# Moving Catalog/installing Lightroom on new PC



## hollybolly (Apr 4, 2011)

EEK so excitingly the new computer and network is being installed tomorrow - can't wait to be super speedy again. 

The Majority of my files are on external hard drives so I should not have to move many photos. but the big question...

HOW do I move my current catalog to the new PC...without losing it?!  :hm:

And how do I go about getting all my different bits in Lightroom on the different drives when I come to instal the software on the new pc.

Finally (sorry for all the Qs) I plan to upgrade to Lightroom 3 is this best done before I add the new catalog to the new pc or after or does it not really matter?

Thank you gurus!


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## Jim Wilde (Apr 4, 2011)

Start by having a read of this:

http://www.lightroomqueen.com/blog/2009/02/28/how-do-i-move-lightroom-to-a-new-computer/


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## hollybolly (Apr 4, 2011)

TNG said:


> Start by having a read of this:
> 
> http://www.lightroomqueen.com/blog/2009/02/28/how-do-i-move-lightroom-to-a-new-computer/


 

Perfect - thanks!


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## Jim Wilde (Apr 4, 2011)

Don't thank me, thank Victoria! :hail:

Re the question about upgrading before or after, either way you are going to have to do two installations: either LR3 on current and new PCs, or LR2 and LR3 on the new. On balance I'd go with doing the upgrade AFTER the move to a new PC (gives you the option to run either version after the move just in case...).


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## hollybolly (Apr 4, 2011)

OK so I am reading the sintructions and all it says is find the catalog andcopy it across.....but how?
I have 5 things in the location I am directed to: Backups, Download backups,Lightroom 2 catalog previews, Lightroom 2 catalog (presuming this is the one) and Lightreoom catalog.lrcat.lock

So are we presuming that the computers will be networked and so can I drag it across.  Sorry I know I am thick but I know I've got to copy it across I just don't know how.

Or do I copy it to an external drive and then plug that into the new computer?  And if so is it just one file or all of the above?

Thanks - off back to the Queens blog to see if I can suss putting the different bits on different drives!


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## hollybolly (Apr 4, 2011)

Hmm struggling to find instructions on the blog for installing the different elements of lightroom on the 4 different drives...can anyone please help? Thanks


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## Jim Wilde (Apr 4, 2011)

Moving the catalog will basically have to be done the same as moving the pictures.....you have to find a way of copying them from one PC to the other. An external drive is a good way to go as long as it is big enough to hold all the data. From the catalog folder you need to copy the Backups folder, the .lrdata previews folder, and the Lightroom 3 Catalog.lrcat. The .lock file is a temporary file which is deleted by Lightroom when it is closed, so no need to worry about that. I don't know what the "Download Backups" refers to, this is not something I'm familiar with. Copy it if you're not sure. *However, before copying the catalog, make sure that the full folder hierarchy is showing in the Folders Panel*. If you are in doubt about this can you post a screenshot of your picture folder hierarchy in Explorer and a screenshot of the Folders Panel in Lightroom and I'll check it to make sure.

Then copy your pictures folders to the external, making sure to maintain the existing folder hierarchy.

When you have your new PC setup and running, spend a little time checking things out and installing your applications such as LR2 and further instructions will follow regarding setting up the configuration the way I think you want it.


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## b_gossweiler (Apr 4, 2011)

OK, let's go thru this piece by piece:

*0) General Info*


I assume your old and new computer are both Win7.
When I refer to copying data from the old to the new PC, you can either use a  network connection (if one exists), or copy the data to an external  drive / USB stick and then from there to the new computer.
Always use the same directories as from/to on the old/new computer.

*1) Install Lightroom Application*
Install LR2.7 on your new compter.

*2) Assign a Drive Letter to your External HD*
Attach the external drive to your new PC, and assign it the same drive letter as it used to have on your old PC. You can do this in computer mangement console, Disk Management, see here). 

*3) Copy your Catalog*
In the catalog folder, you have 3 different files/folders:


The *File *"Lightroom 2 catalog":
Your catalog database file
The _*Folder *_"Lightroom 2 catalog Previews":
The Previews belonging to your catalog
The _*Folder *_"Backups":
The Backups you performed of your catalog so far
What you absolutely need to copy to your new PC is the File *File *"Lightroom 2 catalog".

The other 2 folders are optional, but I would recommend copying them also. If you don't copy the "Lightroom 2 catalog Previews" folder, LR will create new previews when you start LR with the new catalog, which will take some time (depending on the number of images in your catalog). If you don't copy the "Backups" folder, you won't have your backups available on the new PC when needed.

Don't copy any files ending in *.lock, they should only be there when LR is running anyway.

*4) Copy your Presets/Preferences*
Copy the entire content of the folder 
C:\Users\[_username_]\AppData\Roaming\Adobe\Lightroom
from the old to the new computer (overwrite what's there or rename the entire "Lightroom" folder first to Lightroom.Original.

*5) Copy your PlugIns*
If you have any PlugIns installed (you should know where), copy the PlugIn folders from the old to the new computer.

*6) Start LR*
Start LR on your new computer, and you should be all set.



hollybolly said:


> Hmm struggling to find instructions on the blog  for installing the different elements of lightroom on the 4 different  drives...can anyone please help? Thanks


 Tell us a little more about what you mean by "4 different drives" and what you want to achieve.

Beat


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## Jim Wilde (Apr 4, 2011)

Beat, I have been discussing the configuration with Holly of her new PC and as a result she has ordered a setup similar to my own with 4 internal hard drives. The intention is to use one for OS and Programs, one for Catalogs/Previews, one for ACR Cache and the final (large) one for her photos (so getting the external drive letter the same on the two PCs is actually not needed, though having the Parent Folder showing is important so that we can update the folder location when all is setup).

I was going to provide instructions to her for setting up the configuration when the transfer to the new PC was complete.


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## b_gossweiler (Apr 4, 2011)

Sorry for the interference, as this was not obvious from what's written in this thread.

Beat


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## hollybolly (Apr 4, 2011)

b_gossweiler said:


> OK, let's go thru this piece by piece:


 LIKING the sound of that! :hail:

*0) General Info*





b_gossweiler said:


> [*]I assume your old and new computer are both Win7.



Nope - sorry - one of the reasons for the new pc - old one is vista ultimate 64bit - new one win 7 64 bit...on that basis won't answer any other questions but will skip to.....



b_gossweiler said:


> Tell us a little more about what you mean by "4 different drives" and what you want to achieve.



Advice here was that lightroom functioned best if the 4 different elements were on different drives - hence I have 1 2 tb drive for my pics. and 3 other 1tb drives for things like OS, RAW cache, catalog - would have to refer to previous posts if that does not make sense? 

Does that make sense?  Will it make a difference that I am going from one OS to another?

thanks hugely for your help


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## b_gossweiler (Apr 4, 2011)

Holly, I'll leave Jim to lead you thru here, as too many oppinions won't make the result any better 

Beat


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## Jim Wilde (Apr 5, 2011)

Holly, suggest you concentrate on doing the transfer following Beat's detailed instructions, apart from point 2 (no need to worry about the assigned letter for the external drive as you will be copying the data from that to the 2tb drive). However on first startup your pictures will all be reported as 'missing' until we relink the top level folder to the new drive....just post back when you are at that point and we can deal with the issues then.

When copying the catalog/previews/backups to your new PC, decide which drive you want to use for the catalogs and create a folder called something like "My Lightroom 2 Catalogs" and then copy all the stuff into that. Later when you upgrade to LR3 we'll create a new folder called something like "My Lightroom 3 Catalogs"...


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## hollybolly (Apr 5, 2011)

ARGH the pressure!!!

Quick question - i have photos on 4 external hard drives at the moment - only one of which is phycially linked to my computer - I'm not planning on putting many of these photos on the 2tb drive - just thought I would use them as they are.

In order to do a full and complete backup do I need all hard drives plugged in at the same time?  I am presuming not but I don't want it not to back up the database changes if the drives are not plugged in.

I also have loads of folders - 3 for each wedding or portrait sitting (Raws, Hi res Jp and Low res jp) and these are not in any specific folder themselves, so I have added a a parent folder which is just L - I presume this will be fine for linking everything up later??
Thanks

PS I'm Ruth - hollybolly is just a Christmassy/champagne based username!! lol


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## Jim Wilde (Apr 5, 2011)

Ruth, 

If all your pictures are on external drives there's really no need to do any copying of them at all....we can connect them to the new computer and relink them to Lightroom. What IS important is that you copy the catalog/preview files AND any picture folders that are on an internal drive of the old computer.

Adding a parent folder is fine, but that has to be done as well within the Lightroom Folders Panel....the Folders Panel has to be able to link to the exact same physical folder structure on your hard drive(s).

Perhaps you could post a screenshot of the Folders Panel and I can then advise which drives/folders I think you need to copy.


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## hollybolly (Apr 5, 2011)

Hi Jim

Dump attached! Yes they are all on external drives - there are a few pics on my C drive but they are not important as they are generally low res photos for facebook/blog etc - the originals are all on drives.

So it is just the catalog I need to back up - so I am going to drag all of those files onto an external hard drive and pary it all goes safely from there as I have a client viewing tonight!

Think I might get their photos uploaded onto my laptop just in case it all goes belly up!

Thanks 
Ruth


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## Jim Wilde (Apr 5, 2011)

Ruth, nothing attached! Can you try again?


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## hollybolly (Apr 5, 2011)

Hmmmmmmm oh maybe you can't attach word docs...?


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## Jim Wilde (Apr 5, 2011)

A Word document? Are you trying to save a screenshot into a word doc?

Much easier to use the Snipping Tool (you'll find it in the Accessories folder), which works like a crop tool to create a shot of a portion of the screen which you can then save as a JPG or a PNG for inserting into your post.


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## hollybolly (Apr 5, 2011)

You clearly have not yet gathered that you are talking to the technically challenged! 
I am currently saving my preview files to external hard drive which is taking the best part of 2 hours - is it ok to go into lightroom whilst this is going on?


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## Jim Wilde (Apr 5, 2011)

Probably not a great idea....as Beat said, copying the previews is optional as you can always recreate them on the new PC....yes it will take a long while, but you could at least do it at your leisure.

Re going into Lightroom.....if on your old PC then any changes you make will invalidate the catalog backup (if you've taken it already). The copy of the catalog to the external drive should be the last thing you do on the old PC before you switch to the new....


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## hollybolly (Apr 5, 2011)

OK well I have coppeid the catalog and the previews to my hard drive - that's right isn't it?
Here are my snipped dumps - loving that tool!


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## Jim Wilde (Apr 5, 2011)

Thanks, but probably not quite wanted I wanted to see....I was just hoping to see all the drives and the top level folder that is showing on each....I don't need to see all the many sub-folders (I'm just trying to gauge how easy it will be to relink the drives afterwards).

Re the stuff on the C drive, it would be no problem to copy the 'Ruth' folder to an external drive and we can get them relinked to the catalog after the move.


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## hollybolly (Apr 5, 2011)

sorry - this better...?

In my lightroom folder I have backups which I have backed up on the external drive and Download Backups which is a huge 100GB folder - do I need to back this one up?


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## hollybolly (Apr 5, 2011)

Also - Looking for the presets/preferences folder.  Beat says C:Users/Ruth/Appdata/Roaming/Adobe/Lightroom
I don't have an Appdata within Ruth - I have an appdata outside of Ruth but no roaming within that.

Sorry about all the questions and thank you


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## hollybolly (Apr 4, 2011)

EEK so excitingly the new computer and network is being installed tomorrow - can't wait to be super speedy again. 

The Majority of my files are on external hard drives so I should not have to move many photos. but the big question...

HOW do I move my current catalog to the new PC...without losing it?!  :hm:

And how do I go about getting all my different bits in Lightroom on the different drives when I come to instal the software on the new pc.

Finally (sorry for all the Qs) I plan to upgrade to Lightroom 3 is this best done before I add the new catalog to the new pc or after or does it not really matter?

Thank you gurus!


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## Jim Wilde (Apr 5, 2011)

Thats great, thanks. Just to confirm then, you have 3 external drives (I, L and M) but at the moment only M is connected, yes? Bit puzzled by the I drive....is it really a CD drive or a proper external drive?

Re the 'Download Backups', I have no idea what that folder is....do you? Perhaps open the folder in Explorer and take a screenshot?


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## Jim Wilde (Apr 5, 2011)

hollybolly said:


> Also - Looking for the presets/preferences folder.  Beat says C:Users/Ruth/Appdata/Roaming/Adobe/Lightroom
> I don't have an Appdata within Ruth - I have an appdata outside of Ruth but no roaming within that.
> 
> Sorry about all the questions and thank you


 
Ruth, open Explorer and select Tools>Folder Options>View tab and check the option (about 8 down) which says "Show hidden files, folders and drives"....then try opening the Ruth user folder again.


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## hollybolly (Apr 5, 2011)

TNG said:


> Ruth, open Explorer and select Tools>Folder Options>View tab and check the option (about 8 down) which says "Show hidden files, folders and drives"....then try opening the Ruth user folder again.


I'm not having much luck here - maybe cos I am still on vista - but I can't even see tools in explorer!!


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## Jim Wilde (Apr 5, 2011)

Click the down arrow to the right of Organize and choose 'Folder and search options' then the View tab....


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## hollybolly (Apr 5, 2011)

got it sorted!


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## hollybolly (Apr 5, 2011)

OK here we are on the new computer...any advice before I begin the install of lightroom - is it going to be self explanatory as to how I split everything onto the different drives? 
Thanks


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## Jim Wilde (Apr 5, 2011)

Presuming you now have your C drive containing the Operating system and Programs and User Profiles etc., then when you install Lightroom the actual program will be installed on the C drive. Then follow Beat's instructions number 4 and 5 to get all your presets etc. brought over.

When you copy your catalog/previews/backups folder, you can decide yourself where to place them, i.e. if you're going with the full separation then decide which of the remaining 2 x 1tb drives you want to use. As I said earlier, simply create a master folder on that drive called something like "My Lightroom 2 Catalogs" then copy everything into that folder.

The remaining 1tb drive is for the ACR cache, so for now simply create a folder on that drive called something like "LR2 Cache" and we'll switch the cache to use this drive later on.

Finally you have to decide how many of your pictures you are going to move to the 2tb drive. You can either do this before you install Lightroom, or you can simply connect all the external drives, start Lightroom, and move stuff around using the folders panel. Before you decide, think about how many of the pictures you want on an internal drive, and how you would want to see them organised.


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## hollybolly (Apr 5, 2011)

OK so I have lightroom on my spangly new pc and how quick is it?! Amazing!  I've been giggling all night at the speed of it!

The file syncing though it not going to plan.  I think the main problem arises from the fact that whereas my external hard drives are labelled I J and M unfortunately my internal drives take up those letters and I cannot find a way to change them so that I can change the externals to the appropriate letters.  I have successfully synced a few files but it will be tine consuming doing that with all of them...

Any thoughts?
thanks as ever


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## b_gossweiler (Apr 5, 2011)

Ruth,

I suggest you wait for Jim to lead you through this, as it is important not to mess up. And, DON'T RE-IMPORT !!

Beat


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## Jim Wilde (Apr 5, 2011)

Ruth,

There are two ways we could do this. I could try to talk you through what needs to be done, or you could allow me to have remote access to your PC to effect the relinking for you....it is entirely your choice which way you would prefer to deal with this. I am happy to provide instructions for you, though this will likely involve a little to-ing and fro-ing with screenshots, whereas using the remote access is likely to be somewhat quicker. Just have a think about this and let me know.

For now though, I'd rather you didn't do anything else to try to fix the problem yourself unless you are sure about the details....trying to second-guess Lightroom can have undesirable consequences!


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## hollybolly (Apr 5, 2011)

Crikey Jim - that is an incredibly kind offer!  You have given me so much advice already - are you really really sure you have the time?  I would of course be more than happy to allow you access, if you feel you have the time, but I would feel incredibly guilty.  I uploaded lightroom and was determined to sort it out myself!  And if I do it folder by folder I am definitely getting there, but I am sure there is a quicker solution and if you were kind enough to help I have no idea what I could do to say thanks! 

I do know not to reimport - you guys have taught me that much!!!! 

Lol I was presuming we were all on different times here but I see you are just in England (my husband comes from Seaford in East Sussex!).  If you felt you were able to help an have the time I would be most grateful.  I currently have no anti virus software (silly girl off to sort that out now! always used Norton - though I hear a lot of good about McAfee - any preferences?)- would that make a difference for remote access or would you have to disable it anyway?
Thanks
Ruth


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## Jim Wilde (Apr 6, 2011)

I have the time, but probably not this evening...tomorrow (preferably AM) would be better if that is OK with you.

I'll send you a PM in the morning with the details of what would be involved and we can take it from there. Your AV software shouldn't be an issue...


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## sizzlingbadger (Apr 6, 2011)

I would recommend you get the AV software installed and working pretty quickly though.


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## cdninva (Apr 7, 2011)

I thought this wouldn't be the worst place to ask this question: is Holly Bolly RAIDing her library and data drives?  If not, why not?  (Is it worth it, either for the speed increase of Raid 0 or back-up mirror of Raid 1?)

And BTW, how come HollyBolly gets all the attention and no one chimed in three months ago when I was trying to figure out how to build my system?  Good grief, Intel's fixed Sandy Bridge since then!

- Chris


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## Victoria Bampton (Apr 7, 2011)

Aaaaaw, Chris, sorry you're feeling left out.  If your thread ever gets missed, post on it again to bump it after a day or two.  There's a lot of new posts each day and they quickly slip down the list unless there are new posts, and HollyBolly posted back regularly so her thread kept getting bumped.  Looking back at your old thread, you mentioned that you were building a Hackintosh?  I would guess that no one here has built a Hackintosh and therefore no one felt qualified to make recommendations.  How did you get on in the end?

RAID isn't for everyone as it takes a bit more techie knowledge.  I RAID 0 my image data drives for speed, although my catalog is off on another drive, and everything is backed up to externals.


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## cdninva (Apr 7, 2011)

Missed?  325 people looked in two days and left!  And "Hackintosh" was in jest - I'm just trying to get as close from the "budget" PC end (say, $1,100 USD) to whatever Koslowski and all his buddies are using.  The Queen was the only one who answered.  

Queens have the gold.  So my guess is your personal system has:

1) HD for (O/S + Apps)
2) SSD for Cache
3) HD for (Catalog + Previews)
4 + 5) HDs for Images in Raid 0

All the HDs are Velociraptors, and you have a Mac using Mirror backing up 4 and 5 as well as 3 (else what is backing up your Catalog?) automatically to your externals.  My budget is set lower, so I was hoping people would chime in on what's most important.  I'm set with an i5-2500K and 8 GB RAM to start; the disk questions are what's really holding up my build at this point.

God Save the Queen - Chris

P.S. Kindly tell your friends in high places that they've really blown it.  It's bad enough Adobe seriously low-balled the minimum software specs, which pretty much everyone does anyway.  But I've seen nary an Adobe authority give us any clue what their Mac/PC is built like.  I understand trying to make DxO and separate noise software optional takes a lot.  But the people who wrote the program and teach it professionally should understand its requirements for various functions best.  Instead, users on forums everywhere are left like lost sheep to figure it out for ourselves, and that's pretty lame.


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## Victoria Bampton (Apr 7, 2011)

325 people may have looked, but that doesn't mean they're qualified to answer.  Those who may have been qualified may have missed it.  If I read a post but don't have time to answer there and then, I sometimes forget about it.  Life happens - if your thread doesn't get a reply, just bump it.  

Anyway, my system:
1. 120gb SSD for OS/Apps - love the fast boot times
2 + 3. 2x2tb Western Digital Caviar Black (although the Hitachi Deskstar 7K2000 in my backup machine is nearly as fast) - for photos
3.  120gb SSD for catalog, previews + ACR cache
Externals back up that whole lot overnight.

Lower budget - HD for OS/Apps, big RAID 0 with fast drives (i.e. those 2tb's) for everything else, play with locations a little bit if you want to eek a little more out of it.  Most people aren't going to care about split second loading time.  If there's a bit more cash available for a 4th drive, I'd split catalog/previews/cache from the main raw data personally.  SSD's are nice but not a huge difference.

As far as Adobe goes, there are 'unofficial' posts from guys like Jeff Schewe.  Adobe themselves would likely end up in all sorts of legal problems if they started advertising specific specs, but I do agree it would be useful if they were able to publish more specific guidelines on what to look for.  Could I suggest you post that request (nicely ) on the new Official Feature Request/Bug Report Forum - the team are watching there pretty carefully at the moment and if enough people agree, they may be able to come up with something.


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## Mark Sirota (Apr 8, 2011)

I don't know whether I'm in a high place, but just in case...

I use a variety of systems, but most commonly I work on my laptop -- a 17" Macbook Pro that's coming up on two years old.  2.8 GHz Core 2 Duo, 8 GB memory, 500 GB 7200 rpm internal disk.


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## cdninva (Apr 8, 2011)

*Life Happens*

Yes, Ms. Bampton, and life is also like a cherry blossom bloom: brief.  I realize there isn't one right answer here, but thank you so much, as this gives me something "official" to go by, from someone who's clearly not a hobbyist, but isn't limiting their answers to the most costly hardware either.  

I took your suggestion and posted my thoughts to photoshop.com.  When a CAD person builds their system, they have vendor hardware certifications to guide them.  I don't think that's quite necessary here, but Adobe really should go beyond giving simple minimal specs and leaving the rest of us to wallow.  The program's evolving depth and complexity totally justifies it.

- Chris in USA :hail:  (Is he bowing or smacking his head in agony?  Both!)


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## hollybolly (Apr 9, 2011)

cdninva said:


> is Holly Bolly RAIDing her library and data drives?  If not, why not?


No idea - am I? I have a nas with 2 drives that mirror each other and a daily back up set up - should I be raiding them?!?!?



cdninva said:


> And BTW, how come HollyBolly gets all the attention and no one chimed in three months ago when I was trying to figure out how to build my system? [?QUOTE]
> 
> Holly bolly is VERY persistent and was VERY Desperate!  Hope you got your system sorted Chris - I don't even know what a Hackintosh is - are you trying to build your own Mac? who knows!  and what's Sandy Bridge?
> Cheers
> Ruth


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## cdninva (Apr 10, 2011)

*Life Happens*

I'm the silent genius talking over people's heads here - yeah, right.

I've queried other forums (similar byline, too) and got a variety of answers from photographers, gamers, and who knows what, even if it was from just a fraction of who saw the post.  'Wasn't sure what to believe, but at least I got answers and thanked them.

I've seen that who want to help offer it - doesn't take two or ten times; if they need clarification on what you're after, they ask you.

This forum reminds me of the local photo-club in town: big bucks and big attitudes, but really little interest in newcomers not at their "level."  It's sad, because they're very technically capable and talented, and I could learn a lot if I wanted to hang out at the fringes while they enjoyed talking to themselves.  Needless to say, I stopped going.

Please take me off your forum registry.


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## Victoria Bampton (Apr 10, 2011)

Sorry to hear you feel that way Chris.  We'll still be here if you ever want to try again in future.  In the meantime, I'll do as you've requested and remove your registration.


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## hollybolly (Apr 10, 2011)

OMG!! :shock: What have I started!!  Well well my big attitude friends :hm:- I would like to thank you for having little interest in my newcomer status even though I am not at your leve...but still helping me in your spare and precious timel!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!    :hail::hail:

Can we set polls on this forum - would be fascinated to know who you all think had the biggest attitude on this thread!!!! 
:crazy:


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