My old PC crashed and I replaced it. My external hard disk containg my catalog back up is corrupted. Now I am not able to retrieve the catalog from the old PC and external hard disk. What should I do?
Please note that the LrC Catalog file does not contain any actual images. It is just a database file that has References to where your actual image files are stored and the Edits you made to them.
So hopefully you have a good backup of the actual, REAL, image files.
In addition, if you did have selected to save to the optional XMPs in addition to the catalog, you may even retrieve some of the metadata.
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Install Lightroom on the new computer. When you start Lightroom it will create a new catalog. Activate the import screen and begin importing the images on the external hard drive using the Add option.
Thank you for your advice. I keep my images and image backup in 2 seperate external hard disks (the catalog backup is in a third disk that got corrupted). I assume I have to import images from the backup disk, right? Where then do I save the imported images to? If I save them to the disk containing the original images, will there be duplicates or will LR not allow it to be done? I am sorry for being long winded.
That doesn't mean you can't retrieve it from the hard drive in that PC. It is just a File and unless the hard drive failed Completely (Can't be read from when connecting it to some other WORKING Computer) you can Copy that file, along with your other personal and work documents, off that drive to some other drive.
And on that PC, the HD crashed as well? Are you saying that at the same time your internal HD and the external backup HD crashed?
If not, connect the old internal HD with the most current catalog to the new PC and copy the catalog.
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Yes, both internal and external HD crashed at the same time. I was not out shooting for more than 6 months because of Covid-19 and hence didn't use LR for that period. Even today I must wear a face mask when leaving my house. I am about to start shooting some photos.
I believe what Just Shoot Me is alluding to is, because the PC crashed, does not mean that the internal drive in the PC is corrupted. Have it removed and try to recover your original Catalog file. Worth a try.
Regards, Denis: iMac 27” mid-2015, macOS 11.7.10 Big Sur; 2TB SSD, 24 GB Ram, GPU 2 GB; LrC 12.5, Lr 6.5, PS 24.7,; ACR 15.5,; Camera OM-D E-M1
Thank you for your reply. Originally, I installed LR6 in my old desktop and a laptop which is the maximum number of installations allowed. Adobe allowed me to installed LR6 in my new desktop and deleted it from my old desktop. Hence, I am unable to access LR6 anymore in the old desktop even if I send it for temporary repair.
Hi Just Shoot Me. My friend did a band aid on my old PC and managed to find the original catalog after some effort. He said something like he found it among the last entries I made in the PC. He also told me the hard disk was moving like a snail and advised me to junk the old PC. I copied the catalog to my new PC and LR6 is now working fine except that I lost some images . That's not a problem. I can copy them from my backup. I would like to thank you and all who answered my request for help.
Sorry but I do not understand what you mean by "Both HD Crashed".
They have Failed? They stopped spinning
Have you connected them to some other WORKING computer through some type of SATA to USB Adapter and tried to READ the data that are on each of thode drives?
It is EXTREMELY Rare to have 2 drives connected to the same computer to Fail At the Same Time.
It has been my experience with multiple external drives that the Electronics inside the enclosure the drive is in fails and once I have removed the drive from that enclosure and connect it to a Working computer with a SATA to USB Adapter I find the actualk drive is fine and I can read all the data on it
But you don't need access to Lightroom 6 to get the images because they are not "in" Lightroom 6. They are in folders on the hard drive. And if you can get to the hard drive all you need to do is copy those folders to the new computer.
In addition to Jim: You also don't need an active license to get to the catalog and copy it from the old to the new disc. This is a pure file copy action which does not need LR.
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