PSE 14

[Bulza]

Is it a bad idea to combine ALL of my last 5 back up files into one HUGE file?

I'm looking for ALL items in the catalog to be associated with only one file.

Will this totally SCREW UP the entire file AND CATALOG?

If not, will doing so delete multiples of duplicate files?

Could this prevent the "searching for file" pop up?

What concerns me is I had attempted to click on a photo and is disappeared from it's chronological spot in the current catalog. It MAY still be in there, but going through the 20,000 images is a task in itself.

Thanks for any insight

"Lost In NW Indiana"

[jane-e]

@Bulza 

I have moved your post from Photoshop to the Photoshop Elements forum where you are more likely to get assistance.

Jane

[Greg_S.]

I have no idea what you are proposing to do.  Clearly you have some problems that need to be fixed before you do anything else.

The searching for file message is popping up because you have missing files in the catalog.  A file will become missing if you have undertaken some file management (delete, move or rename) outside of the Organizer.  All file management must be undertaken within the catalog or you will run into problems like this. 

I highly recommend that you reconnect all missing files before performing any backup action.  If you don't, the backup is likely to fail.  Even if the backup completes, it may fail if you try to restore it. 

I suggest that you go to the Find menu and click on All Missing Files.  This will search for all missing files in your catalog and will present them in the grid.  The number of missing files will also be shown in the lower left status bar.  Hopefully, this will provide you with some clue as to why the files are missing.

Please explain further what your main question is and why you want to do whatever it is you want to do.

[Bulza]

Greg

Thank you for your input. I figured that it may be hard to understand what I am looking for. 

My main concern right now is the following...

1. I went from the MEDIA tab to the PEOPLE tab to view my neice's facial recognition photos.

2. I clicked on one photo in a series of photo's from 5/30/84.

3. The photo disappeared. No "connect missing file" pop up or anything.

4. I'm hoping that it is still somewhere in a file on the desktop.

5. My guess is that I somehow cross contaminated files from older back ups that had the same filing name.

6. The photo next to the set of 5/30/84 images is from a Sports Illustrated cover photo that is from the 21st century, BUT it shows as 5/30/84 AND the tagged person as my niece!

I know that I probably need a Photoshop file expert to correct things to get back to normal. I'm not confident that someplace like Best Buys, "Geek Squad" will be as informed on Photoshop, and what the correction should be.

[Bulza]

Looks like everyone is stumped with this issue that I am having...

[Greg_S.]

I'm not stumped yet, but you really aren't giving us enough information.  Your initial question was:

Is it a bad idea to combine ALL of my last 5 back up files into one HUGE file?

I don't know what this question means.   I also don't know whether you are asking about something you have already done which may have contributed to your second issue which is what happened to the files of your niece.  Or whether you have some other plan (which on the face of it doesn't sound like a good idea at all).

You also ask Could this prevent the "searching for file" pop up?  This suggested to me that you have already been having searching for file pop ups.  But, again, you haven't given us any details.

So what exactly are the questions you are posing?

[Bulza]

I can not state more clearly what my current and foremost concern is.

1. I went from the MEDIA tab to the PEOPLE tab to view my neice's facial recognition photos.

2. I clicked on one photo in a series of photo's from 5/30/84.

3. The photo disappeared. No "connect missing file" pop up or anything.

4. I'm hoping that it is still somewhere in a file on the desktop.

5. My guess is that I somehow cross contaminated files from older back ups that had the same filing name.

6. The photo next to the set of 5/30/84 images is from a Sports Illustrated cover photo that is from the 21st century, BUT it shows as 5/30/84 AND the tagged person as my niece!

My initial post may be ignored.

I need an expert opinion on what has caused the situation above and how it can be addressed. 

[Greg_S.]

I can't ignore your initial post because it may provide a solution to the problem of finding the missing photos of your niece. 

So, as I understand it, you have some photos of your niece that were in your catalog, but are now missing.  Those photos are dated 5/30/84.  I also assume that you have several backups of your catalog that have been created.  If my understanding is correct try the following to find the missing photos:

• Open one of the backup folders that should have your missing photos in Windows File Explorer (or the Mac equivalent if you are on a Mac)
• Click on the Date Modified column to place the files in date order
• Scroll through the date column until you get to 5/30/84 and click on the photo files with that date.

Are your niece's photos there?  If so, copy them to the folder where they should be.  In fact, if you know the folder where the files should be, that is where you should start looking for them.