Finding missing files won't complete after CRASH

[Charles Waugh]

So I ran out of room on my external drive (drive 'G' on my computer) that holds my files (60,000+ of them).
No big deal!
I just copied all the files to a bigger external drive (called 'J')
I then unhooked drive G and restarted Lightroom2.3
Of course, it complained that it could not find any of the files, so I clicked on the '?' and found a file in the top-level directory of 'J' and Lightroom then began to find all the files.
So far so good.  
but...

In the middle of this find-files routine LR crashed.
Sigh...
I re-open LR and it didn't re-start the search for the missing files (I had hoped it would)

If I then start the process for finding missing files in a lower-level directory, it looks there and lower, but it won't go 'sideways' in the directory structure, only down, so there's still zillions of unfound files.
Double-sigh...

OK, so I figure out a work-around:
I create a dummy.jpg file in the top level directory of 'G' and import it into LR
I close LR and unhook 'G'
Re-open LR and go find that missing file on 'J' to re-start the 'find missing file' routine.  
LR finds it, and says it is looking for other missing files nearby.
It sat all night doing that, warning me if I try and close LR that it is in the middle of finding files (so I didn't turn off my machine when I went to bed)
This morning...
No files found, it claims to be working, but Process Explorer shows no I/O or CPU activity for Lightroom.
Poop!
I've got 52,000 unfound files in innumerable directories and LR won't find them without me pointing it to each and every darn directory.

I've tried the work-around a few more times with re-booting in between, trying a different drive letter for the new external drive, etc.
No luck - it still just hangs.

Any ideas?

I don't want to re-create the catalog because it contains all of my edits on thousands of files, nor do I want to have to help it find every blasted one!

[tom power]

So I ran out of room on my external drive (drive 'G' on my computer) that holds my files (60,000+ of them).
No big deal!
I just copied all the files to a bigger external drive (called 'J')
I then unhooked drive G and restarted Lightroom2.3
Of course, it complained that it could not find any of the files, so I clicked on the '?' and found a file in the top-level directory of 'J' and Lightroom then began to find all the files.
So far so good.  
but...

In the middle of this find-files routine LR crashed.
Sigh...
I re-open LR and it didn't re-start the search for the missing files (I had hoped it would)

If I then start the process for finding missing files in a lower-level directory, it looks there and lower, but it won't go 'sideways' in the directory structure, only down, so there's still zillions of unfound files.
Double-sigh...

OK, so I figure out a work-around:
I create a dummy.jpg file in the top level directory of 'G' and import it into LR



I close LR and unhook 'G'
Re-open LR and go find that missing file on 'J' to re-start the 'find missing file' routine.  
LR finds it, and says it is looking for other missing files nearby.
It sat all night doing that, warning me if I try and close LR that it is in the middle of finding files (so I didn't turn off my machine when I went to bed)
This morning...
No files found, it claims to be working, but Process Explorer shows no I/O or CPU activity for Lightroom.
Poop!
I've got 52,000 unfound files in innumerable directories and LR won't find them without me pointing it to each and every darn directory.

I've tried the work-around a few more times with re-booting in between, trying a different drive letter for the new external drive, etc.
No luck - it still just hangs.

Any ideas?

I don't want to re-create the catalog because it contains all of my edits on thousands of files, nor do I want to have to help it find every blasted one!

I feel your pain. I added a new back up hard drive a couple weeks ago and now can not get Light Room to find those files on the original or the back up drive. I have to say light Room is great for editing but I have an awful time doing some of the simplest things with it. It has been two weeks since that happened and I have become so frustrated I have quit using my camera for now. I know that is ridiculus but it is just to frustrating for me to even try again right now. It is quite funny how easy the camera is to use but how impossible the sofware is for me.

Can anyone say film?

[john beardsworth]

Does this help? Right click a directory, and choose Add Parent Folder, which shows the directory's parent and lets you point all its subfolders to their new location. You can go up more than one level if you want (and there's also a Promote Subfolders menu choice which reverses the process).

Another point, which you're learning by experience, is that once pictures are registered in Lightroom, use it to move files, not Explorer or Finder.

And didn't you have a backup of your catalogue before doing this?

John

[Charles Waugh]

Does this help? Right click a directory, and choose Add Parent Folder, which shows the directory's parent and lets you point all its subfolders to their new location. You can go up more than one level if you want (and there's also a Promote Subfolders menu choice which reverses the process).

Another point, which you're learning by experience, is that once pictures are registered in Lightroom, use it to move files, not Explorer or Finder.

And didn't you have a backup of your catalogue before doing this?

John

John,
ROCK-N-ROLL!
I didn't know about the Add Parent, nor the Promote Subfolders, and yes, I backed up the catalog, but the crash really messed things up.
It's all fixed now though!

Yipee!