HARD DRIVE + LIGHTROOM

[#1]

Hello! I am going to try and explain the issue im having the best i can and hoping someone can help!! 

So I currently upload photos to my lightroom catalog by connecting my camera to my computer and downlaod the photos until it says the space on my cmputer is full, then i transfer the photos from my computer to my hard drive and recconect the photos in lightroom to my harddrive. Recently the photos will not reconnect in lightroom to my hard drive unless I delete the catalog , open a new one, import the photos from the harddrive in to lightrom and start the process all over again to get the photos off my camera. Can anyone help or have any suggestions?

[#2]

Hello! I am going to try and explain the issue im having the best i can and hoping someone can help!! 

So I currently upload photos to my lightroom catalog by connecting my camera to my computer and downlaod the photos until it says the space on my cmputer is full, then i transfer the photos from my computer to my hard drive and recconect the photos in lightroom to my harddrive. Recently the photos will not reconnect in lightroom to my hard drive unless I delete the catalog , open a new one, import the photos from the harddrive in to lightrom and start the process all over again to get the photos off my camera. Can anyone help or have any suggestions?

[#3]

Why not placed them on the external drive to start with. That is an option in the Import window in the Destination section of the right hand Side Panel. IE to have LrC Copy the files to a Drive and to a Folder of your choosing.

No need to go through what you are doing now.

[#4]

In the long run, JSM has you pointed in the right direction.

For the immediate problem:

Mac or Windows? Which version of the OS?

Which exact version of LrC?

Using Mac Finder or Windows File Explorer, can you see and navigate the external drive?

When doing a "relocate folder" in LrC, the folder navigation dialog does not see your external drive?

Side note: In the long run, you will be happier using a card reader instead of connecting your camera. Card readers are faster, less error prone, and do not drain your camera battery.