Can’t see pictures

I was copying pictures from folders on my Dell Inspiron 6400 laptop onto a DVD R disc. I stopped, turned off my laptop to go to work. When I turned my laptop back on to continue the entire folder I had created on the DVD R was gone, but my folder on the laptop was still present, but has no visible pictures even though the properties say it is holding 4.51 MB of data. I am running MS Home SP2 and IE7. Also using NEC DVD+-R Drive. Any help out there?