and exchanging old IP against new IP. Maybe I kill the catalog completely doing this, but it seems to be the only chance..."

I don't use a NAS and my advice is to use a conventional drive instead because you probably won't get any help from Adobe. Using a NAS does not replace creating regular Organizer backups.

You can try to edit the catalog database if you are acquainted with Sqlite. Copy the whole catalog folder for safety and edit the volume_table with the new drive identification. No idea if that will work, but that can do no harm to the original catalog.

andreasgiese71

Participant

Hi! Similar problem, no working solution: I store my pictures on a NAS, now had to change the router and therefore my NAS got a new IP. => pictures are offline (not "missing) => no chance to reconnect, workaround on the linked page does not work.
Someone any ideas? I am seconds away from editing the catalogfile and exchanging old IP against new IP. Maybe I kill the catalog completely doing this, but it seems to be the only chance...

MichelBParisCorrect answer

Legend

Troubleshooting catalog issues in Elements Organizer

This is the tech doc for recent versions, but it may help for PSE9.

You have to start from the folders view to see your drive and folder structure tree.

K

KarenK60Author

Participant

answer somewhat helpful but did not solve problem and I was unable to post

a reply as to why it did not completely work as it said I did not have

privileges. Can you either let me post a reply or relay a reply? Thanks

On Sun, Oct 21, 2018 at 1:04 AM MichelBParis <forums_noreply@adobe.com>

K

KarenK60Author

Participant

I was found I was able to reconnect the missing files from that passage you quoted. It said if you perform an action on the files you will get the prompt for reconnect missing files and drives. (Previously I was only getting that photo by photo with going into complete metadata). The reconnect drive still did not work - It says no drive detected and the drop down menu is blank and it keeps trying to find the old crashed drive. However the reconnect files did work so rather than photo by photo I can do large batches at a time with selecting all photos that were in one file - doing a fake action on them - and then climbing up the file structure to point the program to the new hard drive - selecting all missing and reconnecting them again. Thanks.