iPhoto '11 Help doesn't launch???

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iPhoto '11 Help doesn't launch???

I installed iLife on my 27" iMac and iPhoto works great. However, when I go to iPhoto Help, I get a blank screen. I can select all the other topics in Mac Help, but when I select iPhoto '11 Help nothing comes up. Any suggestions?

27" iMac, Mac OS X (10.6.4)

Posted on Oct 27, 2010 12:18 PM

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Answer 1

Old Toad

Level 10

207,403 points

Oct 27, 2010 1:47 PM in response to als944

Repair disk permissions with Disk Utility and then try again.

OT

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Answer 2

als944 Author

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Oct 27, 2010 2:58 PM in response to Old Toad

Thanks for your help, but that didn't help. I ran Repair Disk Permission w/Disk Utility, restarted the computer, launched Mac Help, clicked on home and scrolled down to iPhoto '11 Help -- and still get a blank page.

More suggestions are welcomed.

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Answer 3

Old Toad

Level 10

207,403 points

Oct 28, 2010 9:24 AM in response to als944

Boot into Safe Mode and see if the iPhoto help will work there. Safe Mode runs a disk repair during boot so it will take a bit longer. If they're any files needing repair that might be why the Help files don't work.

Next to that would be a reinstall of iPhoto 11. To do so you'll have to first delete the current application and all files with "iPhoto" in the file name with either a .PKG or .BOM extension that reside in the HD/Library/Receipts folder, reinstall iPhoto from the iLife 11 disk.

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Answer 4

ScuseMe

Level 2

222 points

Oct 28, 2010 10:07 AM in response to als944

I had the same problem with the Help for all the new iLife '11 apps. But after quitting and trying the help again, they finally downloaded (twirling progress circle was displayed) and were viewable.

Have you tried quitting iPhoto and then access the Help again? I wondering if the the Help docs need to be constructed for first use or are downloaded from the internet. Anyway, my Help finally started working after opening and closing the apps a few times.

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Answer 5

Oct 30, 2010 1:26 PM in response to als944

same issue for me : no help available in iPhoto 11, blank screen instead

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Answer 6

Old Toad

Level 10

207,403 points

Oct 30, 2010 2:03 PM in response to Philippe Collin

Welcome to the Apple Discussions. Try the following:

1 - download and launch BatChmod .

2 - drag the iPhoto application into the BatChmod window.

3 - set the ownership and privileges settings to that shown on the right side of this screenshot:

Click to view full size

4 - launch iPhoto and see if that helped.

OT

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Answer 7

Fotuz

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Oct 31, 2010 12:55 PM in response to Old Toad

This was listed iphone11.wordpress.com. You should at least mention that, shouldn't you?

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Answer 8

Old Toad

Level 10

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Oct 31, 2010 2:27 PM in response to Fotuz

Why? I've been recommending the use of BatChmod on iPhoto libraries and iPhoto for years. I've never visited that site you're referring to.

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Answer 9

als944 Author

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Nov 1, 2010 3:02 PM in response to als944

Here's a solution. Open your User folder, Library Folder, Preferences Folder, and trash 3 files: com.apple.help.plist, com.apple.helpui.plist, and com.apple.helpviewer.plist.

Then open Library and Preferences Folder on your Hard Disk and trash the same folders if any are there -- there were none in my folder.

Then Log out, Log back in, launch iPhoto and open iPhoto Help. Wait while the gear turns (it takes a bit of time), and Presto, iPhoto '11 opens -- at least it did for me.

I also launched iMovie to open iMovie '11 Help; that too took a bit of time to open.

Hope this helps; it fixed mine.

I should add, however, I'm not sure it's necessary, but I trashed both the com.apple.iMovie.plist and the com.apple.iPhoto.plist and reinstalled iLife '11. That did not help, I still was not able to open iPhoto '11 Help nor iMovie '11 Help. That's when I ended up doing the above which did solve my problem.

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Answer 10

Nov 2, 2010 1:21 PM in response to Old Toad

Followed the process with BatChmod exactly and still get a blank when try to download iPhoto Help. It doesn't download.It shouldn't take special procedures. How do we get Apple to do something about this?

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Answer 11

Old Toad

Level 10

207,403 points

Nov 2, 2010 1:35 PM in response to als944

Delete iPhoto's cache file, User/Library/Caches/com.apple.iPhoto, and see if that helps.

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Answer 12

HenryS

Level 2

318 points

Nov 3, 2010 4:34 AM in response to als944

als944 wrote:
Here's a solution. Open your User folder, Library Folder, Preferences Folder, and trash 3 files: com.apple.help.plist, com.apple.helpui.plist, and com.apple.helpviewer.plist.

Then open Library and Preferences Folder on your Hard Disk and trash the same folders if any are there -- there were none in my folder.

Then Log out, Log back in, launch iPhoto and open iPhoto Help. Wait while the gear turns (it takes a bit of time), and Presto, iPhoto '11 opens -- at least it did for me.

I also launched iMovie to open iMovie '11 Help; that too took a bit of time to open.

Hope this helps; it fixed mine.

There were a lot of repairs to the iLife install required in Disk Utility, so I thought that would have gotten it, however it did not.

Yes! Your procedure worked for me. I had tried repair of permissions and would have tried the Safe Mode suggestion next if this hadn't worked. Thanks!

So, to recap, use these in the following order to fix Help Issues in iLife'11:
1. Repair Permissions (always a good idea after an install).
2. Ditch the relevant Preferences files (in this case, +com.apple.help.plist, com.apple.helpui.plist, and com.apple.helpviewer.plist+ wherever they reside- User or root Preference Library, or both?). Logout, and reopen.
3. Rebuild within Safe Mode or use DiskWarrior.

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Answer 13

Nov 19, 2010 11:43 AM in response to als944

Brilliant. It worked.

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Answer 14

Dec 4, 2010 5:03 AM in response to als944

I rarely post +"me too"+ comments. However, for others looking for solutions, als944's trash the three preference files and restart recommendation worked for me (after installing iLife '11 and hunting for the help file).

Barry

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Answer 15

getneil

Level 1

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Jan 30, 2011 5:44 AM in response to als944

That's brilliant. Worked for me. Thanks!

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