calibre library problems

[HarryT]

How did your library get into this state? That might give us an idea how to fix it.

[theducks]

Originally Posted by HarryT

How did your library get into this state? That might give us an idea how to fix it.

HOW?

Found it in EPUB form
Are you still messing below the skirts?
The check should have flagged Extra Formats (Record but no KNOWN formats)
Empty books are legal. Empty books are only supposed to have metadata.opf in the folder

[normanstein]

I wish I knew how it got into this state but I can't remember the events other than that at some point a huge number of folders that should have been in the Calibre Library appeared on the desktop (I'm using Win 10) and that's when I came to this forum asking for help.

In answer to the ducks question, no I'm not messing around any more, just following orders. And as far as I know the check didn't flag extra formats, but it's possible I missed that.

[theducks]

Originally Posted by normanstein

I wish I knew how it got into this state but I can't remember the events other than that at some point a huge number of folders that should have been in the Calibre Library appeared on the desktop (I'm using Win 10) and that's when I came to this forum asking for help.

In answer to the ducks question, no I'm not messing around any more, just following orders. And as far as I know the check didn't flag extra formats, but it's possible I missed that.

Norman
This thread is a perfect example of single fragmentation.

In the future: Please continue on the original thread until it is fully solved or ruled no further solution


Make ABSOLUTLY sure that the Calibre Library folder is NOT connected to OneDrive while the library is in use (by the Calibre GUI or CLI). AFAIK you can have the standalone content server running

[HarryT]

Provided that you haven't made a lot of changes to your calibre library since the last time you backed it up, the simplest solution might be to just replace the entire library with your most recent backup.

[BetterRed]

Originally Posted by theducks

Norman
This thread is a perfect example of single fragmentation.

In the future: Please continue on the original thread until it is fully solved or ruled no further solution

Moderator Notice
Threads Merged

Norman I also adjusted the thread title

Assuming you don't have a recent backup to as HarryT suggests -- then I still think the best (KISS) thing to do would be to create a fresh library and add the books from the existing library folders.

BR

[normanstein]

Apologies for the fragmentation. I thought since I had incorrectly declared the problem solved it would be more appropriate to start a new thread.

I don't want to be a pest but I also don't want to screw up further and I'm a bit confused about what advice you're now giving me for the next step. I have a backup of the Calibre Library on another disc that was made on July 6.

Please advise me.

Thanks

Norman

[HarryT]

If you have a backup you could copy the library folder from the backup to a new folder on your hard disk, and then point Calibre at the library in that location.

[BetterRed]

Originally Posted by HarryT

If you have a backup you could copy the library folder from the backup to a new folder on your hard disk, and then point Calibre at the library in that location.

@normanstein - no worries about the extra thread, your motivation was sound. We don't often close threads nor do we mark them as Solved. It only takes a mod two shakes of a lambs tail to merge a couple of threads.

Reviewing the thread I suggest you inadvertently moved the contents of your library to the desktop with a mouse drag and drop. We get quite a few instances of "Calibre/Windows lost/ate my library/books" almost invariably they can be traced back to a file manager mouse drag drop operation on the wrong thing to the wrong place.

If you keep your library in %USERPROFILE%\Documents then I would suggest you move it out of there. Unfortunately the Documents folder has become a dumping ground for any and every thing, as such it needs to be 'fine grain managed'. I keep very little in it, certainly nothing I don't want to lose.

As I posted earlier I keep all Calibre related 'stuff' - libraries, the configuration folder, command files to start servers etc - in D:\Calibre,

BR

[normanstein]

Hello again,

I've just discovered that although Calibre is using

C:\Users\USER\Calibre Library

as the library with which I'm having trouble, there is another folder called

C:\Users\USER\Documents\Calibre Library

which looks like it has the missing files.

Before messing things up further, I'd like your opinions on whether I should change the Calibre Library in Calibre to this one and precisely how to do it.

Thanks in advance for your advice.

Norman

[eschwartz]

You can use the Switch/Create Library option to add that additional library.

Take a look at it -- if it seems complete, stick with that, and delete the other one.

If they both have some useful stuff, use the Copy to library right-click option to consolidate the scattered books into one library.

[normanstein]

I don't see how to add a new library. When I go to Calibre Library and then Switch/Create a New Library I'm told the location of my current Calibre Library and asked for a new location. Then I'm given three choices: 1. Use the previous library at the new location; 2. Create an empty library at the new location; 3. Move the current library to the new location.

None seems appropriate to me. What do I do?

Thanks,

Norman

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by normanstein

I don't see how to add a new library. When I go to Calibre Library and then Switch/Create a New Library I'm told the location of my current Calibre Library and asked for a new location. Then I'm given three choices: 1. Use the previous library at the new location; 2. Create an empty library at the new location; 3. Move the current library to the new location.

None seems appropriate to me. What do I do?

Thanks,

Norman

If the folder already contains a Calibre library, the option you want is "Use the previous library at the new location".

[normanstein]

I'm baffled. Whatever I try in this process I get an error message. Could someone please walk me through the process from the beginning? It can't be that complicated.

Thanks

[theducks]

Originally Posted by normanstein

I'm baffled. Whatever I try in this process I get an error message. Could someone please walk me through the process from the beginning? It can't be that complicated.

Thanks

Why the secret? We do not have a Xtal ball.
We need the EXACT message (if the error report contains sensitive information, CAREFULLY obscure that bit in an image, replace with x's in text, making no other changes)
When posting a log, wrap in a spoiler tag pair