Need Help With External Hard Drive!

[Mar]

Lightroom Version Number

6

Operating System

1. Windows 10

Hello All,

I am new to the forum! I'm hoping that someone can help me figure this out and it's a simple solution that I'm missing.

I recently bought a new laptop so that I can move an external hard drive from desktop to laptop and edit pictures on both computers using this same drive. I have my catalog and photos on the ED, removed it from desktop, attached it to laptop, expecting to see it pop up on the left-hand panel just as it does on my desktop. Not there. I can hit the "Import" button and I see the catalog and the photo files listed to import. Should I import the photo files?

Was I wrong in thinking I could just plug in the drive and see what I see when I'm on my desktop? From what I've read online about using this method, it seemed that simple to me. What am I doing wrong????? I've been trying to figure this out on and off for three days and I am beyond frustrated!!!!

Thanks!

 

[Johan Elzenga]

You forgot one final step. Lightroom on the laptop doesn’t know anything yet about this catalog on the EHD. You have to tell it to start using that one from now on. Open the catalog folder on the EHD and double click on the catalog file. Lightroom should start up with the EHD catalog, and from now on it should also remember that.

 

[Mar]

You forgot one final step. Lightroom on the laptop doesn’t know anything yet about this catalog on the EHD. You have to tell it to start using that one from now on. Open the catalog folder on the EHD and double click on the catalog file. Lightroom should start up with the EHD catalog, and from now on it should also remember that.

Thanks for your response! When I tried to click on the file a window pops up that says Windows cannot complete the extraction , the destination file could not be created and when I click "Okay," a LR window then pops up that says that it cannot be opened because it is unwritable and cannot be opened. I have added my name to the EHD and given myself full control, along with every other user listed on there. I've also "unshaded" the "Read only" box, but it reverts back to being shaded. I have no idea what the problem is at this point. Thoughts?

 

[Johan Elzenga]

Extraction means that this is not the original Lightroom catalog, but a compressed file. It could be a backup catalog. It also sounds like your EHD is locked, but as a Macintosh user I can’t give you any more advise on that part than you could find yourself in Google, because that is where I would need to get that info too.

 

[Mar]

Ahhhh. A backup catalog? Hmph. Now I'm really confused! How exactly do I find the original catalog? I thought what was on my EHD was the actual catalog. I will try some more Googling, but I'm about googled out! lol But thanks for your input, I appreciate the insight!

 

[Hal P Anderson]

If you open a zip file in Windows Explorer, you'll see its content, but you need to drag the content to a real folder, or you'll get a message that it's read-only (not writeable) . Search for files that end in the extension ".LRCAT". Those will be your catalogues.

 

[Mar]

If you open a zip file in Windows Explorer, you'll see its content, but you need to drag the content to a real folder, or you'll get a message that it's read-only (not writeable) . Search for files that end in the extension ".LRCAT". Those will be your catalogues.

Thank you!!!!!! This helped! I was clicking on the wrong file!