# Lost it all



## DAYMX5 (Jan 26, 2018)

My computer was doing a Windows 10 update and wiped out everything on my hard drive. I have the 9.99 lr & Ps. I have my photos and presets backed up. But where and how do I begin? Thanks for any help.


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## Linwood Ferguson (Jan 26, 2018)

That sounds horrible, but before you start fresh -- are you sure it's all gone?  There are tools that can help with some kinds of mistakes, including the windows recovery tools.  Did you really wipe it out, e.g. did a clean install?

Do you have Windows back up and running? 

Setting aside the issue of whether you had things other than Lightroom on the system, restoring Lightroom is not that difficult.  You install the programs just as new - download, install Adobe Creative Cloud, log in; it will show the programs you have licensed, click each to install.  Afterwards, restore your images and catalog (you did have it backed up right?), and put your presets back in the same location from which they were backed up.  Then just double click the catalog (.lrcat) and it should open and run.  You may need to adjust some global preference settings, but so long as you put things back in the same locations they were backed up from, everything out to pretty much work out of the box.


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## clee01l (Jan 26, 2018)

The most important component is the LR catalog file.  You need to recover all of your user data using a Restore operation of your Backup software. This will include you LR catalog file, your master image file copies and any preset and preference files that were included in the backup scheme. 
If you have to resort your LR app, you can reinstall that using the Adobe CC Application Manager (which you may need to also d/l and reinstall.)
Once you get LR installed and running, you can open the restored backup copy of the LR catalog file with it and if you put your images back in the same path that LR maintained in the catalog file, then all should be well.   If Images are missing, thence back here and let us know where you stand and we will help sort the rest out.


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## DAYMX5 (Jan 26, 2018)

I'm sure it is all gone. My nephew is an IT with a large firm. He said he doesn't know how but it's all gone, including the registry.

Right now, I have windows and that's it.

I was diligent about backing up my pictures but not as much with my catalog. It is about three months old (lesson learned) but hopefully that will get most.

Do I need to reimport all my photos or will double clicking on the catalog take care of that? Also, I never upgraded lr since the cc and classic version came out. Should I install classic?

Will I need to copy the catalog to lr or can I just click on the copy that I have?


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## clee01l (Jan 26, 2018)

The latest Catalog file that you have will contain references to all of your image files imported up to that point.  No need to reimport these. The first thing needed is to restore all of your image files and the folders that they were in so that when you do open your latest catalog file it will know where to look for the I'm ported images. Then once LR Catalog has no missing images, you can work on the images that are not in that catalog.Then if there are images that were imported  into the lost catalog, these can be imported using the sync folder process.  DON'T do any IMPORTING until LR Catalog has found all the images that are cataloged in it.


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## DAYMX5 (Jan 26, 2018)

What is the sync folder process? I am not familiar with that.

Do I need to put the catalog in a lr file or can I just double click on my back up file?

Thanks for the help


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## Roelof Moorlag (Jan 26, 2018)

DAYMX5 said:


> What is the sync folder process? I am not familiar with that.


In Lighroom you can rightclick on a toplevel folder (where images reside that are not in you catalog yet) and choose the option to synchronize. It will ad those missing images.
But as Cletus mentioned; don't do this until your catalog has found al the images that are catalogued in it (so, no questionmarks should be showed).



DAYMX5 said:


> Do I need to put the catalog in a lr file or can I just double click on my back up file?


Ferguson pointed this out: You can double click the lrcat file
When this file is zipped you have to uznip it first


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