# Catalog and other setting locations.



## Speedracer (Mar 19, 2018)

Operating System: Win 7 x64
Exact Lightroom Version (Help menu > System Info):6.0

Hello all. As I mentioned in another plea for help, I am new to lightroom. I was testing the waters and my stamina with v 5.0. I am setting up a separate computer just for video 'stuff.' The hard drive that will contain all my pictures will be separate from the drive that contains the operating system and programs. 

I have read a number of horror stores about the improper placement or lost settings with regards to the directories and other storage parameters. The default for them are the c:\*********. Since I will be installing a new version on the new C: drive I was thinking of making any defaults regarding the storage, catalogs and other such items point to the picture drive itself eg. Drive Z. As it will be 3 TB it should have plenty of room to store whatever it needs, both current and for my foreseeable future. My thinking is if something should happen to my C: operating system drive and I have to reinstall, the only parameters that would be changed are the ones pointing to the Z drive. That would hopefully eliminate any problems. Additionally, my operating system drive is only 500gb and I would outgrow that at some point in time if used to store the pics. 

When I go to backup can I point it to an external hard drive?

Your thoughts please..and thank you!


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## Zenon (Mar 21, 2018)

You mentioned multiple catalogues. It is recommended to have only one as there is less of a chance of errors with future upgrades that may merge a new and old catalogue.

Yes. In Preferences - General Page you can't select the default Catalogue and point it to wherever it lives.


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## Johan Elzenga (Mar 21, 2018)

Speedracer said:


> When I go to backup can I point it to an external hard drive?


Yes, but this is a bit odd. You can't specify the location of the backup in the preferences, you have to do it when Lightroom asks you whether you want to make a catalog backup. It that dialog you'll have a button that you can click to change the location.


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## Speedracer (Mar 21, 2018)

Thank you all..


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