PSE 11 catalog and images on external hard drive migration to PSE 15 and Windows 10

[Jha28]

My computer hard drive just died.  Luckily my PSE 11catalog and all images are on an external hard drive.  If I purchase a new computer with Windows 10 and PSE 15 what would I need to do?  Could it be as simple as to just plug in the external drive?  Or are there additional steps?  Any advice  would be appreciated.

[MichelBParis · Accepted solution]

Jha28  wrote

My computer hard drive just died.  Luckily my PSE 11catalog and all images are on an external hard drive.  If I purchase a new computer with Windows 10 and PSE 15 what would I need to do?  Could it be as simple as to just plug in the external drive?  Or are there additional steps?  Any advice  would be appreciated.

Yes, that's as simple as that.

From the PSE15 on the new computer you can either:

- open the organizer, select the catalog manager and browse to catalogs in custom location to find your catalog folder on the external drive

- or from the explorer, navigate to the catalog folder on your external drive, then double click on the catalog.pse15db database file; that will open the organizer with that catalog.

Edit...

Sorry!

Since you are coming from a PSE11 catalog, there is a different step:

- - open the organizer, select the catalog manager and browse to catalogs in custom location to find your catalog folder on the external drive (as described above)

AND click on the 'convert' button of the catalog manager, navigate to the PSE11 catalog folder. The organizer will create a new catalog in the PSE15 format, which is rather fast. If you decide to reinstall PSE11 together with PSE15, the old catalog (renamed with a -1 suffix) will be available as well.

[Jha28]

Thanks.  That helps my decision as to whether to buy a new computer and updated software or fix an old one.