All my catalogs just disappeared and all custom settings gone.

[PhilBurton]

My production catalog and all the various test catalogs I've created in the past week to experiment with custom XMP - all gone - when I just opened up PSu to do another experiment. So I created another test catalog, then tried to open it, but PSu couldn't find it. The *.db file wasn't present in my test catalog folder.

What happened? How can I recover?

I don't use PSu's backup facilities because I back up my entire system with Retrospect, http://www.retrospect.com. If I know the names of files to restore, I can do that. If it's a registry issue, I am comfortable with regedit4.

Phil

[Stephen]

Under Mac it's called idimager.cat.db

[PhilBurton]

Under Mac it's called idimager.cat.db

Isn't that the name of the default catalog?

In any case, I restored that file, into the default location (in Windows). No change.

So again, I created a test catalog in my test catalog directory. And again, PSu (1) confirmed that the catalog was created, and (2) did not include that catalog in its list of catalogs. What is really weird is the creation date. Instead of 11/5/2016 (USA date notation), it is 6/11/2016.

So what is broken here?

[Stephen]

Hert will know how it works in Wondows. Email him.

[jstartin]

idimager.cat.db is indeed the default. If you have created catalogs with different names the default may still exist somewhere, but be empty. Your database files should be named as usersuppliedname.cat.db and usersuppliedname.thumbs.db

What happens if you use the OS to search all drives for *.cat.db?

What is shown in the Catalog tab of the Preferences dialog? This should give you the path PSu is using.

If PSu creates a file which is shown by Windows with the next day's date and the wrong date format it rather suggests that Windows is messed up and needs repairing.

[PhilBurton]

idimager.cat.db is indeed the default. If you have created catalogs with different names the default may still exist somewhere, but be empty. Your database files should be named as usersuppliedname.cat.db and usersuppliedname.thumbs.db

What happens if you use the OS to search all drives for *.cat.db?

I can find all my catalogs in two subdirs, exactly where I created them:
D:\Photo\Catalog\PSu-Test
D:\Photo\Catalog\PSu-Production

What is shown in the Catalog tab of the Preferences dialog? This should give you the path PSu is using.

C:\Users\phil\AppData\Local\IDimager Systems, Inc\Catalog <- the default

If PSu creates a file which is shown by Windows with the next day's date and the wrong date format it rather suggests that Windows is messed up and needs repairing.

To check out your point, I took two actions.
1. I ran chkdsk. Drive D: is clean.
2. I looked at the folders and files modified today. Correct dates and times. So I don't think the OS is an issue.

Phil

[PhilBurton]

Hert will know how it works in Wondows. Email him.

OK. I will have to do that. I was hoping that he was reading the forum and picked up on this issue.

Phil

[Hert]

The list of catalogs shown is the list of matching *.cat.db files in your catalog folder (by default the %localappdata%\Idimager systems, inc\Catalog). If you currently have a catalog open from another folder then the list is appended with catalogs that match the folder of the currently active catalog.

How the OS shows file creation times depend on how you have configured windows.

In the login dialog, use the button and open a catalog from your d:\photos\catalog

[PhilBurton]

The list of catalogs shown is the list of matching *.cat.db files in your catalog folder (by default the %localappdata%\Idimager systems, inc\Catalog). If you currently have a catalog open from another folder then the list is appended with catalogs that match the folder of the currently active catalog.

How the OS shows file creation times depend on how you have configured windows.

In the login dialog, use the button and open a catalog from your d:\photos\catalog

Duuuh! Hert, I just did what you said to do, and shazamm!, all my catalogs re-appeared. I don't know how I overlooked this simple action. But All's Well That Ends Well, as the Bard said, and I have my catalogs back.

SOLVED.