Organizer 12 Catalog Files not Connected

Report · Nov 27, 2016

I’m running version 12 of PSE, and have ~30,000 digital elements all tagged within Organizer. All of the elements are stored on an external hard drive. I purchased a new machine, and since the data itself would reside in the same place (the external drive) I thought all I would have to do is install PSE, hook up the eternal drive, put the old catalog file(s) in the correct place on the new machine, and point the new instance of Organizer to that directory. It appeared to have worked, in that I see all of my tags and hierarchy, and I can see the folder structure of all of the elements. However, they are not entirely connected. When I first open the Organizer I can search using any of my tags and the correct elements are displayed. If I then select a different tag, I get a “no media can be displayed” message. I can then select the original tag that correctly returned the elements moments earlier, and I get the “no media can be displayed” message. So, my catalog works for the FIRST search upon opening the app, then it tanks.

Any ideas of how to fix it?

I copied my catalog files from my old machine from C:\ProgramData\Adobe\Elements Organizer\Catalogs – I had a sub folder within it with the pertinent files. The timestamp on the files indicated they were current. I also created a backup of my catalog, but I’m VERY hesitant to restore from it as I went that route a couple of years ago and it deleted my data. And, my data is intact – I just need a way for the catalog files to connect with it.

I have purchased version 15, but I’m reluctant to upgrade until I get this sorted.

Thanks for any help!

Report · Nov 28, 2016

What you are seeing would appear if the external drive has been assigned a new letter drive by Windows when you plug in the external drive. Is that your case ?

Report · Nov 28, 2016

I wish it were that! Nope, it's the same drive letter on the new machine as it was on the old machine.

Report · Nov 29, 2016

Hi Ginger,

Please confirm whether you files are shown as missing or as offline ?

Spare me if you have already mentioned this and I failed to notice.

Thanks,

Arshla

Report · Nov 30, 2016

It doesn't specify. It just says "no media to be displayed".

Nothing has changed. When I *first* open Organizer, I can search using my tags. This morning, because I was fast, I was able to search two different tags. Then every subsequent search resulted in the above graphic. So strange that it works when I initially open the app, but then it then stops.

Thanks for anything you can suggest for me to try to make it stick.

Report · Nov 30, 2016

What I find curious is that the message you are showing is generally followed by:

- a prompt to import new files if it's a new empty catalog or

- a prompt to discard existing filters (= selections) which result in no pictures selected.

The fact that it appears randomly really means that something is 'corrupted'.

In such cases the usual things to do are:

- to run the 'repair' function of the catalog manager (if it's catalog corruption).

- reset the preferences of the organizer from the catalog manager (menu Edit >> preferences, general tab, button to reset on next launch)

You can also:

- uninstall and reinstall Elements, that does not change anything to your catalog.

- Find your catalog folder, copy it elsewhere. From that new folder you start the organizer with the catalog copy by double clicking on the catalog.pse12db file. Your catalog will be seen as in 'custom location'.

Report · Dec 15, 2016

Hi Ginger,

First I would like to add to Michel's previous comment, Elements Organizer checks for Volume ID/number too along with volume letter while detecting a hard drive. So there might be a case wherein the same external HDD is shown with same letter on two different machines but the volume id will be different. And it might be the case at your end.

Lets try to dig deeper at the issue. Requesting you to please do following steps:

Quit and launch Organizer v12 again.
Make sure that you are working on same catalog (check the name on bottom right of status bar).
Select all media, right click and choose 'Refresh Thumbnails'. The progress bar will take some time depending upon number of media.

Once done, please verify following:

Please attach a snapshot showing media grid.
Are you seeing 'missing icon' (yellow question mark on top side of image) on some/all images.

Please let me know if there are any queries.

~Surendra

Report · Dec 15, 2016

So I finally had some time to look into this again. I removed all of the photographs that were somehow automatically imported into the catalog. (I thought I had turned off auto-import somewhere, but now I can't find it. I want my catalog to store/organize ONLY my digital elements, NOT my zillions of photographs.) Once I removed all of the photos from the catalog, I can magically search on any of my tags now. No idea why that would be, but I'm happy that I'm back in business. Now I feel I can safely upgrade.

If you can give me a pointer on where to turn off "auto import" that would be wonderful, as I want to manually enter everything into the catalog.

Thanks!

Report · Dec 15, 2016

Hi Ginger,

We are glad that your issue has been resolved.

Auto import works for the folders which you have watched. By this we mean that the new media from these folders would be imported automatically or after notifying you.

You can control this from following dialog:

Click on File menu > Watch Folder

Folders to watch field shows the Watched folders which you can add or remove using the Add/Remove buttons to the right.

In When New Files are Found in Watched Folders section , you can control whether to import them automatically (Automatically Add Files to Elements Organizer) or to notify you when new files appear in that folder (Notify Me) after which the Import in Bulk dialog appears everytime new files appear in the concerned folders.

So to put your case short, Check the Notify Me option in Watch Folder dialog as shown above.

This would disable the auto import.

Please mention if you still have any query.

Thanks,

Arshla