Loading pics. onto a EXD

[dales]

I just purchased a Western Dig. 320 External Hard Drive. I have several thousand pics. that I want to move from the 'C' drive to the EHD. I have not hooked up the new drive yet. I have consolidated most of the pics. in a fewer number of folders. My ? is can I move those folders to the new EHD & then bring them up in PSE6 as I have been doing from the 'C' drive?

I understand that I should format the new drive w/NTFS. Also I have an active catalog in PSE6 w/approx. 2,000 pictures in it. Should I move those all to their respective folders before installing the new drive thus being able to retrieve them back into the PS catalog from the new drive?

Hope this all makes sense. Appreciate any and all help. I have searched the forum re-this but after reading some of the posts my head started spinning. Thanks in advance for the help.

[dj_paige]

First rule ... only use PSE commands to move the files. Use the File->Move command, or Folder Location view. Do not use Windows to move the files.

Second rule ... same as the first.

I just purchased a Western Dig. 320 External Hard Drive. I have several thousand pics. that I want to move from the 'C' drive to the EHD. I have not hooked up the new drive yet. I have consolidated most of the pics. in a fewer number of folders.

What do you mean "I have consolidated most of the pics in a fewer number of folders"? If that means you have moved the pics using Windows, then immediately move them back to where their original folders (using Windows in this case only). If that means something else, don't bother reading the rest of this note.

Should I move those all to their respective folders before installing the new drive thus being able to retrieve them back into the PS catalog from the new drive?

Do you mean move the folders that you said you "consolidated" to the new hard drive? No, you must move the photos back to their original folders where they were so that PSE will recognize them; then move the original folders to the external hard drive. As far as the timing goes, my opinion is that you should move these photos after you install the hard drive (not before). Move them as I described in Rules 1 and 2.

So, if I understood you properly (and that's very doubtful), first return the files to their original folders using Windows. Thereafter, following Rules 1 and 2, move the files after (not before) you install the hard drive. This will allow the PSE catalog to recognize the photos on your new hard drive.

[dales]

Thanks Paige for the quick response. Have a problem in that once the original folders were emptied, I deleted them so they are not available to receive the pics. from the catalog. The search does locate the new folder when a picture is deleted from the catalog. My thinking is that I should move all the pics. from the catalog to their new respective folders than do the transfer of the folders to the new EHD. This should work, right???

[dj_paige]

Thanks Paige for the quick response. Have a problem in that once the original folders were emptied, I deleted them so they are not available to receive the pics. from the catalog. The search does locate the new folder when a picture is deleted from the catalog. My thinking is that I should move all the pics. from the catalog to their new respective folders than do the transfer of the folders to the new EHD. This should work, right???

You have skipped way too many steps in your description and avoided answering some of my specific questions.


Did you, or did you not, move photos using Windows?
Does your PSE6 catalog work properly right now, or does it show a lot of disconnected images?
"The search does locate..." what search? Windows, or PSE? Tell me exactly how you did this search and why you are searching.
"My thinking is that I should move all the pics. from the catalog..." You don't move photos "from the catalog" because the photos are not in the catalog (the photos remain on your hard disk and the catalog points to them). You use the catalog to move photos from one hard disk location to another. Is that what you are suggesting?

Bottom line ... if your catalog is working properly and all photos are connected, then you use PSE commands (most likely Folder Location view) to move the files to your new external hard disk. If your catalog is not working properly and there are a lot of disconnected photos, then you have to somehow reconnect these photos using either the File->Reconnect command, or by moving them back to their original folders in Windows.

[dales]

1). Moved photos using windows.

2). Catalog works properly.

3). When I select the photo in catalog & do a delete from catalog, it searches (file reconnect) for the file & lists the file under the 'new' folder location.

4). Yes, moving the pictures from the 'old deleted' folder to the newly created folder.

Paige, thanks for you input. Hope I haven't messed the folder thing up by moving the pictures from old to new folder in windows.