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Question

Restore my catalog (only!)

Forum|Forum|5 years ago
November 9, 2020
5 replies
1885 views

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.

Organizer

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Greg_S.

Community Expert

@josephunit2n said:

Regarding long term storage/cataloging/access to our photos, Elements has always made me nervous. In that vein, I also follow the advice of a widely published "expert" on Elements, to stop a catalog at around 5k images and start a new catalog.

To each his own, but that makes no sense to me whatsoever. It defeats the whole idea of the Organizer. I use only one catalog for all my photos and videos. My catalog is approaching 200K media files and I have never had a problem except for some self-inflicted wounds.

josephunit2nAuthor

Known Participant

Yes, I understand there is no theoretical limit. For me, it's just an extra precaution. In case of catalog corruption, it will limit the damage. Another "advice" I continue to follow, given long ago, when I had to manually rebuild a catalog, is to save all photos with keyword tags attached (I run the command to add to the image file data). Even though I like these, would use them anyway, I was told doing so would greatly ease the task of rebuilding a catalog, should that ever again become necessary.

Thanks for your interest!

MichelBParis

Legend

You are living very dangerously following the advice of this 'expert'.

For me, it's just an extra precaution. In case of catalog corruption, it will limit the damage. Another "advice" I continue to follow, given long ago, when I had to manually rebuild a catalog, is to save all photos with keyword tags attached (I run the command to add to the image file data). Even though I like these, would use them anyway, I was told doing so would greatly ease the task of rebuilding a catalog, should that ever again become necessary.

The main problem here is that most PSE experts are really PSE are only experts in the editor (they are also Photoshop experts, and most of them don't tell you that they are really using Lightroom or other softwares for organizing).

The only organizer super expert that I do recognize, John R Ellis, has left the boat after PSE8. His faqs are still a treasure and he strongly recommends using a single catalog.

https://johnrellis.com/psedbtool/photoshop-elements-faq.htm#_Splitting_and_rearranging

(John R Ellis is still a top expert in the feedback forum about metadata management and Lightroom which he is using now.)

On the other hand, splitting catalogs or not is not specific to the organizer, it's the same for any management system based on catalogs like Lightroom. It is very clear that some LR pro users like wedding photogs find it easier to have a catalog for each event, but most other pros as well as advanced amateurs prefer a single catalog.

So, without recognized Organizer experts, you'll have to trust other experienced users like Greg and me. We have dealt in this forum with hundreds of cases where splitting catalogs has created awful situations especially when restoring. Apart from the above dangers when restoring, splitting catalogs makes the management and searches much less efficient, especially smart searches available in new versions.

MichelBParis

Legend

I have read the posts from yesterday evening. What you have reported is normal about the use of moving, copying, backing up of Catalog folders, but you have a 'reconnecting' issue which may be due to the way the RAID network drive is connected to your new computer. I don't use network drives myself and I don't recommend them, but that will need new questions to troubleshoot the issue. The main question I have now is if the message clearly specify 'disconnected' / 'missing' files or 'offline' drive. Maybe other users with network drives can help you. I'll try to give more detailed questions in a while.

Edit:

Is the RAID NAS recognized as the same drive letter as before in Windows?

In the organizer, if you look at the info panel on the right, you should read where the organizer thinks the disconnected file is located.

In previous discussions about NAS drives the problem was that the images appeared 'offline' which is solved otherwise than with the 'reconnect' command.

josephunit2nAuthor

Known Participant

Thank you for your continued support. First, the RAID drive is USB connected, not a network drive. Regardless, I devised a different solution to this problem, which has worked!!! As mentioned earlier, I have recent full backups of all these catalogs in another USB drive. Initially, when I restored one catalog, I was horrified at the huge data dump, as all actual photo files were downloaded to my computer (> 300GB), which I don't want, and consider degrading to the 2TB SSD of the computer.

I deleted all those photo files from computer. I deleted that catalog from computer. I again "restored" all the externally stored catalogs, but discovered I could direct the storage location, and I restored to the RAID 1 USB drive, where I have always stored the photo files. This worked perfectly. I saved these to a new folder in that drive, and I guess I'll delete the folders where the linked photo files have been originally stored. I consider this PROBLEM SOLVED!

Further, (just F.Y.I.), after restoring one catalog, I found over 50 photos missing (thumbnails - without images - could not find/connect to photo files). When I backed up/saved the catalog, a dialog appeared warning some photos were missing, asking me to use the "Reconnect" function, which I did not use. I never use it, as I don't trust it, long ago had a terrible experience where using it corrupted an entire catalog, to the point where I had to manually rebuild that catalog, photo - by - photo. I choose to ignore the message, losing a few photos, if necessary. In this case, I didn't realize that many were involved, although I'll never know for sure if the photos lost were due to the "Reconnect" issue, or to another discovery found two days ago: that external storage drive has failed drive tests I ran, in two different test applications, showing a "mild" state of disfunction, possibly a bad sector. I don't know if this introduced some sort of data loss to that catalog. Nevertheless, I have on order a new USB drive, an 8TB RAID 1 unit (2 x 8TB drives, mirrored), where I will save all new catalog backups, as well as other backups (saved disc images of two computers, phone backups, and more).

Again, many thanks. Stay well, stay safe.

Regarding long term storage/cataloging/access to our photos, Elements has always made me nervous. In that vein, I also follow the advice of a widely published "expert" on Elements, to stop a catalog at around 5k images and start a new catalog.

MichelBParis

Legend

@josephunit2n

I'll add, I have about 6 catalogs to deal with, many thousands of photos, mine and my wife's. I cannot afford a mistake. I must not introduce corruption into the file system. This is why I ask for clear, step by step instructions.

Ok, the first step, which is not at all desctructive or dangerous is to locate ALL your catalogs and to look at what they contain.

A catalog is a folder containing a database named 'catalog.pseXXdb'. XX is the version number, for instance 19 for your PSE2021; it also contains other subfolders and accessory files. A catalog folder can be duplicated or moved elsewhere (in 'custom' location). As already stated, you find the location of that folder from the Help >> system Information menu when you are in a given catalog.

So, you can search for the location of each catalog, you can have a look at what is in the folders, you can use the Explorer to move or to copy the whole folder, and the moved or copied catalog will still work the same, even if it is copied or moved in another drive.

Be sure to locate each catalog. If the 'catalog.pseXXdb' is not catalog.pse19db, that's an older catalog which will have to be converted for use with your current PSE version.

Please report back when you are ready or if you need more help.

josephunit2nAuthor

Known Participant

Thank you so much for your effort! After "sleeping on it", I have a new perspective to solve this. I state it here for your review. Please, stop me if you see a flaw. I now realize the catalogs I saved to external drive with photos, using "back up catalog" in Elements, if restored, bring the huge data dump of the photos on to this computer, which I do not want. Further, if there is a way (I'm not clear on this) of just importing those save catalogs, sans photos, those thumbnails will link back to the backup storage location, which I also do not want. As I see it, THE SOLUTION: I have an entire disc image saved to an external drive, saved before the operating system was reinstalled, when Elements funtioned perfectly. I must recover from that saved image, the Elements catalogs (above, I was given the path: C:\ProgramData\Adobe\Elements Organizer\Catalogs ) and restore them to the same location in the current system/Elements. THEN, I expect them to be recognized/available in Elements "manage catalogs", and I expect all their thumnails to again link correctly to the photo files saved in the external RAID 1 drive, as in the past. That is my plan. Do you agree this is correct, and almost the only way to get the job done? As I proceed, I will be reassured, if I can see your confirmation.

Further, I have already imported one of the catalogs WITH photo files, into the new Elements, and I believe my first step must be to remove/delete it (as I will be again importing that same catalog without photo files, from the saved disc image). I read in Adobe "Help" that I must first create a catalog (a "dummy" catalog, I guess), before the "Remove" button in Manage Catalogs will become active. Therefore, I will create a dummy catalog (I must read further, how to do that), then remove/delete the present catalog, then proceed with the plan I described, to import catalogs from the saved disc image (before operating system replacement). Do you agree this is a good plan? If so, next I must get some support help from the "backup image" software provider, to guide the recovery of the earlier Elements catalogs.

josephunit2nAuthor

Known Participant

Also, please confirm: if I procede as described, after creating a dummy catalog and using the "Remove" button in Manage Catalogs --- since the catalog I restored had all the actual photo files attached, also imported into my computer, will that Remove delete the thousands of attached photo files, as well as the catalog, itself?

Y

yachikag65468126

Adobe Employee

Hi Joseph,

Thanks for reaching out to Adobe forums.

You might have taken Full backup of your catalog. That’s why it restored all your photos along with the catalog. If you wish to restore only the catalog, you have to select ‘Backup Catalog Structure’(the first option) while taking backup from backup wizard. It will backup only your catalog & will skip the media backup. On restore, you will have to reconnect your files if they show missing. Please note, thumbnails are re-generated while restoring your catalog only backup.

Please let us know if you need help with any other information.

Thanks,

Yachika

Greg_S.

Community Expert

Part of your question has been answered in your other thread. Reading your two threads, it is not clear what you are trying to do. It appears that you have made a backup of some of your (multiple?) catalogs (without media) via the Organizer, which can only be done in version 2021. But, it also sounds like you have tried to restore a full backup (with media). Was this from a different version?

In any event, you can simply copy the catalog only folder to wherever you want on your computer (e.g. the default location described in your other thread). No need to restore a backup - simply copy the folder using Windows File Explorer. The location of your catalog folder is described in the other thread.

Assuming that you have not changed the drive letters for your external RAID drive on your reinstalled OS, the catalogs will all refer to the correct location on your RAID drive.

Greg_S.

Community Expert

Just to clarfiy my earlier post, I assume you have a backup or copy of all of your data from your old OS installation and that you can restore or copy that data to your new installation. If all you have is the Organizer's backup, then restoration of the full backup of catalog and media will point to the new location of the media files.

josephunit2nAuthor

Known Participant

I think I follow, must digest this. I made a backup of my several catalogs to an external drive, with the photo storage RAID 1 drive connected, thus the catalog backups are the catalog (thumbnails) WITH the actual photo files (which was unintended, I only wanted the catalog/thumbnails backed up). I want to only restore the catalogs (thumbnails, only) to the new system, having it once again connect to the photos in the external storage drive. From you answer, I think I see two solutions: your method, copy/paste the "catalog only" folder, to a location on the new computer system. This seems fine, long as the catalog still connects to the stored photo files (WITHOUT "reconnect missing files" --- I do NOT want this to be used; long ago, when used, this function only caused massive corruption of the files/catalog --- I don't trust it).

I already had restored one catalog to this new operating system/Elements 2021, to discover the massive transfer, of the catalog AND all the image files. I don't want this amount of date on the computer. How can I clear/delete it, and start again?

Another idea I just had: when Microsoft did a clean install of the updated operating system, a "windows.old" location was created, with all my old files/folders. Perhaps, I could retreive the catalogs from there, and place them into the new operating system? Would that work? Any advantage to using this method?

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