[Leica] really elementary backup question

[mark at whitedogs.co.uk (Mark Pope)]

Hi Ken,

I think what Martin Avening means is to set up the catalog preferences 
so that the catalog is backed up when you exit Lightroom (this is the 
behaviour for LR3, but for 2, it backs up the catalog when you open the 
application).

It's recommended because if your catalog becomes corrupted (I've had one 
catalog corruption), then you can load a backup copy and pick up from there.

If you go to <file><preferences><catalog settings>, there is a drop-down 
menu where you can set your backup preferences.
The options are 'Never', 'once a month when exiting Lightroom', 'once a 
day when exiting Lightroom', 'Every time Lightroom exits' and 'Next time 
Lightroom exits'.

When backups are selected, the application will display a dialogue box 
which gives you the option to choose (or modify) the backup catalog 
location as well as to skip the backup and whether you want to optimise 
the catalog.

The catalog backups are held in date-stamped directories on the backup disk.

On our Windows system, our catalogs are backed up to a file share on 
network-attached server.  Note that the catalog backup *does not* back 
up the image files, only the catalog database.

Since you already use Syncback, then you could create a Lightroom 
catalog backups directory on your local hard disk and then this will be 
backed up with all of your other files.

The images can be backed up when they are imported into Lightroom - 
check out the import settings.



Hope this helps.

All the best



Mark Pope,
Swindon, Wilts
UK

Homepage               http://www.monomagic.co.uk
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On 15/03/2012 23:11, Ken Carney wrote:
> I see from Martin Evening's book that the LR catalog should be backed up
> manually. I assume this is because it is checking for errors. For other
> backups, I use SyncBack. It backs up my internal drive with my photos to
> two external drives each week, at 2 a.m. Then about once a month I back
> up that internal drive to a third external drive. When the automated
> backup occurs, how would I know that some internal drive files have not
> become corrupted, and I am just backing up worthless data? I realize
> this is a really basic question, but my choices are to ask the our
> consultants at the firm and probably get deer in the headlights, or get
> an understandable answer from the LUG. Thanks!
>
> Ken
>
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