File could not be found

[Madkatadobe2002]

Using LR Classic 10.2 and always used to have access to my High Res files via backed up external drive and had ability to adjust images in Develop mode.  BUT recently seeing  "File could not be found" error, and was concerned my external drive died. Happy to see all my old files appear to be safe in the external drive and can navigate to each High Res file. I am able to relink files one by one, but that will take 25 years.  I tried doing "Find All Missing Files" but that did not yield any results. 

- Please help, thanks

[dj_paige]

"Find All Missing Files" is not the right command. "Find Missing Folder" allows you to connect an entire folder of images, or an entire tree of folders if you use "Find Missing Folder" on the parent folder. This is all explained in detail in this document, with screen captures. See Figure 4 in particular.

[Madkatadobe2002]

Thanks I appreciuate the swift reply!  At first it looked like it would work but Lightroom did not automatically locate the files when the disk drive is reconnected. Then it asks if I want to merge the files. So I'm holding tight until I get further clarification.
*** Is there a LR support phone line? ***

[dj_paige]

Did it say "merge the files" or "merge the folders"?

If it says "merge the folders", how important is the folder organization to you? Is this your primary organization, or do you organize via metadata? I would try doing this folder by folder, and then on one where it says "merge the folders", say yes and see what happens. I vaguely recall this is okay, but it has been a very long time since I saw that message.

[Madkatadobe2002]

"MISSING" PHOTOS - need to relink them or start over.

Hi again, I have 32,000+ photos in my main LR Classic Catalog BUT shows I have 21,000 Missing Photos. Although thankfully I have them on external HD, and can see the High Res files are safe

FOLDERS

Not at all important to me. I never pay any attention to Folders (maybe I should!). But it looks like I have hundreds of Folders built up, many with very few photos in them. If I have to go throught these one by one it will take forever!

METADATA & Keywords

Is all important to me. I can search by my keywords and it still show the "Missing" photos, then I could manually relink it but oh man what a slow go that would be. 

[Madkatadobe2002]

*** Is there a LR support phone line? Or a LR "tech"?

[dj_paige]

I specifically sent instructions where you don't have to reconnect folders 1-by-1.

The suggestion to do this for one folder was to see what happened when you got the message "merge the files" (or was it "merge the folders"? could you please clarify?), if you went ahead and did the merge, did the results seem okay?