# Lightroom can't open catalog on network drive?



## storaloppan (Sep 1, 2009)

I've got Lightroom 2.4 on 2 computers...my laptop running Vista and my desktop running xp. I'm lazy  and want to be able to edit catalogs that reside on my desktop using my laptop. I've got the drive on my desktop shared, but lightroom on my laptop still says it can't open it. Any ideas?

The specific error message I get is: 
Lightroom cannot launch with this catalog. It is either on a network volume or on a volume on which Lightroom cannnot save changes.


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## Conor Boyd (Sep 1, 2009)

IMHO, that's not really an error message.  
It's just stating the obvious for you. LR won't open catalogs on network drives, and that's what your shared drive/folder is.


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## clee01l (Sep 1, 2009)

[quote author=storaloppan link=topic=7692.msg52593#msg52593 date=1251768399]
I've got Lightroom 2.4 on 2 computers...my laptop running Vista and my desktop running xp. I'm lazy  and want to be able to edit catalogs that reside on my desktop using my laptop. I've got the drive on my desktop shared, but lightroom on my laptop still says it can't open it. Any ideas?

The specific error message I get is: 
Lightroom cannot launch with this catalog. It is either on a network volume or on a volume on which Lightroom cannnot save changes.
[/quote]As I have just recently discovered, this is a built-in limitation to LR. The only work around that I can figure our is to copy the .lrcat file to a locally attached drive (Even a USB) and update your catalog and when finished, copy this .lrcat back.  Another option would be to keep the one .lrcat on a thumbdrive and share the thumb drive between computers.


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## sizzlingbadger (Sep 1, 2009)

why not use remote desktop or VNC to control your PC from your laptop.


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## Denis Pagé (Sep 1, 2009)

Is your share on the laptop appearing like [pre]\\Desktop'sName\Sharename ?[/pre]If so, try assign an letter as R: to it. No guarantee it will work tough as I did not tested.

Otherwise on the laptop, you can give the command
[pre]SUBST \\Desktop'sName\Sharename R:[/pre]but you are then playing with fire! SEE HERE.

Your best and safest option: Catalog and images on external drive that you connect to the computer you want to work with. Make it appear with the same drive letter/name on both computers.


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## Denis Pagé (Sep 1, 2009)

[quote author=sizzlingbadger link=topic=7692.msg52597#msg52597 date=1251772498]
why not use remote desktop or VNC to control your PC from your laptop.
[/quote]
Because no remote control program will be able to make use of a color managed workflow. I.E.: You can't remotely profile a monitor. That is ok for keywording and such tough and you may wish to reduce the number of colors displayed to improve data transfer speed.


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## sizzlingbadger (Sep 1, 2009)

You calibrate your local monitor.


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## Denis Pagé (Sep 2, 2009)

[quote author=sizzlingbadger link=topic=7692.msg52661#msg52661 date=1251839195]
You calibrate your local monitor.
[/quote]
It won't work because the system at the other end will translate for its monitor and not the remote one.


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## sizzlingbadger (Sep 2, 2009)

Calibrate the local monitor with the calibration software running on the LR host. It works I have done it. (you just switch profiles depending on which machine you are using)


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