Reinstalling Calibre library after losing all the books in the library by accident.

[Heathside Boy]

Okay, I mucked up, and it looks like I have lost all my books in Calibre on my laptop. However, they are all intact on my desktop computer.

How would I start again and put all my existing books back into the Calibre on my laptop? How would I go about putting my plug-ins back as well? I must have a Calibre folder somewhere that I need to import back into Calibre. Can somebody give me step-by-step instructions on how I do this?

Will the books go back in the same order on the laptop computer as on my desktop computer?

Any help on this will be appreciated.

Thanks

HB

[theducks]

Calibre has a tool built in if you do not want to use the command line (assumes the 2 devices can see each other on a LOCAL network and can move/copy files between these 2 systems).

DO NOT USE ADD if you have a working Library copy available. You lose your previous Metadata edits

https://manual.calibre-ebook.com/faq...ter-to-another
Caution: Do not do this TO A (target) Library with books that don't exist in the source Library. It replaces everything.

[Heathside Boy]

Okay, let me explain further and see if I understand you correctly. You are saying I do not use ‘ADD.’ By this, do you mean ‘Add books?’ And if I do, will I lose my previous Metadata?

You are saying, Calibre has a tool built-in. Where would I find this on the computer, and how do I implement it?

I still have the Calibre folder on my laptop computer, and to get to it, I can go through C:/Users/My Username/AppData/Roaming/Calibre

I still have the Calibre library with all my books in it, and I still have all my Calibre plug-ins.

If you could give me step-by-step instructions on how to do it and where to look, that would help immensely. Thanks.

HB

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by Heathside Boy

Okay, I mucked up, and it looks like I have lost all my books in Calibre on my laptop. However, they are all intact on my desktop computer.

How would I start again and put all my existing books back into the Calibre on my laptop? How would I go about putting my plug-ins back as well? I must have a Calibre folder somewhere that I need to import back into Calibre. Can somebody give me step-by-step instructions on how I do this?

Will the books go back in the same order on the laptop computer as on my desktop computer?

Any help on this will be appreciated.

Thanks

HB

By lost, what do you mean? Do you mean you deleted them? Or it is that Calibre just doesn't know where they are?

The library could still be there on your laptop. Do a search for metadata.db and you may find it and then you can point Calibre at that directory.

[theducks]

The ... ROAMING folder is your USER Settings and plugins.

The Library folder (the one with metadata.db ) is data and settings and Books for THAT LIBRARY ONLY (some of us have more than one. They can have different settings)

A fresh Calibre install (no previous remnants) recreates a generic structure.
Note the ford 'fresh'. If Calibre installer finds those files IT LEAVES THEM ALONE (and just updates the program)

[theducks]

If both folders look normal, then you likely have a 90 second repair

https://manual.calibre-ebook.com/faq...libre-is-blank

[Heathside Boy]

Yes, Jon, I still have the metadata.db file on my computer. Is this the file with all my information on it, then? How do I insert/import/export it back into the Calibre interface? I tried to import it back into an empty Calibre interface, and as I clicked through each folder in the path, C/Users/My User Name/Calibre Library, there was no metadata.db at the end to import.

HB

[theducks]

CAUTION
That file WILL BE THERE for an empty Library (the blank one that you see)

You need to find the one with all the AUTHOR folders in the same place.

You do NOT copy or Move that file. It belongs to the contents of the same folder.

If you find the good Library, follow the instructions in the Link I gave above.

[Heathside Boy]

Okay, I managed to get it all back by following your instructions. This is how I did it.

Right click on the calibre library icon at the top of the calibre interface > Select 'Switch/create library.' Then I selected the appropriate calibre library in my documents and everything came back.

Does this also bring back all the original plug-ins or do I have to bring them back another way? If so, how? Thank you.

HB

[theducks]

Originally Posted by Heathside Boy

Okay, I managed to get it all back by following your instructions. This is how I did it.

Right click on the calibre library icon at the top of the calibre interface > Select 'Switch/create library.' Then I selected the appropriate calibre library in my documents and everything came back.

Does this also bring back all the original plug-ins or do I have to bring them back another way? If so, how? Thank you.

HB

The Plugins are NOT in the same place as the Library. To see what Plugins Calibre still Knows about:
Preferences: Get Plugins: SWITCH to the Installed Tab/ There you see what YOUR Calibre knows about.

[Heathside Boy]

I did all that, and it turns out I had 1 plugin that needed to be re-plugged in. However, if I go to my documents where my Calibre library folder is, there is another folder next to that named Calibre plugins. In there, it is showing 5 plug-in.zip folders and 5 README Notepads. Each README tells me what the plugin is for and how to install it. Each one under 'Installation' says,

'Go to Calibre's Preferences page. Do NOT select "Get plugins to enhance Calibre" as this is reserved for "official Calibre plugins. Instead, select "Change Calibre behaviour". Under "Advanced," click on the Plugins button. Use the "Load plugin from file" button to select the plugin's zip file (ineptpdf_vXX_plugin.zip) and click the 'Add' button. You're done.

I am assuming that these plugin zip folders were in my original interface, and the READMEs are instructions on how to reinsert them.

Should I go ahead and reinsert them? Thank you.

HB

[BetterRed]

Originally Posted by Heathside Boy

I did all that, and it turns out I had 1 plugin that needed to be re-plugged in. However, if I go to my documents where my Calibre library folder is, there is another folder next to that named Calibre plugins. In there, it is showing 5 plug-in.zip folders and 5 README Notepads. Each README tells me what the plugin is for and how to install it. Each one under 'Installation' says,

'Go to Calibre's Preferences page. Do NOT select "Get plugins to enhance Calibre" as this is reserved for "official Calibre plugins. Instead, select "Change Calibre behaviour". Under "Advanced," click on the Plugins button. Use the "Load plugin from file" button to select the plugin's zip file (ineptpdf_vXX_plugin.zip) and click the 'Add' button. You're done.

I am assuming that these plugin zip folders were in my original interface, and the READMEs are instructions on how to reinsert them.

Should I go ahead and reinsert them? Thank you.

HB

The 'official' plugins are located in your configuration folder, not in your documents folder.

I suggest those plugin were acquired elsewhere, e.g. the one you've identified is at github. Google it - it might serve as a reminder as to why you downloaded it from github in the first place.

If you use them, then you need to install them using the Preferences->Plugins->Load plugin from file option. If you don't know what they are, then you probably don't need them.

BR

[theducks]

@heathside
You have been around long before Preferences:Get plugins became the standard way to add most plugins. You used to have to download using a browser, then use Preferences: plugins to add those

Long gone (except for 'those tools')
Look at the names and File (created) dates. What Year and name.
Do you see that name in the ACTIVE section of Index of Plugins here at MR?

FWIW Any really old PI, probably does no work with Calibre 4 or 5 or 6)

[DNSB]

Originally Posted by Heathside Boy

'Go to Calibre's Preferences page. Do NOT select "Get plugins to enhance Calibre" as this is reserved for "official Calibre plugins. Instead, select "Change Calibre behaviour". Under "Advanced," click on the Plugins button. Use the "Load plugin from file" button to select the plugin's zip file (ineptpdf_vXX_plugin.zip) and click the 'Add' button. You're done.


Should I go ahead and reinsert them? Thank you.

HB

Going by the one plugin name you listed, those are antiques. Use calibre's builtin get plugins functionality except for the DeDRM plugin which you will need to get from NoDRM's github page.

[Heathside Boy]

I need some advice here. These are the 5 plugin.zip files that I have. Do I need to put any of these back?

-------------------------------------------
eReaderPDB2PML_v05_plugin.zip

Installation:

Go to Calibre's Preferences page. Do **NOT** select "Get Plugins to enhance calibre" as this is reserved for "official" calibre plugins, instead select "Change calibre behavior". Under "Advanced" click on the Plugins button. Use the "Load plugin from file" button to select the plugin's zip file (eReaderPDB2PML_vXX_plugin.zip) and click the 'Add' button. You're done.
-------------------------------------------
ignobleepub_v01.6_plugin.zip

Installation

Go to Calibre's Preferences page. Do **NOT** select "Get plugins to enhance calibre" as this is reserved for "official" calibre plugins, instead select "Change calibre behavior". Under "Advanced" click on the Plugins button. Use the "Load plugin from file" button to select the plugin's zip file (ignobleepub_vXX_plugin.zip) and

click the 'Add' button. you're done.
-------------------------------------------
ineptepub_v01.7_plugin.zip

Installation:

Go to Calibre's Preferences page. Do **NOT** select "Get plugins to enhance calibre" as this is reserved for "official" calibre plugins, instead select "Cahnge calibre behavior". Under "Advanced" click on the Plugins button. Use the "Load plugin from file" button to select the plugin's zip file (ineptepub_vXX_plugin.zip) and click the 'Add' button. you're done.

Please note: Calibre does not provide any immediate feedback to indicate that adding the plugin was a success. You can always click on the File-Type plugins to see if the plugin was added.
-------------------------------------------
ineptopdf_v01.4_plugin.zip

Installation:

Go to Calibre's Preferences page. Do **NOT** select "Get plugins to enhance calibre" as this is reserved for "official" plugins, instead select "Change calibre behavior". Under "Advanced" click on the Plugins button. Use the "Load plugin from file" button to select the plugin's zip file (ineptpdf_vXX_plugin.zip) and click the 'Add' button. you're done.

Please note: Calibre does not provide any immediate feedback to indicate that adding the plugin was a success. You can always click on the File-Type plugins to see if the plugin was added.
-------------------------------------------
K4MobiDeDRM_v03.7_plugin.zip

Installation:

Go to Calibre's Preferences page. Do **NOT** select "Get Plugins to enhance calibre" as this is reserved for official calibre
plugins", instead select "Change calibre behavior". Under "Advanced" click on the on the Plugins button. Click on the
"Load plugin from file" button at the bottom of the screen. Use the file dialog button to select the plugin's zip file
(K4MobiDeDRM_vXX_plugin.zip) and click the "Add" (or it may say "Open" button. Then click on the "Yes" button in the
warning dialog that appears. A Confirmation dialog appears that says the plugin has been installed.
-------------------------------------------

Will I need the plug-in immediately above this writing at least? Here is its write-up.

"This plugin is meant to remove the DRM from .prc, .azw, .azw1, and .tpz ebooks. Calibre can then convert them to whatever format you desire. It is meant to function without having to install any dependencies except for Calibre being on your same machine and in the same account as your "Kindle for PC" or "Kindle for Mac" application if you are going to remove the DRM from those types of books."

HB