I've seen it asked before but
<--- reading through replies can be taxing and confusing. I'm in a sense backing up my library in multiple locations (external drives, thumb drives, cloud servers, etc.). I used the "Save to Disk" option selecting "Save only ePub format to disk in single directory" and know that you can option what is actually saved (metadata.opf, the cover). My question is this: What is the optimal solution? For instance, lets say I added a group of 10 ePubs in varying disorder (bad covers, missing metadata, no covers, incorrect metadata, etc.) to my installation of Calibre but I corrected and updated the metadata, covers, reconverted into ePub and removed .original_epub, leaving myself with the corrected ePub. I then add these 10 updated ePubs using the "Save To Disk" option but asking Calibre to only save the .ePub and not the metadata.opf or covers. Then maybe a few weeks later I add these 10 to a different computer with Calibre. Would I end up getting the updated look I converted them to on my install or would I get the old look of disorder that I obtained them in?
Cause I have added a few books I had lost but had saved before with what I thought were the updated condition I had added them in to the disk (correct metadata, cover) and ended up with OLD look that I had corrected them from. I didn't do a "Save to Disk", I just opened the folder location, did a "search" for .epub and "copy and paste" into the folder location I wanted to save them in figuring that I will get the same elsewhere.
Once again, if I am vague or confusing you, break it down and ask questions so I can be more descriptive if need be. I do confuse myself sometimes and I know that it isn't possible for everyone to know what I am talking about. Cause correct me if I'm wrong, regardless of what I do, I should expect to get what I saved onto a disk/device when adding it elsewhere right?