My library is corrupted.

[HarryT]

Would the easiest solution to this problem not simply have been to restore your Calibre library from your backup? You do have backups, I hope!

[cybmole]

Originally Posted by HarryT

Would the easiest solution to this problem not simply have been to restore your Calibre library from your backup? You do have backups, I hope!

see post 6. it seems that the original lived (only? ) on a thumb drive.

Thumb drives are so easy to damage & so failure prone that you should make REGULAR hard drive backups of all important data.

You can corrupt a thumb drive just by removing it , without following the proper eject procedure.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by cybmole

see post 6. it seems that the original lived (only? ) on a thumb drive.

Thumb drives are so easy to damage & so failure prone that you should make REGULAR hard drive backups of all important data.

You can corrupt a thumb drive just by removing it , without following the proper eject procedure.

<sigh>

When will people learn that computer storage comes in only two varieties? That which has crashed, and that which hasn't yet crashed.

For goodness sake, take backups! There are tools that make it trivial to do, and how much is your Calibre library worth to you?

A small amount of foresight can save a whole world of grief.

If you're running Windows, the free Microsoft "Synctoy" tool is an excellent way to sync your Calibre library with an external drive (or, in my case, sync it from one external drive to another). It can be downloaded here.

[cybmole]

freefilesync is also free & is an open source program
http://sourceforge.net/projects/freefilesync/

& has more/better features than synctoy
http://sourceforge.net/projects/free.../topic/3421064
http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/is-free...nctoy-windows/


it is very fast as it caches directory info somehow & can thus recheck a huge library & spot changes since last run in a couple of seconds

[kiwidude]

I use RichCopy myself which is also free, from Microsoft. Unlike SyncToy (which I used many years ago for other purposes) it doesn't leave little rat droppings of hidden files

[mbovenka]

Originally Posted by cybmole

freefilesync is also free & is an open source program
http://sourceforge.net/projects/freefilesync/

& has more/better features than synctoy
http://sourceforge.net/projects/free.../topic/3421064
http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/is-free...nctoy-windows/


it is very fast as it caches directory info somehow & can thus recheck a huge library & spot changes since last run in a couple of seconds

Seconded. Works like a charm. The ability to use volume names instead of drive letters is especially great for external drives.

[CCLady]

Ok, guys, I'm really not that bad....I DID back up my library to an external hard drive. Apparently, the last backup was done too late - trying to use it produced exactly the same error message as the original.

I'm getting the books put back in the new one. The only thing I'm missing now is they syntax for the plugboard to get my titles displayed the way I want them. If anyone here can point me in the right direction to find that, I'd appreciate it.

And I certainly do appreciate all the help you have given me on this!!

[BeccaPrice]

From my help file - there's lots of useful stuff there.

Adding Series Information to the Book Title

To add series information to the book title displayed on your device:

Press Ctrl + P and click Metadata plugboards.

From the Add new format (Format) drop down box, select "Any format".

From the Add new format (Device) dropdown box, select "any device"

In the Source Template text box, type the following:

{series}{series_index:0>2s| - | - }{title}

This will place the series name and number before the title when it is loaded on an ereader. Example

A Song of Ice & Fire - 01 - A Game of Thrones
A Song of Ice & Fire - 02 - A Clash of Kings
A Song of Ice & Fire - 03 - A Storm of Swords
A Song of Ice & Fire - 04 - A Feast for Crows



To place the series name and number at the end of a book title,

Select "Any format" and "Any device" from the dropdown boxes

Enter the following in the Source Template text box:

([{title}{series:| (|}{series_index:0>2s| |)}] -> title)

Example

A Princess of Mars (John Carter of Mars 01)

Tip: convert your file after entering the plugboard.

[CCLady]

Originally Posted by BeccaPrice

From my help file - there's lots of useful stuff there.

Adding Series Information to the Book Title

To add series information to the book title displayed on your device:

Press Ctrl + P and click Metadata plugboards.

From the Add new format (Format) drop down box, select "Any format".

From the Add new format (Device) dropdown box, select "any device"

In the Source Template text box, type the following:

{series}{series_index:0>2s| - | - }{title}

This will place the series name and number before the title when it is loaded on an ereader. Example

A Song of Ice & Fire - 01 - A Game of Thrones
A Song of Ice & Fire - 02 - A Clash of Kings
A Song of Ice & Fire - 03 - A Storm of Swords
A Song of Ice & Fire - 04 - A Feast for Crows

That is exactly what I needed! Thanks so very much!!