WinError 5

[wildchild1954]

After the last update to my Calibre program this is all I can get when trying to create a new library:

calibre, version 9.5.0
ERROR: Unhandled exception: <b>PermissionError</b>:[WinError 5] Access is denied: 'C:\\Program Files\\Calibre2\\Calibre—Chalker, Jack L'

calibre 9.5 embedded-python: True
Windows-10-10.0.19045-SP0 Windows ('64bit', 'WindowsPE')
('Windows', '10', '10.0.19045')
Python 3.14.2
Windows: ('10', '10.0.19045', 'SP0', 'Multiprocessor Free')
Interface language: None
EXE path: C:\Program Files\Calibre2\calibre.exe
Successfully initialized third party plugins: EpubMerge (3, 2, 0) && EpubSplit (3, 12, 0)
Traceback (most recent call last):
File "calibre\gui2\dialogs\choose_library.py", line 187, in accept
File "os.py", line 236, in makedirs
PermissionError: [WinError 5] Access is denied: 'C:\\Program Files\\Calibre2\\Calibre—Chalker, Jack L'

Can anyone tell me how to fix this? I would really like to be able to use the Calibre program but if this can't be fixed I'll have to try and find another program.

[DNSB]

You likely do not the correct permissions on the calibre install folder (C:\Program Files\Calibre2\) to be able to create/use a library there. And creating a data folder there is, IMNSHO, a very very bad idea.

If you can't find your calibre library in a different location (search for metadata.db for example), then with calibre closed, create a new library folder (say, C:\Users\<username>\calibre\<library name> ) and then select it (Library => Switch/create library). If you do find your calibre library in a different location, use the same switch/create tool to select that location as an existing library.

You can also try, with calibre closed, copying the library from the Calibre2 directory to a new location and then try switching to it.

[BetterRed]

I've requested this thread be moved to Calibre->Library Management.

[theducks]

Originally Posted by BetterRed

I've requested this thread be moved to Calibre->Library Management.

Done. IIRC you were a CC Mod I was wrong

[BetterRed]

Originally Posted by theducks

Done. IIRC you were a CC Mod I was wrong

Never used CC, or any of it's wannabees. Apart from those from the big tech behemoths, Android and IOS apps tend to have a half life about the same as a mouse in a cattery.

[theducks]

Originally Posted by BetterRed

Never used CC, or any of it's wannabees. Apart from those from the big tech behemoths, Android and IOS apps tend to have a half life about the same as a mouse in a cattery.

chaley will be glad to know he is a big wannabe

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by DNSB

You likely do not the correct permissions on the calibre install folder (C:\Program Files\Calibre2\) to be able to create/use a library there. And creating a data folder there is, IMNSHO, a very very bad idea.

If you can't find your calibre library in a different location (search for metadata.db for example), then with calibre closed, create a new library folder (say, C:\Users\<username>\calibre\<library name> ) and then select it (Library => Switch/create library). If you do find your calibre library in a different location, use the same switch/create tool to select that location as an existing library.

You can also try, with calibre closed, copying the library from the Calibre2 directory to a new location and then try switching to it.

It is not a good idea to create calibre libraries in c:\users\<username>. That's where a lot of permission errors occur.

[theducks]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

It is not a good idea to create calibre libraries in c:\users\<username>. That's where a lot of permission errors occur.

Wasn't that PROGRAM FILES? That would really be worse.
I thought the username level was o k as it was not ONEDRIVED like documents became by default

[DNSB]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

It is not a good idea to create calibre libraries in c:\users\<username>. That's where a lot of permission errors occur.

Last time I looked, under Windows, the user gets the full set of permissions on their home directory and inheritance is enabled for subdirectories. <username> is not the directory name but simpler for some people than writing %username% or YourUserName.

My personal choice for the root of my calibre libraries is c:\users\%username%\calibre with the various calibre library directories as subdirectories of the calibre directory. Looking at the permissions on the calibre directory, all permissions are inherited from the %username% directory and ditto for the library directories right down to the data directories.

If you have mucked with the default permissions, inheritance, whatever, that's a you problem and not due to the operating system.

[BetterRed]

At install time the default location for the "Calibre Library" is C:\Users\%username%\

And IIRC that was where users were told to move their libraries to when MS decided to sync C:\Users\%username%\Documents to OneDrive.

BR

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by theducks

Wasn't that PROGRAM FILES? That would really be worse.
I thought the username level was o k as it was not ONEDRIVED like documents became by default

This is the first time I've seen someone put a library in Program Files. That (IMHO) is a really bad place to put your data.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by BetterRed

At install time the default location for the "Calibre Library" is C:\Users\%username%\

And IIRC that was where users were told to move their libraries to when MS decided to sync C:\Users\%username%\Documents to OneDrive.

BR

MS can take OneDrive and shove it where the sun never shines.

I've deleted the OneDrive app because it's a real bother. For some people it causes all kinds of problems especially if they turn on backup.