Unexpected error when opening catalog on iMac

[rachelb54525681]

This has happened twice in the last few days.  I have spent hours editing and now have lost it all, is there a way of getting these edited images back?

Also if I uninstall lightroom and reinstall it will I loose all my other catalogs?

[Per Berntsen]

You will not lose anything by reinstalling, but it's not likely to fix the problem.

Also, your images exist completely independent of Lightroom - they are not in Lightroom - but the edits are in the catalog.

Can you quote the exact error message?

Do you have a recent backup of the catalog? If you do, can you open the backup?

The catalog could be corrupted (usually caused by hardware failure), or it could be (only guessing here) a permissions problem.

You could try to create a new catalog, and then try to import the original catalog into the new one. (File > Import from another catalog)

[rachelb54525681]

Hi

Im using OS X 10.9.5 on my iMac and lightroom is CC 2015.10.1.  My catalog is saved on my external hard drive (which i do remove when I go into the studio). I do recall a few days before this... my computer completely froze so I had to force stop... maybe that is the problem?? 

When I try opening a new catalog and import from the original it comes up with this message?

How do I do an integrity check?

How do I set lightroom to back up every time I close it down??

Thanks

Per Berntsen​

Geoff the kiwi

dj_paige

[Per Berntsen]

my computer completely froze so I had to force stop

That probably explains the error message.

When Lightroom is running, a lock file is present next to the catalog. Because you had to force close, the lock file was probably not deleted.

With Lightroom closed, use the Finder and go to the folder containing the catalog. (the original catalog, not the one you just created)

Normally, this folder will be inside the Pictures or My Pictures folder, unless you decided to save it somewhere else.

Delete the file that ends with .lock Do not delete anything else.

Now double-click the catalog file (ends with .lrcat) to open it with Litghtroom.

Bearing in mind the Unexpected error message you received before, your catalog may be corrupted and fail to open.

[Per Berntsen]

How do I do an integrity check?

How do I set lightroom to back up every time I close it down??

Go to Edit > Catalog settings > General, and set Back up catalog to When Lightroom next exits.

Close Lightroom, and this screen should appear:

Then choose how often you would like bakups to be made, where to save them (it's best to save backups to a different hard drive than the drive where you have the catalog), and finally make sure Test integrity and Optimize catalog are checked.

Edit: Forgot to include a screenshot of the Lightroom folder. Here it is.

[rachelb54525681]

I have found a locked catalog so I have deleted it.  It doesn't have appeared to have fixed it though.

I have found the back up folder but this is what mine looks like? the test integrity and optimise catalog is missing??

[Per Berntsen]

I have found a locked catalog so I have deleted it.

Are you saying that you deleted the catalog file (.lrcat)? If so, restore it from the trash!

The file you should delete ends with .lock - like Lightroom Catalog.lrcat.lock in the screenshot I posted.

I have found the back up folder but this is what mine looks like? the test integrity and optimise catalog is missing??

If you meant to post a screenshot, it didn't come through. If you replied by email, you can't post screenshots, you must visit the forum using a web browser.

[rachelb54525681]

Yes I deleted the one that said "lock" on it.  I have since found out where the tick boxes are now (when I come out of lightroom it prompts a message asking to back up with the tick boxes there)

So is there anything else I can try to try and get these images back again? is it possible that one of my images in the folder is corrupt and causing it to stop working?  seems odd that twice now I have edited them and lost them?

[Per Berntsen]

Did you try double-clicking the catalog file after deleting the lock file?

[rachelb54525681]

Yes I have double clicked on it, it opens with no error message but no images in there.  (another folder I created doesn't have a lock file in there and the error keeps coming up on that one)

[rachelb54525681]

UPDATE!! I have recovered one of the folders so not lost all the edited images hurrah!! thanks guys for your help

I will ensure that in the future I don't force quit it and have now set it to back up every time I close it!!

thanks

Rachel

[dj_paige]

Error: 'Unexpected error opening catalog' occurs in Lightroom after Windows 10 upgrade.

[Geoff the kiwi]

  wrote

Error: 'Unexpected error opening catalog' occurs in Lightroom after Windows 10 upgrade.

Windows 10 on an iMac????

[Geoff the kiwi]

Which OS version and Lightroom version  are you using?
Also where is the catalog stored???