This sounds strange.
Usually, even if IMatch crashes when ingesting a badly corrupted file, IMatch starts again and continues with the ingest process without any problems.
You did not give us much to work with in this post...
"What do you mean with "huge library" of images? 200,000 files? 2 million files?
On what kind of computer to you run IMatch?
Which file formats are you using?
On which kind of disk did you create the database?
Are your files on a local or locally attached disk or on a network server or NAS?
Please always ZIP and attach the log file (see
log file) from the session where you experienced problems.
The log file tells us how IMatch is performing, what it was doing when the problem happened etc.
Note: Before you repeat your test, switch IMatch to debug logging (Help menu > Support).
When IMatch crashes again, make a copy of the log file before restarting IMatch. ZIP and attach to your reply.
IMatch also produces a
DUMP File in the case of a crash, to help with the error analysis.
Does it create this file on your machine?
You write "and won’t reopen with that database".
What do you mean by that? Does IMatch display an error message (and which) when you attempt to open the database?
Does IMatch just close again when you open the database (which produces useful info in the
log file and usually also a DUMP file)
It is not uncommon that IMatch crashes when a new user ingests 200,000 files, produced over a period of 30 years, with a dozen cameras and manipulated with 20 different applications.
Corrupted files may crash ExifTool or the WIC codec or IMatch.
But usually IMatch just continues up with the next file after you restart it.
That it even fails to load the database indicates a very severe issue.
The log file will tell us more.