repopulating database without changing direct image links?

[Lithrael]

Hi!  I did search but I didn't find a clear answer to this one...

I lost my old Coppermine database, but I have a lot of direct links around the web to the images in its folders, with folders for a few different users.

eg: http://www.lithrael.com/ig/albums/userpics/10001/264-p10color.jpg

So I was just going to do a fresh install of Coppermine.  But what's the best way to get all the images into the gallery without changing the location of the images?  Will I have to simply leave them there, install Coppermine in a new directory, and duplicate all of the images in its batch upload directory?

Thank you so much for your time!!  <3 <3

[Joachim Müller]

You can't batch-add pics residing in the userpics folder. Your best choice is to restore your gallery from a backup. If you have no backup, you're basically lost.

[Lithrael]

OK, so if I have no database backup, then to keep my direct linked images alive, and have them in a gallery, I should:

1) Do a new Coppermine install in a new directory
2) Copy the images that are in my old userpics folders (leaving the original images there)
3) Place these copies in the new batch-add folder
4) Add 'em. 

So I will have to just have two copies of these images hosted.  I can live with that. 
Thank you!

[Joachim Müller]

If you know your way around, you could create a new folder within your_coppermine_folder/albums/ and name it "userpics2". Then go to coppermine's config, change "The directory for user files" from "userpics/" to "userpics2/". After doing this, you will be able to batch-add the files that reside in your_coppermine_folder/albums/userpics/.

[Lithrael]

Oh!  Fantastic!  Thank you very much.  I should be able to manage that. 

Coppermine's code is so wonderfully clear.  I remember in the old version, I had no trouble changing the manage comments page so that all the checkboxes would come up checked when you loaded the page.  Very helpful for cleaning up when spammers found I hadn't yet set my comments to require logging in.

Thank you again, you are a star!