External HDD is full - need to replace HDD

[AGPhotos]

Hi 

I am using latest LR Classic on Windows 11 PC - My 4TB External HDD is full and i need to "replace" this with a brand new one, which will be of similar size 4TB. I will not be adding this new External HDD but replacing the old one (at present i see no point in connecting both the HDDs) 

I would ideally like to store the old HDD away - and reconnect to LRC when i need to reprocess my old images. 

So what should i do ? 

Should i make a new LRC Catalog with the new HDD folders ? 

And can i reconnect the old HDD and use old LRC Catalog when required ? 

Any help would be appreciated. 

Regards

AshitG

[dj_paige]

Should i make a new LRC Catalog with the new HDD folders ?

I advise against this.

And can i reconnect the old HDD and use old LRC Catalog when required ?

If you are really planning to unplug the old drive, then: Yes, it really is that simple.

Now if at some point in the future you will temporarily have both drives plugged in, then you would need to do a few more things, but you haven't said you will be having both drives plugged in.

[AGPhotos]

Thanks for the reply. No - i will not be having both drives plugged in at any time !

You have mentioned I should not make a new LRC Catalog for - but then if i add the new HDD folders in the current LRC Catalog - the old HDD folders will show missing - right ?? 

[dj_paige]

but then if i add the new HDD folders in the current LRC Catalog - the old HDD folders will show missing - right ?? 

By @AGPhotos

Correct

[JohanElzenga]

It's best to keep both drives connected. Alternatively you could use smart previews to deal with the images on a drive that is currently disconnected. Smart previews do make your catalog folder grow however (about 1MB per smart preview).

[AGPhotos]

The old HDD has photos which i have already processed and do not need to access currently (only in future if i want to reprocess some images) - hence ideally i would like to keep it stored away. 

I am using LRC on my laptop and since it has only 2 USB connections, I would not like to connect both the drives (one USB port is used for wireless mouse) 
Can i do this ? Add the new HDD (with a different drive name - say Drive F) folder in the current LRC Catalog - and start using this henceforth. 
If ever i need to reconnect the old HDD (say Drive D) - then i can just connect the drive to laptop and find the missing folders ? 

Would this work ? 

[JohanElzenga · Accepted solution]

Yes, that works and you don't even have to find the missing folders. As soon as you connect the old drive, the old folders won't be missing anymore (the new folders are now missing, of course). Do indeed make sure that both drives have a fixed and different drive letter, however. That ensures that Lightroom will show two different drives (one not connected) rather than one drive with a messy folder structure with lots of missing folders.

[AGPhotos]

Thats great - thanks a lot for the confirmation, Johan. Will try this out tonight !! 

- Ashit