LRC losing previews after import and not showing brush unless in use

[lynnw30531757]

Hello,

In the past week or so, LRC 'loses' links to files I've just uploaded. I'm using an iMac running Sequoia 15.1.1. LRC is up to date (14.1.1) and store images on an external HD. 

I close LRC and when I open it again, all is well. I suspected my external HD is dying, but why would everythign be OK when I reopen LRC?

In a not so related issue, when I want to use a brush or linear gradient, I can't see either until I begin to use them on the actual image.

Let me know if I need to provide any additional information.

Thank you.

[AxelMatt · Accepted solution]

The first step should always be to reset the preferences of Lightroom Classic:  How to reset Lightroom Classic preferences (adobe.com). 

It's recommended to backup your preferences before you reset the preferences to the default settings: 

https://helpx.adobe.com/lightroom-classic/kb/preference-file-and-other-file-locations.html

If this doesn't help, provide a copy of your 'System Info'. This can be get from the Photoshop menu item Help > System Info. There's a copy button in the System Info dialog. Press this button and paste the info into your next forum post.

[lynnw30531757]

Thank you - resetting preferences worked.

[dj_paige]

Losing images sounds like a (external) hard disk malfunction or (External) hard disk connection that isn't working well.

For example, if the disk goes to sleep, or the connection from the disk to the computer is less than perfect, you can see symptoms like the ones you are reporting.

[lynnw30531757]

That's what I thought. Resetting preferences fixed the issue, however I might still invest in a new external HD.