# How Reinstall Lightroom And Retain Existing Catalogs?



## TomBrooklyn (Aug 21, 2011)

LR 3
Windows XP



How does one reinstall Lightroom and retain their existing catalogs?


My  LR is acting weird lately.    I'm pretty sure the program files are  corrupted somehow.       I'd like to reinstall it, but I don't want to  loss the many thousands of photos I have already set up in it.


----------



## clee01l (Aug 21, 2011)

First make sure you have a current up-to-date backup copy of your catalog. 
If you want to uninstall LR and install a fresh copy, you can do that, but it is probably not necessary.  
Just download and install the latest version (3.4.1) from the adobe site.

Several things to consider. 

Unless you rename it, the new instance of LR will probably use your existing preference file.
If you rename it LR will create a fresh preference file on start up.
You may also find the wonky behavior with your existing LR install to resolve itself if you rename the preferences file and let LR regenerate an new one.

The new LR install may automatically open the existing master catalog.  If it does not, just click on {File}{Open Catalog} and navigate to the existing master catalog.
If in the unlikely event that the LR install manages to mangle your existing catalog, you have your backup catalog to fall back on

Note that the master image files remain untouched and always stay in their original location.

To cure your catalog "Wonkiness' I would first do the following  before taking the big leap into a new LR install:
Optimize the existing catalog {File}{Optimize Catalog...}
Rename and recreate the existing LR preferences file (Lightroom 3 Preferences.agprefs)
By doing one or both of these steps, the catalog performance should resolve.  If it does not, then you might proceed to re-installing LR.


----------

