Adice needed on workflow and catalogue issues

[BananaRepublic]

It is difficult to say yes or no to a strategy because it isn't clear what is going on.
If you can't find the files using the OS file manager then it is very possible that it is the storage medium itself that is losing the files and LR is not at fault.

LR doesn't hold the files internally, the catalog is just that, a database of where they are, what has been done to them as raw files and other data.

If the files are actually physically missing, LR doesn't have anything to do with that.

If you backup LR routinely, you can open an older version to see if the files appear in that.

I've noticed that my own post are sometimes stupid, words are misspelled or put in the wrong order and or left out for this I apologies

To the Traveller,
I went into LR today and it doesn't recognise the SSD as a folder. I have to import the files again to proceed.

Description: On the left of the LR window there are various drop down menus, Navigator, Catalog, Folders, etc. Under folders it list Mac HD and other devices, memory cards which have been plugged in previously, the SSD is not mentioned I don't why but thats what my problem is one day it was fine the next it wasn't. The OS does register the SSD and all it contents and LR recognises it as an import source.

 

[BananaRepublic]

I run my system drive (c drive) on a 512GB SSD - lightroom is installed here.
I import photos onto my secondary laptop drive a 7200rpm HDD via lightroom.
I then run a full backup monthly of that HDD, and differential backups daily to my NAS - this would be time machine in your case.

I end up with a copy on SD card (eventually disappears).
Copy on 7200rpm.
Monthly backups (keep 1 year of full backups)
and 365 differential backups.

I can go back to any point/time pretty much.

Thats what I was doing

 

[The_Traveler]

I have assigned static drive IDs to my external HDs using Windows
I have always assumed that the MAC OS does the same thing.
If the Drive ID varies from bootup to bootup, that may be when LR is dropping the link.

 

[BananaRepublic]

Again I did the same. I don't know!

 

[jaomul]

I'm not great at this stuff but one thing that did help was naming my hard drive. You plug in a hard drive and its D, E, F or whatever. Next time you plug it in its something else because you have a few flash dives connected. This can cause confusion, name your ssd drive something and then at least its the same everytime lightroom opens.

If you save to computer drive can you make a copy in another location. Isn't that an import option when you have said extra drive plugged in?

 

[The_Traveler]

To be certain that your drive name doesn't change when different storage devices are plugged in, rename it in a range above the usual group.
For example, I have 2 internal drives, sub ports for cards readers, etc and usb 3 backup drives. To keep the backup scheme from getting derailed by drive letter shifts when card reader is plugged in, I named the sub 3 BU drives as letter m and n.