Lightroom cannot launch with this catalog. It is either on a network volume or on a volume on which Lightroom cannot save changes

[kiatty14]

Recently my hard drive on my laptop failed...and nothing was recoverable...HOWEVER, I had been backing up all photos to external hard drives. So, I reinstalled Lightroom 5.7.1 from Adobe and am trying to gain access to my catalog but get the error:Lightroom cannot launch with this catalog. It is either on a network volume or on a volume on which Lightroom cannot save changes.

How do I get my pictures back into Lightroom? I've attempted to move folders from the external to the internal...but many are CR2 files and Lightroom will give me another error saying it doesn't support those file ARGH!

Someone, please help.

[ManiacJoe]

You cannot directly use the catalog backups.

If the backup is in a ZIP file, you need to unzip the catalog and put it on a drive and in a folder that you have read and write access to.

If the backup is not in a ZIP file, you need to copy the LrCat file to a folder that you have read and write access to.

This location that you choose must an internal or external local drive, not a network drive.

Keep in mind that your images are not "in" the catalog; the images are just referenced by the catalog by path and file name.

The images can be located on any drive, internal or external or network. There is no need to move them if you don't want to.

[kiatty14]

this is what it looks like when I search for the lrcat file and what the search brings back is much much larger than this...:

[kiatty14]

when I copied one of them over to my internal...this is how it looks in LR

I know I can relink by clicking on the but many are still in CR2 format and won't open...

[Just Shoot Me]

What your last screen shot is showing is a catalog file opened in LR but none of the images that are Referenced in the catalog are in the proper location on your internal drive. You need to copy the backups of your images into the same folders they were in on your C drive before the hard drive crash. That is IF you actually had a backup of all your images files.

LR is a Database program. When you import images into the LR catalog file the images are not put in the catalog file. They are Referenced into the Database file, the catalog file, from where they are stored on your hard drive. No images are ever inside the catalog file. So just having a backup of the catalog does not backup your actual image files.

If you did not have a separate backup of the actual image files then I am sorry to say they are gone.

In the Folders area of that screen shot there are question marks for every folder. that mean LR isn't even seeing the Folders that are references on your C drive. You need to copy both folders and images over to the C drive from your backup copy of them. Placing them in the exact same folder and PATH that LR is looking for.

you could also use the Find Missing File system within LR to reference them to where they are backed up to. But I suggest you copy them over instead.

[Just Shoot Me]

Unless the catalog file was also backed up to that external drive your original catalog is gone. By default LR makes backups of the catalog file but it stores those backups in the same folder, on the same drive, as the catalog file. Also if you had been using LR 6 or the CC version LR 5 can't open a LR 6/CC catalog. It is To New, format has changed, for LR 5 to open it. Is that part of the error message you are getting, IE To New?

[kiatty14]

There isn't enough room on my C: can they just both sit on the external?

[Just Shoot Me]

Yes they can but you need to point LR to find your images files on the external. Right now it is looking on the C drive for them.

Adobe Lightroom - Find moved or missing files and folders

http://www.lightroomqueen.com/lightroom-photos-missing-fix/

[Just Shoot Me]

Also if that is the case you need a bigger C drive or you may need to see exactly what is on it and move, delete, some files off it.