Missing files after upgrading to lr 2.3

Question

lr 1.4 starting acting odd a couple days ago when certain photos in certain folders when clicked on and viewed in the filmstrip mode suddently changed right in front of me. they were cting like the syn mode was stuck in +20 wb. as soon as the change occured on each file there appeared an error message above it with 3 straight lines and an exclamation mark saying metadata had been charged. so i figured it was finally time to upgrade to 2.3 which i did by trying the trial issue just to see if the files showed up normal or appeared corrupted or changed too. well it got worse when the new catalog automatically loaded and of my 25,000 images nearly all say photo missing. this wouldn't be a problem if this was a couple but it is most of the catalog. i did a back up before the devil took over my machine and started changing the metadata. so i have that if i knew what to do with that info.
I was hold on the phone to tech support from 6-7 last night and have been on hold with tech support since 10 am and it is now 1:30 on the west coast. I can't do much of any of my work as all my files, editing, printing are tied to LR. i got desperate and even tried creating a new catalog but when i clicked the photos on my tree in explorer to add them to a new catalog lr couldn't see them. i have avg software and no virus, i can see my photos in explorer, adobe cs3 and in bridge. i haven't changed the placement of the folders on my computer, any changes i have done have been within lr and they were mainly adding new meta tags which also didn't come thru and renaming some of the files from 2009-3-9 to adding pt scenery etc.
i'm totally frustrated, i have spent so much time on hold i had to run out and spend $40 to buy a land phone so i could sit here without my phone battery dying. any suggestions while i sit here? i'm afraid to hang up on cs as i have been disconnected twice and they must have some sort of order in answering however at this point in time i can't figure it out.

Answer 1

i have been so busy trying to find the files i just went back to some older files and found that the same rendering problem still exists. i open a folder click on a photo in the filmstrip and it automatically changes before my eyes, for a second i see a message that says rendering setting changed. i didn't touch a thing it just does it. i have gone into the syn and checked that everything is unchecked and it still happens. is there some other place for the rendering setting to be changed? it can't be a preference that i've accidently changed?
For those photos that are changing, I can think of two things that it may be:
If images are edited outside of Lightroom (in Camera Raw, etc), that can change the metadata (or Develop settings) of the file.  When you view the file next time in Lightroom, the new conflicting settings are applied to that photo.
When raw files are imported into Lightroom, they initially appear with the embedded camera-generated JPEG preview. After that, Lightroom generates its own previews which typically look different than the original ones.
Not sure if it's either one of those.
so you think i can just click on your link and do the 2.4 update and things should work? i'm just not sure i want to do a backup with all the missing files, won't 2.4 open up with all the same problems or do you think the file naming issue will be corrected?
I'm not saying that upgrading to 2.4 will necessarily fix the way things are now.  I doubt that it would make it worse, though.  I think you should make sure your photos and catalog are backed up, which it sounds like you said they are, then upgrade to 2.4 (if you're not already running that version).
After the upgrade, you can go through your catalog and clean things up.
-Scott