Lost Photo Library

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Level 1

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Lost Photo Library

This past week i went to check a photo and found my iphoto09 library gone.
I checked everywhere and over 5000 photos since kids were small are gone.
I looked at the iphoto09 application and it is showing a date of Apr7th, 2010, which i assume is the the last application update that did something. I was not
running time machine so there is no backup. I am running MAC OS 10.5.8 and
iphoto09 software 8.1.2(424). I saw some hints in the forum about holding the
command key when opening iphoto09 but could not find anything. I cant believe
an update on a MAC would wipe out a full Library. Can anyone assist and tell
me where it may be hidden? Looking for help.

IMAC 24" 2.66GHz Intel Core Duo, Mac OS X (10.5.8), Iphoto 09 s/w ver. 8.1.2(424) update 4/7/10

Posted on May 12, 2010 8:12 AM

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Answer 1

Yer_Man

Level 10

162,314 points

May 12, 2010 8:17 AM in response to tgw821

Start by looking in your Pictures Folder for an icon labeled iPhoto Library. Can you see one?

I cant believe an update on a MAC would wipe out a full Library.

That's because it wouldn't.

Regards

TD

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Answer 2

tgw821 Author

Level 1

0 points

May 12, 2010 6:20 PM in response to Yer_Man

TD,

I did look there. There is an iphoto library that is 9.7 MB. Mine had over 5000 photos.
There are no pics in this iphoto library.

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Answer 3

tgw821 Author

Level 1

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May 14, 2010 3:35 AM in response to Yer_Man

Does anyone have any suggestions? I don't know where else to look. There is a library under pictures folder but its 9.7mb and has no photos...I lost over 5000 photos.

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Answer 4

Yer_Man

Level 10

162,314 points

May 14, 2010 3:56 AM in response to tgw821

Download EasyFind from here

http://www.devon-technologies.com/products/freeware/

and use it to search your HD for jpeg files. See if it can find any of them ones in your iPhoto Library. If it does +don't move them+ just note their location as it will tell us where the Library is.

I suggest EasyFind rather than Spot light as it searches other parts of the Disk.

Regards

TD

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Answer 5

tgw821 Author

Level 1

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May 21, 2010 12:32 PM in response to Yer_Man

TD,
I just got back in town. I will do that tonight and see if it works.
Thanks. Another odd thing, iphoto will not import photos like it normally does
form the camera. I will try easyfind first.
tgw

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Answer 6

tgw821 Author

Level 1

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May 22, 2010 3:24 PM in response to tgw821

TD,
Thanks found the library. Restored all photos. Thanks.
tw

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Answer 7

May 23, 2010 6:20 AM in response to tgw821

i don't know if this is similar to what you're problem was but i'm wondering if you guys have any input. i had imported some photos into iphoto & then dragged them onto a separate file on my desktop, but i missed some of them. so when i did that i moved them to the iphoto trash and then deleted them from there. this sounds impossible but is there any way to recover pics once they've been deleted from the iphoto trash???

please help!

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Answer 8

Yer_Man

Level 10

162,314 points

May 23, 2010 6:21 AM in response to perez_f05

Not without a file recovery utility like File Salvage

Regards

TD

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Answer 9

May 23, 2010 7:34 AM in response to Yer_Man

thanks, i appreciate it...it looks like i'll have to get that then.

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Answer 10

May 23, 2010 5:50 PM in response to perez_f05

ok so i have another question...i got file salvage but now what? i tried recovering files but i'm not sure that it was working. if i go under my finder and click on the files i deleted they are unreadable. so i thought that with file salvage i'd be able to have them read and they'd be recovered? any pointers?

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Answer 11

Yer_Man

Level 10

162,314 points

May 23, 2010 11:00 PM in response to perez_f05

For specific help with FileSalvage the best place to go is the makers of that app.

AFAIK it works by scanning your HD and will then list the recoverable files. You can then choose which files you recover.

From your post I'm not really sure where you are in that process.

Regards

TD

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Answer 12

PT

Level 7

20,888 points

May 24, 2010 10:38 AM in response to tgw821

tgw821 wrote:
TD,
Thanks found the library. Restored all photos. Thanks.
tw

TW, Glad to read you got everything back. So on a related side note, I bet spending that $50-$100 for an external hard drive to use for backing up your irreplaceable photos doesn't seem so bad now, does it? 😉

First thing you should do now is get a back up solution of some sort in the works. Either backing up to DVD-R discs, an external drive hooked up as a Time Machine drive, or some other solution.

Good luck with the library,
Patrick

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Answer 13

May 25, 2010 7:59 PM in response to Yer_Man

Thanks for all your help thus far. I did end up contacting the support team at FileSalvage. He guided me through the recovery process. Though it seemed as if my pics were recovered, they were retrieved as thumbnail size! The guy at FileSalvage had no idea why that was...any ideas? Do you think there is anyway that my pics can be restored to thier original size?

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Answer 14

Yer_Man

Level 10

162,314 points

May 25, 2010 10:56 PM in response to perez_f05

Your iPhoto Library contains up to three versions of the Photos. The thumbnails are what you see in the iPhoto Window. There should also be similarly named full sized files to try and rec over.

Regards

TD

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Answer 15

twix

Level 1

0 points

Jul 28, 2010 2:27 PM in response to Yer_Man

my iphoto library seems to have vanished. easy find cant locate it. added photos to iphoto and it created an iphoto library_2. i would so appreciate your help. didn't back up. argh.

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