Lrcat.lock

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Bertoldo Beyer

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Aug 3, 2024, 6:16:19 PM8/3/24

to tonlasilqui

// Special to this folder with Lighroom and other photos// I want to sync these files in case I forget to quit Lightroom, blocks opening on other computer!Master.lrcat-shm!Master.lrcat-wal!Master.lrcat.lock

When I open lightroom it does show in Taskmanager (32% processor and 63,8 mb memory) but the programme itself doesn't open. When viewing the folder where my catalog is stores, I see that lrcat.lock and lrcat-shm files show up and disappear constantly. This has been going for for over 24 hours already.

I already logged out and in into adobe creative cloud several times and have deleted and re-downloaded Lightroom classic. I also copied my latest catalog from a folder that is cloud based to my computer itself but the same issue arises.

Your screen capture indicates that the LrC catalog file is stored in a folder that is shared with some cloud storage service (that's why the catalog file has "Conflicted" in the file name). You need to find a version of the catalog file that is does not have Conflicted in the file name, put it in a folder that is not shared with some cloud storage service, and try opening it from there. Placing catalog file in folders shared with cloud storage is always problematic and should be avoided.

Hi, I have a LR Catalog of 800k images that was working fine until I cloned the whole folder from my main internal mac book pro HD to external drives ( Raid 5 archives array ). I needed to free up some space temporary on the laptop ( Catalog is 600 Go only with smart previews ) I have done this type of temporary transfer dozens of time never had a problem. I do not need space anymore on the laptop and so I cloned back the full folder on my machine. Now the catalog does not want to launch anymore. When one try to launch the catalog by clicking the usual .lrcat file, a very unusual behavior can be observed in the folder. Both files .lrcat-wal and .lrcat.lock appear and disappear one after the other, a .lock files is created, and disappear, and the whole thing loops. Mean while the opening LR window remains static. The application though tries to open ( Processor is active at 95 %, and drive is active as I can hear the scratches). I tried to wait for over an hour to try and see if in the end the catalog opened, it did not, and the same circus could be observed in the LR folder, the 2 files .lrcat-wal, lrcat.lock, appearing disappearing etc. I tried to open the catalog from a new catalog, I got a message saying " The LR catalog you are trying to open is not a valid catalog ". I have 2 other back up of the same catalog, also clone from the original. Same issue. Something unusual : 2 files that should not be there are in the main folder : Temporary Import Data.db for one, and for the other .data.db-wal. I do not remember that I closed the catalog before a import was finished, that could explain the presence of both files I guess, The catalog did not crash that I remember before I cloned it to my external drives. Also, these 2 files are dated September 18, 2018. The catalog file ( .lrcat ) is dated Jan 29, 2019 ( Day of the transfer, and last time that the catalog was open ). I have both, a smart previews and previews files in the folder. The previews file Previews.lrdata is dated Jan 29, 2019 which make sense as I built up some 1/1 preview that day, the smart preview file SmartPreview.lrdata is dated July 31, 2018 which does not make sense as I imported new images and built up smart previews on the 29th. I tried the usual turnaround when one cannot open a catalog : to trash the .lock file ( Dated Oct19, 2018 which also does not make any sense ) that was also in the folder, it did not change anything whatsoever. I am on Mac os X-10.13.6 and Lightroom CC up to date. I do not have a back up of my catalog that is recent enough, and so I'd really need to be able to find a fix and be able to open this catalog, that represents years and years of work and editing. See below a screen shot of the folder with the dates discrepancies and the unusual folder structure.

By folder I mean the Lightroom folder of the catalog. The usual folder with the .lrcat file, the previews, and the other files ( like in the screen shot attached with my question ). So previews, catalog, and the few files inherent to LR system. The photos are on external drives and so are separated from this folder.

So when you get the error message that this is not a valid catalog, this most likely means there was some corruption somewhere, either caused by the move of the catalog file, or by a bad sector on the hard disk.

Now the question is why did the catalog broke since it was working fine just before I shut it down, considering that the way I closed it is the normal one, did not have any crash, of application not responding. Hence why in the folder of the catalog they are are these temp files that are not supposed to be there, with a date that also has nothing to do with the day I closed the catalog. Not to mention the other files ( see screen shot above ) that also do not have the proper date, including and that is really weird the one of the smart previews. I built smart previews on January 29th, the file says that it was last touched in July 18. This is so not the case..

The error coming from moving the catalog is not really plausible for 3 reasons. I did a clone with copy carbon cloner, with sum check. The back up is hardly corrupted. If I say 3 reasons, it is because I cloned the catalog ( I mean the folder including everything that goes with the catalog ) on 3 different drives, all arrays of raid 5 archives, all drives verified and certified, and not one bad sector or issue, as the drives are formatted in soft raid and under high scrutiny from the application.

Reason to that, the folder I cloned was the one having the problem. I just did not see that there was something wrong inside the folder with an unusual structure and files that have nothing to do inside ( The 2 temp files, and the lock ).

Considering that when I try to open the catalog Lightroom keeps trying and trying, I assume the catalog is not dead, and that there is just one thing that bugs the application like an "entrance" point to the catalog in a way.

Shows various things to try. One being #6, starting a new catalog as diagnostic (is it your catalog), instruction includes how to launch LR in an alternate way to accompish that without opening your existing catalog.

Any drive issue is ruled out. I have 3 copies of the original catalog folder, on 3 different different drives. Each drive is a raid 5 unit, certified and verified, not one single dead sector. Each back up presents the same problem. As said previously the original catalog did is what stopped working, The folder structure in the picture attached to the post, and the movie, show a totally unusual folder structure, and behavior at launch.

So, with the exception of the catalog, what happens if you move the other seven folders elsewhere (or delete them). Art least the ones with the wrong dates, but actually the correctly dated previews as well as corrupted preview folders can foul things up.

Restructure everything that has been stated before. Put it in a nice order (no long paragraphs). What are the symptoms, what you have tried, include screenshots. And include your System Information (In LR, clcik on Help, clcik on System Information,clcik on Copy. Paste into discussion)

Lightroom is built on a database. This database is what makes up the actual Lightroom catalog. In Lightroom's case, the database locks itself against editing once you open the catalog, preventing multiple users from editing it. This is the intended behavior in regular operation, but can present some problems if Lightroom crashes.

If you experience a crash and try and reopen Lightroom, you might run into a message saying that the catalog is locked. While Lightroom will let you select a different catalog or just quit, neither of those will help if you want to get back to work.

To solve this, navigate to where your catalog is located in your file explorer or Finder. You'll see your .lrcat file, which is your actual catalog. Don't delete or alter that file. Instead, look for the .lrcat.lock file. This is the one you'll want to delete. Removing that file should allow you to reopen your catalog.

Extremely interesting and valuable information. In the last year of so I have had recurring problems descibed in the first two sections and the first was solved exactly as you say. The second, re drivers, just wouldn't right itself. I worked out that it was a driver issue and set myself to reading documentation. I was convince my drivers were top stuff as they were dedicated "game" drivers. The computer came with those installed and I had just updated them as time went on. However, after a while I developed a nagging doubt and decided to go for normal drivers without the game component. Perfect. I don't know if studio drivers would give me more response, but as things are going well now (touch wood) I am not keen on pushing my luck.

Or use Adobe Camera Raw and Bridge -- which have almost everything that is in Lightroom except the bugs and its ridiculously overdesigned, underperforming and, as the author notes, capricious cataloging.

There's a significant difference between Lightroom's workflow and a Bridge/Photoshop workflow. I'd deal with a daily crash to keep Lightroom's features over working with Bridge, which has its own significant performance issues.

Disabling the graphics card is one quick fix. Adobe does recommend to switch to the Studio Drivers if you work with Nvidia Cards. Do keep in mind that Studio Drivers are intended for those who work in the graphics industry. Using Studio Drivers in mixed-use computers (graphic design + gaming) will decrease the performance of the card in non-technical working environments and seriously compromise reliability when using them for gaming.

Okay, this is one odd issue I found in the most unexpected way you can imagine. Since I work with many files (emphasis in many, 3 external hard drives required), device management tends to get messy. For that very reason, I opted for a USB hub to keep my lack of USB ports at bay. Everything seemed to be great, right?