Moving ACDSee tags and categories to new computer

[oswegograd]

OK gurus...I got a new computer yesterday, and I need some help. I've installed ACDSee 12 on my new computer (also had it on the old one) and tried embedding the tags and moving them to the new machine. After 24 hours of trying to upload the data, it got to 124K files, then had an error and shut down. Now I'm without tags or categories on the new machine, and I've lost 24 hours. I want to scrap!!! Does anyone know if a quick and easy way to move my tags from one computer to another? All of my loot is on an EHD, so I don't have to move that.

Thanks!

[janedee]

You could try this - back up your database on your old computer. Assuming you've copied all your tagged digi files onto the new computer, copy the database over to the new computer and tell ACDSee to restore database.

Hope it works for you.

[esther_a]

I've done what Jane suggested. Worked like a dream for me. I didn't embed the tags. Your files are still on the external drive? Just make sure your external drive has the same name (E: or whatever) because when you restore the backup it will look for all of the files in exactly the same location as they were on the other computer.
(Embedding tags would be useful if you were wanting to import the tags into a different image management tool other than ACDSee. I used that technique when I first moved from PSE Organizer to ACDSee.)

[oswegograd]

Tada...it worked! I'll know for sure once I try opening things to scrap, but my one "test" item opened for me. Yahoo! I backed up the database on one EHD and restored it on the new computer. THANK YOU both!

[oswegograd]

OK...so I tried working on my 365 page today and noticed that many of my tags didn't come through in the backup/restore process. Any ideas how to fix it? I have everything on my EHD, and didn't move anything. I'm at a loss.

[sarahorton]

I embedded the tags first, then I updated the database. After that I copied the database to the external and took it over to the other computer.

If you embed the tags, it will tell you that some files can't have embedded tags. It will ask if you want to create a sidecar file and I clicked "yes." It will add these sidecar files to your folders, but I felt like it was just added insurance.
You might want to do this at night since it takes a lonnnnng time.

[oswegograd]

I tried embedding first, and it ran for about 24 hours before timing out. I wonder if that's where I lost the other tags. Naturally, DH has already wiped out the hard drive on the old computer. Aarrgh.

[esther_a]

Oh, that's no good! What actually happened for me was my computer had to be rebuilt because malware killed it! I was able to transfer the files but didn't have a chance to embed the data into the files. I did, however, have a recent backup (total miracle) of the ACDSee database and once I put my files in the same path and restored the backup it was all there!

[maureenreynolds]

While this is not an immediate answer for you, I recall that there was a discussion that ACDSee could be run from an ehd? If that is so, and I think it was iUma who said it, then perhaps having the original on your ehd and the copy on your hd would eliminate any future problem? You know we all change computers a lot.

[janedee]

One more thing to try - go to tools, database, catalog files. Pick a section of your database that you're missing tags (store, designer) but not too many at one time (it tends to lock up if you ask it to catalog 1GB) and tell it to catalog those files. If the tags are embedded you should be able to see them afterwards.

[Jen D]

I would run the restore again. I use this feature quite a bit because I use my laptop and my desktop to scrap. And, I can't live without Acdsee I didn't embed anything when I ran the restore. Maybe?