ACDSee Help! Major problem!

[nkeevers]

I'm back with a major problem and ready to cry!

My hubby bought me a new EHD. I have one already. My C drive was getting full so I wanted to use the 1st EHD for my files to work from and use the 2nd as backup (then unplug). I backed up my ACDSee to the new EHD. Not thinking (not sure if this is right) I always back up without the thumbnails because I had everything on the C drive. Maybe this is where it got screwed up.

Went into my ACDSee this morning and everything was gone. Fixed that (Database maintenance) but now the problem is just as bad. I have all my kits on the left but all the information is gone. On the right I have my organization list but I have no thumbnail pictures (everything is there and even the kit name/designer, ec.). I can't see anything at all but .png or whatever.

I'm pulling my hair out. Is there any way to fix this? I went to DigiScrap and checked thru their ACDSee stuff but couldn't find anything to help me. If I have to go thru every kit again and organize, I think I might....

Any guidance would be so appreciated! In the meantime, I think I'll leave a thread on the ACDSee forum.

[Kathleen]

This sounds very similar to something that happened to me. Periodically I copy all my filed to an EHD that I then use when traveling on my laptop. I read all kinds of articles about exporting and moving the database, and still couldn't get it to work right.

There are a couple things I learned ... ACDSee is aware of the your drive serial number and is picky about that. ACDSee is also aware of the path of your files, and is picky about that.

As I said, I followed several tutorials, and still got various errors. Since mine was just a temporary kind of a situation (having the database in a second location), here is the workaround I settled on.

Like you, I could see all my files, I could click on tags for example and see all my tags, but if I double clicked the file, or said go to folder, ACDSee didn't know where to go. I THINK, it gave me a path it was looking for. So on my EHD, I created that path.

Example... on my EHD, my files were:

d:\my stuff\digiscrap\...

ACDSee was looking for:

d:\my documents\kathleen\digiscrap\...

So I made the folders ACDSee was looking for moved everything and it worked!

Before you did all the moving around, did you make a back-up of the database? Can you move everything back to where it was, restore the back-up and have everything work?

I am sure there is some trick to follow because obviously new computers, new drives happen all the time, but I just know what worked for me.

[nkeevers]

I made a backup just before I starting moving things around. But it didn't include "thumbnails" because it was all on my C drive at the time. Is this my problem?

Anyway I did a restore and what I wrote above is what I got!

[Meryl]

Norma I am so very sorry to hear of you problems :( I only wish i had the solution for you. Only today I posted all the contact info into a post which I stickied - you will find it here (http://www.digitalscrapbookplace.com/forum/showthread.php?t=34497) - I have found them very helpful in the past.

[nkeevers]

Wow, thanks Meryl! I think I'll have to contact them because I've gone around and around and can't fix the problem. This is depressing me to no end. I appreciate the help.

Do I have to call to fill out a support ticket; just to be sure I read your note right?

[Meryl]

Oh I sooo know the feeling :( ACDSee is THE most wonderful program my on ly wish is that it were a tad more stable! Do let us know how you get on.

[Meryl]

I am just thinking - have you deleted your files from your C drive now? if you have not (holding thumbs here!) then you can copy them over to your External, making sure you do through ACDSee NOT windows.

[Kathleen]

If it is just the thumbnails that are missing, have you tried database > rebuild thumbnails and metadata?

[Kathleen]

Backing up the data base without thumbnails should be fine, as it is information that should restore easily since it is in the files, so long as ACDSee knows where the files are. If you have tried to rebuild them, I would contact their support team and get expert advice!

[hejeva]

Hi Norma
I assume you can see the white thumbnail boxes but no picture?
I also assume that if your right click on them and choose go to file, this errors with a message?
The thumbnails will be automatically rebuilt when it can find the files again. So my guess is it can't find the files.
So what you need to do is change binding (tell acdsee where the files really are.)
This is the main help: Did you move folders outside of ACDSee? How to fix it? (http://www.digiscrapinfo.com/joomla/acdsee-resources/acdsee-photo-manager/common-questions/51-errors/219-did-you-move-folders-outside-of-acdsee-how-to-fix-it)
The video at the bottom might be useful for you since you have moved files from one EHD to another.

[nkeevers]

Thanks so much everyone for answering back!

Okay, I did all of the above and nothing has worked. I just got off the phone with Tech Support and he was trying the same things I did. It's not working. Now all I can do is start over from scratch. I've been in tears because it's going to be so much work. I can't even use the original files because if I delete those blank thumbnails, it will delete the items in the kit. It's not worth uncategorizing. I'm just creating more work for myself.

I probably won't be around for a while while I'm trying to get my program working again. Or I'll just have to use a kit at a time when creating something. It takes so long for me to find something I want and having to go thru kits to find a particular piece or something. Gosh, what a mess!

This will certainly be a lesson to me!

[Meryl]

Norma, I am so, so sorry to hear this :( :( :(

Only way to see some good - maybe you can improve your organizing style while you are about it? Probably few of us have it perfect? I know mine could do with a makeover! (Sorry I wanted to give you a link but for some reason I can't connect to the site)

Do you know Kristi's great Speed Tagging System? (http://digiscrapinfo.com/wordpress/2008/01/22/speed-tagging-with-kristi/)

Good luck with it all, keep in touch!

[Lauren]

in the mean time you could download picasa 3 beta - it's free and has a good search engine(cause it's a google product) which means it's pretty awesome at finding things even when they aren't tagged or keyworded. It also displays pngs beautifully now which it didn't before.
It might help you out while you get yourself back in the swing.

[nkeevers]

Thanks Meryl! I'll check the link out you sent me...anything at this point will help!

Lauren, thanks for telling me about Picasa. Maybe I'll try it out. I'm so used to ACDSee now that to learn another program is something I'd hate to do.

I'm working on getting all my kits "previewed" right now. Then on to the next steps. If I do it nonstop maybe I can have it done...next year! LOL!

[msbrad]

Oh, I feel for you. Of course, not much of mine is organized...
m

[Lauren]

Thats the joy of Picasa - you dont really have to learn it - just let it catalogue your pictures and when you want - say - a ribbon - type in ribbon
As long as the file name has ribbon in it - it will find it. -

[Meryl]

Norma - I have the Organizing Styles (http://www.digiscrapinfo.com/joomla/acdsee-resources/acdsee-photo-manager/organizing-styles) for you.

I have often recommended Kristi's speed tagging (http://digiscrapinfo.com/wordpress/2008/01/22/speed-tagging-with-kristi/) because i hear others speak highly of it, but just had a good look and tried it out, and honestly it will save you hours of tagging. I only wish I had known about it when i did mine.

Wrt searching - you can easily use ACDsee to search for say all "blue" things. I don't know why but took me AGES to find the handy Quick Search (I find the main search a bit non-user friendly!) - make sure you have this turned on View > Toolbars > Quick Search Toolbar or Ctrl+Alt+S

[Kim1989]

I totally understand how you feel. I just optimized my database and now I can't even access it. I'm still waiting for ACDSee to contact me via the ticket. For now I downloaded a free trial of ACDSee 2009 just so that I have something to use. I'm so dependent on ACDSee. I'm wondering if it worth it to dish out $50 for the new program. It has this embedded feature that is supposed to save your info on a file. Not sure how it works but it sounds great. I hope you can get your things working soon.

[Ms M]

Have you tried Database Maintenance and then "Change Binding"? I just moved everything to a new EHD and that's how I matched up my files with my organizing... I found out how to do it by googling on the internet.