help with restoring calibre library

PamR · 08-24-2014, 03:28 AM

I have calibre installed on my PC with a lovely library of books, which I managed to delete while attempting to move the library from one windows user folder to another. I truly do hate windows 7. So, calibre the software is still there but without my lovely library.

Fortunately, my converted books are still in Dropbox (saved to disk). However, they are organized by author, and within the author folder, each book is in a separate folder, with three files: the epub, the jpeg and the opf files. (I just found one book that was present only as the epub file, and would love to know why that one only had the epub and most of the others have the two other additional files.)

My question is, is there an easy way to reload the calibre library on my PC with the books from Dropbox? I know I can probably do it by adding each epub but that would take a very long time.

kovidgoyal · 08-24-2014, 03:33 AM

Right click the add books button, select add books recursively, one per folder and choose the parent folder that contains all your book files.

BetterRed · 08-24-2014, 05:34 AM

@PamR - Are you sure you deleted the library, and that you didn't inadvertently move the library elsewhere (as often happens). A search for metadata.db could find it.

For future reference you can move a library within calibre - Switch/Create Library->Move current library to new location - much easier and safer.

BR

PamR · 08-25-2014, 11:04 AM

Kovid - thank you so much! I can hardly wait to go home and try that. I hope it works. What I have right now is the 'untweaked' books and not all of them.

PamR · 08-25-2014, 11:05 AM

Better Red, I will do that search, but am not holding out much hope. I think my best bet is to probably just reload the library.

Inferno · 08-26-2014, 06:28 PM

Did you check your recycle bin for the entire library? If you had deleted it by accident it should be there as to avoid the recycle bin would have included additional steps you would have noticed at the time.

And time to push my favorite mantra... backup... backup and backup again.

08-24-2014, 03:28 AM	#1
PamR Junior Member Posts: 3 Karma: 10 Join Date: Aug 2014 Device: nexus 7	help with restoring calibre library I have calibre installed on my PC with a lovely library of books, which I managed to delete while attempting to move the library from one windows user folder to another. I truly do hate windows 7. So, calibre the software is still there but without my lovely library. Fortunately, my converted books are still in Dropbox (saved to disk). However, they are organized by author, and within the author folder, each book is in a separate folder, with three files: the epub, the jpeg and the opf files. (I just found one book that was present only as the epub file, and would love to know why that one only had the epub and most of the others have the two other additional files.) My question is, is there an easy way to reload the calibre library on my PC with the books from Dropbox? I know I can probably do it by adding each epub but that would take a very long time.

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08-24-2014, 03:33 AM	#2
kovidgoyal creator of calibre Posts: 43,870 Karma: 22666666 Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Mumbai, India Device: Various	Right click the add books button, select add books recursively, one per folder and choose the parent folder that contains all your book files.

08-24-2014, 05:34 AM	#3
BetterRed null operator (he/him) Posts: 20,590 Karma: 26954694 Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: Sydney Australia Device: none	@PamR - Are you sure you deleted the library, and that you didn't inadvertently move the library elsewhere (as often happens). A search for metadata.db could find it. For future reference you can move a library within calibre - Switch/Create Library->Move current library to new location - much easier and safer. BR

08-25-2014, 11:04 AM	#4
PamR Junior Member Posts: 3 Karma: 10 Join Date: Aug 2014 Device: nexus 7	Kovid - thank you so much! I can hardly wait to go home and try that. I hope it works. What I have right now is the 'untweaked' books and not all of them.

08-25-2014, 11:05 AM	#5
PamR Junior Member Posts: 3 Karma: 10 Join Date: Aug 2014 Device: nexus 7	Better Red, I will do that search, but am not holding out much hope. I think my best bet is to probably just reload the library.

08-26-2014, 06:28 PM	#6
Inferno Connoisseur Posts: 60 Karma: 2016606 Join Date: Apr 2012 Device: android tablets	Did you check your recycle bin for the entire library? If you had deleted it by accident it should be there as to avoid the recycle bin would have included additional steps you would have noticed at the time. And time to push my favorite mantra... backup... backup and backup again.

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