Botched library(s) transfer from W7 to Imac

[kksdragons]

Main issue: Moving/transferring/copying/importing libraries from Win7 PC to new IMac with iOS X (?).

I am totally new to the Mac world and have been searching/reading items in the forums/Calibre manual for help including https://manual.calibre-ebook.com/faq...ter-to-another and http://manual.calibre-ebook.com/faq....backup-calibre. I've double-checked permissions (as far as I can figure out on the mac) and modified to read/write as needed.

• First try was import/export. This seems to have worked on 3 of the smaller library folders but the MAIN library (over 7K books!) and one of the other "working" libraries have books listed but most of the actual books are missing. Folders have covers and metadata only! Now, when I try it, I get
  
  calibre, version 2.63.0
  ERROR: Not valid: The folder /Users/Kristen/Desktop/4 MAC/Libraries for Trans is not valid: No exported data found in: /Users/Kristen/Desktop/4 MAC/Libraries for Trans
  
  Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "site-packages/calibre/gui2/dialogs/exim.py", line 253, in select_import_folder
  File "site-packages/calibre/utils/exim.py", line 255, in __init__ValueError: No exported data found in: /Users/Kristen/Desktop/4 MAC/Libraries for Trans
  
  

I am in the process of re-transferring my original exported data files from the PC back over to the mac (using team viewer since I can't see the mac from the PC).

(Then thinking all was OK, I accidentally deleted my beautiful, 7K book library that I thought was a copy on the mac but was really my library on the PC! Don't ask me how I did that.... I don't really understand my mac--obviously.)

Ended up FTP'g my not-as-complete library hidden on a server for my family to access...no metadata file. Ditto another copy on a cloud backup.

• Have tried to "Add books...1 per directory" using this copied library and it starts out beautifully until reaching "Calibre library" which is some sort of zip file causing a hang which means I have to abort. I go in and delete this zip file then try again. It is recreated each time I try to add! (no error msg)
  
  I do get a couple of errors like directory is not empty, or something's not valid, etc. Can try to recreate if the exact verbiage will help someone.

What happened to my books? I am leery of library maintenance as I don't want to mess it up more. I've worked over 5 years on my main library!

What next?? I'm 65 and feel pretty dumb anymore. I doubt I have it in me to go find the missing books and re-add/tweak them.

Thanks for any assistance (and hand-holding) you can offer!

==========

Just recopied the transferred data back to the mac (25 parts). It stopped copying at #15 so went in and brought in the 16-26 files. Tried to do an import (again) and got this:

"calibre, version 2.63.0
ERROR: Not valid: The folder /Users/Kristen/Desktop/4 MAC/Libraries for Trans is not valid: The exported data in part-0015.calibre-data is not valid, version (2541146026) is higher than maximum supported version. You might need to upgrade calibre first.

Traceback (most recent call last):
File "site-packages/calibre/gui2/dialogs/exim.py", line 253, in select_import_folder
File "site-packages/calibre/utils/exim.py", line 251, in __init__
ValueError: The exported data in part-0015.calibre-data is not valid, version (2541146026) is higher than maximum supported version. You might need to upgrade calibre first.

OK... re-exported everything again to a new import folder on the mac. Started to import into a NEW library named "Import." The library shows up in Finder but it is totally blank in Calibre! 0 files and the other libraries I had imported earlier have disappeared!

I am NOW trying to copy everything in the IMPORT folder into the Calibre blank library,

I'm getting too old for this *^#@....!

[BetterRed]

@kksdragons - On W7 system

After backing up the library Run Library Maintenance->Check Library (it can take a while - just be patient) - it runs in 3 phases ,

• database optimisation,
• database integrity,
• check that the database and library contents are coherent

I've never seen anything reported from the first two phases - other than nothing to report

The third phase will report on the following conditions

• Invalid titles
• Extra titles
• Invalid authors
• Extra authors
• Missing book formats
• Extra book formats
• Unknown files in books
• Missing cover files
• Cover files not in database
• Folder raising exception

I suggest you resolve any and all of errors from the third stage before you do the export.

BR

[kksdragons]

Originally Posted by BetterRed

@kksdragons - On W7 system

After backing up the library Run Library Maintenance->Check Library
The third phase will report on the following conditions....

I followed your suggestion on the post-exported library (that got screwed up) and it found a lot of missing files... tried to fix, but of course, it didn't have much to fix the missing book files with.

Thanks so very much for your suggestion and chiming in here!

[kksdragons]

Continuation of last night's Copy....

Well, it worked to a certain extent. At least this one didn't blow up! YAY! I now have actual books that populate the DB but with a lot of duplicates and half still are missing. And most of the metadata is gone too... my custom columns, many books' metadata is missing , and, none of the series (and my custom sub-series) is there. They also all have the same date showing (yesterday), not the original add dates.

I suppose this is all missing metadata? Can the library metadata file be fixed?

The Series show up in the tag browser but half of them are missing in the actual column. Ditto # of pages. I had hoped all my original columns and formatting would come in too.

Every book I had had metadata/covers looked up individually as I wasn't pleased with the bulk metadata option. IS all this a metadata issue? Are the metadata files unique to each library? (I have several.)

I don't know what to do next and am afraid of messing something else up!

[BetterRed]

Originally Posted by kksdragons

I followed your suggestion on the post-exported library (that got screwed up) and it found a lot of missing files... tried to fix, but of course, it didn't have much to fix the missing book files with.

Thanks so very much for your suggestion and chiming in here!

@kksdragons - You did not follow my suggestion.

I explicitly suggested you do the Check Library and fix the errors on the old W7 system and then do the export.

Originally Posted by BetterRed

@kksdragons - On W7 system

After backing up the library Run Library Maintenance->Check Library

. . .

I suggest you resolve any and all of errors from the third stage before you do the export.

If I had considered doing it on the imported library on the Mac would have been the better choice, then that is what I would have suggested.

I'm afraid it's a case of Garbage In Garbage Out.

Dunno about you, but whenever I've moved house I didn't take the garbage with me. In fact I often had to hire a skip to hold all the garbage that needed to go to the dump

BR

[kksdragons]

Originally Posted by BetterRed

@kksdragons - You did not follow my suggestion.

I explicitly suggested you do the Check Library and fix the errors on the old W7 system and then do the export.

Well, I believe I did, but didn't explain clearly.... :P

ON the W7 PC, I ran Check Library and fixed the errors, but by that time, my original, perfect Library had already been screwed up on w7 so it really didn't help at that point. I have NOT run the Check on the Mac. I think I'm just screwed and have a lot of cleanup work head of me.

Originally Posted by BetterRed

I'm afraid it's a case of Garbage In Garbage Out.

Dunno about you, but whenever I've moved house I didn't take the garbage with me. In fact I often had to hire a skip to hold all the garbage that needed to go to the dump

BR

Chemo brain doesn't help at all, either. If I ever move, it'll take a separate moving van to take my garbage to the dump!