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An external drive is disconnected

Symptoms

Results from one of your drives are labelled offline or unavailable; files from it will not open; the repository shows as not connected.

What this usually means

Exactly what it says — and it is a feature, not a failure. ArchiveMind keeps a drive's catalogue searchable after the drive is unplugged, and labels its files honestly as unavailable until the drive returns. See Disconnected drives.

It becomes a problem only when the drive is plugged in and ArchiveMind still treats it as offline.

Safe steps to try

If the drive is genuinely unplugged: plug it back in. Its files become openable again; no rescan is needed just to open them.

If the drive is plugged in but still shows as offline:

  1. Confirm the operating system sees it — does it appear in Finder / File Explorer, and do files open there? If not, the problem is below ArchiveMind (cable, port, power, drive health).
  2. Check it mounted where expected. On Windows, ArchiveMind remembers removable drives and recognises them under a changed drive letter; if a plugged-in drive still shows offline, note the current letter for your report. On macOS, check the drive's name under /Volumes matches what it was when catalogued.
  3. Quit and reopen ArchiveMind safely with the drive connected — see Restarting ArchiveMind safely.

What not to delete or change

  • Do not remove the repository from the catalogue to "fix" an offline label — you would discard the index of that drive.
  • Do not delete the catalogue database.
  • Do not reformat or "repair" the drive on ArchiveMind's account — ArchiveMind only reads drives and cannot damage them.

Information to collect for support

  • Whether the drive was visible and readable in Finder / File Explorer at the time.
  • How the drive is connected (USB, network share) and its current drive letter (Windows) or volume name (macOS).
  • A screenshot of how ArchiveMind labels the repository.
  • The newest archivemind.log — see Finding logs.