# unable to back up



## greg_1 (Mar 17, 2020)

I'm getting the following message when I try to backup Lightroom to anywhere other than the Lightroom folder on the C drive (which of course doesn't make sense):

        Lightroom was unable to back up the catalog named (XYZ) - Please check your folder permissions and make sure you have enough space on your main catalog's drive and backup drive.

I have plenty of space everywhere and plenty of permission.   It will back up to the (default) C drive but nowhere else.  What's up?

Thanks!


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## Johan Elzenga (Mar 17, 2020)

greg_1 said:


> I have plenty of space everywhere and plenty of permission. It will back up to the (default) C drive but nowhere else. What's up?


Apparently you do not have 'plenty of permission', otherwise you would not get that message. When the catalog backup dialog comes up, check the destination of the backup. Lightroom does not have permission to write to the root of your C: drive, for example. Change the destination by clicking the 'Choose' button.


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## contactme (Mar 17, 2020)

Can you enable the writing to the C: drive somehow?


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## clee01l (Mar 17, 2020)

contactme said:


> Can you enable the writing to the C: drive somehow?


You don't want to do that.  Malware  that can Access the root directory can damage your system beyond repair.  Pick a folder in your user folder or on an EHD and give LR permission to that folder.  

Because of malware OS have developed a concept of "Sandboxing" users to prevent malware attacks on the system.  You can do most anything in your "sandbox" without  damage to other users or the system account.


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## greg_1 (Mar 18, 2020)

Actually, the Lightroom folder on the C drive is the place it INSISTS on writing to.  The error message quoted happens when I try to direct it to an external hard drive (where I've previously been writing backups).  I've normally written to this particular EHD, but a few backups ago it switched, without my noticing, to the LR folder on the C drive.  It was when I went to back up my LR backups folder (on the EHD) that I found it empty of any recent backups.  Went looking and found them on the C drive.  Any ideas?


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## clee01l (Mar 18, 2020)

greg_1 said:


> Actually, the Lightroom folder on the C drive is the place it INSISTS on writing to. The error message quoted happens when I try to direct it to an external hard drive (where I've previously been writing backups). I've normally written to this particular EHD, but a few backups ago it switched, without my noticing, to the LR folder on the C drive. It was when I went to back up my LR backups folder (on the EHD) that I found it empty of any recent backups. Went looking and found them on the C drive. Any ideas?



When you exit LR and the Backup process starts, you can designate the EHD as the Backup drive. After that , LR will remember the destination. If that Backup drive disappears (i.e. F: is no longer mounted as F:, LR will revert to the C drive pictures folder that it knows is existing.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


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## PhilBurton (Mar 18, 2020)

clee01l said:


> When you exit LR and the Backup process starts, you can designate the EHD as the Backup drive. After that , LR will remember the destination. If that Backup drive disappears (i.e. F: is no longer mounted as F:, LR will revert to the C drive pictures folder that it knows is existing.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


It is annoying (to me) that you can't set the backup drive location and folder until you actually do a backup.  It is not consistent with the way that other Lightroom options are configured.

Cletus is right.  If you back up to an EHD, and that drive is not plugged in, Lightroom will revert to drive C.

Phil


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## Victoria Bampton (Mar 18, 2020)

PhilBurton said:


> It is annoying (to me) that you can't set the backup drive location and folder until you actually do a backup.


I believe it's so you can change it on the fly, although I do agree you should be able to set it in Catalog Settings too.


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## clee01l (Mar 18, 2020)

Victoria Bampton said:


> I believe it's so you can change it on the fly, although I do agree you should be able to set it in Catalog Settings too.


If the setting were moved to the Preferences/Catalog preferences. it would be convenient for every case.   I want to set my backup destination Once, someplace not in the primary drive and never have to move it again.  Something like "Storing presets with this catalog". My preference for the location of backup catalogs should be found in "Preferences"


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## PhilBurton (Mar 19, 2020)

clee01l said:


> If the setting were moved to the Preferences/Catalog preferences. it would be convenient for every case.   I want to set my backup destination Once, someplace not in the primary drive and never have to move it again.  Something like "Storing presets with this catalog". My preference for the location of backup catalogs should be found in "Preferences"


Or, have this setting be both global, for all catalogs, and an override setting for a specific catalog.


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## Victoria Bampton (Mar 20, 2020)

Put in a feature request, I'll vote on it


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## clee01l (Mar 20, 2020)

Done 

https://feedback.photoshop.com/phot...d-in-some-exit-dialog?rfm=1&topic_submit=true
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## Victoria Bampton (Mar 20, 2020)

Er, Clee.... that's the user to user forum. Try here: https://feedback.photoshop.com


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## clee01l (Mar 20, 2020)

Victoria Bampton said:


> Er, Clee.... that's the user to user forum. Try here: https://feedback.photoshop.com



Oops! Try this link: https://feedback.photoshop.com/phot...d-in-some-exit-dialog?rfm=1&topic_submit=true


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## greg_1 (Mar 23, 2020)

clee01l said:


> When you exit LR and the Backup process starts, you can designate the EHD as the Backup drive. After that , LR will remember the destination. If that Backup drive disappears (i.e. F: is no longer mounted as F:, LR will revert to the C drive pictures folder that it knows is existing.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


Sorry I've been away for a few days, just been busy....  BUT - I understand this is is how it should work.  I've been backing up LR for a number of years.  I know how it's supposed to work.  The designated backup hard drive is connected and has plenty of space, and any other application can acess it.  And LR is happy to write a second copies of photos on import to it as I've directed it to.  _It just won't write the backup._


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## PhilBurton (Mar 23, 2020)

greg_1 said:


> Sorry I've been away for a few days, just been busy....  BUT - I understand this is is how it should work.  I've been backing up LR for a number of years.  I know how it's supposed to work.  The designated backup hard drive is connected and has plenty of space, and any other application can acess it.  And LR is happy to write a second copies of photos on import to it as I've directed it to.  _It just won't write the backup._


This may be something you have already tried.  Outside of Lightroom, using Windows Explorer, can you copy to your backup location some random file or files that are about the same size as a ZIP file of a recent backup?


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## Victoria Bampton (Mar 24, 2020)

You may have already tried this, but have you tried changing the backup location, running a backup, then changing it back? That used to fix a similar issue a few years ago.


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## greg_1 (Mar 25, 2020)

PhilBurton said:


> This may be something you have already tried.  Outside of Lightroom, using Windows Explorer, can you copy to your backup location some random file or files that are about the same size as a ZIP file of a recent backup?


I have - that worked with no problem.  What does this tell me?


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## greg_1 (Mar 25, 2020)

Victoria Bampton said:


> You may have already tried this, but have you tried changing the backup location, running a backup, then changing it back? That used to fix a similar issue a few years ago.


That worked!!  I wonder why??  Thanks!


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## greg_1 (Mar 28, 2020)

Victoria Bampton said:


> You may have already tried this, but have you tried changing the backup location, running a backup, then changing it back? That used to fix a similar issue a few years ago.


Well, it worked once.  The next time I went to back up, I got the same problem.  Not very practical to have to go through that routine every time.  I would conclude there's a problem with that external hard drive, but it works fine for everything else.  Guess I'll just have to let it back up wherever it wants, then move the backup to the drive I want it on.  Once again, Adobe 1 - Greg 0   :(


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## Victoria Bampton (Mar 28, 2020)

I haven't heard of that issue in years. It might be that something about the file path is changing. Usually just doing it once was enough.


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