Missing Books in (original) Folder

[FinFan]

Hello everyone. I am new to the software, installed it yesterday and have been tipping my toes into the water.

I know there are several topics regarding missing books in calibre but my problem is the other way around. All the books are listed in calibre but they are no longer in my original folder.

I have a collection of several thousand books, comics, txt, pdf, and other files which accumulate to about 50 gb. They were all in one folder. When I started calibre I added everything from that folder without problems. Calibre created a second library folder for the books, which as I understand it is what it is supposed to do. So now I had two 50 gb folders. No sweat, I have enough disc space. I checked yesterday and both folders had the exact same size.

Today all files from my original folder are somewhat gone, the folder only listed with 80 mb for a couple files that are left. Weirdly the disc space on the drive hasn't changed since yesterday. I ran a programm called WizTree to check the structure of the drive. All my files are displayed there, the folder is showing a size of 51.1 gb.

So essentially they seem to be there but the windows explorer can't regognize them ?? I removed calibre from my machine in the hope it would fix the problem. It didn't.

Why is this a problem ? I removed files from calibre after making sure they were only deleted from the library folder and not from my main folder. Now I can't get to this files.

What happened ??? I would really appreciate any help because I don't know what to do.

Thanks in advance.

[BetterRed]

Originally Posted by FinFan

Hello everyone. I am new to the software, installed it yesterday and have been tipping my toes into the water.

I know there are several topics regarding missing books in calibre but my problem is the other way around. All the books are listed in calibre but they are no longer in my original folder.

I have a collection of several thousand books, comics, txt, pdf, and other files which accumulate to about 50 gb. They were all in one folder. When I started calibre I added everything from that folder without problems. Calibre created a second library folder for the books, which as I understand it is what it is supposed to do. So now I had two 50 gb folders. No sweat, I have enough disc space. I checked yesterday and both folders had the exact same size.

How long did it take to add those several thousand books?

I doubt that 'exact' is true - a calibre library has author and book folders and each book folder typically has a format file (epub. cbz, docx etc), a cover.jpg and a metadata.opf file plus there's the database metadata.db at the top of the library tree. Hard to imagine your flat folder of books had the same cover.jpgs, metadata.opf files etc.

Originally Posted by FinFan

Today all files from my original folder are somewhat gone, the folder only listed with 80 mb for a couple files that are left. Weirdly the disc space on the drive hasn't changed since yesterday. I ran a programm called WizTree to check the structure of the drive. All my files are displayed there, the folder is showing a size of 51.1 gb.

So essentially they seem to be there but the windows explorer can't regognize them ?? I removed calibre from my machine in the hope it would fix the problem. It didn't.

Why is this a problem ? I removed files from calibre after making sure they were only deleted from the library folder and not from my main folder. Now I can't get to this files.

What happened ??? I would really appreciate any help because I don't know what to do.

Thanks in advance.

How did you remove files from calibre - with calibre itself or Windows

BR

[stumped]

if you added files to calibre ,then told calibre to delete them, calibre did that. what did you expect it to do . that's why the calibre library is now empty.

& If you told calibre that the original folder was be used as an auto -add folder, you really shoudl have read the documentation for that. Anytime calibre makes a copy of a book from an auto add folder, it deletes the original. That is documented.

and then, you go and uninstall the program before asking for help . Duh!

Next time around, RTFM. and make backups before you go on a delete 50Gb spree !

[FinFan]

Originally Posted by BetterRed

How long did it take to add those several thousand books?

I doubt that 'exact' is true - a calibre library has author and book folders and each book folder typically has a format file (epub. cbz, docx etc), a cover.jpg and a metadata.opf file plus there's the database metadata.db at the top of the library tree. Hard to imagine your flat folder of books had the same cover.jpgs, metadata.opf files etc.


How did you remove files from calibre - with calibre itself or Windows

BR

Well, "exact" might be a bit casual but they are close. Both 50+ gb. And I cheked my original folder as it was structured different from the calibre library.

I didn't take that long, an hour maybe. Give or take a couple minutes. I have my book folder and the library folder on the same drive. Maybe that helped and mabe that's the problem ?

I removed the files from calibre. Marked one, deleted it, checked that it was still there in the original folder. Which it was. Than I deleted more that I don't need in the programm itself. Whatever, I didn't delete all of them in any case. I still have many left in library which still are not available in the other.

Library folder 48.2 gb - my folder 80 mb. That can't be right in any case.

[FinFan]

Originally Posted by stumped

if you added files to calibre ,then told calibre to delete them, calibre did that. what did you expect it to do . that's why the calibre library is now empty.

& If you told calibre that the original folder was be used as an auto -add folder, you really shoudl have read the documentation for that. Anytime calibre makes a copy of a book from an auto add folder, it deletes the original. That is documented.

and then, you go and uninstall the program before asking for help . Duh!

Next time around, RTFM. and make backups before you go on a delete 50Gb spree !

The calibre library isn't empty - my own folder is. Kind of, as I explained. The files are gone in explorer but are traceable when I check disk space.

And I did not delete all files from calibre. I still have 48 gb in that, yet only 80 mb in my folder.

Even if it deletes everything from an auto add folder why is the disk space not freed ?? Why can I see all my book files with external software ??

You care to have an explanation for that ???

[stumped]

Originally Posted by FinFan

I removed the files from calibre. Marked one, deleted it, checked that it was still there in the original folder. Which it was. Than I deleted more that I don't need in the programm itself. Whatever, I didn't delete all of them in any case...

Library folder 48.2 gb - my folder 80 mb. That can't be right in any case.

it is still not at all clear exactly how you were deleting stuff.
what does " marked one, deleted it" mean?

marked it how? deleted it how ?

A general tip: the fix, if you think you have deleted stuff wrongly, is not to delete more stuff ( like the program) in the hope that doing so will make the previously deleted stuff re-appear. that's not how computers work!

tip 2: have you looked in the recycle bin ?

[FinFan]

I deleted the files within the calibre software - not in my collection folder and not directly in the library folder. I clicked on one file and pressed "DEL" on the keyboard. The file was gone from the list, as it was supposed to be. It was gone from the library file, again as expected. It was still there in the original folder it came from. Therefore I felt rather safe in deleting more files from within the calibre software.

And I need the empazise again that yesterday before I shut down my machine all files where there in my personal collection folder. I did not delete them in any form. The recyle bin is empty, I already tried a recovery programm which didn't found anything. The disk space on my drive is still as it should be. I check those daily, so I know. And a 50 gb chunk of disk space suddenly added I would notice. And working with calibre was all I did yesterday.

Look, I am not an idiot. I use computers since the 1980s. I am well aware I might have done some mistake I just can't figure out where. Like I said, I checked before deleting 100s of files from calibre. I deleted the software because I hoped that maybe there was a registry entry or something like that which was responsible. Was that hasty ? Probably. But I can still see all my files in WizTree (https://wiztree.en.lo4d.com/windows).

I could understand if the files I deleted from within the calibre software were gone from both folders, but they are all gone from within my collection folder. Safe from about 30 books in one subfolder which I again have no clue why those were left.

It just doesn't make sense one way or the other.

[theducks]

Originally Posted by FinFan

The calibre library isn't empty - my own folder is. Kind of, as I explained. The files are gone in explorer but are traceable when I check disk space.

And I did not delete all files from calibre. I still have 48 gb in that, yet only 80 mb in my folder.

Even if it deletes everything from an auto add folder why is the disk space not freed ?? Why can I see all my book files with external software ??

You care to have an explanation for that ???

Did you configure Calibre to use your original folder as the AUTO ADD folder?
(preferences: adding Books: Automatic adding (a tab) )

Delete after ADD is the expected action
There is a bold WARNING just below the place you enter a path

[FinFan]

Originally Posted by theducks

Did you configure Calibre to use your original folder as the AUTO ADD folder?
(preferences: adding Books: Automatic adding (a tab) )

Delete after ADD is the expected action
There is a bold WARNING just below the place you enter a path

No, I didn't. I checked, there is no auto add folder selected.

I used "Add Books" (top left corner) and then "add from directories and sub-directories".

[theducks]

Originally Posted by FinFan

No, I didn't. I checked, there is no auto add folder selected.

I used "Add Books" (top left corner) and then "add from directories and sub-directories".

That way LEAVES the originals as is and just adds a copy to Calibre.

So, something else (Not Calibre) did the deed.
A "duplicate cleaner" app?

[stumped]

and just to eliminate one of the usual suspects - we talking here about files on the same local drive? there is no mapped network drive, cloud storage or other source of gremlins in the puzzle ?

and there was no overnight windows update which ran at previous shut down or start up ?

if so then I'm with theducks in suspecting some PC-cleaner type app, like ccleaner

for our info. what is the full file path for the problem ( original) folder, just in case there is a clue there ?

if you can still see the missing files in wiztree can you also see file properties ?

[FinFan]

Originally Posted by theducks

A "duplicate cleaner" app?

Possible. I have an eraser software instead of simply emptying the trash.

But:

there is no automatic cleaning process involved. And I never deleted anything out of my collection folder.

last time I emptied the trash it had about 24 gb in it. So way below the 50+ gb originally in my folder.

Putting all that into account I could have deleted my folder accidently althought I fail to understand why I would do that. And a folder that size would be instanly deleted instead of going into the trash. Plus I would have deleted a dozen sub-folders (save one) instead of the main one. Weird.

Which still leaves the question why the disk space isn't re-assigned and why the WizTree software can still display the files.

I still have the majority of all files in the library folder. Worst case scenario: I lost a couple hundred files which would take a very long time to replace.

[stumped]

if the disc space is not re-assigned it should be recoverable, with a suitable utility? consult google for "undelete folder" software.
asking again, because unanswered - this is a simple local internal drive folder, its not in one drive or anything similar ?
i'd be included to run a check disc, or look at the S.M.A.R.T data for that drive if possible, just in case this is all a sign of pending drive failure

[FinFan]

Originally Posted by stumped

and just to eliminate one of the usual suspects - we talking here about files on the same local drive? there is no mapped network drive, cloud storage or other source of gremlins in the puzzle ?

and there was no overnight windows update which ran at previous shut down or start up ?

if so then I'm with theducks in suspecting some PC-cleaner type app, like ccleaner

for our info. what is the full file path for the problem ( original) folder, just in case there is a clue there ?

if you can still see the missing files in wiztree can you also see file properties ?

1. Yes, the files were on the same physical hard drive.

2. Last windows update was 14 days ago according to my system.

3. Cleaner app could by the culprit as I mentioned above but that would also involve a collossal mental meltdown on my part. No out of the question but I don't remember one

4. Not sure I understand this one. My collection was stored on P:\Books\ . The library is on P:\Calibre.

5. WizTree displays the file name as well as the file size. It is not possible to open a file from the programm.

[FinFan]

Originally Posted by stumped

if the disc space is not re-assigned it should be recoverable, with a suitable utility? consult google for "undelete folder" software.
asking again, because unanswered - this is a simple local internal drive folder, its not in one drive or anything similar ?
i'd be included to run a check disc, or look at the S.M.A.R.T data for that drive if possible, just in case this is all a sign of pending drive failure

OK, I downloaded EaseUS Data Recovery and at first glance it looks promising. There seems to be something there but a deep scan of the drive takes five hours. I will answer back if it was succesfull.

In any case thanks a lot so far. Even if it turns out to be my stupity was the reason you at least helped me to realise it and act accordingly.

Much appreciated.