# Can I  start  Lightroom 5 over with a clean application?



## myvinyl333 (Dec 14, 2013)

I would like to move all the photos to an external HD and remove LR 5 then reinstall LR 5 and run it properly.

Issue:


Lightroom 5 on my Mac is in serious disarray. I installed it when it was first released and made many huge mistakes, one being importing Raw files onto the C drive (an SSD) then running out of memory. To be able to operate my operating system I had to move what I thought were JPEG files to another drive. Bad move. As you know I lost all my Lightroom files. Thing is I installed LR on my PC and have not made the same mistakes. What a mess 

*HELP*


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## KmH (Dec 14, 2013)

One of Lightroom's major attributes (limitations) is that it can only access 1 catalog at a time.

None of your image files are stored _*IN*_ Lighroom. All Lighroom does is remember the memory path to where the files are on your computer system.

But the trick is, to keep Lightroom's information about that path intact you have to use the Lightroom Library module to direct the movement of image files on your computer so Lightroom knows about the new location if you move or rename any files.

Lots of people use file management protocols they are familiar with, a computer file management system, with Lightroom, but that doesn't work because Lightroom is a database manager. The Differences Between a Database and a File Management System | eHow

I highly recommend, and have recommended often - The DAM Book: Digital Asset Management for Photographers


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## myvinyl333 (Dec 14, 2013)

KmH said:


> One of Lightroom's major attributes (limitations) is that it can only access 1 catalog at a time.
> 
> None of your image files are stored _*IN*_ Lighroom. All Lighroom does is remember the memory path to where the files are on your computer system.
> 
> ...




I cannot locate the files which is the major issue. I have have figured out the database management of LR which I use on my PC. In fact I began to make new catalogs per each concert shoot that works for me very well even though most do not. I still have no idea on how to clean up LR other that clear it off and start over? DAM is on the way BTW.


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