Covers & Metadata...

[2wr3ckl3ss]

I was wondering if it was possible to adjust the settings to your regular Calibre library (as opposed to a backup) so it does not create/use/have a separate file for the metadata and covers. I understand that those files have a purpose, but unless they are mandatory, I would rather have that information embedded in the book instead. Any advice would be appreciated.

I apologize for creating a separate thread for a question I am sure has been answered numerous times before. I looked, but could not find it. And maybe it is just my computer, but the FAQ link did not work for me using I.E or Firefox.

Thank you.

[BetterRed]

FAQ link works for me in Firefox, IE, Chrome, Safari, and Edge. Try this one ==>> Frequently Asked Questions

The covers aren't mandatory, but without them things like the cover grid and carousel are somewhat boring to look at. You can delete covers en masse in bulk metadata edit. If you do that then you might want to consider what you're going to do if/when you change your mind and want 'em back again.

The metadata.opf files are mandatory, even if you delete them calibre will recreate them - leave them alone.

Why are you worrying about them anyway? Many here will argue that you shouldn't even be looking at the content of the library folders - I don't go that far - but I do say 'look but don't touch'.

If you want covers and metadata embedded in the book files then use the Embed metadata feature. More than a few users specifically want keep their original files in the library and metadata/covers adjusted ones on their devices. Send to device will send the book with the library cover and metadata embedded.

BR

[2wr3ckl3ss]

Thank you for the quick reply and the advice BR. I don't go looking at those files, but I do think about them. My computer is getting old (as am I) and I wanted to try and make it a little easier on her. I have over 8,000 books, which means an additional 16,000 files. People who say that shouldn't affect how a computer runs don't have a low-end 5 year old clunker with less than 4 GB over working RAM. I also back up my library online, and the only thing slower at indexing files than my Samsung is Google Drive. Like I said before, I knew the files where there for a reason, I just wanted to see to what degree they were necessary.

I also wanted to thank you for actually answering my question. I found plenty of people asking the same question I did in other posts, but they were all responded to by the same people who "argue that you shouldn't even be looking...". I think people forget sometimes that the reason we are here talking about a program like calibre, is because Kovid is one of those guys that went looking.

And finally, the link to the FAQ you sent works for me as well, but that is not the same one you click on when you go to MobileRead Forums > E-Book Software > Calibre > New to calibre? Start Here. That FAQ link sends you to: http://calibre-ebook.com/user_manual/faq.html .

Thanks again BetterRed. See ya 'round the book shelves.

2wr3ckl3ss

[BetterRed]

Originally Posted by 2wr3ckl3ss

Thank you for the quick reply and the advice BR. I don't go looking at those files, but I do think about them. My computer is getting old (as am I) and I wanted to try and make it a little easier on her. I have over 8,000 books, which means an additional 16,000 files. People who say that shouldn't affect how a computer runs don't have a low-end 5 year old clunker with less than 4 GB over working RAM. I also back up my library online, and the only thing slower at indexing files than my Samsung is Google Drive. Like I said before, I knew the files where there for a reason, I just wanted to see to what degree they were necessary.

I also wanted to thank you for actually answering my question. I found plenty of people asking the same question I did in other posts, but they were all responded to by the same people who "argue that you shouldn't even be looking...". I think people forget sometimes that the reason we are here talking about a program like calibre, is because Kovid is one of those guys that went looking.

And finally, the link to the FAQ you sent works for me as well, but that is not the same one you click on when you go to MobileRead Forums > E-Book Software > Calibre > New to calibre? Start Here. That FAQ link sends you to: http://calibre-ebook.com/user_manual/faq.html .

Thanks again BetterRed. See ya 'round the book shelves.

2wr3ckl3ss

Thanks for heads up on the link - I fixed that.

If you're using Google Drive for backup - you may want to re-think that for your Calibre library WARNING - Google Drive Incompatible with Calibre!. Happy to discuss.

Re getting old - me too, as is my current computer (circa 2007), Miss Intuition ha been whispering in my ear 'it's going to die soon', so I bought me a Dell Alien Alpha yesterday - I've christened it Rosie

BR

[PeterT]

Just curious if you've ever done any defragmentation on that drive? I'd really doubt that the extra files should make any performance difference, whereas a badly defragmented drive would more than likely make a difference.

[eschwartz]

Originally Posted by 2wr3ckl3ss

Thank you for the quick reply and the advice BR. I don't go looking at those files, but I do think about them. My computer is getting old (as am I) and I wanted to try and make it a little easier on her. I have over 8,000 books, which means an additional 16,000 files. People who say that shouldn't affect how a computer runs don't have a low-end 5 year old clunker with less than 4 GB over working RAM. I also back up my library online, and the only thing slower at indexing files than my Samsung is Google Drive. Like I said before, I knew the files where there for a reason, I just wanted to see to what degree they were necessary.

11-year-old clunker here, with 2 GB RAM. My computer isn't feeling particularly sad about all those files.

As BetterRed said, the metadata.opf files are mandatory -- calibre uses them as a backup for the database.
The covers need to be stored outside the books in order to let calibre know about them -- calibre cannot keep re-extracting the covers from one of possibly several (!) formats every time it needs to display the metadata.

[theducks]

Another Geriatric computer user here
XP 2G Ram P4 800MHz FSB 80G + 1T HD's

Also
Beside defragging
Get the MS PageDefrag tool. That defrags at preboot, all the files used by the OS itself (registry...)

[2wr3ckl3ss]

DOH! I shoulda known. I've never really been happy with Google's cloud service. Well, except when they gave me 125 GB of free storage. Thanks for the heads-up BR. And congrats on the new hardware. I checked out a video review and it looks sweet.

I have defragged the drive Peter. All I know is that after a fresh install, the more files and folders I put on my computer, the slower it seems to run. Maybe it's just my imagination <shrug>.

Wow eschwartz, still running after 11 years. Impressive. I have a Dell Latitude that's about that old. Thing weighs like 10 lbs. Haven't checked in a while to see if it still works.

TheDuck, do you think using Linux has helped keep yours going? I've heard it's a good operating system for older computers. Less crap. I installed it once. Lasted less than a day. Ran smooth, but it was just so different.

Thanks for all the suggestions!

[theducks]

Originally Posted by 2wr3ckl3ss

TheDuck, do you think using Linux has helped keep yours going? I've heard it's a good operating system for older computers. Less crap. I installed it once. Lasted less than a day. Ran smooth, but it was just so different.

Thanks for all the suggestions!

It is Dual boot and spend most of its time on XP because I have a boat load of stuff that will not RUN or is no driver support.
I have replaced sick RAM
and just cloned a WD 80G drive that ha 7.5 Years of SPIN TIME and was hinting

[eschwartz]

Originally Posted by 2wr3ckl3ss

Wow eschwartz, still running after 11 years. Impressive. I have a Dell Latitude that's about that old. Thing weighs like 10 lbs. Haven't checked in a while to see if it still works.

TheDuck, do you think using Linux has helped keep yours going? I've heard it's a good operating system for older computers. Less crap. I installed it once. Lasted less than a day. Ran smooth, but it was just so different.

Thanks for all the suggestions!

The laptop in question is a Dell Inspiron B130. It was originally sold with Windows XP, a Celeron processor, a 38 GB hard drive, and 256 MB RAM. it ran like molasses.

I've upgraded the RAM to 2 GB and installed Linux, and it runs all right as long as I don't do anything too strenuous (I have a bad habit of accumulating hundreds of tabs in Firefox though).

I certainly believe Linux has helped keep it going -- less footprint on the HDD, and it's less resource-intensive than Windows.
Also consider the fact that Windows XP is unsupported and Linux (especially rolling-release distros like Arch Linux) is supported very well indeed. Even if I didn't prefer Linux to Windows, it is the only reasonable option on old computers IMHO.

...

If you are open to using Linux but are concerned about the "differentness", I suggest you try Linux Mint.
Very easy for Linux newbies and doesn't require command-line-fu, and their Cinnamon desktop is absolutely wonderful (it's the one I use on Arch Linux).
Cinnamon has a very Windowsy feel, and mixes the best of the classic Windows interface with everything Linux has done right.