mwilliems,
Thank you, I think that is exactly what is happening here. I am importing sub directories in order to set custom tags for media sub-type on auto import:
The auto import folder is set to:
/media/pi/Media_HD/Videos/Movies
/media/pi/Media_HD/Videos/Music Videos
/media/Media_HD/Videos/TV
/media/Media_HD/Videos/DVD_Extras
etc.
The drive mount point is set in fstab at:
/media/pi/Media_HD
Your description of the cause matches the behavior I am seeing, namely when the drive mounted to /media/pi/Media_HD is not attached via usb, the folder /media/pi/Media_HD is empty and MC sees the individual subdirectories as missing, and hence the broken links.
I wonder if there is a way to get both the subdirectory tag on import, AND protect missing links when moving the drive around for backups.
If not, I may just move the hard drive to an NAS, where it will persist on the network 24/7 and I won't need to move it around as much.
Thanks again for your input, much appreciated.