Help with a disaster and backups!

[SusieQ100]

I'll explain - I installed Windows 10 and it went completely wrong. After a couple of hours on the phone with the Microsoft Tech, my laptop still would not work properly so the only option was to do a clean install of Windows 7 - took forever, but finally done. Also, luckily, I had done a complete backup only a week earlier, which I proceeded to restore as per instructions. I then downloaded the newest version of Calibre, but I can't find my library data anymore! Anyone have any suggestions as to how I can find and restore my books?? I am not a complete novice with the computer, but laymans' terms would be appreciated, please!

[Sunlite]

You could search for "metadata.db" on your system.

That is the Calibre database file that is always located in the root folder of a valid Calibre library.

If you find it, just point Calibre to the folder containing it by 'switch/create library...'
And choosing 'Use the previously existing library at the new location'

[SusieQ100]

Thanks, I tried that, but it only found the "new" one that was made today during the installation . My backups are on an external hard disk so they should be accessible, but.....

[theducks]

Originally Posted by SusieQ100

Thanks, I tried that, but it only found the "new" one that was made today during the installation . My backups are on an external hard disk so they should be accessible, but.....

If the Library had been copied properly (the entire folder), everything except USER (config) preferences should be there.

Is your external disk being mounted with full access?
Does it have (get assigned) a drive letter?

FWIW
I put a backup Library on an external (USB) drive

Calibre had no problems (I verified Library)

[SusieQ100]

Originally Posted by theducks

If the Library had been copied properly (the entire folder), everything except USER (config) preferences should be there.

Is your external disk being mounted with full access?
Does it have (get assigned) a drive letter?

FWIW
I put a backup Library on an external (USB) drive

Calibre had no problems (I verified Library)

Sorry, but you've lost me Mounted with full access?? Don't know what that means; but the external hard disk does have a drive letter. As the library was backed up with a normal, routine backup, does that make any difference? How do you verify the library?

[theducks]

Originally Posted by SusieQ100

Sorry, but you've lost me Mounted with full access?? Don't know what that means; but the external hard disk does have a drive letter. As the library was backed up with a normal, routine backup, does that make any difference? How do you verify the library?

full means you can create, delete or modify any file or folder

read only is another standard

Some OS allow an Update only (no create or delete) this will not work well (if at all) with Calibre

[SusieQ100]

Originally Posted by theducks

full means you can create, delete or modify any file or folder

read only is another standard

Some OS allow an Update only (no create or delete) this will not work well (if at all) with Calibre

Then it's full!

[theducks]

Originally Posted by SusieQ100

Then it's full!

Which then begs the question why Create/switch: Use existing failed

The only W10pro problem involving calibre, was when I tried to control it with the Speech recognition.
Pageup/pagedown did not respond. some other things worked... THEN Calibre (and speech recognition) crashed (calibre closed) and a reboot was needed to unhang whatever hook speech had into it

[BetterRed]

@SusieQ100 - Maybe the restore from backup did not restore your library

How did you do the backup/restore, i.e. what software did you use?

Did you ever familiarise yourself with the restore process?

Where was your library before you did the upgrade? If it wasn't in a 'standard' location such as Users\<yourname>\Documents then maybe it didn't get backed up. What about other data - real Documents, Pictures, Music etc - were they restored?

BR

[SusieQ100]

Maybe I have not been clear; I have reinstalled Windows 7 from scratch as I could not even access the configurations in W10; tech support was no help. So I started again from the beginning, thinking that as I had a good backup I could set that back when the OS was reinstalled. It looks like I have everything back (films, music etc) except my Calibre Library!

[BetterRed]

@SusieQ100 - I think we x-posted, can you answer my other questions

[SusieQ100]

Originally Posted by BetterRed

@SusieQ100 - Maybe the restore from backup did not restore your library

How did you do the backup/restore, i.e. what software did you use?

Did you ever familiarise yourself with the restore process?

Where was your library before you did the upgrade? If it wasn't in a 'standard' location such as Users\<yourname>\Documents then maybe it didn't get backed up. What about other data - real Documents, Pictures, Music etc - were they restored?

BR

I do (and did) all my backups with the Windows backup function; I have had to use it before, and with success. I did not familiarise myself with the restore process beyond following the instructions.

As far as my library is concerned, it was in a standard location as you quoted. Only I have tried searching the backup files with as many words as I can think of (metadata, calibre, etc., and all variations of) and that gives no results. All the rest of my data is restored.

Thanks for the help for so far! Any other suggestions, please???

[theducks]

Originally Posted by SusieQ100

I do (and did) all my backups with the Windows backup function; I have had to use it before, and with success. I did not familiarise myself with the restore process beyond following the instructions.

As far as my library is concerned, it was in a standard location as you quoted. Only I have tried searching the backup files with as many words as I can think of (metadata, calibre, etc., and all variations of) and that gives no results. All the rest of my data is restored.

Thanks for the help for so far! Any other suggestions, please???

Backups do go south (usually it is the whole thing )
Test your backups from time to time, look for various (no always from the same location) files.

It was possible that your Library was added after the Backup was configured. Excluded from the backup. Folder/files were LOCKED (in use) out during the backup.

[cybmole]

windows backup is not a simple copy, it puts everything( or everything that user has selected for backup) into one big dump that makes sense only to windows restore.

so the only way to look inside the backup is with the windows restore function.. but using that is is possible to search for / selectively restore only a file or files that you choose.

i suggest checking whether the actual book were backed up and restored OK - they should all be in My Documents/Calibre library - and if so, rebuild the library from those.

as to why stuff is "lost" is there any mismatch beteeen the clean fresh windows install, and the way things use to be e.g. did you setup with same user name as before. a change in log in name could explain things...

[cybmole]

Originally Posted by theducks

Folder/files were LOCKED (in use) out during the backup.

I bet that is it. if calibre was open during backup, it would have locked the metadata.db file, so windows backup would skip it. A rebuild from backups of all the individual books should work though.

then in future ,get a cheap USB stick and COPY the whole calibre library to that as a backup,. rather than use windows backup

I used to have a partial windows backup set to run on a weekly schedule( which would kick in while I was using the PC, in the background) and it would almost always complete" with errors" - saying some files were not backed up, but not tell me which ones...