[JimPhelps]

I've been trying to do this for a week now and I'm not getting anywhere. I know, there are instructions but I'm not sure they match my circumstances. So I was hoping someone here might know what I'm dealing with and a easier solution than I've found.

I've been trying to copy my library from my old pc to a new one. My last one was the last version of caliber that ran on Windows Vista (yeah my pc was THAT old). Problem was, I couldn't use the PC in standard mode and could only use it in SAFE mode. So, I ran calibre (yep, updated to the newest one that could still run on Vista), tried to Export my library data, and got an error message telling me that it could not complete "Calibre Error: Unhandled Exception RETURN CODE 1" followed by a long string of Chinese/Asian/something I couldn't translate symbols. And since I can't get the PC to run when not in SAFE mode, I think I can't copy the Export data for my library.

So, I have a folder that calibre created for my library, which means hundreds of folders of authors names and inside 1-10 folders for each book they've written that I did manage to copy from my old PC.

So I was hoping I could just highlight those folders, tell calibre "import these folders" and I would still have my book covers, metadata and descriptions (most I had to do all myself originally...well the typing the descriptions, re-organizing them how I wanted them, etc). But I don't seem to have that happening. The book files that were not in Author folders copied over fine, but there's no metadata, cover, descriptions etc with these. And of course the books in the author folders won't copy unless I'm doing it one book in each folder at a time. I know about the drop down menu under "Add Book" but they way I read it, it usually keeps assuming I have 1 directory with multiple formats of ONE book only and not multiple directories of multiple books. But it doesn't help anyway because I can't select those folders without going into each folder and selecting only 1 book anyway.

Am I just going to have to spend a lot of time re-doing all this since I couldn't export my library data from my old PC? or is there a simple trick I'm just not seeing cause my nose is too close to the screen in frustration over this?

And I'm sorry in advance if you just want to go "Agh! Not another idiot!"

Everytime I read someone's "Welcome to calibre" article/instructions, it always seems to be a introduction for someone who's never used it, and not one for someone trying to avoid having to put 50 hours of work into it rebuilding something they once had.