I need help with migration to new PC....

[cohenfive1]

I am trying to figure out how to migrate LR classic onto my newly built pc. I have the application downloaded. All my pictures are in one folder on the new pc as is the current catalog I want to continue to use. The file structure on the old pc was very different, different drives and I've consolidated into a lot fewer folders in one drive on the new pc.

I have the correct catalog loaded up in Lightroom on the new pc, but I am unsure of how to get LR to find the same images that it needs. They are in a different folder and drive on the new pc. I do not know how to get the application to look for and find the images on my D drive under 'my pictures d' which is where I put everything. LR is in this folder already. Windows 10 pc.

I guess my question is how do I get LR to look for and find all the pictures which are now in 'my pictures d', and then what do I have to get LR to do to use and list all the folders and pictures in the catalog I want to keep using. Or should I just start from scratch with a new catalog? I have about 3tb of images in total.

Thanks in advance!

[dj_paige]

https://www.lightroomqueen.com/how-move-lightroom-to-new-computer/

Follow the details carefully, as written. Do not try to figure out your own sequence of steps, use the sequence in the document. Most importantly, no matter how badly you are tempted to import the photos, DO NOT IMPORT. This is so important, I am going to say it three more times. DO NOT IMPORT. DO NOT IMPORT. DO NOT IMPORT. DO NOT IMPORT. DO NOT IMPORT. DO NOT IMPORT. DO NOT IMPORT.

Also, no reason at all to start a new catalog.

[cohenfive1]

I cannot use the steps outlined in lightroom queen because the folders and drive configuration in the new pc are different. So I cannot put the pictures back into the same drives/folders on the new pc.

What happens if you try to import the pictures? Does it make a copy of them somewhere?

So I'm still stumped.

[dj_paige]

"I cannot use the steps outlined in lightroom queen because the folders and drive configuration in the new pc are different. So I cannot put the pictures back into the same drives/folders on the new pc."

I think this is a mistake. There's no reason to make different folders when you move to a new PC. It just makes your work more difficult.

[cohenfive1]

.

[JP Hess]

The following reference might help you. Consider both part 1 and part 2, but pay particular attention to part 2.

http://www.computer-darkroom.com/lr2_find_folder/find-folder.htm

[cohenfive1]

That seems to work but I have to go individual folder by folder which will take forever.

[dj_paige]

You can re-connect the parent folder, and all sub-folders will be connected (which is shown in Figure 4 of the link from JimHess.

[cohenfive1]

When I try to do that (link a higher level folder from the old file setup), LR says the folder is already in LR and asks if I want to combine...I may have made a mess of LR by cleaning up the folder structure on the new pc. I was hoping LR was smart enough at the highest level to find the pictures it needs if pointed at the 'my pictures d' folder where everything now sits. I guess not.

Thinking I might have to abandon the old catalog and start over if this keeps up.

[Ian Lyons]

>The file structure on the old pc was very different, different drives and I've consolidated into a lot fewer folders in one drive on the new pc.

By doing above, you've pretty much destroyed any chance of sucessfully migrating from one computer to the other. That is, unless the drives and folder structure are still intact on your old computer. If this is the case, then follow the instructions in either of the two links provided earlier.

[cohenfive1]

Sounds like I will not have any viable option other than to start from scratch with a new catalog. Not sure what I will lose, but it will probably be easier than going back and doing this all over again from scratch.

To some degree I was always going to have problems with the migration because I was going from two different drives combined into one, and in doing so I decided to consolidate folders which I thought would make my life easier. I think it generally does, but not if I wanted to migrate LR using the same catalog I was using on the old pc.

I have plenty of disk space (about 3tb free on new pc) so I think I may try a new catalog and just point it to my high level folder where everything is, and see what happens.

Thanks, I can't say I'm happy with how LR handles migrations, but then again I didn't do myself any favors either.

[cohenfive1]

I guess one more dumb question. All my pictures are on the new pc under one main folder (with subfolders). I want the new LR catalog to have all of those images in the catalog. If I import them aren't I making another copy of every image that I already have? Or does LR just link to those images and use the file structure that exists on the new pc, and creates thumbnails of everything?

When I open the new catalog it is asking me to import. When I point to the 'my pictures d' folder where my 3tb of images are, it seems to be trying to copy everything onto my c drive. Not sure how to do this. Sorry, I'm good at using LR once it is set up, but pretty bad at figuring out how to set it up. Or so it seems.

[dj_paige]

NO IMPORTING!

NO IMPORTING!

NO IMPORTING!

I see you are tempted to import. DO NOT IMPORT. I told you that earlier. DO NOT IMPORT.

You lose all your previous edits and you lose all of your user-provided metadata if you import the photos again.

"Sounds like I will not have any viable option other than to start from scratch with a new catalog."

NO! NO! NO!  Follow the instructions. Copy the photos again from the old computer so they are in the exact same folder structure as your old computer. Then the entire process shouldn't even take 10 minutes. I told you not to try to figure this out yourself and that you should follow the instructions exactly. But, if you aren't going to follow the directions, it will take hours and you will have a "mess" on your hands, and you will lose your previous edits and metadata. The choice is yours.