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Trying to Backup Organizer

Participant ,
May 13, 2021 May 13, 2021

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I have manged for 17 years to backup my Organizer, but now have a major problem.   It saves 97% and then simply stops as I try to save it to external hard drive.  

Have tried for 3 weeks now.  I have 127,000 pictures and this represnets my photographic career as a semi-pro photograher.  It is 17 years of work, and I need it fand Albums for my website etc.I need to transfer to a 2tb laptop as I am running out of space.

I think it might be to do with the cloud or OneDrive, neither of which I know about, nor need, but do not know what to do.  I cannot really bring my laptop to a file specialist as it takes 6 hours to reach the stage of 97% and then just stops.  I would be grateful for any advice.  Thank you (from the UK).

TOPICS
Bug , Crash or freeze , Download and install , How to , Import and export , Organizer , Problem or error

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Community Expert ,
May 13, 2021 May 13, 2021

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I have manged for 17 years to backup my Organizer, but now have a major problem.   It saves 97% and then simply stops as I try to save it to external hard drive.  

Have tried for 3 weeks now.  I have 127,000 pictures and this represnets my photographic career as a semi-pro photograher.  It is 17 years of work, and I need it fand Albums for my website etc.I need to transfer to a 2tb laptop as I am running out of space.

I think it might be to do with the cloud or OneDrive, neither of which I know about, nor need, but do not know what to do.  I cannot really bring my laptop to a file specialist as it takes 6 hours to reach the stage of 97% and then just stops.  I would be grateful for any advice.  Thank you (from the UK).


By @IAN JULIAN

 

Ian,

Did you read my answer in your previous post?

https://community.adobe.com/t5/photoshop-elements/i-depend-on-this-as-a-photographer-what-does-this-...

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Participant ,
May 13, 2021 May 13, 2021

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Thank you very much. No, I did not see your message. Sometimes this forum
does not notify when there is an reply, but thank you.



Although I know all about Organizer, having used it for 17 years, I am no
good and ignorant at computers and files. This is so important to me, I am
afraid of losing so much - I last backed up in October 2020, so have 6
months of work in Organizer, where I have been redoing it all for my
business!



It may be an idea for me to go and see a computer expert with your answer.
If I play around with it, I might lose it all. This week it did happen on 2
of my laptops - it would not open, which caused consternation. The old
trick of switching on and off the laptop solved that.



It no longer tells me a file is missing -it merely stops 'Responding' at
97%.



I see an 'iCloud' feature, and have been tempted to untick everything and
see what happens, but thought it too risky, as I did not know what I was
doing.



I have 3 laptops, including the new one, and they are all connected via the
cloud - whatever that is.



Thank you for your help.



Ian

www.natureandpictures.com

Sunny Bournemouth

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Community Expert ,
May 13, 2021 May 13, 2021

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Let me insist on the fact that in your situation it is urgent to create a backup, even if it does not cover 100% of your files. I mean, if you can relatively easily backup everything except the files stored in your iCloud folder, you'll feel much safer and ready to follow the second step of restoring that iCloud part of your library.

1 - You don't need to be an expert in computer or operating system management, you only need to use your familiar organizer tools and the usual Windows Explorer functions to copy folders.

2 - The principle will be to work on a catalog folder copy leaving the original present catalog unchanged.

3 - The workflow will take great care NOT to delete or lose anything in your media files either.

 

There will be two distinct procedures.

- The first one, which you can start immediately, is to create the catalog copy, to remove all files of your iCloud folder from that catalog copy WITHOUT deleting any media file. From your description I am pretty sure you'll be able to create your backup as usual. I am curious to know how many files you have in that iCloud folders. I suppose it's a small part of your whole library.

- The second part will be to go back to the original catalog and to work on the iCloud folders to find what is wrong in some files and which blocks your global backup. I am confident that we can find together which files are corrupt or not supported and to remove them from the original catalog (NOT from the disk and Cloud). That part will need various trial and error tests. Then you will be able to run the full backup process on the corrected original catalog including the valid files in the iCloud folder.

 

So, don't waste time, immediately find your catalog folder - menu Help >> System Info - and copy it elsewhere on your computer, for instance along with the original in the same master folder. Now you have a copy (= a backup) of the catalog itself.

To use that new catalog, locate the file named 'catalog.pse19db' and double click on it to open the organizer with that catalog.

Now, your job will be to delete all files in the iCloud folder - from catalog, NOT from disk. Since deleting a big number of files (several thousands) at the same time takes a long time and may even abort, try deleting  batches of max 500 files.

When you have deleted all those files from the catalog (this may take a few hours) you can launch the backup process and let it run at night for instance.

I am waiting for your feedback for more suggestions.

 

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Participant ,
May 13, 2021 May 13, 2021

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Thanks.  I have clicked ‘Copy’ and OK.  Where do I now find the file catalog.pse19db?  I am hopeless at this sort of thing!

 

Ian

www.natureandpictures.com

Sunny Bournemouth

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Community Expert ,
May 15, 2021 May 15, 2021

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Thanks.  I have clicked ‘Copy’ and OK.  Where do I now find the file catalog.pse19db?  I am hopeless at this sort of thing!

 

Ian

 

Ian,

As you can see, it's difficult to understand each other without seeing what each of us is doing and showing on its own display. For instance, I don't understand myself what you mean by 'clicked Copy and OK'.

So, I'll need to illustrate the different steps with a few screenshots. Other volunteers here are welcome to chime in and give their own explanations in their own way, screenshots of small videos.

I don't know what kind of help you can get around you, but it would be nice if you could get the help of some friend or relative. You know, the 'smart nephew' kind? No need to be a computer geek.

The real issue to start with our process is to find the catalog folder. I wish there were an available tutorial video for that very imporant and necessary feature.

- when you are in the organizer, click on the menu Help, select 'System Information' and look at the location of the catalog.

 

For me:

Elements Organizer 19.0.0.0
Core Version: 19.0 (20210126.m.155261)
Language Version: 19.0 (20210126.m.155261)

Current Catalog:
Catalog Name: Cat_2021-05-06-2021 VVV
Catalog Location: V:\Cat_2021-05-06-2021 VVV\
Catalog Size: 515,2MB
Catalog Cache Size: 3,4GB

System:
Operating System Name: Windows 10
Operating System Version: 10.0
System Architecture: Intel CPU Family:6 Model:12 Stepping:3 with MMX, SSE Integer, SSE FP, SSE2
Built-in Memory: 7,9GB
Free Memory: 1,2GB

 

By default that location is on your C drive

C:\ProgramData\Adobe\Elements Organizer\catalogs

The trick is that it's a 'hidden' folder by default so that to see it, you have to use the options of the Windows Explorer to show hidden files and folders.

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/view-hidden-files-and-folders-in-windows-10-97fbc472-c60...

 

Once the folder is visible, you can copy the whole folder and paste it in another location. If you keep the same master folder, it will be renamed with a ' copy' suffix. The database file 'catalog.pse19db' will be found in this folder.

 

Can we start from here?

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Participant ,
May 22, 2021 May 22, 2021

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Thank you again.  I have arranged to see someone next Wednesaday, hopefully, who understands files and suchlike, but not Organizer.  I will bring my laptop, and my new laptop, which is 2tb and just one hard drive.  My present computer has 2 drives, c and d, whihc naturally I have laways found confusing.

Elements Organizer 18.0.0.0
Core Version: 18.0 (20201207.m.154403)
Language Version: 18.0 (20201207.m.154403)

Current Catalog:
Catalog Name: Pictures 1 1 1
Catalog Location: D:\Elements 26.10.19\Pictures 1 1 1\
Catalog Size: 944.6MB
Catalog Cache Size: 4GB

System:
Operating System Name: Windows 10
Operating System Version: 10.0
System Architecture: Intel CPU Family:6 Model:14 Stepping:9 with MMX, SSE Integer, SSE FP, SSE2
Built-in Memory: 15.9GB
Free Memory: 7.8GB

 

I did manage this and then I got the D  file up, which is about 8 or 9 gb.  Decided that I had better leave it there. 

I did not know where to copy it all to.   Could you send some more information for Wednesday?

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Community Expert ,
May 22, 2021 May 22, 2021

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I did manage this and then I got the D  file up, which is about 8 or 9 gb.  Decided that I had better leave it there. 

I did not know where to copy it all to.   Could you send some more information for Wednesday?


By @IAN JULIAN

 

Your catalog folder is ok on your D drive, and it will be simpler to also copy it on D:\ along with the original, with a similar name clearly indicating 'copy' or the like to avoid confusion when you'll work on it.

You are free to rename it as you want and you are also free to copy it elsewhere, even on another drive provided you have enough free space, but the simplest solution to copy the folder with a minimum of clicks is:

- select (highlight) the catalog folder

- Right click, then 'copy'

- now select your D:\ drive above

- and right clic, then 'paste'

That's all. In a couple of minutes, your new catalog copy is ready, with the same name plus the suffix 'copy'.

 

What is important now is to tell the organizer that you want to use the new catalog copy.
Look inside the new folder: there is a 'catalog.pse18db' file.

With the organizer closed, double click this file to open it in the organizer. The new catalog will work just like the original. Next time, the organizer will remember its location in the 'custom location' section (on D:\ rather than on the default C location, along with the original).

 

I think you can do the copy now by yourself, knowing that you can always revert to the original catalog if needed. Remember that your important goal is to get a backup as soon as possible even if does not cover everything. In your case, we suspect that only some of the files in your iCloud folder are blocking the backup (the backup aborts at the end of the process where the more recent files are processed). We have to find which files to skip in the backup and then find another backup solution for them. I would be happy to have a working full backup for everything except the iCloud files before going further, and I think you can do it now yourself after the catalog duplication.

As already suggested, that means that you use the organizer to delete the files in the iCloud folder (or folder tree) from the organizer AND NOT also from disk.

To guide you in the process, I'd like to know the size of your iCloud folder (or folder tree), and better yet, if you can post a screenshot of the structure of that folder in the explorer.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Participant ,
Jun 03, 2021 Jun 03, 2021

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Thanks for your message.  One thing resolved, now another problem.

 

Today, I had an IT expert call on me and my 2 laptops.

 

Managed to copy the Catalog onto an external hard drive, and its 127,000 pictures.  Managed to open the catalog with this on the ‘old’ computer.

 

However, there is a further problem in that the Organizer is ’corrupted’.  I cannot change a picture.  It changes okay in the Editor but does not come through on Organizer.  Similarly, I cannot duplicate a picture in Organizer.  It says the current catalog is corrupt, and I can try a repair, which I tried, in  ‘ Manage Catalogs’ and this says it cannot be repaired.  Any advice?

 

Kind regards,

 

Ian Julian

www.natureandpictures.com

Sunny Bournemouth

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Community Expert ,
Jun 04, 2021 Jun 04, 2021

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Managed to copy the Catalog onto an external hard drive, and its 127,000 pictures.  Managed to open the catalog with this on the ‘old’ computer.

 

However, there is a further problem in that the Organizer is ’corrupted’.  I cannot change a picture.  It changes okay in the Editor but does not come through on Organizer.  Similarly, I cannot duplicate a picture in Organizer.  It says the current catalog is corrupt, and I can try a repair, which I tried, in  ‘ Manage Catalogs’ and this says it cannot be repaired.  Any advice?

 

Kind regards,

 

Ian Julian

www.natureandpictures.com

Sunny Bournemouth


By @IAN JULIAN

 

Bad news for me.

 

Copying the 127 000 photo files as well as the catalog folder has never been a problem. The photo files are now safe but you can't access them from your catalog. You would have to recreate a new catalog from scratch.

Going back to your first post, we were in a situation where your catalog did work but was unable to run a full backup without aborting at 97%. The catalog itself was not 'corrupt', but the references to a small part of your images was wrong.

I am assuming that your expert has successfully copied the photo files folder trees as well as the whole catalog folder on the external hard drive. The original catalog folder is not changed and its copy on the external drive is strictly identical. Both catalogs point to the original location of the files, not to the copies on the external drive. So, when using any of those two catalogs, you should be in the same state as before: with a working (not unsusable catalog) but with issues preventing a normal full backup.

The first thing to check is if you really get the same corruption messages when you open each catalog from the old computer. In that case, that would mean that your original catalog has been further corrupted in the meantime; the suggested troubleshooting workflow is not applicable.

To check, try to open successively your original catalog, then the copy on the external drive (on 'custom' location)

 

 

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Participant ,
Jun 04, 2021 Jun 04, 2021

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Thank you.  Yes, all the files were copied, and both are corrupted.  I was wondering what would happen when the new PSE comes along later in the year, and I uploaded it.  Would the new version still be corrupted?  

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Community Expert ,
Jun 04, 2021 Jun 04, 2021

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Thank you.  Yes, all the files were copied, and both are corrupted.  I was wondering what would happen when the new PSE comes along later in the year, and I uploaded it.  Would the new version still be corrupted?  


By @IAN JULIAN

 

Unfortunately, the problem is not in the organizer, it's in the catalog itself, so no upgrade can help.

Is it possible that you have another older catalog backup available?

Or did you use the 'write metadata to files' command to store the keywords and captions within your files themselves? This would enable you to recover them in re-importing your files in a new empty catalog.

It's possible that your catalog was not fully corrupted at the time you first tried the failed full backup and that the blocking corruption happened later.

If so, there may be a very slight chance to recover a useful catalog though with the problem files on your iCloud folder.

If you want to try it, just copy the whole catalog folder copy now on your external drive to another location on that drive.

Delete all files and folders is this folder copy except the 'catalog.pseXXdb' file. Double click on that file: if you don't get an error message and are able to browse the files thumbnails as they are recreated, there may be hope to start again along with my previous suggestions to delete the iCloud files from catalog.

 

 

 

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