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Hello, I've been browsing the forums for a solution to my problem, but can't find one. I have noticed sometimes an Adobe employee is able to recover damaged catalog files, so this is my only option at this point.
To make a long story short, I had to move my lightroom catalog and everything to an external drive because my laptop is crap. The problem is, the external drive I bought kept going to sleep and making lighroom crash. I'm a newbie to lightroom, so it took me forever to figure out the solution and how to move my files to the external drive. Once I figured out how to keep my external awake, it was working fine - I just plug in the drive when I want to work in lightroom and haven't had any problems since I figured that out. However, working in lightroom today, it randomly crashed for no reason - it couldn't read the catalog file - I'm assuming because it crashed so many times before when I was having computer problems. Also, I have declined backing up the catalog because apparently I'm an idiot (I was always super busy and it takes forever on my slow af PC). SO, that said, I have NO backup files to start over from and when I tried the repair option, it said it couldn't be repaired and to seek help from Adobe, so here I am.
Someone please help me, I was like 5 photos away from finishing a wedding and I had already told the bride I was ready to deliver the photos tonight. I've looked into SQLite repair tools, but they all cost money and I can't afford that right now for this one time occurrence if it may not even help. I've had a full on panic attack and been in tears trying to fix this, I don't know what else to do other than ask someone to please try to repair it.
I would be so grateful, I've tried everything else I know to do. I really don't want to start from scratch on this wedding, I've spent hours in lightroom AND photoshop perfecting these photos.
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Did you save any catalog backups? You are typically prompted to create this backup when you quit. The backup will most likely be found in your pictures folder if you saved one.
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Try posting at the official Adobe Feedback site, where actual Adobe Techs help out:
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Thanks, just did that. Not sure what the difference is between here and there, but hopefully someone will help asap. 😬
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I am still desperately needing help, I just realized the one backup file I do have, from September, now isn't finding my collections since I moved everything to my external drive, and I don't know how to fix that, either. I had photos to submit to an art show - gone. Astrophotography from a meteor shower - gone. Literally everything. I am sick to my stomach and beyond stressed out, I desperately need help from anyone, please. 😫
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Here are instructions for relinking Lightroom Classic to the photos on your external drive.
https://helpx.adobe.com/lightroom-classic/help/locate-missing-photos.html
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Thank you!! I got that sorted out, now I still really need the catalog file repaired if at all possible. I wish an Adobe employee would jump on here for real. Not looking forward to having to re-edit hundreds of photos. I will never ever skip backups again.