Author Topic: restoring properties: database  (Read 5520 times)

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dht1@bellatlantic.net

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restoring properties: database
« on: 2017-04-04 10:42:34 »
Last November, a rogue MS Windows 10 update messed up my ThumbsPlus v7, build 4011, database, and destroyed TP's ability to display thumbnails as well.  Under "Properties" for each thumbnail, only tabs 1, 2, &3 are displayed in the original folders for photos.  And in the Galleries, only tabs 4, 5, 6, &7 are displayed.  Really weird.

I am finally finding the time to try to undo the damage, and am thinking the first step would be to download and reinstall the TP software.  But I worry that doing so may destroy the text entries in the existing database (tab #4 under Properties).  Nothing in the help system seems to speak to this concern.

Any thoughts?

David Tocher

Daan van Rooijen

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restoring properties: database
« Reply #1 on: 2017-04-04 13:09:14 »
> Last November, a rogue MS Windows 10 update messed up my ThumbsPlus v7, build 4011, database, and destroyed TP's ability to display thumbnails as well.  Under "Properties" for each thumbnail, only tabs 1, 2, &3 are displayed in the original folders for photos.  And in the Galleries, only tabs 4, 5, 6, &7 are displayed.  Really weird.

What I suspect happened is that the drive that holds your image files was given a new volume label. ThumbsPlus uses this volume label to identify a drive and to match the image files on it to the corresponding thumbnail records in its database.

When only tabs 1, 2 and 3 are shown, it means that the image file is present but it has no thumbnail record associated to it (or it can't be found). When only tabs 4, 5 an six are shown, it means a thumbnail record is present but the associated image file is missing. In other words, ThumbsPlus seems unable to match its records to the image files, and the most common cause of that is that a third party program changed the volume label (if the images are on a network drive, a changed server name can have the same effect).

> I am finally finding the time to try to undo the damage, and am thinking the first step would be to download and reinstall the TP software.  But I worry that doing so may destroy the text entries in the existing database (tab #4 under Properties).

Well, always be sure to keep a copy of your database (the .TD4 file) as a backup.

If my explanation is correct, a grayed-out drive with the old volume label should be visible in your Tree panel. For now, do not open it. First, go to Options | Preferences | Thumbnails, and turn (or keep) OFF the options 'Make thumbnails automatically' and 'Auto remove orphans'. This will prevent that (now orphaned) old thumbnail records will be deleted, or that new thumbnail records will be made for images which already had been thumbnailed (and enriched with keywords and annotations).

With that done, you can safely right-click on the grayed-out drive in the tree, and from the context menu that appears you can select 'Volume Properties'. On its database tab (2nd tab) it should show the Database volume label. That is the volume label with which your drive was originally recorded and that was valid when you originally made your thumbnails (and keywords, annotations). Write it down exactly as it appears there (including upper/lower case, special characters, etc).

The next step is to exit TP. Then, using Windows own file manager (Explorer, 'My Computer') go to the properties of that drive and note its new volume label. Write that down, too. Then change this volume label back to the old name that you found in TP.
 
Next, launch TP. If all went well, it can now again match your images to their old thumbnail records. Both physical files and those in galleries should have all tabs filled in their Properties windows. Also, the grayed-out drive is no longer gray.

Is that correct? If so, the problem would appear to be solved, but two issues may remain:

1) Thumbnails that were made after the Windows update messed with the volume label may now appear under a grayed-out drive in the tree. If so, verify that they do not hold important keywords or annotations.

2) Windows may have changed that volume label for a reason, and it may expect the volume label to remain as it had set it. So, it may be a good idea to change the volume label back again to how Windows wanted it -- but this time, from within ThumbsPlus, so that TP can automatically update its records while the change is being made (to prevent that the thumbnail records get 'disconnected' again). To change the label, right-click on the drive in the Tree panel, pick 'Label disk' and change it to the name that Windows had set and that you wrote down earlier.
 
I hope this helps!
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