If you run fsck (filesystem check), it will look for blocks of data that look like files, but have no actual filename attached. Simplified, that can happen as a result of unexpected shutdowns (like kernel panic) or IO conflicts (where one process deletes the file but the other writes data to where the file used to be). If fsck finds such “lost files”, it will put them in lost+found on the respective volume.
If you have trouble with missing files after a crash, it might be worth looking for them there. Otherwise, it probably doesn’t matter.
I have lost+found on my Linux drives… what am I doing wrong?
Nothing.
If you run fsck (filesystem check), it will look for blocks of data that look like files, but have no actual filename attached. Simplified, that can happen as a result of unexpected shutdowns (like kernel panic) or IO conflicts (where one process deletes the file but the other writes data to where the file used to be). If fsck finds such “lost files”, it will put them in lost+found on the respective volume.
If you have trouble with missing files after a crash, it might be worth looking for them there. Otherwise, it probably doesn’t matter.