Using Update Folder Location to move from ext. drive to internal

Report · Dec 18, 2019

Good evening. I thought I understood what I was doing, but, no. I wanted to move all of my photos and folders from an external drive to an internal one. I followed the instructions in this web page:

https://lightroomkillertips.com/5-things-you-need-to-know-about-catalogs/

All seemed to go well. I copied one parent folder, and maybe fifty sub-folders, and a few sub-sub-folders; from the external drive with its failing cord to a new path on the internal drive. Took about 3 hours, and looks fine. External drive still connected.

So I got to Lightroom Classic and Ctrl-click on the Parent folder, and choose Update Folder Location. I choose the new parent folder on the internal drive. It accepts it without error message, and seems to start a long process. Here's where the problem is. I had no way of knowing how long it would be, and I got interrupted by a grandchild. So of course the external drive's cable disconnects in the middle of the process. I reconnect and let everying cook for awhile. But when I come up, the catalog does not point to the parent folder on the internal drive, nor the parent folder on the external drive. So:

Is there a way, an edit, a utility, a menu choice I haven't discovered; that I can tell the catalog file where my parent folder is?

many thanks in advance

Jon Angel

Report · Dec 19, 2019

Since then, I have restored the backed up catalog, and all is fine pointing at the external drive. I repeat the Update Folder Location operation, insure that the external remains firmly connected, no interruptions, and three hours later, I'm in the same boat. Catalog doesn't know where the parent folder is at all.

Report · Dec 19, 2019

In my experience, Update Folder Location ought to go extremely quickly, as it is not moving any photos, it is simply updating the database. So, can you please show us a screen capture of the Lightroom Folder panel (and explain what we should be looking for, which disk is which)?

Report · Dec 19, 2019

Thank you, I'll try again and take screen captures. There haven't been any obvious signs of activity like a progress bar or spinner.

Jon

Report · Dec 19, 2019

Agreed. 'Update Folder Location' should take maybe ten seconds, not hours. Do you see anything (like a progress bar, or a dialog) while it takes place?

-- Johan W. Elzenga

Report · Dec 19, 2019

Yes, the Update Folder should have taken a second..

Try it with the bad exteranl hard drive not connected. Continuing communication between the fouled up drive and the OS can be interupting all sorts of things.

Report · Dec 21, 2019

Thank you. It turns out that without the external drive (without the original parent folder), Update Folder Location is not available on the context menu.

I also should say that the external drive still works fine, but it can easily disconnect if it is moved or jarred. Hence my desire to put the collection on the internal flash drive, which has the space needed.

I attach a screen shot.

Jon

Report · Dec 21, 2019

When a folder is missing and Lightroom shows a question mark icon on the folder, you have to use Find Missing Folder. There is no Update Folder Location in this case.

Report · Dec 27, 2019

I might be on the wrong track, but I have done these two things instead:

Create a new masterfolder on your C drive. Put one Jpeg there and import in LR somit knows about it. Then move your folder from the external to the internal disc's new masterfolder within LR.

or,

Get a new external disk. Copy everything and name the new disc the same as the old one, disconnect the old one and set the drive letter for the new one to be the same as for the old one. Lr will not notice what you did... (at least on Windows)

Report · Dec 27, 2019

I might be on the wrong track, but I have done these two things instead:

Create a new masterfolder on your C drive. Put one Jpeg there and import in LR somit knows about it. Then move your folder from the external to the internal disc's new masterfolder within LR.

or,

Get a new external disk. Copy everything and name the new disc the same as the old one, disconnect the old one and set the drive letter for the new one to be the same as for the old one. Lr will not notice what you did... (at least on Windows)

It's not clear how this relates to the rest of the thread, and its not clear what your question is.

Report · Dec 27, 2019

Hello,

I thought that the OP had a failing external drive and wanted to rescue his photos. I understood the problem telling LR where the new folder is and simply added advice how to move the photos quickly so that LR still sees them the way I had to do it already. Sorry for having miss-understood the problem and waisted screen time