Needing help recovering file

[Matthew24834585fena]

Hi all,

I have photos in LR that have the "file cannot be found" in the develop module. I try to locate through LR and it says it cannot be found. However, I go to my windows folder outside of LR, and I can retrieve the raw photo unedited. I even tried to re import it from windows, but LR says it already exists - even though it says the file is missing. 

I'm totally lost; how do I resolve this? 
thanks 

[dj_paige]

Follow the instructions here: https://www.computer-darkroom.com/lr2_find_folder/find-folder.htm

DO NOT IMPORT!!!

[GoldingD]

see:

https://www.computer-darkroom.com/lr2_find_folder/find-folder.htm

[Matthew24834585fena]

I've done all of this. I know how to click the exclamation point and press locate photos. My issue isn't that when I try to locate the missing file name, LR says it cannot be found. And I can't manually find any of these in any of the folders. There is no external drive holding the files either. 

what can I do? 

[dj_paige]

My issue isn't that when I try to locate the missing file name, LR says it cannot be found.

Lightroom Classic will not find the photos for you. You have to find the actual photos on your hard disk, by using your operating system's search feature to search all hard disk(s) and network drive(s) for the file. Then in LrC, select the files that you have found, after clicking on the exclamation point in LrC.

If the search doesn't find the photos, then restore them from your backups. If you don't have backups, then there's nothing that can be done, the photo is gone.

[Matthew24834585fena]

I cannot find anywhere manually. Some folders are just deleted from my hard drive completely. I haven't done anything, but I did have someone try to install A RAM upgrade on here, is there anyway this would have affected my missing files? 

i understand RAM is working memory, but I just don't see another cause of this. 

[dj_paige]

I cannot find anywhere manually.

This does not sound like what I suggested, which is to use your operating system's search feature to search all hard disk(s) and network disk(s) for the file(s)/folder(s).

In addition, I recommended you restore the files from your backups. Did you try that?

I did have someone try to install A RAM upgrade on here, is there anyway this would have affected my missing files?

No, unless the installer person was either incredibly stupid, or malicious.

[Matthew24834585fena]

So, I am searching the entire PC for the file which includes my hard drive, recovery, and external drive from my windows search tool in the file explorer. . Idk how else to search. 

the files are not backed up currently. 

Is there a more broad search method that I'm missing? 

[dj_paige]

When you say "I am searching ...", are you using the operating system's search feature to search all disk(s)?

Files not backed up ... never a good thing. If you can't find the files by searching and no backups, then the files are gone.