CATALOGUE NOT WORKING AFTER REINSTALL

[davidh17764479]

Having had to reinstall windows 10 after a number of issues with that, I reinstalled everything from a backup using Norton 360 that was done the day before. Despite their being the Lightroom CC catalogue and catalogue preview files in Pictures/Lightroom folder I appear to have lost all my work I have done to images. Is there anybody out there who can suggest a solution as I spent 2 hours on the Adobe Chat help yesterday who seemed fairly clueless as to what a solution may be.

Thank you in anticipation.

[dj_paige]

I appear to have lost all my work I have done to images

Explain this in a lot more detail. Explain what you see that indicates you have lost all work. Explain exactly where you are looking — are you looking in Lightroom or your operating system or somewhere else? If Lightroom, are you looking in the Library Module or Develop Module or somewhere else? Or show us a screen capture of what you see that indicates you have lost all work.

I reinstalled everything from a backup using Norton 360 that was done the day before

Describe the exact sequence of steps that you followed here with regards to your Lightroom catalog. We need lots of detail. Emphasis on LOTS. (We don't need to know the operating system re-install details)

[davidh17764479]

Basically I reinstalled the backup from the external drive back onto the C drive using the Norton Restore as it was backed up using the same Norton 360, then re-installed lightroom CC and as it appeared Lightroom had not automatically identified the catalogue tried downloading the catalogue from the Picture/Lightroom catalogue icon (this is 148MB in size, no idea if this is what you would expect?) but this appeared to have no effect. The reason I don't believe the catalogue has loaded is that none of my images have any of my amendment data in the history of each image and all appear to be the original NEF images. In addition, my images are not in the same sequence as originally despite the data being the same.

I am by no means a computer expert and have been trying to follow the guidelines on the Adobe website. Any help much appreciated!

[dj_paige]

Since I am not sitting at your computer and haven't watched you do this, I feel a few more detailed questions are necessary so I can understand what you did.

and as it appeared Lightroom had not automatically identified the catalogue tried downloading the catalogue from the Picture/Lightroom catalogue icon

do you mean you are now using a different catalog than the one that was the backup created by Norton 360 the day before?

How did you tell Lightroom to use this catalog??

At any time during this process after you re-installed Windows 10, did you import photos into this catalog (or import photos into any catalog)?

[davidh17764479]

No it is the same catalogue as was backed up. I have only ever used one catalogue that has worked well for me.

The images were imported into lightroom. This was done if I remember correctly by clicking on the Catalogue icon in Pictures/Lightroom that said there were no images and to import images by pressing the import button that is what I did hence why I thought they would have been correctly loaded into the only catalogue I have.

[dj_paige]

Importing is the wrong thing to do. This is almost definitely the cause of your problems.

You need to find the copy of your catalog that was backed up by Norton 360 the day before your re-installation of Windows 10. You need to copy it (not move it) to a newly created empty folder and then double-click on it. This will open this backup copy of the catalog file and your edits should be intact in this catalog file. If necessary, you will need to point Lightroom to the new location of your photo files, following these instructions: Adobe Lightroom - Find moved or missing files and folders

This is so important, I'm going to say it three times using all capital letters.

1. NO IMPORTING
2. NO IMPORTING
3. NO IMPORTING
4. NO IMPORTING
5. NO IMPORTING

[davidh17764479]

Thank you for the suggestion. Unfortunately this has made no difference. Its starting to look like the Catalogue file is somehow corrupted and is missing all the amendment data that would be extremely annoying as it is opening OK (both before and after your suggested solution) but without a lot of the data.

[dj_paige · Accepted solution]

If the catalog was corrupted, it wouldn't open. You need to find a copy of the catalog that was backed up the day before you re-installed Windows, and has not had any photos imported. This is not the catalog that has the photos imported.

Can you show us a screen capture of the problem as you see it?

[davidh17764479]

Hi Just back from a couple of days away. All sorted and working. Thank you very much for your help that was invaluable and I'm very glad to have it working again!