PROBLEM
I am receiving an error that my catalog database is corrupt and that it has not passed verification. What steps can I take to resolve this issue and get my catalog back to work?
SOLUTION
There are several steps to take to recover a catalog that has suddenly got corrupted.
Run Verify Catalog or Session over the affected file.
Go to File -> Verify Catalog or Session... and point to the corrupted catalog or session.
NOTE: If the document is currently open, you will be prompted to close it.
Capture One will then attempt to verify the integrity of the database. Here is an example of a successful verification.
If your catalog fails to be verified, select Repair and allow Capture One to amend the database. Once the repair process is over, press Verify once again. If the process ends with the line in green stating "Database Verification OK", feel free to open the catalog. If it fails again, repeat the Repair command until it is successful. At this point, with the catalog open, you should make a backup if you have not done that yet. If this fails continuously, move on to the next step.
Copy the cocatalogdb file to your boot drive
In some cases, a catalog may fail verification if it is located on an external drive or a network drive. Copy the cocatalogdb file to your local boot drive and repeat the first steps. You can access the cocatalogdb file by right-clicking on the catalog package in Finder and selecting Show Package Contents (on macOS) or open the catalog package folder directly in Explorer (on Windows). Find the file with the .cocatalogdb extension and copy it to your desktop. Run the verification steps mentioned above.
Backup with Test Integrity and Optimize
Open a catalog. Select File -> Backup Catalog and tick the Test Integrity and the Optimize Catalog checkboxes. Both options assure a basic maintenance of the database file which may recover the database from its corrupt state.
Close a catalog and reopen it again. If it behaves correctly, you have successfully recovered the database. Otherwise, proceed to the next step.
Upload a backup of the catalog
In the File section of the main menu, select Restore Catalog.
In the dialog box, select the backup you would like to use.
Then click Next. When the backup is complete, you will see the notification similar to that in the image below.
Import the corrupt catalog into a new catalog
It is possible to import a corrupted catalog into a new catalog and bypass the existing corruption. Prior to importing, the new catalog will do an integrity check of the existing one to look for any corruption.
First, select File -> New Catalog to make a new catalog and locate it where you want it to be saved. It is recommended to choose the desired location at this moment from the start. Afterwards, select File -> Import Catalog -> Capture One Catalog.
Select the corrupt catalog file and allow Capture One to import the existing catalog. All images should be imported to the new catalog from the current location (as they were in the existing catalog) and the adjustments to those images should remain intact.
Comments
4 comments
My catalog was corrupted and nothing from within C1 (verify catalog, etc) would fix it. I tried the SQLite method but encountered the same problem as people in the other thread.
My journey was a long one and I hope no one else has to endure it but it’s what I had to do to save my catalog and maybe it will work for you too.
When I got the catalog error message, I tried 'verify catalog' and all those things within C1 but nothing worked. I tried to copy the catalog file to another location to back it up before further troubleshooting, but finder gave me an error, something like 'a file can't be read or written' and would cancel the copy but give me no further info.
Since I had set up the catalog to store image files inside the catalog, I right-clicked on the catalog file to 'show package contents'. I then had to attempt to copy individual folders within the catalog file to determine where the corrupt files were, since finder didn't give me that information for some reason.
I copied the actual catalog file (inside the catalog package) and that was fine, I copied the adjustments folder and everything else in the package until I tried the original images folder. For some reason I didn't think the problem would be with the original files but turns out it was.
So within the 'originals' folder there were two smaller folders, and a bunch of folders within each of those. Luckily I didn't have to try each of the many folders within the two, but when I tried to copy one of the two main sub folders within 'originals', finder would then give me the name of a single file that was creating the problem (instead of just a generic error message like before). I would locate that file by searching in finder, and when I tried to copy it by itself it still would give me an error. I was lucky enough that my corrupt files were not crucial to a project so I was able to delete them, which is what I had to do.
So at this point, I have to attempt to copy the main folders within 'originals', discover one corrupt file at a time, search for and delete it. I have no idea why finder wouldn't display the information of all the corrupt files. I only had to repeat this about 8 times and luckily that was all the corrupt files I had. I hate to think of a scenario where there would have been dozens of corrupt files because to discover each corrupt file, I had to attempt to copy the folder which would take a couple minutes each time. To delete the 8 or so corrupt files I had probably took me 2 hours.
After all the corrupt files were deleted, I was able to successfully copy the entire catalog file.
Then, I was able to open the catalog in C1. It took another couple hours of some behind the scenes work (I don’t know what the program was doing but it would still freeze if I tried anything) So I let it run for a while, seemingly to create thumbnails or something. Anyway I backed up the catalog first chance I got and everything seems to be working smoothly since then.
Given this experience as well has numerous other little problems within the program, I don’t think I would choose to use catalogs that store original files. I think storing them outside the catalog file is probably safer and easier to locate outside of C1. Anyway this was my experience, hope it helps someone. Or if there is an easier way to do what I did, please let me know!
I'm dealing with this issue currently with 2 catalogs stored on an external HD drive. First issue I've run into is "If your catalog fails to be verified, select Repair and allow Capture One" - I cannot locate the 'Repair' option in Capture One. So I'm trying to copy the catalog over to my computer HD from the external drive to see if that helps...
Passing by, if it can help, at least on 22 version, a repair button appears if your catalog db is corrupted while verification has failed in the "Verify Catalog" dialog box (see image below).
Today my catalogue database died. Recovering from backup didn't help even though the message says "Recovering successful". I would like to ask when Capture One would give us an option to save all edits in the XML sidecar. You know that your competition does that for may years. If something would happen to the Lightroom Database I could easily create a new one (assuming I didn't have a backup) and import all images and their's edits without a problem.
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