Lightroom fails to launch

[ronc2v]

I have a Creative Cloud subscription which has worked flawlessly for many months, but recently the Lightroom component fails to launch when I select it.

I am presented with a blank panel asking me to choose a library, but nothing I try seems to give an acceptable answer to this request.

I have discovered what the path to a library should be, created a folder on that path, then selected it in the "choose a library" function of that original panel, but nothing happens.

I do not want this "library selection" panel to appear, when I click on my Lightroom link I want LIGHTROOM to launch, but I get no Lightroom, just this insistence on choosing a library.

To clarify: no part of the Lightroom interface launches, only a blank square with a request at it's top border to "choose a library"

When I first subscribed to Creative Cloud, both Photoshop and Lightroom launched and worked properly, now I have only Photoshop.

I do not appreciate having to pay a subscription and get only half of what I subscribed to.

Two days ago, when looking at the Creative Cloud basic panel, an update to Lightroom was offered, I let it intsall, thinking perhaps it might correct the no-launch issue, but no luck, nothing changed, Lightroom still does not launch.

Is there any way to reinstall Lightroom, or the entire Creative Cloud package without losing what does work or having to subscribe anew?

Windows 10 Pro, 64 bit, 8 Gb RAM, Intel Quad 2.66 Ghz CPU, SSD, Lots of space on a secondary HDD, all Widows updates and fixes installed, no malware detected as of yesterday, machine running well, no other issues.

[Per Berntsen]

no part of the Lightroom interface launches, only a blank square with a request at it's top border to "choose a library"

Are you sure it doesn't say "Choose a catalog"?

Use the File Explorer to navigate to the folder that contains the catalog, the default location is in a folder named Lightroom in the My Pictures folder under your username. Then double-click the catalog file (the one that ends with .lrcat), and Lightroom should launch.

If you can't find the catalog file, do a search for files that end with .lrcat on your computer.

[ronc2v]

Yes, my mistake, it does say "choose catalog".

When I navigate to the location of the catalog, and click on the .lrcat file, I get this:

but no clue as to what the "unexpected error" might be, and the "try again"

button just results in the same "unexpected error" message.

There is really no "different catalog" to choose.

(The bits of images visible in the background of my screenshot are some I successfully worked on in Lightroom before this "failure to launch" business began, so the catalog did exist, images I'd worked in Lightroom had gone into it, but now there is no Lightroom itself. I can view the images with a third-party viewer, but nothing seems able to launch Lightroom.)

Is it possible to delete Lightroom and then download a new copy that will

replace the one in my Adobe CC package?

[Per Berntsen]

First of all, have you tried restarting your computer?

This article offers some solutions to the problem, but from what I can see, they don't work for everyone.

Error: 'Unexpected error opening catalog' occurs in Lightroom after Windows 10 upgrade.

If you click "Choose a different catalog", you should be given the option to create a new catalog.

The new catalog will be empty, and you can try to merge your original catalog with the new catalog - go to File > Import from another catalog.

If this fails, try opening a backup catalog. Backups are zipped, and will you have to unzip it before trying to open it.

You can also try to reset the Lightroom preferences - by pressing Alt+Shift immediately after clicking the shortcut to launch LR, then click Yes in the confirmation dialog.

Reinstalling rarely fixes any problems, but it's worth a try when everything else fails. Use the CC Desktopp app to uninstall, and then to reinstall.

This will install the base version (2015.0), and you will have to update it to the current version (2015.12). If the desktop app doesn't show any updates, download the 2015.12 update from here Download Photoshop Lightroom and install it manually. It is listed under Lightroom 6.

[ronc2v]

I followed each of the steps you suggested, nothing worked until I reinstalled Lightroom.

Used the desktop app to uninstall, rebooted the pc (a reboot never hurts, lol), then reinstalled from the desktop app, and...

Success! I now have Lightroom back, and even though during the delete I chose not to keep any of my former settings, the new install opened with all my previous settings and images available, as if nothing had happened in the interim.

I'm not sure which version I've installed, however, as I can't find the version number anywhere. It is not in the expected location, in the "help" information, so I will see if the desktop app offers an update any time soon. There was none mentioned when I installed this replacement. 

I consider the issue closed, having restored Lightroom to my pc, but I will leave this conversation open for a day or two, in case you wish to comment further. Thank you for your help, it's much appreciated!

[Per Berntsen · Accepted solution]

I'm glad you were able to fix it. This seems to one of the situations where reinstalling does fix a problem.

To check what version you have, go to Help > System info.

If you have the latest version installed, the first line should read Lightroom version: CC 2015.12 [ 1125239 ]

Since the desktop app doesn't offer an update, I'm pretty sure it reads CC 2015 [1014445].

The updater is flakey and unreliable, and lots of people think they have the latest version installed when they don't.

So use the link I gave you to download the 2015.12 update.

[ronc2v]

Thank you again !

I downloaded the 2015.12 update and all seems well.