Opened LR2 and nothing in the catalog!

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beki

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HI, me again.. (had prob last week with dragging folder onto another and loosing all data from HD)
Imac, 2.16ghz, 2gb ram, 2'" screen, OS1'.5.4 (i think, latest anyway), upgraded LR1.4 to 2.' last week.

Well after spending 3 painful (not factored for timewise) days recovering 9'% of my lost portfolio i spent a day processing all images for print. Today i was to export them in their various sizes. I open LR as always and am faced with a grey screen, no images and error message when trying to click between library dev etc.. I always do the back up on opening LR. Yesterday, when re-referencing all images lost, each time it would then set off of it's own accord trying to find the other images that had been lost and reimported, and although they are all in the same folder it was never successful so A. i had to manually relink each of the 3'' images! and B. it just kept adding more and more tasks to the top task bar, when i cancelled each one, they didn't go away. So last night i closed down LR hoping today it would open afresh, minus unsuccessful tasks and it opened minus EVERYTHING. I lost a whole day of processing.. and it was time critical as supposed to be exporting and going to print today!! What can i do? I REALLY hope someone can help, and yes i reported this and the other bug. Last night after closing down LR i preformed a TimeMachine back up of system as ususal, this doesn't seem to have any additional info either.. same thing when opening the latest back up - no images.
 
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That's very strange, I've never heard of that one. I don't see any evidence of the top panel or either side panel.

I'm grasping at straws here, but...

I'm wondering whether a reinstall of the software might be in order. Shouldn't affect your catalog or image files, so there's really no risk. Just rename "/Applications/Adobe Lightroom 2" to something else, and reinstall.

If that has no effect, then try renaming your preference file in your home directory, under Library/Preferences/com.adobe.Lightroom2.plist (while Lightroom isn't running).
 
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Reinstalling

hi mark, im downloading the demo again, (frankly quite glad im trialing this.. better get better)

what would i be renaming the preferences file to? do i need to duplicate it? not sure what this part is all about.. sorry. Dont want to make things any worse, coz you know they could be.. lol anything is poss these days.
 
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nope the reinstall didn't bring back the latest catalogue of images.. with all my processing. I can open older backups but really did sooo much work yesterday, and wanted to keep things consistent. So back to preferences rename... oh and when i tried to open the latest catalog it, as it has ever since this morn says an error occured when attempting to change modules, this is before light room even comes up, then it does the grey screen thing as the capture.
 
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When you open the folders with the images you were working on, do they have the .xmp files saved with the raw images? If so you might be able to reimport the files with your changes.
 
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do you mean the folders on my hard drive that LR2 is referencing from? It would seem not for the ones that matter but would need to make closer inspection.. if there are what do i do then? that would be sooo great.
 
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If the xmp files are there alongside the camera raw files, it's a simple matter to reimport the raws into a new catalog, the xmp settings will be picked up by LR. Some data is not preserved in xmp*, but it's less likely to be important in this context.


*Not saved:
pick flags
collection membership
stacks
virtual copies
develop history (current adjustment state is saved, just not the individual steps)
develop panel enable/disable switch states
image pan location, if not left in 'fit' view
 
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Please Beki, fill in your signature so we know what we are dealing with. I do know you are on a Mac but.........

Thanks...;);););)
 
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so create a new catalog and import from hardrive all files, rather than sync? My filing structure is a little over the place, due to loosing the organisational work i did so it's gonna be a nghtmare to do it for each individual file.. of which hundreds were processed. Im being told TM is prob to blame for all this trouble... and not to let lightroom back up the working LR2 catalog, heard of this? not quite sure how to not back up the working file but still back up LR's back up.. filing structure boggled me.
 
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Hi Beki, welcome to the forum!

Let's take this back a step...

It you start a new catalog (hold down Opt while starting LR), can you see the side panels? And can you switch between modules?

That'll narrow down whether we're talking catalog problems or program problems.

And if you rename or delete the preferences (it'll build a new one), does that solve the problem?

That will help us narrow down whether corrupted preferences are to blame - they are often the cause of unexplained weirdness.
 
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seriously tempted to buy your book! Corrupt catalog

hi Victoria,

ok, when i create new cat at open up LR2 opens with all panels etc, waiting for info to be input.

BTW...jut gotta say im seriously confused with all this now.. i was working with cat which had most up to date (barr all my hard work) info from back up, and am wondering, as this is being backed up each time i close and open again, should i not be going into a newer version of that file now? ..but when i look at back ups after then they are not correct.. oh my.. what should i be doing.. if i can't get back this processing i will have to start from scratch and i wanna do it right.. no backing up of working cat with TM etc.. but no idea where things get put or how to prop set it up, and no clue where this information would be as everything that i have issues with seems to be new stuff.

Sorry, one seriously confused and stressed (deadlines) amatuer here.
 
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Sorry you're stressed Beki. Deadlines is not a great time to learn new software, as you've no doubt discovered!

Ok, so it's definitely a catalog problem. Let's go from there.

Can you find the catalog which is most up to date, and does it have all the right data in it? If you can, COPY it somewhere safe and logical. We'll make sure it opens that one from now on, by changing the default. Then we'll set the backups to go to a sensible place. And then we'll hide all of the old confusing stuff!!!
 
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ok copied latest (ish) back up

i like your style.. soothing,.. this is what i need : )

so guess what, the lastest version of updates yet again corrupted.. so i have got as near as poss... this really is a start from scratch, ok. I copied it and in pictures/lightroom latest catalog folder, so its' not in lightroom folder it's next to it.. and back ups are in a folder next to that called lightroom back ups and i told it to put them there on the start up as well so hopefully bases covered there.. i have gone into time machine and told it not to back up the pictures/lightroom folder or the pictures/lightroom latest catalogue. Just opened Lr2 to see if it's opening this back up as default and yes it did. Ok, what now.. : ) Do i really need to rename the pictures/lightroom folder and move the contents of that and keep latest cat in there? or no matter?

catalog corruption issues next... :) i thought that yesterday i'd told system not to back up lightroom but actually i didnt do it till this morning so i guess the acid test is if it happens again (god please no) then i'll know it's not time machine.

Anyway, sorry stopped your flow, carry on..
 
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LOL Beki. I do my best! :)

Ok, so where are we now?

We know exactly which is the right catalog, so you're not going to open the wrong one by accident. And the backups are running ok, so that's good. And all of the old stuff is now safely tucked away somewhere else, perhaps zipped up so you can't open by accident. Are we there so far? And Time Machine is no longer going to try to back up your open catalog, so hopefully no more corruption.

So, what do we have left to fix?
 
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whats left

We know exactly which is the right catalog, so you're not going to open the wrong one by accident.
Not the one i NEEDED :( but yes thanks :D

And the backups are running ok, so that's good.

or 'not running' for the working cat - as instructed. still not sure if i have my filing as Lightroom would like it though :?:, or doesnt that matter? Just wondered if it did stuff of it's own accord.

And all of the old stuff is now safely tucked away somewhere else, perhaps zipped up so you can't open by accident.

Other stuff :?: meaning the other back up files? They are all in the back up folder i created. There were some catalog's and datafiles in the ORIGINAL lightroom folder (the one LR puts in pics when you load it on to machine ) which is why i created a new lightroom folder, should i dump those into the back up folder then?

Are we there so far? And Time Machine is no longer going to try to back up your open catalog, so hopefully no more corruption.

So, what do we have left to fix?

guess i still have hopes of getting back that processing but i'll just have to dig through the xmp files and see if anything is there, otherwise, i guess not. Corruption got the better of me, as it does.. i will start over, reform!

OFI for vid's/tutorials on LR2, have any fave recommendations?

Thanks
 
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We know exactly which is the right catalog, so you're not going to open the wrong one by accident.
Not the one i NEEDED :( but yes thanks :D

So where's the one you needed? If you open them each in turn, you may find it. It sounds like you've got in a right tangle!

And the backups are running ok, so that's good.

or 'not running' for the working cat - as instructed. still not sure if i have my filing as Lightroom would like it though :?:, or doesnt that matter? Just wondered if it did stuff of it's own accord.

We'll come back to the filing. Turn on LR's backups now, and make sure they're set to go to a sensible place, ideally another hard drive. To set LR's backup location, set it to backup every time you launch, and then restart it. That'll bring up the backup location dialog. When you've changed it and run the first backup, set the backup schedule back to something sensible.

And all of the old stuff is now safely tucked away somewhere else, perhaps zipped up so you can't open by accident.

Other stuff :?: meaning the other back up files? They are all in the back up folder i created. There were some catalog's and datafiles in the ORIGINAL lightroom folder (the one LR puts in pics when you load it on to machine ) which is why i created a new lightroom folder, should i dump those into the back up folder then?Personally I'd really tidy up. Anything you're not using, zip it. That way you can't use it by accident.

Are we there so far? And Time Machine is no longer going to try to back up your open catalog, so hopefully no more corruption.

So, what do we have left to fix?

guess i still have hopes of getting back that processing but i'll just have to dig through the xmp files and see if anything is there, otherwise, i guess not. Corruption got the better of me, as it does.. i will start over, reform!

So, do we know which of your many catalogs your missing processing is in? It *may* still be possible to retrieve using Import from Catalog, depending on how corrupted the catalog is.

OFI for vid's/tutorials on LR2, have any fave recommendations?

Well, I'd have to recommend my own FAQ book, of course! ;) I'd also highly recommend Martin Evening's book. Completely different style - they compliment each other. Adobe have some decent getting started videos on their website, and if you're an NAPP member, there are some good videos there too.
 
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A right pickle

:oops:
yep it seems im in a right mess..

the catalog that wouldn't open, was corrupted is the one i would like to be using as it's where i did my huge processing.. but it won't open, this is the screen grab of what happens after i try, it says error switching between modules and then brings this baby up.. no accessibility whatsoever... so i had to go back to the last back up the day before and start working from there... hence it not being the one i want to be using...

im pretty sure i tried creating a new catalog and importing that into it but I will try that again just to make sure. I've tried to create new cat from the files on my hard drive but it didn't bring back the develop work.

didn't even know LR had any frequency of back up changing options, apart from the back up at start up.. this is what i needed to know, always thought it was so strange it didn't.. or do you mean setting something else..? I am told not to let TM back up the working cat and i dn't have any other back up solution. I am only backing up the LR back ups folder.

tidying up.. back ups all in one folder,got a bit messed up but they are all there.. catalogues appear in the lightroom folder, other than back up ones and im assuming they are the working ones, although they are from older dates.. oh blimey, what have i done?
 
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Just try creating a new catalog, and go to File > Import from Catalog and point it to that corrupted catalog. If it'll let you get to the dialog, just select one folder and import that, and repeat. You *may* be able to retrieve it. It's probably worth a shot.

Backup frequency - it's in the Catalog Settings dialog. Set it to back up maybe once a day, and then let TM back up those backups if you must. I'd just zip up all of your old ones so they don't confuse you further.

Try opening each of the other catalogs in the LR folder in turn (just double click) and zip up any that aren't current.
 
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Victoria, Hi, this is my first post on this forum... I have been more active in the Adobe LR user forum (and more of a "lurker" here)...

Rebecca/Becki has a thread going there (Adobe LR users' forum) too - you may want to take a look at it (in case recovering her "orig" catalog that seems to have been corrupted ain't gonna happen). As I understand it, her most recent editing (that needs to go to the printers) is in her seemingly corrupted catalog.

"Folks" are trying to help her in both forums, and the idea of recovering her latest edits/develop-steps is being currently discussed on the "other" forum (it seems she might have XMP files that may contain her latest edit/develop settings that may still be intact), but she needs to avoid further errors.

I hope I am helping and NOT adding more confusion! Here is the thread if you haven't already seen it:

http://www.adobeforums.com/webx?128@@.59b68''1

Cheers -JB
 
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Beki, JB has a good point with trying to keep it simple.
I too get easily confused/overwhelmed.
May I politely suggest sticking to one forum and working through solutions offered will ensure the most acceptable result.
Here we have "Guru's: who are acknowledged LR experts whereas on the U2U forum there can be anyone responding and you won't know how "qualified" they are.
Also may I suggest you strike up a relationship with one of us and sort it out by email or PM. Then report back with the result and how its was achieved. Someone in a time zone that works for your hours.

By the way welcome and I am sure you will get sorted and believe me these things always occur at the most inconvenient times!!:):)
If you are still alive - all is not lost!!:lol::lol:
 
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Hi JB, welcome!

Thanks for the info. I've had limited internet access the last few days, I haven't had chance to look at the U2U, so I really appreciate the update. I'll go have a read.

Geoff's hit the nail on the head - trying to follow advice from too many places does confuse matters, as something one person suggests can undo something someone else suggests... and it ends up more of a tangle than ever!
 
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Victoria Bampton said:
Hi JB, welcome!

Thanks for the info. I've had limited internet access the last few days, I haven't had chance to look at the U2U, so I really appreciate the update. I'll go have a read.

Geoff's hit the nail on the head - trying to follow advice from too many places does confuse matters, as something one person suggests can undo something someone else suggests... and it ends up more of a tangle than ever!
Click to expand...

I like to use a sledgehammer!!:cheesy::cheesy::cheesy::mrgreen::mrgreen::shock::shock:
 
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I greatly appreciate both LR forums... but "a bigger hammer" always comes in handy ;)

I wish Becki the best in recovering what she can from her hard work (I've been "digital imaging" for almost 12 years... and "the more I learn... the more I realize what I DON'T know!!! Learn something new every day.)..

Cheers to all

-JB
 
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