Calibre redirection to new library not seeing new

bauerhjb · 07-21-2023, 09:09 AM

My hard drive failed but a friend was able to recover my calibre library files on a new laptop using Win 11. I have been trying to move, install, copy these files to a second laptop using Win 10. This laptop already had a broken library which I deleted via calibre and then deleted the files manually. I then deleted the program itself. I rebooted. I reinstalled calibre. I tried using the export function on my recovered library in order to move it to the Win 10 machine, but it failed. Unfortunately I did not copy the error message. I then tried the old method of copying the library to the Win 10 laptop. It worked and my laptop shows the 22,900 folders in the calibre home library. However when I run calibre it only recognized 12,100 folders. I tried to point to this location and calibre states it is already looking to it.
Sooo, I am wondering if I need to delete the metadata.db and the metadata_db_prefs_backup.json and have calibre rebuild the database? I know I could just use the library on the Win 11 laptop but I hate, loathe and despise this version. I had planned on using the Win 11 as my backup machine. Please be kind, I am an old lady who get frustrated when things don't go as they are supposed to. I don't program and figure I am pushing my limits to understand as much computer stuff as I do. Any kind help would be appreciated.

Ghostcat · 07-22-2023, 12:48 AM

I am not a windows guru (the last time I used windows was WINDOWS NT, nearly 20 years ago). That said, I really don't think that you can equate the number of files with the number of books.

What you need to do is check the number of books in Win 11 Calibre against the number of books in Win 10 calibre and ignore the underlying directory structure.

theducks · 07-22-2023, 10:01 AM

Calibre has a fairly known Library structure (vanilla install)
The main folder is ALSO the Library Name.
This contains:

metadata.db <<the data that makes up what you see in Library view
metadata_db_prefs_backup.json <<<The recovery of structure and Per Library settings
Author Folders

Those contains 2 or more of the following:

cover.jpg
metadata .opf
1 or more of the Books formats

Calibre has extensions that allow OTHER STUFF to be in those folders, but the burden is on you to ignore those kind of errors when running Check Library

Back to your issue. Your Library was probably being damaged while that HD was deciding to belly up . (Check Library is a great thing to do BEFORE making backups or transfers.)
OR
You stuck you neck out and used the Library over a Network Share or kept it in the cloud. (those are known ways to pain. When, not IF?)

theducks · 07-22-2023, 10:17 AM

Just to stress
metadata_db_prefs_backup.json contains your STRUCTURE customization's (and plugin settings that ar Per_Library)

Without this file, your recovery is mostly vanilla Calibre

07-21-2023, 09:09 AM	#1
bauerhjb Connoisseur Posts: 52 Karma: 19 Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: northern Idaho, USA Device: laptop, netbook, LG & Nextus tablets - Window 10, 8.1, 7,	Calibre redirection to new library not seeing new My hard drive failed but a friend was able to recover my calibre library files on a new laptop using Win 11. I have been trying to move, install, copy these files to a second laptop using Win 10. This laptop already had a broken library which I deleted via calibre and then deleted the files manually. I then deleted the program itself. I rebooted. I reinstalled calibre. I tried using the export function on my recovered library in order to move it to the Win 10 machine, but it failed. Unfortunately I did not copy the error message. I then tried the old method of copying the library to the Win 10 laptop. It worked and my laptop shows the 22,900 folders in the calibre home library. However when I run calibre it only recognized 12,100 folders. I tried to point to this location and calibre states it is already looking to it. Sooo, I am wondering if I need to delete the metadata.db and the metadata_db_prefs_backup.json and have calibre rebuild the database? I know I could just use the library on the Win 11 laptop but I hate, loathe and despise this version. I had planned on using the Win 11 as my backup machine. Please be kind, I am an old lady who get frustrated when things don't go as they are supposed to. I don't program and figure I am pushing my limits to understand as much computer stuff as I do. Any kind help would be appreciated.

07-22-2023, 10:17 AM	#4
theducks Well trained by Cats Posts: 30,165 Karma: 57532198 Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: The Central Coast of California Device: Kobo Libra2,Kobo Aura2v1, K4NT(Fixed: New Bat.), Galaxy Tab A	Just to stress Just to stress metadata_db_prefs_backup.json contains your STRUCTURE customization's (and plugin settings that ar Per_Library) Without this file, your recovery is mostly vanilla Calibre

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07-22-2023, 12:48 AM	#2
Ghostcat Connoisseur Posts: 52 Karma: 582370 Join Date: Apr 2023 Device: Kobo Clara 2E	I am not a windows guru (the last time I used windows was WINDOWS NT, nearly 20 years ago). That said, I really don't think that you can equate the number of files with the number of books. What you need to do is check the number of books in Win 11 Calibre against the number of books in Win 10 calibre and ignore the underlying directory structure.

07-22-2023, 10:01 AM	#3
theducks Well trained by Cats Posts: 30,165 Karma: 57532198 Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: The Central Coast of California Device: Kobo Libra2,Kobo Aura2v1, K4NT(Fixed: New Bat.), Galaxy Tab A	Calibre has a fairly known Library structure (vanilla install) The main folder is ALSO the Library Name. This contains: metadata.db <<the data that makes up what you see in Library view metadata_db_prefs_backup.json <<<The recovery of structure and Per Library settings Author Folders Those contains 2 or more of the following: cover.jpg metadata .opf 1 or more of the Books formats Calibre has extensions that allow OTHER STUFF to be in those folders, but the burden is on you to ignore those kind of errors when running Check Library Back to your issue. Your Library was probably being damaged while that HD was deciding to belly up . (Check Library is a great thing to do BEFORE making backups or transfers.) OR You stuck you neck out and used the Library over a Network Share or kept it in the cloud. (those are known ways to pain. When, not IF?)