PSE 3.0 RECONNECT-MISSING FILE TROUBLE

DB
Posted By
Dan Brot
Jun 2, 2005
Views
719
Replies
34
Status
Closed
I continue to have major problems with pictures in a Collection that when the Collection is opened some photos now have "missing file" and "do you wanna reconnect" error messages.

Some of the files have been trandferred from the Organizer to the Editor but that is all. No images taken outside of PSE 3.0. Some of the error messages are attached to photos where nothing was done at all to them. Everytime I reconnect the photos and all images are fine, when I exit PSE and re-enter to do more work, again I get "missing file" and "reconnect" prompts.

I forums on other web sites for PSE 3.0 this appears to be a creaping, familiar problem and yet no soultions. I have called Adobe and cannot get anyone to address the problem. I am running WinXP.

Any help/suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Dan

MacBook Pro 16” Mockups 🔥

– in 4 materials (clay versions included)

– 12 scenes

– 48 MacBook Pro 16″ mockups

– 6000 x 4500 px

CW
Colin Walls
Jun 2, 2005
When you have an image that reports this problem, take a look at the Properties pane and look at where it believes that it is located. Is there anything wrong there?

this appears to be a creaping, familiar problem

I don’t think that it is. I have not seen anyone reporting exactly the situation that you describe.
PD
Pat_Dixon
Jun 2, 2005
Dan, I have had this problem since November’04. I have spent money with Adobe on the solution but they can’t figure it out. At first they said it was a bug in WinXP. But I have 2 computers and 1 runs XP the other Win2000Pro..It happens on both. I am sure when you check your Properties the file will be the same on the left pane as on the right in the "Reconnect" box. Mine was..I even PrintScreened all the paths,errors so to Adobe Tech Support and they could not explain it. They did say that this was uncommon but not unknown…I lived with it until I went to PSCS/7 and ok there. Yahoo, Steve’s, fredmiranda all user forums reported the same problem when PSE 3.0 1st came out…maybe that is a hint..when did you get PSE 3.0?
Pat
CW
Colin Walls
Jun 2, 2005
I have wondered whether there is a connection with watched folders, as the default settings are rather illogical. Do you use this facility Dan [and Pat]?
CK
Clyde_Kronfelder
Jun 2, 2005
dan and Pat,
This problem is NOT new to Adobe by any way-shape-or form(forum). As a beta issue it was a reoccuring problem and discussed frequently by beta testers in not only PSE 3.0 but I believe CS also. The problem arises when in Edit mode and you save an edited image into a different file format(might have you done that?), PSE corrupted the file path and bam…"missing file" for the original format. I would suggest a solution to prove it but the one I recommend requires you to "corrupt" another pix in another Collection which will snow ball. If you can possibly live with it until Adobe admits a problem and fixes it do it..I have been living with it since Oct/Nov 04.
ClydeK
CK
Clyde_Kronfelder
Jun 2, 2005
Colin..I do not use this feature.
CW
Colin Walls
Jun 2, 2005
Clyde

2 points:

1) Dan said that he has this problem with some image that have not been subject to any editing.

2) I would guess that most people edit files in one format [JPEG] and save to another [PSD or TIFF] all the time to avoid JPEG losses. I certainly do it all the time and have not experienced the problem.
DB
Dan Brot
Jun 2, 2005
Colin,
I am not aware of using the "watched" folder choice..
CW
Colin Walls
Jun 2, 2005
I am not aware of using the "watched" folder choice

If you are not using it, make sure it is turned off in Prefs [I can’t remember the default].
CK
Clyde_Kronfelder
Jun 2, 2005
Colin..
Yes you are correct but I have had this done to me when no pic was edit or otherwise. But i noticed once the problem started it affected all pics indiscrimanetly in that Collection.
PD
Pat_Dixon
Jun 2, 2005
Gentlemen…I have checked all my "settings/preferences" and none is selected per Colin’s suggestion..My initial problem started without any editing/creating/fixing.. just moving the pixs from Organizer to Collection xxx. i am at "wits end" trying to figure this out…I sort of just "live with it"
CW
Colin Walls
Jun 2, 2005
It is odd that this seems to be associated with collections specifically. There is something odd about the implementation of collections [as compared with tags]: if you edit an image in a collection, the new version replaces the old one, but the old one is placed at the start of the collection. I wonder if this is a "feature" [so that you can have multiple members of a version set in a collection] or a bug [more likely IMHO]. This is one reason to only use collections when you need the sequence attribute – otherwise tags are much more useful. I am just wondering whether this problem is connected.

Dan/Pat: I assume that you have tried catalog recovers?
DB
Dan Brot
Jun 2, 2005
Wow!! Just got into work and see the forum has been lively! The reason I put pictures into "Collections" was to keep them in some ‘semblence of order. Would tags maybe be more efficient Colin? Although like I have stated previously….Other collections are left untouched?????

What bugs me the most is that files not even touched are being lost.. Thanks to everyone for their input..when I get home tonite I will go over everything here and verify.
CW
Colin Walls
Jun 2, 2005
Dan

A good guide is to only use collections when the sequence of images matters – like if you are creating a Web album or exporting with a new filename. Otherwise, tags are much, much better – they give you hierarchy and multiple invocation [and do not seem to cause any particular problems].

If this problem really is localised to collections, then not using them would, I’m sure, be an OK workaround for many users. But there is clearly something else going on. I, for one, have used collections extensively [along with tags] since they were first introduced in PSA 2. The only issue I have is with the additional pre-edited image appearance, as I mentioned.
DB
Dan Brot
Jun 2, 2005
Boy did I mis-interpret the function of Collections…I even read Scott Kelby’s book(PSE3.0) and I believe he recommends Collections for cataloging photos with the same genre. You may be on to something Colin..but again "Why just that 1 Collection?" Sequencing is not a priority just a quick way to retrieve multiple photos in a catalog type listing.
CW
Colin Walls
Jun 2, 2005
I think that

Why just that 1 Collection?

will remain a bit of a mystery.

But it sounds like you have a way to move forward. If you need further advice on using tags just ask.

BTW, SK’s book is not the best on Organizer. For that, get the book referenced here: <http://www.photofanatic.com/>
PD
Pat_Dixon
Jun 2, 2005
Dan…I too was under the impression from not only Adobe but Kelby and others(betterphoto.com) who recommend putting "like" photos into a Collection above all else.
Thanks Colin..nice to know…and yes it is odd to be pointing at collections only and in both my case and Dan’s only 1 collection folder out of many…
CW
Colin Walls
Jun 2, 2005
It would be great to find what is "odd" about the single collection that each of you has problems with. Some questions:
What are the names of the collections?
How many images are in them?
Are they in a collection group?
DB
Dan Brot
Jun 2, 2005
Colin..is the book you reference delve into the "How To’s " of image editing in PSE3 or just Organizer? I think I have Organizer down ok I am now using Edit/Create/Fix most of my time..I am very disappointed in Kelby’s book…about 90% of the questions I bought the book for remain unanswered and some of his steps are incomplete. I am left "hanging" in many cases. If this is a great tutor fine I will get it post haste! Thanks!
CW
Colin Walls
Jun 2, 2005
The book I referenced has some stuff on editing, but really mainlines on Organizer. There are lots of Editor-focussed books, but I don’t have any, so I am reluctant to recommend. This one has found favour with many people on this forum: <http://tinyurl.com/8t694> [I assume you’re in the US] and the author often helps people around here.
CK
Clyde_Kronfelder
Jun 2, 2005
Gentlemen…lots of great discussion here to help all of us out. The collection name for me is Astrophotos with all my telescope pixs in it. I too was under the assumption that you used collections for cataloging pixs under 1 title. There are about 10 images in the collection. No group.
CW
Colin Walls
Jun 2, 2005
Clyde

So you are doing nothing odd and not stretching the size of a collection or anything like that.

It is interesting that this misperception of what collections are for is getting about.
PD
Pat_Dixon
Jun 2, 2005
Gentlemen..My collection name is PETS not part of a group with 15 misc animal photos in it.
PD
Pat_Dixon
Jun 2, 2005
I add photos to the collection as I download them for future reference,editing,creating,fixing, or cataloging.
CK
Clyde_Kronfelder
Jun 2, 2005
Dan and Colin..nothing odd..now I do add photos that are in the same catalog/genre as the collection title, Astrophotos, but stretch..?? Not sure what you mean…Now I have changed the file format on a few to .tiff from jpeg to limit loss and did so without any image editing but again images not in this change were "missing" also…The size of course increases as you add photos, in number only.
CK
Clyde_Kronfelder
Jun 2, 2005
Colin..i went to the 2 links..Is Slater the author in the link to amazon.com they discuss? Review is of a Barbara Brundage book??
CW
Colin Walls
Jun 2, 2005
Clyde

By stretch I was wondering how many images anyone might have in a collection. For "normal" applications a couple of hundred would be the most one would expect. But I have no idea what might happen if you had thousands in a collection.

Is Slater the author in the link to amazon.com they discuss? Review is of a Barbara Brundage book?

I pointed to Michael Slater’s Web site and reference BB’s book on Amazon.
DB
Dan Brot
Jun 3, 2005
Gentlemen..Good Morning and Thanks! the problem still persists and I am now losing files that were never even accessed for any reason in that collection. When I try to reconnect on a couple of "missing files" they cannot be located yet the image file appears in the Organizer.
My Collections have not many images in them..maybe 25 at tops. Colin..I have been corresponding with Mike Slater and will be buying his book. He has heard of my problem before.
Thanks Dan..
CK
Clyde_Kronfelder
Jun 3, 2005
Dan and Colin..I spent the better part of the night working on this and it seems to be snowballing. I too have encountered problems in the Collection with images not even worked on. I spent about an hour on a non-toll free tech support call to Adobe and they are a sad bunch of people. The first 3 techs I talked to had no idea what the "missing file" or reconnect error actually were a result of if the image wasNOT taken outside of PSE. That fiasco took up 45 minutes, I then spoke to an program engineer who understood the problem but didn’t have time to analyse it.
So I will live with it and try Colin’s method of Catalogs and leave collections alone..I also have no more that 50 in some collections. Very disappointing and frustrating!
CW
Colin Walls
Jun 3, 2005
Dan:

When I try to reconnect on a couple of "missing files" they cannot be located yet the image file appears in the Organizer

Do you mean that the thumbnail is there? Thumbnails are cached when an image is first imported.

Dan/Clyde/Pat:

I am frustrated that we can’t figure out what you guys are doing that’s different from me [for example]. Or, of course, what’s different on your systems. Maybe I can do a quick summary of what I understand to be the problem:

1) Images are becoming disconnected apparently at random times.
2) The image file is still where it is supposed to be and has not be accessed outside of Organizer.
3) All the affected images are in one specific collection.
4) Images not in this collection [which may or may not be in other collections] are unaffected.

Has that captured it?
PD
Pat_Dixon
Jun 3, 2005
Hello everyone….I have tried and retried everything with no luck..I tried to get Adobe involved but my free support is gone and they wanted to bill me for any help but couldn’t assure me the problem would be resolved.
Dan..I also have files missing and can’t be reconnected yet still in the Collection…path is the same in MyDocs/MyPics/yet in Browse you don’t see the image file anywhere but in the error message…This is a major annoyance but I guess I will live with it and try Colin’s route. I also have Kelby’s book and while most of it is great, I seem to have questions on basics he neither addresses nor has any reference to or skips completely. Basic operation/usage questions to everyone I would have thought.
Anyone know a way to let Adobe know about this on going problem? I couldn’t get Adobe to enter and incident or case file so as far as they are concerned the problem doesn’t exist!!
CW
Colin Walls
Jun 3, 2005
There is a bug report page here: <http://www.adobe.com/misc/bugreport.html>
DB
Dan Brot
Jun 3, 2005
When I try to reconnect on a couple of "missing files" they cannot be located yet the image file appears in the Organizer
Do you mean that the thumbnail is there? Thumbnails are cached when an image is first imported..YES thumbnail is there(Organizer and Collection) with the red torn sheet and the bottom of the image. When I ask to recover it shows the file on the left and then in right pane 3 possible locations non of which are related. When I browse for the IMG_000xx.jpg. file listed on the left it cannot be located at all!

Yes to your synopsis of the problem and i image"missing" in the Organizer is NOT in any collections. This happened last night while trying to do a photocourse assignment.
DB
Dan Brot
Jun 3, 2005
Colin..I should clarify my last message. Yes thumbnails are still there. The recovery of the totally lost file happened last night. Image was in Organizer only and not in a collection.
DB
Dan Brot
Jun 3, 2005
I posted a bug report

How to Improve Photoshop Performance

Learn how to optimize Photoshop for maximum speed, troubleshoot common issues, and keep your projects organized so that you can work faster than ever before!

Related Discussion Topics

Nice and short text about related topics in discussion sections