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Why can't I no longer import photos into my external hard drive using Lightroom CC External Portable Drive without a second copy of my RAW file being created

Explorer ,
Jan 07, 2018 Jan 07, 2018

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I use an external hard drive to store my photos. I don;t like smart previews and always work from my external hard drive. However, I am having problems importing from my hard drive in the library mode. I've been doing this successfully for years- with only one RAW file being left on my hard drive. And have spent hours trying to work out what on earth I am doing wrong.

I open Import select the folder I want to import from.

Then select the photos- the only option available is copy- which is always the case when using an external drive.

I used to be able to see the folders and files I had imported and I have many folders, with successfully imported photographs.

Now I can no longer seem to do this without generating a copy- the RAW files are big so I dont want to do this.

Can anyone point me in the right direction.

All help gratefully received.

Julie

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correct answers 1 Correct answer

LEGEND , Jan 08, 2018 Jan 08, 2018

It's probably because it is formatted exFAT.

I suggest you back up all your files on that drive then Format it NTFS when connected to a Windows computer. You will then need to install a driver on your Mac system so OS X can Write to NTFS formatted drives. OS X can read from that format but it can't write to it natively.

Windows is seeing it as a Removable drive like a cameras memory card. SD, CF, whatever type cards.

Once you do that that drive will show up as a Local drive and you can stop using C

...

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LEGEND ,
Jan 07, 2018 Jan 07, 2018

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Show us a screen capture of the Import dialogbox when the problem occurs.

Also please state the EXACT VERSION NUMBER of your Lightroom. Do not state it in words like "current" or "recent".

Also please state your EXACT operating system.

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Explorer ,
Jan 08, 2018 Jan 08, 2018

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Hi there, thanks for responding. I'm clearly doing something wrong as this has been working just find for years.

Here is the info and screen shots. Hope that you can help. Julie

Lightroom Classic version: 7.1 [ 1148620 ]

License: Creative Cloud

Language setting: en

Operating system: Windows 10 - Enterprise Edition

Version: 10.0.14393

Application architecture: x64

System architecture: x64

This is my standard view .

Screenshot 2018-01-08 08.03.05.png

Screenshot 2018-01-08 08.05.03.png

Screenshot 2018-01-08 08.05.40.png

Screenshot 2018-01-08 08.06.48.png

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Community Expert ,
Jan 08, 2018 Jan 08, 2018

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You have "Organize" set to original folders, in the destination section of the import screen. This option replicates whatever subfolder arrangement is present at the source, as brand new subfolders of whatever destination folder you have targeted.

If you want to explicitly make one folder yourself for all the images of an import batch to go into, regardless of their folder arrangement at the source, change "Organize" to one folder.

Alternatively if you want to have images filed by date (capture date, choice of filing systems and naming systems), select that and LR will carry it out - again ignoring the original source folders. In that case too, you'd be typically targeting a constant destination folder, so as to accumulate over time a systematic date hierarchy containing all imports.

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Explorer ,
Jan 08, 2018 Jan 08, 2018

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Thanks Richard. I've changed this option a few times over the last few days to see if I can replicate what was working successfully for me in the past. In the past I didn't get any duplication of files. This is shown in my Lakes file.

However, with all of the above I get a duplicate file. Below is what happens if I import to one folder. See attached file 0420 now has two versions. These are RAW files so not something I want duplicated.

Screenshot 2018-01-08 09.26.51.png

Previously this had not been happening- any other ideas?

Julie

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Advocate ,
Jan 08, 2018 Jan 08, 2018

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I think your problem is in the way Windows is designating your external drive and passing that info on to LR. If it is being seen as a "USB Drive", LR will consider it to be portable drive, like a memory card, and reduce the import options to only two, Copy and Copy As Dng, either of which will produce the second file. If, however, the OS recognizes the external as a "Local Drive" (as my Windows 10 does with my external drives), then on LR's Import page there will be four options - in addition to the two Copy options also Move and Add. To import the original file while leaving its location unchanged, you want Add.

To see the drive's designation, right-click on the drive name in either LR/Library or File Explorer and select Properties; the type should be Local Drive and the file system NTFS.

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Explorer ,
Jan 08, 2018 Jan 08, 2018

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Hi Elie I think this may be the issue. It is seeing the drive as a USB hence I can only copy the files. Do you know how I can change the designation of the external drive.

Many thanks

Julie

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Community Expert ,
Jan 08, 2018 Jan 08, 2018

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Ah, OK. I hadn't noticed Add was greyed out - sorry. Only if you have got Add successfully selected (or Move) will you ever NOT get a new Copy made. Given Copy IS selected, the consequences match how LR normally works in that case.

USB connected drives are widely used, though, as being in every way equivalent to an internal drive (so, with Add available).

That's when the normal operating system's recognition / drive letter assignment of the device has happened (rather than some special driver or utility); with nothing unusual involved aside from perhaps changing its reference (drive name / drive letter assignment).

Only if a particular drive is considered to be of a "removable" physical type (such as a card reader which is itself consistently connected, but which can be expected to house differing camera cards from time to time) does LR normally limit you to Copy.

So perhaps something is different in your situation such as to system driver, permissions, security settings, folder share, drive mapping or whatever.

Infrastructure, in other words.

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Explorer ,
Jan 08, 2018 Jan 08, 2018

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Hi Richard, thanks. I will investigate how to change the letter. I've been using this approach successfully until this weekend- so something has changed inadvertently.

I do use a Mac too. I switch between my work PC and my personal Mac.

I have been using @ as my first character intentionally. Do you think there might be a problem with that?

Julie

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LEGEND ,
Jan 08, 2018 Jan 08, 2018

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juliew25281042  wrote

I do use a Mac too. I switch between my work PC and my personal Mac.

I have been using @ as my first character intentionally. Do you think there might be a problem with that?

Julie

It doesn't seem so but in my opinion the AT ( @ ) sign isn't something I would use unless I was writing an email address or something on Twitter.

OS X: Cross-platform filename best practices and conventions - Apple Support

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/905231/information-about-the-characters-that-you-cannot-use...

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LEGEND ,
Jan 08, 2018 Jan 08, 2018

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The real question is why is LR seeing that external drive the same as it sees Camera memory cards or USB thumb drive.

Normally any normal rotating or SS external drive is not seen like that.

How is this drive connected to your system and what type of drive is it?

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Advocate ,
Jan 08, 2018 Jan 08, 2018

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If the drive is being used cross-system, the problem may be in the file-system formatting. If it is formatted FAT 16, Windows will read and write to it but may characterize it as a removable drive (rather than a "local drive" that would be NTFS), which could cause LR to treat it like a memory card

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Explorer ,
Jan 08, 2018 Jan 08, 2018

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Hi there the file is an external Solid State Sandisk Extreme Drive. Below is a screen shot showing the operating system. It is connected via a lead into a USB socket in my laptop.

I use it on my Mac too. Any suggestions of what I can do.

Screenshot 2018-01-08 19.22.41.png

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LEGEND ,
Jan 08, 2018 Jan 08, 2018

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It's probably because it is formatted exFAT.

I suggest you back up all your files on that drive then Format it NTFS when connected to a Windows computer. You will then need to install a driver on your Mac system so OS X can Write to NTFS formatted drives. OS X can read from that format but it can't write to it natively.

Windows is seeing it as a Removable drive like a cameras memory card. SD, CF, whatever type cards.

Once you do that that drive will show up as a Local drive and you can stop using Copy in the import window and start using ADD to just add the image files to the LR catalog and leave them where you placed them on that drive.

What you are doing now is Copying them From and pasting them To that same drive.

Which with SSD's will shorten it life span.

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Explorer ,
Jan 18, 2018 Jan 18, 2018

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Hi there. I am now trying a NTFS formatted Western Digital External DRive on my Windows PC. Still can't access the add menu. See below it will allow me to copy as dng, copy or move. As soon as I select add it will not show the external drive, and reverts to files on the PC. Something has changed in lightroom as I have been using this 'add ' approach for a good 2 years. Anyone got any ideas.

Screenshot 2018-01-19 07.45.14.pngScreenshot 2018-01-19 07.45.20.png

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Community Expert ,
Jan 19, 2018 Jan 19, 2018

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Your two screenshots DO show apparently normal importing from an external drive

- in this case a My Passport drive letter E:.

That's for both Add and Move. In the case of Move, the destination happens to be also on that same external drive.

So what specifically do you mean by "As soon as I select add it will not show the external drive"?

Of course it is completely normal to see NO Destination folder on the right side, when you select Add.

Leaving something where it is does not require any "where to?" instructions.

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Explorer ,
Jan 20, 2018 Jan 20, 2018

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Hi Richard, I can see why you would think that functionality to 'Add' is there. As soon as I click add it directs to my C drive rather than my external NTFS formatted hard drive.

This has been working fine for almost 2 years- I am thinking that its something in the lightroom update that is messing up being able to use external drives effectively.

Hope that helps.

Julie

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Advocate ,
Jan 20, 2018 Jan 20, 2018

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"As soon as I click add it directs to my C drive rather than my external NTFS formatted hard drive."

That's not what your second screen shot above shows. "Add" is selected and you are still importing the same files from My Passport (E:)/..../2915_09_19_stair, but without any destination being indicated on the right side, normal behavior for the "Add" option which means "Leave In Place, Do Not Move Or Copy". So what is being directed to the C: drive? Do you mean that when you click on the "Import" button at the bottom right, a new folder is being created on C: and the files are moved or copied to it? This would indeed be a bug and a bad one, but otherwise I don't see an LR bug.

Please clarify.

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Community Expert ,
Jan 20, 2018 Jan 20, 2018

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It's true that at the top right it does say "my Catalog" when you select Add.

I don't think it stated this, IIRC, in older LR versions' import screen.

And perhaps that has given you a misleading impression. Say, if the location of your current Catalog happens to be on the C: drive then it might appear that files in the Source location ARE somehow going to the C: drive. They are not..

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Advocate ,
Jan 20, 2018 Jan 20, 2018

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I think Richard has put his finger on it. And I admit that the My Catalog caption could be misunderstood unless you are aware that photo files, whether Raw or rendered, can never be "in" LR or "in" the catalog because the catalog is a single database file, a place where information about the photos is stored. All that is being sent to the catalog when "Add" is highlighted is that information.

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New Here ,
Jan 09, 2020 Jan 09, 2020

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LATEST

I just tried it with an NTFS-formatted SanDisk, and I still couldn't get any options other than COPY and DNG - ADD not available.  Windows 10 Pro, Lightroom Classic ver 9.1 camera raw 12.1.  NOT set as camera, but rather as a portable drive referenced by drive letter.

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Explorer ,
Jan 08, 2018 Jan 08, 2018

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Hi there the file is an external Solid State Sandisk Extreme Drive. Below is a screen shot showing the operating system. It is connected via a lead into a USB socket in my laptop.

I use it on my Mac too.

Screenshot 2018-01-08 19.22.41.png

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LEGEND ,
Jan 08, 2018 Jan 08, 2018

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Do you use the drive on a Mac too? It has Mac OS X folders and files on it.

Also why are there folders or files with the AT ( @ ) sign as the first character.

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LEGEND ,
Jan 08, 2018 Jan 08, 2018

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So to answer the last question in your topic title, It is because LR is seeing that external drive as a SD, CF, Whatever type drive that is normally associated with being from a camera. The only option available when LR sees that type of drive it to Copy.

Once you Re-Format that drive to NTFS it will show as a Local externally connected drive and then you can start using the Add option in the LR import dialog window.

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Explorer ,
Jan 09, 2018 Jan 09, 2018

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thank you. very much appreciated.

Julie

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