Calibre on new laptop

[Ballaterboy]

I am sure the answer to this is already on here so if someone could post the link would be grateful

Calibre was successfully on my old laptop which has now defunct and unrecoverable. However there was a full backup which has been used to build new win 10 laptop (Old laptop was win 10 as well)

Loaded on Calibre. A folder named Calibre Library is in Documents as on old Laptop and this contains all my created libraries. However when i open Calibre on new laptop it only has the first Library and that's empty.

Have tried maintenance and all options but keep getting error messages

[BetterRed]

@Ballaterboy - try the Library->Switch/create library tool, browse to the library folder with all your books, select the Use the previously existing library at the new location

But if that doesn't work we need to see the error messages, can you copy them to clipboard and post here.

BR

[Ballaterboy]

Iam getting annoyed with myself because your explanation is logical and straightforward and iam obviously doing something fundamentally wrong and cant see it.

Screenshot 1 is my Documents folder where calibre always sits. The AGATHA CHRISTIE file seems to have been put there automatically when I loaded Calibre programme. Screenshot 6 is whats in it

Screenshots 2 & 3 are top and bottom end of the Calibre Library that was automatically in there when new laptop was built from the backup of the old

Screenshot 4 I tried by creating a new Folder called calibre Library New but when I put that as the location in " Use the previously existing library at the new location " -- I got screenshot 5

Got to be something stupid that Im not understanding.

[BetterRed]

Originally Posted by Ballaterboy

Iam getting annoyed with myself because your explanation is logical and straightforward and iam obviously doing something fundamentally wrong and cant see it.

Screenshot 1 is my Documents folder where calibre always sits. The AGATHA CHRISTIE file seems to have been put there automatically when I loaded Calibre programme. Screenshot 6 is whats in it

Screenshots 2 & 3 are top and bottom end of the Calibre Library that was automatically in there when new laptop was built from the backup of the old

Screenshot 4 I tried by creating a new Folder called calibre Library New but when I put that as the location in " Use the previously existing library at the new location " -- I got screenshot 5

Got to be something stupid that Im not understanding.

I suspect the following is happening - in the restore process you have restored the configuration folder from the old computer which is referring to that AGATHA CHRISTIE library folder in your OneDrive - which may have got lost in the restore.

Curious - what sort of Restore was it, i.e. how was the backup created?

Try this -

1. start calibre,
2. go to Preferences->Miscellaneous and click the Open calibre configuration directory button, that will open the Configuration folder in File Explorer - it will be something like C:\Users\angus\Appdata\Roaming\calibre.
3. close calibre
4. in File Explorer go up to C:\Users\angus\Appdata\Roaming and rename the calibre directory to something like calibre_save.
5. start calibre (it will create a fresh configuration folder - silently)
6. now try the Create/Switch to the library folder with all your books (it may have picked it up if it is in C:\Users\angus\Documents\Calibre library

You would have lost all your global customisation and optional plugins, which you will have to redo - you could use the contents of the calibre_save as a guide, but I'd be cautious about copying things - especially bits of files. If you copy things (e.g the plugins sub-directory etc) make sure you do it while calibre is not running, and make sure you can undo any changes you make.

FWIW: when calibre is first installed (actually, at it's first run) it creates the following in %Appdata%\Documents if its not already there

Calibre Library
    John Schember
        Quick Start Guide (1)
            cover.jpg
            metadata.opf
            Quick Start Guide - John Schember.epub
 

BR

[Ballaterboy]

That didn't work but it may well be me

When I go to Switch/Create (Screenshot 7) what should I put in the new location bar

Tried putting in a new calibre folder id created Screenshot 1 but got this error message

So tried putting location as the existing calibre Library where the files are Screenshot 2 Got this message

[BetterRed]

Originally Posted by Ballaterboy

That didn't work but it may well be me

When I go to Switch/Create (Screenshot 7) what should I put in the new location bar

Tried putting in a new calibre folder id created Screenshot 1 but got this error message

So tried putting location as the existing calibre Library where the files are Screenshot 2 Got this message

I'm a bit confused - you now seem to have the contents of the factory default Document/Calibre Library. What happened to this one?



Is that the the library you want ? If it is, browse to it by clicking the blue folder at right end of location box in Create/switch library.

And, if I were you I would get OneDrive out of the loop.

BR

[pdurrant]

In the screenshots you posted you seemed to be trying to switch to 'Calibre new' on OneDrive instead of 'Calibre Library' on your PC.

[Ballaterboy]

Success people Think the backup I used for the build was incomplete or corrupt. I had also fortunately backed up to an external hard drive a complete copy of the Calibre Library from the other laptop. May be missing some of the latest creations but that wont be many and can be redone from scratch. Seems to be seeing all these libraries now so putting them back on one by one, then i can tidy them up

Thank you so much for all your advice and help it is so much appreciated.

When I've got it right I'll look at the FAQ's and see if there's a better way of regularly backing this up because i have a laptop on a lease agreement so in 2 years time i will be replacing it with a new one. Hopefully it will be ok as I now have a small hard drive and Document Folder for instance is on my Team Know How 2Tb cloud storage. So changing the laptop shouldn't effect anything

Thanks again folks you have really been helpful to this dopey old 71 year old. !!!!!