# I'm at a loss over lost files. Please help!



## richard (Apr 25, 2008)

Hi guys.

Thanks for any assistance in advance. I had LR 1.' installed and then a friend upgraded me to LR 1.1. Both are installed on my system still, I discovered.

LR crashed today [either that or it was my PC] and now nothing seems to want to open, as in LR can't find the files. It's probably more a case of I don't know where to find them - and I'm hoping you do. :shock:

One additional glitch and possible reason for this disappearence was Windows XP automatically changed the initial of the drive where I keep my photos [K-drive] when I used a new card reader. I reset it to K-drive, but I don't think LR liked the change [though that is my uneducated hypothesis].

When I try to open some backup files it says they have to be converted from the old .lrdb to 1.1 'catalog' files, etc. Any post-upgrade files don't even seem to be being detected at all. Basically I don't think I'm looking in the right place. As I didn't set this up initially, I'm doubly in the dark. 

Here's a screen grab of the mess of drives that resulted from Windows search for 'lightroom'. I'm hoping someone can make head or tail of it, ie, where I should look for the 'master' file that successfully combined both versions of Lightroom 'til today. Anyway, I'm hoping that's the solution: 

http://img174.imageshack.us/img174/1339/lightroomsearchlistps'.jpg

Again, thanks very much. 


Richard


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## richard (Apr 25, 2008)

My apologies. I can't manage to get the list up as an expadable file.
Any guesses would still be appreciated. Thank you. Rich


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## Victoria Bampton (Apr 25, 2008)

Hi Richard

Welcome to the forum - but sorry to hear it's complications that have brought you here!

For a start, I'd duplicate my existing catalog file... just in case.

Then I'd upgrade to 1.4.1 which is the latest update - there have been major bug fixes with each release, so it's well worth upgrading.

And then, you want to open your catalog in 1.4.1.  The folder names will go red if it can't find the files, so simply right click on each missing folder and choose Locate Missing Folder.  Point it to the right place, and it should relink all of the images within.


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## richard (Apr 25, 2008)

Victoria,

Thank you VERY much for your reply.
I'll go and try out your advice. 

Richard


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## Victoria Bampton (Apr 25, 2008)

Let us know how you get on!


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## richard (Apr 25, 2008)

Victoria, 

Double thanks - mission accomplished. 

Richard


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## Victoria Bampton (Apr 25, 2008)

Excellent, that's great to hear Richard!


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