File organization and clean up

[rmazzi]

I need to clean up and move my catalog and photo files.  I have been searching around for information in forums, books, mags, etc. but i am still a bit terrified to do a few things so i wanted to confirm with those more experienced than i.

1.  there are numerous catalog backups stored on my HD.  Can i delete all the old ones safely and just keep the most current backup?  I am not sure if the backups are incremental or complete.

2. I need to move my photos to an external disk.  It seems the way to do it is to copy the files and the file structure to the new drive, then use the update folder location command.  Is this correct?  Do i need to update it for each of the folders in LR or can i do it at the drive level?

Thanks, and sorry in advance if this has been asked and answered numerous times.  This seems simple, but i haven't found a clear reference for this task anywhere.

[dchew]

1.  The old backups in separate file folders are not necessary, as long as you don't want to go back in time.

2. If you move the photos to the new location from within LR, i.e. use LR to move the files as opposed to Windows Explorer / Mac Finder, you don't have to do anything else.  

If you haven't already purchased Martin Evening's book on LR, check it out.  It's a great resource.

Dave

[rmazzi]

Thanks for the information.  Moved files successfully, and can clean up all the backups.