Skip to main content
M
Mecallie
Participant
May 18, 2020
Question

Backup organizer database, without media?

  • May 18, 2020
  • 2 replies
  • 2050 views

Hi,

I am running the Adobe Elements suite, including organizer (latest version, 2019 I think?) on my laptop. All my media files are located on a NAS, that I regularly backup. I have other compters/OS's working with the media files on the NAS as well so I do not want to make my backup solution for the entire library an Adobe one. I am however switching to a new laptop soon and would like to take my Elements database metadata with it to that laptop.

 

I have a few questions:

  1. Can I do a "database backup only" without backing up the actual media it refers to? (Just the metadata)
  2. When I do a restore from backup in Organizer, will it restore the files to it's original location? (That is to say: on the network drive it is not linked to.)
  3. Would it work if I installed Organizer on the new laptop and just copied the "ProgramData\...\Catalogs\" folder over to the new install? Making sure of course all paths on the new laptop point to the same location for the media.

 

I really wish Adobe would make it easier to move your database/files and not expect someone to use Organizer as a backup solution. It is not. I make backups of my NAS on an hourly basis and scheduled off-site backups once a month, can't do that with Organizer 😞

This topic has been closed for replies.

2 replies

B
Bob_Ganz
Known Participant
May 29, 2020

Mecallie, I have the same setup you have (assuming you use Windows) - catalog on my C: drive and media on my NAS, both of which are backed up daily - C: drive via Acronis True Image and the NAS by its own backup.

 

The catalog MUST be on a non-removable drive in your computer. I have argued this with Adobe to no avail. The media can be anywhere.

 

You can move the catalog anywhere via the operating system (Windows File Explorer) as long as it is to a non-removable drive. The media, however, can only be moved via an Organizer backup and restore. When you go to restore the backup you will have the option to restore the media and catalog to a different location, and you can either retain the original media file structure or not.

 

So in answer to your questions:

1. You cannot do a catalog-only backup. I'm not sure what you mean by the 'metadata only'. Certain types of files (like jpg) have metadata as part of the media file itself so it automatically stays with it's file. 

2. As mentioned above, you have the ability to seperately select where you restore the catalog and media. If you simply accept the restore defaults it will place the catalog and media in their original locations. If the media were originally on the NAS, that is where it will be restored as long as the Media location is mapped on your new computer identically to where it was mapped on the original computer.

3. Yes, as Somya said. Actually the easiest way is to first, install Elements on your new computer, then copy or restore the ProgramData\...\Catalogs\ folder from your backup to the same location on your new computer. I assume the media location will not change on your NAS and that the new computer will be mapped to the NAS with the same drive ID. When you then start Organizer, if it doesn't already have the desired catalog open, you will need to open Files > Manage Catalogs and open the desired catalog.

 

By the way, I agree with you that Organizer is not a Backup solution. In fact, Adobe could stand a significant update to all of it's file handling. But then again, I'm not sure I would use it even if it was better. I like the backup solution I use as it is automatic so I don't have to take any action to make it happen.

 

Bob

 

MichelBParis
MichelBParis
Legend
May 29, 2020

The catalog MUST be on a non-removable drive in your computer. I have argued this with Adobe to no avail. The media can be anywhere.

Bob, 

Presently, my catalog (my main catalog shared between two computers) is a folder on an USB external drive. Something I have been routinely doing since more than ten years, and which is well documented in the forums, less so in Adobe's help docs.

1. You cannot do a catalog-only backup. I'm not sure what you mean by the 'metadata only'. Certain types of files (like jpg) have metadata as part of the media file itself so it automatically stays with it's file. 

I am sorry, but it is necessary to distinguish between data stored in a catalog and data stored in the metadata header of jpegs / tiffs / psds or in xmp sidecar files. What can be easily stored is the whole catalog folder. It's a simple copy.

The catalog folder keeps crucial data like stacks, version sets, albums which file metadata can't store. Conversely, there are specific exif fields which are not managed in the organizer.

3. Yes, as Somya said. Actually the easiest way is to first, install Elements on your new computer, then copy or restore the ProgramData\...\Catalogs\ folder from your backup to the same location on your new computer. I assume the media location will not change on your NAS and that the new computer will be mapped to the NAS with the same drive ID. When you then start Organizer, if it doesn't already have the desired catalog open, you will need to open Files > Manage Catalogs and open the desired catalog.

Just imagine that after a crash, you need to restore your files library to a new drive or NAS. You have a good external backup (I also have Acronis backups) and you have a copy of your catalog folder. You restore your files with the same folder structure as before. You open your catalog. What will happen? I don't have a NAS, but I can tell you that with conventional drives, even with the same folder structure, all your files will be disconnected and your catalog unusable without trying to reconnect all files. Good luck! The reason is that the location of files stored in the catalog is based on the drive identification (internal serial drive number) together with the folders path. What would work would be to use not a restored tree, but on a 'cloned' drive, which should keep the internal serial number. I don't know if you would have the same issue with a NAS, but the forum is full of horror stories...

 

Yes, the organizer backup is slow: about the same time as a simple copy on an external drive. With my slow computer and external USB3 drives, I need 3 to 5 hours to backup a 100 000 items catalog of 650 GB. It's a night job.

So, I also use Microsoft SyncToy after each session manually and I copy the whole catalog. Just a few minutes. If necessary I can assign the old internal drive serial number to the backup drive to avoid reconnection of all files. Acronis clones are mainly used to backup the system drive.

Note that the situation is very different with Lightroom. You have to manage the backup of the files independently, and the reconnection is not a problem.

 

 

 

 

 

 

S
slast
Known Participant
June 7, 2020

I read your answer here and perhaps you can help with a related problem.  I just moved all my photo files (91 Gb) into a Onedrive folder. I want to have them as "files on demand" as the vast majority are really archives and I want  to free up hard disk space and be more secure against hardware problems. I am now showing 83 nGB free space on my hard drive. I had to start a new catalog and all the photos are now in it. I am now being prompted to make a backup catalog and I guess have to do a full backup first. It asks me where I want to put it, but then tells me I dont have enough disk space and delete some files. This implies the full backup is going to make a copy of everything including all the actual photo files back on the hard drive. Is this correct?    The folder at C:\Program Files\Adobe\Elements 2018 Organizer is less than 2 gb.  Can I not make the backup in the Onedrive folder which has 900gb available?      

Thanks in advance if you can clarify for me!   

S
Adobe Employee
Somya_Agarwal
Adobe Employee
May 18, 2020

Hi Mecallie,

 

The third option you have mentioned will work. Please do it carefully, with all paths of the catalog as well as media maintained as before.

 

Thanks,

Somya

    M
    MecallieAuthor
    Participant
    May 18, 2020

    Great. In that case it's up to my own skills of getting all the paths right 🙂

    I will try as soon as I get my new laptop!

    S
    Adobe Employee
    Somya_Agarwal
    Adobe Employee
    May 18, 2020

    Let me know if you face any issue while doing that. I would advise to maintain a third backup of the 'Catalogs' folder while doing this just to be extra careful.

     

    Thanks!

    Terms & ConditionsAccessibility statement
    Using the community Terms of use Privacy Cookie preferences Do not sell or share my personal information ad choicesAdChoices