Catalog file missing PSE12

stephonyh wrote: Windows 10 Home PSE 12 Seagate Media Drive 1TB

So, this is an external drive containing both your media files tree and the catalog folder?

This is the common solution to share the library between several computers having the same Elements version, simply by plugging the external drive alternatively.

If this is the case, when you change or add a new computer you don't need any backup. You plug in the external drive with the same drive letter and once Elements is installed, you just have to:

- use the catalog manager to browse to the catalog folder location on the external drive

- you double click on the 'catalog.pse12db' file in the catalog folder of the external drive and that opens the organizer with the catalog.

stephonyh wrote: I recently bought 2 new laptops. I took the following steps: made sure that my backup of the C: drives was current

That's not enough to restore from a backup (anyway you don't need to restore anything since your library is on an external drive).

If you use any other backup solution than the organizer one, you'll be able to recover the media files and the catalog folder, yes, but...

The catalog will show all files as disconnected. That's because the location of the media files is recorded in the catalog by two items: the drive letter AND the serial number of  the changed drive. In that case, you have to 'reconnect' all files, which is not so easy.