Adobe reports all my pictures on M:\ but they are on C:\

I sent you a PM...

Gerd11  wrote I m using an iPhone SE with a USB cable. Now, it is not reporting as Drive M anymore, just as another mobile device. When I open a new catalog, I can import pictures and Adobe shows them on drive C. If I then just look at my old catalog and go back to the new one it defaults to M again. The same thing happens when I open the known good 2 year old catalog, it defaults to M. I reinstalled APE 18 with no help.

I don't have an iPhone, so I can't check anything on my side. Reinstalling PSE 2018 can't change anything. The catalog file itself is corrupt (catalog.pse16db). What would probably give a clue would be a look at the volume_table table in that sqlite database.

That would perhaps show two items with the same serial.

Also, can you confirm that you are importing 'from camera or card reader' and not 'from files and folders'?

Gerd11  wrote I have no M drive in the Explorer. My telephone reports as M, if connected. When I make a new catalog with new Pictures everything is fine until I load the old catalog. Than the new Pictures (in a different catalog) also default to M again. When I take a 2 year old catalog, it recoveres all Pictures on C but reports it beeing on M with no possibility to access.

For some reason, the catalogs have a confusion between the computer drive and the telephone. I am pretty sure the 'volume table' in the database has two different entries for a C: and a M: drive with the same internal serial number. That's what happens with cloned drives (several cases reported when installing SSD drives together with the original drive). Unfortunately, that does not tell us exactly how that can happen in your case. To be sure, it would be necessary to look into the database (catalog.pse16db) with an sqlite manager program. That might confirm my diagnosis and perhaps offer a way to correct the faulty drive table. The fact that different (and new) catalogs show the same problem is very annoying. We can't trust the importation from your telephone.

How do you plug in your telephone? As any USB device? Which brand and model ? You would have no problem to download your photos from your OS directly on a folder in your computer, then importing from 'Files and folders'.

Gerd11  wrote Yes, it is the catalog. No, I did not install an SSD drive. What can I do to correct this problem? All my saved catalogues have the same problem. I am using this program for 13 years with lots of information in the catalog.

The general answer is that the drive identification in Windows does no longer correspond to the identification made by the same Explorer before the change. Nothing has changed in the catalogs since they rightly show C: and that is true for your other catalogs. The problem is to find what has changed in Windows Explorer.

Does the Explorer show an M: drive?

If you create a new catalog and import a few test files you are sure they are on C:, do they show on C: or M: in the information panel on the right ?