Reinstall and adding books fails

[warekl]

Got the corrupt database error trying to update windows 64 bit on my win 10 laptop. The repair of the database failed. Tried a reinstall and when I add books into the new library, the titles, covers and metadata are there but no book. It also tells me that there are many duplicates in the new library...

I did an uninstall, and deleted the Calibre library in "Users\my name". Tried a clean reinstall but there is always something lingering from the old library even if I create a new Calibre library folder location. I am assuming a corrupt database is causing the problem.

How can I do a clean re-installation?

I have listed Calibre as safe in Bitdefender AV......

[warekl]

Didn't think there was.... Now I need a new Library Management Tool...

[PeterT]

Have you tried removing your user preferences? Not at a PC but I think there in %appdata%/roaming/calibre

[warekl]

Originally Posted by PeterT

Have you tried removing your user preferences? Not at a PC but I think there in %appdata%/roaming/calibre

Yes, it seems to be something that has to be addressed in the windows registry for what's happening to occur. Uninstalling the software then deleting the library and a new install of the upgraded 64 bit version shouldn't let the software remember all of the e-books that were in the library. If I try to add books to the new, empty library (actually in a new location), Calibre seems to add them and they then show up in the library as they are supposed to, however when you try to open one, you get a message to the effect that the book has no content.

It also tells me that many of the new books I'm adding to the new library that were in my old library are duplicates, but not all of them....something is corrupt.

I have given up on the software and am reading reviews on other software. If un-installing the software leaves registry entries that cause problems with a new install, I can't see using that software again.

Can anyone suggest a system to look at that they have experience with?

[DNSB]

Originally Posted by warekl

Yes, it seems to be something that has to be addressed in the windows registry for what's happening to occur. Uninstalling the software then deleting the library and a new install of the upgraded 64 bit version shouldn't let the software remember all of the e-books that were in the library. If I try to add books to the new, empty library (actually in a new location), Calibre seems to add them and they then show up in the library as they are supposed to, however when you try to open one, you get a message to the effect that the book has no content.

It also tells me that many of the new books I'm adding to the new library that were in my old library are duplicates, but not all of them....something is corrupt.

I have given up on the software and am reading reviews on other software. If un-installing the software leaves registry entries that cause problems with a new install, I can't see using that software again.

Can anyone suggest a system to look at that they have experience with?

The problem seems to be that your library and preferences are surviving the uninstall which is by design to allow you to uninstall calibre and reinstall without losing data. This is nothing to do with the registry. My personal suspicion is due to it's multi-OS support, calibre does surprisingly little in the registry

Unless you have manually changed calibre's install locations, for a clean uninstall, you have to uninstall calibre and then manually remove the calibre library directory/directories (you can have more than one though a search for metadata.db should locate them) from your Documents directory, the calibre-cache directory from your AppData\Local directory and the calibre directory from your AppData\Roaming directory.

Then you should be able to install a new instance of calibre with no remnants of the old install.

[warekl]

Originally Posted by DNSB

The problem seems to be that your library and preferences are surviving the uninstall which is by design to allow you to uninstall calibre and reinstall without losing data.

Unless you have manually changed calibre's install locations, for a clean uninstall, you have to uninstall calibre and then manually remove the calibre library directories from your Documents directory, the calibre-cache directory from your AppData\Local directory and the calibre directory from your AppData\Roaming directory.

Then you should be able to install a new instance of calibre with no remnants of the old install.

Did that....

[DNSB]

Originally Posted by warekl

Did that....

I just tested what I wrote using a Windows 10 x64 VM (Version 1803 (OS Build 17713.1000)). Installed calibre 64bit, added my favourite plugins, added a couple of hundred books, attached a Tolino epos, copied the books to the epos. Ejected the epos. While it was processing the ebooks, uninstalled calibre, deleted the library directory from documents, deleted the cache-folder and calibre from their AppData directories. Re-installed calibre and came up with an empty library and no plugins. Connected my epos and no ebooks on the epos were in the library. Added the books back to calibre with no errors and they matched the ones on the epos. I didn't bother to reinstall the plugins since I'm reverting to a snapshot from before uninstalling calibre.

[warekl]

Originally Posted by DNSB

I just tested what I wrote using a Windows 10 x64 VM (Version 1803 (OS Build 17713.1000)). Installed calibre 64bit, added my favourite plugins, added a couple of hundred books, attached a Tolino epos, copied the books to the epos. Ejected the epos. While it was processing the ebooks, uninstalled calibre, deleted the library directory from documents, deleted the cache-folder and calibre from their AppData directories. Re-installed calibre and came up with an empty library and no plugins. Connected my epos and no ebooks on the epos were in the library. Added the books back to calibre with no errors and they matched the ones on the epos. I didn't bother to reinstall the plugins since I'm reverting to a snapshot from before uninstalling calibre.

Thanks.