Problem trying to restore database

monkeyshoulder · 03-07-2019, 11:38 AM

Hi all!
I've been using Calibre for years now, and really like the product. However, I have run into an issue where I'm stuck and am looking for any help that someone can provide. I have several thousand books in my database, and it was working so well for that, that I have also added in a few thousand "other" things (mostly .jpg's, some .mp3's etc.). This was all working very well until yesterday when I ran a "Check Library" and it found my database was corrupted. No problem, I said, and ran a "Restore database". This seemed to work very well for the books, but then when I ran another "Check Library" it says that I have a few thousand files with no valid format (all the .jpgs, etc.). All those files seem to be there, and it recognizes the folder, but the .jpg file is not loaded into Calibre. So, then I went back to a backup file that was done on Sunday. This database file loads up fine, and seems to have all of the data for most of the ,jpg files, but of course it doesn't have entries for the 200 new books I put in since Sunday, a "Check Library" run on that database reports 200 "extra titles" and "Extra authors". I was hoping there would be to re-add the missing books, but it doesn't appear that there is.
So, as best as I can figure out, I'll either have to re-add 2000 .jpg files into the restored database file, or re-add 200 books into the backup database file. Are there any other options? Is there some easy way to re-connect the existing .jpg files to their entries in the database?
Any advice that anyone has would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks and Regards,
MS

kovidgoyal · 03-07-2019, 10:34 PM

No sadly IIRC restore database will ignore unknown file types. Your easiest solution would be to move those 200 newly added items out of the calibre library folder and then re-add them using "add books, one book per folder" this should restore all metadata that you might have added to those 200 entries.

monkeyshoulder · 03-08-2019, 07:53 AM

Thanks, Kovid. It looked like there wasn't much of an option. That is a good idea to use the re-add feature. It will take some work to isolate those new entries, but if that saves the metadata, that may be the least amount of work overall.
I guess in the long run, if I want to use Calibre to store unsupported file types, I should probably figure out how to get them into a supported file type, like zipping them.

Thanks again and regards,
MS

BetterRed · 03-08-2019, 05:35 PM

@monkeyshoulder - try this if its not too late, after taking library backups

Create a New Library based on the existing library, then use the Copy to library->New Library (delete after copy) option from the existing library, the books 'left behind' should be the ones that are 'missing'. The "Copy to library' action is probably in the book list context menu.

Switch to New Library and Remove the 'left behind' library from calibre. Delete the files metadata.db and .json files in the 'left behind' folder (not strictly needed, but... tidier). Now use the "add books - one book per folder" option with the 'left behind' folder.

BR

monkeyshoulder · 03-09-2019, 08:25 AM

Thanks, BetterRed. That's a good idea, too. I used Kovid's idea. It took a little time to find all of the folders, but I developed a process copying the Check Library into a clipboard, moving the db folders on the list to an add folder, running an add every 20-30 books, then occasionally checking my progress by running a new Check Library. Things went pretty well, overall. Other than having to do more playing "under the covers" of the Calibre organization than I normally like, it wasn't too bad. I've got one or two oddballs to clean up, but I think I'm pretty much back to where I was.

Thanks for the suggestion, though!

MS

03-07-2019, 11:38 AM	#1
monkeyshoulder Junior Member Posts: 3 Karma: 10 Join Date: Feb 2017 Device: Kindle	Problem trying to restore database Hi all! I've been using Calibre for years now, and really like the product. However, I have run into an issue where I'm stuck and am looking for any help that someone can provide. I have several thousand books in my database, and it was working so well for that, that I have also added in a few thousand "other" things (mostly .jpg's, some .mp3's etc.). This was all working very well until yesterday when I ran a "Check Library" and it found my database was corrupted. No problem, I said, and ran a "Restore database". This seemed to work very well for the books, but then when I ran another "Check Library" it says that I have a few thousand files with no valid format (all the .jpgs, etc.). All those files seem to be there, and it recognizes the folder, but the .jpg file is not loaded into Calibre. So, then I went back to a backup file that was done on Sunday. This database file loads up fine, and seems to have all of the data for most of the ,jpg files, but of course it doesn't have entries for the 200 new books I put in since Sunday, a "Check Library" run on that database reports 200 "extra titles" and "Extra authors". I was hoping there would be to re-add the missing books, but it doesn't appear that there is. So, as best as I can figure out, I'll either have to re-add 2000 .jpg files into the restored database file, or re-add 200 books into the backup database file. Are there any other options? Is there some easy way to re-connect the existing .jpg files to their entries in the database? Any advice that anyone has would be greatly appreciated. Thanks and Regards, MS

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03-07-2019, 10:34 PM	#2
kovidgoyal creator of calibre Posts: 43,856 Karma: 22666666 Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Mumbai, India Device: Various	No sadly IIRC restore database will ignore unknown file types. Your easiest solution would be to move those 200 newly added items out of the calibre library folder and then re-add them using "add books, one book per folder" this should restore all metadata that you might have added to those 200 entries.

03-08-2019, 07:53 AM	#3
monkeyshoulder Junior Member Posts: 3 Karma: 10 Join Date: Feb 2017 Device: Kindle	Thanks, Kovid. It looked like there wasn't much of an option. That is a good idea to use the re-add feature. It will take some work to isolate those new entries, but if that saves the metadata, that may be the least amount of work overall. I guess in the long run, if I want to use Calibre to store unsupported file types, I should probably figure out how to get them into a supported file type, like zipping them. Thanks again and regards, MS

03-08-2019, 05:35 PM	#4
BetterRed null operator (he/him) Posts: 20,568 Karma: 26954694 Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: Sydney Australia Device: none	@monkeyshoulder - try this if its not too late, after taking library backups Create a New Library based on the existing library, then use the Copy to library->New Library (delete after copy) option from the existing library, the books 'left behind' should be the ones that are 'missing'. The "Copy to library' action is probably in the book list context menu. Switch to New Library and Remove the 'left behind' library from calibre. Delete the files metadata.db and .json files in the 'left behind' folder (not strictly needed, but... tidier). Now use the "add books - one book per folder" option with the 'left behind' folder. BR

03-09-2019, 08:25 AM	#5
monkeyshoulder Junior Member Posts: 3 Karma: 10 Join Date: Feb 2017 Device: Kindle	Thanks, BetterRed. That's a good idea, too. I used Kovid's idea. It took a little time to find all of the folders, but I developed a process copying the Check Library into a clipboard, moving the db folders on the list to an add folder, running an add every 20-30 books, then occasionally checking my progress by running a new Check Library. Things went pretty well, overall. Other than having to do more playing "under the covers" of the Calibre organization than I normally like, it wasn't too bad. I've got one or two oddballs to clean up, but I think I'm pretty much back to where I was. Thanks for the suggestion, though! MS

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