Stupid Mistake - need help recovering

[boatbldr]

I was running out of space on one of my drives so I used a back up utility to move multiple files around, including my photo folders. Photo Supreme complained about that, so I have moved them back. However, all of the photographs now show an orange zero next to each picture and no tags, even though the tags exist in side the JPEGS (according to Windows) and sidecar files exist for all the CR2 raw files. I tried forcing with a CTRL-S but it did not help. I don't want to do anything until I hear from wiser people here on what I should do to fix this.

Steps I took to mess it up:
1) Moved photo directory from drive D to drive E
2) Changed root folder to E instead of D
3) Ran verify folders on drive E - noticed all files were orange zero
4) Moved photo directory back to D
5) Changed root folder to D instead of E
6) Ran verify folders again on Drive D
7) All files showing orange zero
Confirmed that side car files exist for CR2 files and also confirmed that tags exist within JPG files (did this by right clicking in Windows Explorer and checking the details tab)

How do I get the database to recognise the tags and side car file tags again?

And next question - how should I move the photo directory the next time?

Thank you

regards
Malcolm

[Mke]

When I did last move my files, backup-restore worked, followed by mapping the image folders to their locations on the new drive, which sounds like what you did. Although your description is somewhat different, I think you may have hit the same problem that I reported here: http://mantis.idimager.com/view.php?id=2901? If so, you did the right thing stopping where you have - but my report also contains a solution.

In fact, if you agree that it does look to be the same problem, it would be helpful to conduct the same test that I documented, to see if you can reproduce it.

If my solution works, then I would go ahead and restore everything from your backups to your originally planned file locations, then (if you still have the same problem) use my solution to rectify things.

[fbungarz]

Strange, I have used re-locate a couple of times, never experienced these problems. What I do not understand, why do you need to run verify after relocating?
In my experience verify often "detects" changes to the metadata of a file that I have no idea, where those came from, because these files actually never were touched outside PSu. Unless I know the files have actually been changed I typically ignore this. Provided your catalog is in-sync with your image files a simple re-located should not affect any of your files and why then would verifying the folders after re-locating be necessary?

[Mke]

What I do not understand, why do you need to run verify after relocating?...
...Provided your catalog is in-sync with your image files a simple re-located should not affect any of your files and why then would verifying the folders after re-locating be necessary?

There's no requirement to do so, but in my case it was theoretically an easy way of checking that everything in a folder has come across correctly in the move - and instead flagged to me that there was a potentially serious problem. But I agree that a relocation shouldn't change anything - I guess some of us are just a little paranoid

In my experience verify often "detects" changes to the metadata of a file that I have no idea, where those came from, because these files actually never were touched outside PSu. Unless I know the files have actually been changed I typically ignore this.

I've rarely experienced that myself...
Update: I wonder if that's a hangover from when you relocated your files? Probably just my paranoia, but might be worth running the test I mentioned on some files, just in case.