Disk Management (Page 2): Thanks, I'll do that, although I don't think it worked with this portable hard drive. I will check.

cptiger Loc: Englewood, FL

DirtFarmer wrote:

Plug in the card reader and assign it the letter ‘R’

If you define all your peripherals you can reduce such problems.

Thanks, I'll do that, although I don't think it worked with this portable hard drive. I will check.

cptiger Loc: Englewood, FL

DirtFarmer wrote:

Only potential problem would be line surges. They can kill a disk, but if the disk is unplugged it would be safe.

If you assign letters at the end of the alphabet to the important drives the rest of them can just use whatever letter is next.

I like this idea. Thx

cptiger Loc: Englewood, FL

frankraney wrote:

If he just relinks the drive, then latter unplugs it, it will/could be assigned another drive letter, causing the problem again. Any external drives used with LR should be assigned permanent drive letters.

Because this can happen for what we think are unexplained reasons, I always mark my physical drives with a permanent marker with the drive letter that I assigned. In addition to drive letter I also add description of ie "old photos 2019 and older (O:)". Works for me.

Is there a special procedure to assign a drive as permanent? Thx

BebuLamar

cptiger wrote:

Is there a special procedure to assign a drive as permanent? Thx

I don't think you can assign a drive as permanent letter if you remove it. After that you attach it the computer won't be able to know if it's the drive you removed before.

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

frankraney wrote:

If he just relinks the drive, then latter unplugs it, it will/could be assigned another drive letter, causing the problem again. Any external drives used with LR should be assigned permanent drive letters.

Because this can happen for what we think are unexplained reasons, I always mark my physical drives with a permanent marker with the drive letter that I assigned. In addition to drive letter I also add description of ie "old photos 2019 and older (O:)". Works for me.

Yeah, I remember now. That’s a Windows thing… Macs use real names.

DirtFarmer Loc: Escaped from the NYC area, back to MA

cptiger wrote:

Is there a special procedure to assign a drive as permanent? Thx

BebuLamar wrote:

I don't think you can assign a drive as permanent letter if you remove it. After that you attach it the computer won't be able to know if it's the drive you removed before.

To assign a drive a permanent letter use Disk Manager.

If you assign it letter F then unplug it and plug in another unassigned drive, Windows might assign the second drive the letter F. If you then plug in your F drive Windows will not be able to call it F because that letter is already in use.

The best way to avoid that is to assign letters further out in the alphabet to your important drives. Windows assigns the next letter after C, so unless you have a lot of drives attached, calling your main photo disk P should avoid the problem.

goldenyears Loc: Lake Osewgo

DirtFarmer wrote:

... assign letters further out in the alphabet to your important drives. Windows assigns the next letter after C, so unless you have a lot of drives attached, calling your main photo disk P should avoid the problem.

Absolutely correct! A long time ago I assigned "Z" to my main storage device and named it "Z: PRIMARY." This eliminated that kind of problem forever.

PHRubin Loc: Nashville TN USA

Although I am unfamiliar with the intricacies of LrC, I am well versed in relational databases. You are trying to overcome an issue with LrC by working with the disk system. Try fixing LrC. Have you tried deleting reference to the old locations (or files in that location), then adding the new location or those files to Light Room?

DirtFarmer Loc: Escaped from the NYC area, back to MA

PHRubin wrote:

Although I am unfamiliar with the intricacies of LrC, I am well versed in relational databases. You are trying to overcome an issue with LrC by working with the disk system. Try fixing LrC. Have you tried deleting reference to the old locations (or files in that location), then adding the new location or those files to Light Room?

It's the disk system that is creating the problem by giving the disk random names. Fixing the disk system will fix the issue with LrC.

frankraney Loc: Clovis, Ca.

burkphoto wrote:

Yeah, I remember now. That’s a Windows thing… Macs use real names.

Window uses both. But combined.

frankraney Loc: Clovis, Ca.

PHRubin wrote:

Although I am unfamiliar with the intricacies of LrC, I am well versed in relational databases. You are trying to overcome an issue with LrC by working with the disk system. Try fixing LrC. Have you tried deleting reference to the old locations (or files in that location), then adding the new location or those files to Light Room?

No Paul. The problem is the permanent drive letter got changed somehow. It is a disk management problem, not LR.

frankraney Loc: Clovis, Ca.

cptiger wrote:

Is there a special procedure to assign a drive as permanent? Thx

Yes, and should be done on any drive that needs not change, ie drives that have pointers to them such as light room.

https://www.startech.com/en-us/faq/hard-drives-general-assign-change-drive-letter

frankraney Loc: Clovis, Ca.

BebuLamar wrote:

I don't think you can assign a drive as permanent letter if you remove it. After that you attach it the computer won't be able to know if it's the drive you removed before.

Bob, once you assign a drive letter it is permanent unless you change it again. Unplug it and plug it back in and it will always be the same. If you do not do this, Windows assigns a temporary drive letter, the next in line that is not used. Any external drive that is used with Lightroom should have a permanent drive letter or LR will loose the connection giving the dreaded ?

r1ch Loc: Colorado

frankraney wrote:

Yes, and should be done on any drive that needs not change, ie drives that have pointers to them such as light room.

https://www.startech.com/en-us/faq/hard-drives-general-assign-change-drive-letter

I posted these instructions on page one.

frankraney Loc: Clovis, Ca.

r1ch wrote:

I posted these instructions on page one.

Sorry I missed it. I just answered the question that was asked of me past that. Had I seen it (or remembered it) I would simply have pointed back to it.