Re-install 6.14

[jacksonmacd]

Lightroom Version Number

6.14

Operating System

1. Windows 10

I've been having some strange problems with LR 6.13 hanging on occasion and perpetually running slower than it has in the past. I've tried all the usual tips for speeding up the software, but without success. LRQueen suggested to me in a private email that re-installing the software may resolve the issues, but I'm kinda nervous about doing that. Are there any gotcha's that I should be aware of before proceeding down that path? I will download the 6.14 version to replace the 6.13 on my computer. It's running Windows 10. Catalog and photos are on an SSD.

A separate, but related question: I always use just one catalog that currently contains about 70,000 photos. As an experiment, I replicated my latest import of about 400 NEF files from my Nikon D7500 into a brand-new catalog on the same hard disk. It seemed to run more smoothly than my normal catalog. For example, using the Compare command would launch virtually instantly in the new catalog versus 3-4 seconds in the original catalog. Similarly, the Crop command from the keyboard was much more responsive. The whole thing felt snappier, but I thought that LR should be able to handle a catalog of 70,000 photos without breaking a sweat. It sure felt like the catalog itself was dragging down the performance. Any advice about tweaking the catalog besides the normal Optimize command?

 

[LRList001]

While you can reinstall, first you might want to just apply the 6.14 patch.

Later, you might want to try trashing the preferences. Instead of deleting it, rename it. LR will create new preferences. If that makes a worthwhile difference then you will need to re setup your preferences. if it makes no difference, delete the new (default) preferences and rename the old one back again.
I can't comment on the speed differences, possibly the contents of the cache are relevant.