Restore my catalog (only!)

[josephunit2n]

I keep my photo files on an external, RAID 1 hard drive.  I recently backed up all my catalogs, to a different USB drive.  Now, my operating system has bee reinstalled.  I've reinstalled Elements/Premiere Elements 2021.  Now, when I ran "restore catalog" on one stored catalog, it restored not only the catalog to my computer, but ALSO all the associated photo files!  I don't want the large photo files on this computer, only the catalog with its thumbnails.  I want those restored catalog thumbnails to connect (as always) with the stored image files, on the RAID external drive.  PLEASE --- how can I import only the catalogs to the computer, NOT the actual photo files, and have the catalogs access the externally stored photo files, as usual.  PLEASE, HELP!!!!  I don't know how to correctly accomplish this.

[josephunit2n]

This all reminds me, very soon I really should delete the entire body of photo files that were linked to the Organizer thumbnails before the reinstallation of Elements, stored in a seperate folder from the current, linked, photo files (a duplication of the same files), all on the same external USB RAID 1 drive set.  I've only hesitated a bit to delete, until I feel secure my "restoration" is healthy, functioning perfectly.  Perhaps only superstition, I want that duplicate set of photo files deleted, because I only want ONE file of a given photo, on this drive (as well as to recover disc space).  I worry that otherwise, the possibility of inadvertantly linking to the WRONG folder location for a given photo, exists.  Once the new drive on order arrives, I will create new, complete catalog backups to the new drive.  This will create seperate, duplicate storage of the photos files, for safety/security, but on a different external drive.

[MichelBParis]

That's a wise decision. Considering your whole photo files collection together with your organization system is crucial for safety and ability to stay in the future for your family and friends. Photos without comments or ways to search them are doomed in this digital era where we'll transmit hundreds of thousands of files. Keeping your libraries together with catalogs on various media (and locations) is safer than using the most advanced storing system in a single location. Even the Cloud can't be considered 100% safe. There was a fire in an appartment just over the next one to ours. Imagine such thing and my computers and backup drives in such situation. I always keep a backup in another country home; I advise keeping an external drive stored by your children or at the bank.