Losing pictures?

[Marthe48]

A month ago, I thought I had lost some pictures, that I did something wrong. I've been looking on all of the devices they might have been on, even bought a HD transfer device so I could use it to look at contents of a disabled laptop I dismantled just to check the hard drive, checked cloud and had no luck finding the pictures I was looking for. I hadn't given up, but was doing other things.

I've been getting ready to send some things to auction and took pictures on my phone. I had quite a few pictures on the phone and thought I'd move them to my laptop. I made a folder and put the auction pictures in it. That worked. I had other pictures on the phone which I decided to put into an existing folder, with I think pictures off my phone from Dec. and Jan. I didn't look in the folder first, because I was confident, because I transfer pictures pretty often. The pictures transferred okay, but they are the only ones in that folder. I don't know if I lost pictures, but I'm pretty sure if I had a folder named Samsung pics and a date, I used it.

I checked online and see that many people have lost pictures during a transfer, and unfortunately lost them entirely, but it was pictures they were actually transferring, not previously transferred and supposedly safe. I'm sure that most of the pictures that might be lost were just random pictures, but what if they had been moments I wanted to treasure?

The forum I found blames Windows 10, some kind of glitch, maybe when files are syncing. After today, I am wondering if the pictures I was looking for last month disappeared like that? I have folders with pictures I took previous and since, just not the ones I wanted to look at.

It is very frustrating!

[appalachiablue]

1. Recently I had to purchase a new

cellphone that I didn't need; my 10 year old phone was fine and had many photos on it but I had to buy a new model since Verizon withdrew impt. functions on the older one- email, web browsing and texting.

Before purchasing, I checked on transferring existing photos from the old phone to the new one and they assured me it would happen. Well, none of the valued pictures including cherished family items moved to the new phone after all. And I've searched high and low. Rip off.

The only images left from that large bunch are ones that I fortunately sent in emails to friends. Never again will I count on a phone camera.

[Marthe48]

2. That's awful

I was worried about losing physical pictures, but never dreamed the dam computers would disappear things without asking. I am going to back up the pictures to an ext. hd.

[appalachiablue]

3. Somehow I was lucky that my laptops

and cell ph. even stored photos for a number of years without 'backing up files' or setting up complex photo files which I've never learned how to do.

And it's too late for all that now, there are much more important matters to attend to. I'll live with it and be all the wiser from the losses.

Good luck with recovering and setting up the images you need.

[Marthe48]

4. Thanks appalachiablue

I learned the hard way, too. Take care!

[canetoad]

5. Marthe, I'd suggest

Checking the folder to which you downloaded your pix - or thought you downloaded them. I've been transferring pix from camera to computer for over 20 years and never lost a pic. Several times I didn't pay attention to the folder I was storing them in. This is a much more likely scenario.

It may involve a little detective work; you have pix saved since the vanishing. Work out an image number which would be in the range of photos that vanished and do a precise search for the file.

People blame Windows 10 when they've fucked up.

[Marthe48]

6. UPDATE: I found the pictures I lost 4/15/21

but I don't know where the heck they are stored.

I was in a folder with pictures, and one of my options on the top of the screen was view all photos. I clicked that and all of the pictures on this laptop show up on a timeline in the photo viewer. It looks like One Drive is grayed out, and truthfully, I'm going to avoid looking there, at least for now.

I'm going to try to hunt them down and copy them to my HD.

I don't know if using view all will help anyone who posted that they lost pictures.

[Marthe48]

7. last update

I found the pictures I was looking for in the first place. They were on the hard drive from the damaged laptop and after a longer search on it, I found them.

I learned more about managing files and contents, and of course, dismantling a laptop. I really appreciate all of the help and support I got from this group. No one ever doubted I could do what I needed to do Thank you.