Help! New Computer and moving existing catalog & pics to RAID

[DTTODGG]

Hello! I really need some expert help here.

I have over 50k of photos on my "C:" drive (in the "My Pictures" folder) with LR6 installed on the "C:" drive as well. I have the CC Photography Plan.

I am moving to a SSD drive for the OS and LR application and wiping the existing "C:" drive to build 2 3Tb in RAID 1 for the photos.

I also have a Synology NAS with 2 3Tb running RAID 1.

I need to know the best way of backing up all the files and photos before having the SDD and internal RAIDs built.

I have done a simple backup of all the photos in the C:\User\...\...\Pictures folder, but I am afraid, in the end, LR will not find them upon restore. It seems I may want to move them within LR to a temporary External drive without the current folder structure and go straight to a "root" directory for the folders??? Then do the backup??? Then restore from the external to the newly built RAID??? I have no clue, but do not want to lose all my work on these photos. Do I convert them to .DNGs???

If someone could guide me through this process (in very specific steps) I would be very grateful.

Also, does anyone have an opinion on backup software? I was looking at Macrium for image backup and using a straight backup command to be able to archive the photos without proprietary software on the restore. My RAW photos are backed up on the Cloud using SpiderOak, but I am certain a complete restore would take just short of a lifetime.

To be honest, I just would like to know a good workflow to protect these photos and my future photos. I believe I have the proper hardware, but not familiar with good software or a good workflow.

Thanks in advance for taking the time to read this post and hopefully reply 🙂

[dj_paige · Accepted solution]

The best way to make a backup: use the built-in Lightroom feature to make regular and automated backups of your catalog, to a different physical disk than the original. To backup your photos, you can use your operating system to copy the photos to a different physical disk, keeping the folder structure, folder names and file names unchanged; or use an automated backup program.

but I am afraid, in the end, LR will not find them upon restore.

You use your operating system to copy the catalog file and photos back to the exact same location that the originals were stored in.

If you're going to restore the photos on a different disk, keep the folder structure, folder names and file names unchanged and follow these directions in Lightroom (see Figure 4 and associated text): Adobe Lightroom - Find moved or missing files and folders

[DTTODGG]

Thank you for your prompt reply.

You mentioned...

>>You use your operating system to copy the catalog file and photos back to the exact same location that the originals were stored in.

But, my new config will have the OS and LR on a SSD drive "C:" while I will be moving the photos to the "D:" drive with RAID 1.

So, I am "splitting up" the files from what I have today.

I wondered if I should "move the photos" to a temporary external drive now, test LR. Backup the LR files from the "C:" drive and backup the photos on the new External. Then load LR on the new SSD, find the photos on the external drive and then move them back to the RAID drive.

Does that make sense? I am not trying to be complicated, but I also want to be assured i will have Humpty Dumpty back together again.

[dj_paige]

I provided a link that explains what to do if you move the photos to a different drive. You don't need to move the photos from here to there to some other place. One move is needed, from the C: drive to the RAID drive.

If you're going to do some sort of test, take a few meaningless photos and put them into a brand new empty catalog, and try it that way, following the instructions at the link; and not following your stated method of testing above.

[DTTODGG]

Thank you for your time. I will give it a try!