Missing Catalogue

[paulgrgurich]

I started up my computer - pushed the lightroom icon and then the pogram told me it couldnot find my catalogue - it searched for another and then found a very old one hidden awy somewhere on the computer. I simply cant find the catalogue i have been using for the last 2 years and dont have a clue as to where or how to find it - i have about 2',''' shots on the catelogue - whats happened?

 

[ianb]

Paul,

Quick way to find if your catalog still exists on your PC. On the Start menu select:

Search:
For Files and Folders

select: All Files and Folders
Type "lrcat" (without the quotes) into the "All or Part of Filename" search box and then click the Search button.

Windows will find every file that has "lrcat" in its file name and display them (lightroom Catalogs all end with lrcat).
It's then up to you to decide which is your "real" catalog. Note that double clicking on a lrcat file will automatically open that catalog in Lightroom.

Hope that helps.

Ian

 

[Brad Snyder]

note: that's a lowercase 'L', and not an uppercase 'i' in LRCAT.

Also, with Lr open, try File > Open Recent, and see if the catalog you're looking for is in the popup list.

 

[clee01l]

Where are your images stored? Do you have an external drive? Could your "lrcat" file be on the external drive? Windows has the nasty habit of assigning the next available drive letter for external devices. If you external HD was assigned E: and while it was unplugged you inserted a USB thumb drive or another drive device, it could be the other device has been assigned E: and now when yoiu plug in the External HD E: is not available and LRn is confused.