Circle with line on my photo when trying to drag and drop onto my desktop

Select one of the affected photos in the iPhoto Window and right click on it. From the resulting menu select 'Show File (or 'Show Original File' if that's available). A Finder Window should open with the file selected. Does it?

Regards

TD

The ! or ? turns up when iPhoto loses the connection between the thumbnail in the iPhoto Window and the file it represents.

The most common cause of this is User Activity in the iPhoto Library Folder in the Finder.

Have you altered, moved or renamed anything in the iPhoto Library Folder?

If you haven't, then try rebuilding the database. Hold down the apple and option (or alt) keys while launching iPhoto. Use the resulting dialogue to rebuild. Choose the top three options.

Regards

TD

The it sounds like a damaged database file, I’m afraid.

Try these in order - from best option on down...

1. Do you have an up-to-date back up? If so, try copy the library6.iphoto file from the back up to the iPhoto Library allowing it to overwrite the damaged file.

2. Download iPhoto Library Manager and use its rebuild function. This will create a new library based on data in the albumdata.xml file. Not everything will be brought over - no slideshows, books or calendars, for instance - but it should get all your albums and keywords back.

Because this process creates an entirely new library and leaves your old one untouched, it is non-destructive, and if you're not happy with the results you can simply return to your old one.

3. If neither of these work then you'll need to create and populate a new library.

To create and populate a new library:

Note this will give you a working library with the same Rolls and pictures as before, however, you will lose your albums, keywords, modified versions, books, calendars etc.

Move the iPhoto Library to the desktop

Launch iPhoto. It will ask if you wish to create a new Library. Say Yes.

Go into the iPhoto Library on your desktop and find the Originals folder. From the Originals folder drag the individual Roll Folders to the iPhoto Window and it will recreate them in the new library.

When you're sure all is well you can delete the iPhoto Library on your desktop.

In the future, in addition to your usual back up routine, you might like to make a copy of the library6.iPhoto file whenever you have made changes to the library as protection against database corruption.

Regards

TD

These are not steps, but rather repair efforts, offered in terms of their destructiveness.

As you don’t have an up-to-date back up, 1 has no point, now 2 has failed. You’ll need to do the third:

To create and populate a new library:

Note this will give you a working library with the same Events and pictures as before, however, you will lose your albums, keywords, modified versions, books, calendars etc.

In the iPhoto Preferences -> Events Uncheck the box at 'Imported Items from the Finder'

Move the iPhoto Library to the desktop

Launch iPhoto. It will ask if you wish to create a new Library. Say Yes.

Go into the iPhoto Library (Right Click -> Show Package Contents) on your desktop and find the Originals folder. From the Originals folder drag the individual Event Folders to the iPhoto Window and it will recreate them in the new library.

When you're sure all is well you can delete the iPhoto Library on your desktop.

In the future, in addition to your usual back up routine, you might like to make a copy of the library6.iPhoto file whenever you have made changes to the library as protection against database corruption.

Ooops I posted the instruction for v7. These are the instructions for v6

To create and populate a new library:

Note this will give you a working library with the same Rolls and pictures as before, however, you will lose your albums, keywords, modified versions, books, calendars etc.

Move the iPhoto Library to the desktop

Launch iPhoto. It will ask if you wish to create a new Library. Say Yes.

Go into the iPhoto Library on your desktop and find the Originals folder. From the Originals folder drag the individual Roll Folders to the iPhoto Window and it will recreate them in the new library.

When you're sure all is well you can delete the iPhoto Library on your desktop.

In the future, in addition to your usual back up routine, you might like to make a copy of the library6.iPhoto file whenever you have made changes to the library as protection against database corruption.

Apologies.

Regards

TD

Double-click on the same pic to view it at full size. What happens?

Regards

TD