Macbook Air (late 2010) iPhoto migration...

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Macbook Air (late 2010) iPhoto migration...

Interesting, when I copied my iPhoto file from my iMac 24" via my Airport Extreme/Airport Express WiFi Network, to my new Macbook Air 11.6", I no longer could view my photos on my iMac 24 without moving to iLife 11. Even when I went out and purchased the iLife 11 application, the iPhoto application on my iMac 24" would not open until I ran Apple Software Update and downloaded and installed a significant update. Now everything is working just fine. I found that copying my iTunes Music and my iPhoto photos went extremely fast via WiFi. There is certainly no need to buy the Ethernet/USB adapter for $29.95 if this library migration is your primary purpose. I think the WiFi was much faster than the Ethernet would have been with the Apple adapter. If you are going to migrate files using WiFi from your desktop or older computer or from your attached backup external hard disk drive, the only thing you must do is set the "Sharing" rules up on the source computer correctly. The rest is just locating the correct source files and deciding if you will copy everything or selectively copy files.

Message was edited by: WiseJD

Message was edited by: WiseJD

iMac 3.06ghz 24" 4g, Mac OS X (10.6.5), Macbook Air 11.6"

Posted on Nov 17, 2010 5:20 PM

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Answer 1

WiseJD Author

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Nov 17, 2010 5:22 PM in response to WiseJD

This actually was not a question

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Answer 2

WiseJD Author

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Nov 18, 2010 6:49 AM in response to WiseJD

Okay, forget most of what I said in this posting. It turns out that even though I was trying to migrate my iPhoto photos from my iMac but using my Macbook Air, the file was actually always on the iMac. In other words working with the file from the iPhoto 11 application which came with the Macbook Air, caused the iPhoto library file to convert such that it would be compatible with the application. This resulted in my not being able to read the file from my iMac with an earlier version of iLife/iPhoto. When I opened up iPhoto this morning on my Macbook Air, it didn't have the iPhoto photos that I had thought I had migrated to the new computer. It only had been using the iPhoto library from my iMac. I still thus have to find out how to copy the file and get it to my new computer.

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Answer 3

Tony T1

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Nov 18, 2010 8:30 AM in response to WiseJD

Take a look at http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1229

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Answer 4

WiseJD Author

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Nov 18, 2010 9:28 AM in response to Tony T1

Thanks for the tip on moving the iPhoto library to a new location. I am still concerned about what this procedure may do vs. what I actually want to do. If I take the title of this procedure seriously it may just move the library. What I am trying to do is leave the library exactly where it is (and working) on my iMac while finding a way to copy that library for use on my Macbook Air. I have read so many peoples experiences in these discussion forum posts that it sounds like high risk of doing something that renders the library unreadable ever again. My efforts so far have taught me that when you think you are changing the library on your Mac to work with iLife 11, the procedure actually changes all of your files also on your backup drive. Consequently all those days of backup can only be opened with iLife 11.

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Answer 5

Tony T1

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Nov 18, 2010 12:26 PM in response to WiseJD

If you're not attempting to keep the libraries in sync, then just copy the iPhoto Library to the MBA. If the Library is small enough, copy to a USB stick first, then open the library on the MBA as described in that article.

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Answer 6

WiseJD Author

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Nov 23, 2010 10:14 AM in response to Tony T1

The end of the iPhoto Library copy to the new MBA is...

I shutdown my iMac, and my G-Tech Q-drive; I unplugged the firewire and plugged in a USB cable to the drive. Next I plugged the USB cable into the MBA and brought up the MBA. I clicked on the G-Drive icon on the MBA desktop and went to the most recent backup file from Time Machine and copied the Photo Library to the MBA desktop. It took less than 5-minutes for a 16+GB file. Next I shutdown the MBA and then the G-Drive. I unplugged the USB and put the firewire back into the drive. I brought up the iMac and the G-drive. Separately I brought up the MBA and clicked on iPhoto. When iPhoto opened it asked which of the two iPhoto Library files that I wanted. I chose the desktop one and it opened with all my photos. I dragged the other iPhoto out of the pictures folder to the trash and then dragged the desktop iPhoto library to the pictures folder. I opened iPhoto application once again and it asked me to select the iPhoto library i wanted but only gave me the one choice. I selected it and iPhoto opened with all my photos. I opened the trash and then emptied the trash. Job done. Thanks for the help.

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