move iphoto library to external hard drive

Rather than copy and paste try just dragging the iPhoto library over -

Moving the iPhoto library is safe and simple - quit iPhoto and drag the iPhoto library intact as a single entity to the external drive - depress the option key and launch iPhoto using the "select library" option to point to the new location on the external drive - fully test it and then trash the old library on the internal drive (test one more time prior to emptying the trash)

And be sure that the External drive is formatted Mac OS extended (journaled) (iPhoto does not work with drives with other formats) and that it is always available prior to launching iPhoto

And backup soon and often - having your iPhoto library on an external drive is not a backup and if you are using Time Machine you need to check and be sure that TM is backing up your external drive

LN

I think I figured this out. For some reason there are four folders on my Mac labeled "iPhoto Library" but all but one are virtually empty,or have a small amount of data in them. Two have a photo or two and some other data, but are not the "real" library which has about 110 GB of data in it. I should have realized this, earlier, but I was misreading the size to be GB's when it actually was MB's. Unfortunately I can't move the library right now due to other tech problems that developed this afternoon, the EHD I use for TM just spontaneously shut down. It may have overheated. I have to work through this, possibly using my working EHD for backup until I resolve what is happening with the one I use for TM. Thanks for the help.

I was fortunate, my TM EHD returned to work after cooling off. I was able to transfer the iPhoto Library and it is working. Thanks all for your help.

I'd have that EHD looked at. It might be on the verge of crashing, i.e. cooling fan stopped (if there is one) or something like that. Good luck.

I am wondering if someone can assist me with my iPhoto and saving onto my external hard drive, WD My Book.

1) I dragged my entire iPhoto into my external hard drive, My Book. It looks like it copies over successfully. But I do not understand why this is happening... I wanted to test it out so I made a change in the iPhoto on the Mac hard drive then closed it down. I then opened up iPhoto through My Book and the change was also there. I don't totally understand the process but I thought that I would have to update My Book with the latest version of my iPhoto library by dragging it over to save any new photos/changes. But it seemed to have done it already. Did I do something wrong? Why was the change there also?

2) After I dragged a copy of iPhoto to My Book I wanted to check the size of iPhoto. I clicked on My Book and selected iPhoto. I then clicked on More Info. It said: 451.2 MB on disk. I then closed that down and opened Finder to select iPhoto there and clicked on More Info. It said: 178.6 MB on disk. Why does it give different sizes when I just copied it over and did not do anything to it within those moments?

3) I read that for my My Book to work properly as an external memory storage, that it has to be set as Mac OS Extended (Journaled). I wanted to make sure it was so I went into Applications, opened Utilities, clicked on Disk Utility where it showed me the information. On the left it showed four lines: 1) 74.5 GB ST380011A; 2) Macintosh HD; 3) 465.8 GB WD (for My Book); and 4) "My Book". I clicked on the fourth line, "My Book" and in the first tab "First Aid" it said at the bottom, "MS-DOS File System (FAT 32)". I read somewhere that it should have this option. So then I changed tabs at the top and opened "RAID". There is did say "MAC OS Extended (Journaled)". I am confused as to why the two different descriptions?

I hope someone can assist me. Thanks.

CORRECTION: I have a typo in my earier message, under #3. This line should read: "I clicked on the fourth line, "My Book" and in the first tab "First Aid" it said at the bottom, "MS-DOS File System (FAT 32)". I read somewhere that it should not have this option."

What version of iPhoto? How are you switching libraries?

Hold down the option (or alt) key key and launch iPhoto. From the resulting menu select 'Choose Library' is the sure way.

That disk is not formatted Mac OS Extended (Journaled) and it needs to be,

Regards

TD

To make sure you know which library is opening when you launch iPhoto do the following;

1 - close iPhoto.

2 - launch iPhoto with the Option key held down.

3 - in the window that comes up select the library you want to open. When you select one it's location will show up under the window.

Once you select a library that way it will be the library that iPhoto opens the next time you launch it.

I think there is a misunderstanding. The message that you replied to is not the full message I sent. I tried to follow-up with a correction. If you can, please see my earlier message which is the one just before. Thank you.

I have iPhoto '08, version 7.1.5. My system is 10.4.11. I have purchase the next upgrade OS X a while ago but haven't installed it yet because I am afraid that I will lose some photos. So I am tacklng the issue of backing up my photos now so I can try to upgrade in the near future.

I just used the option key and opened iPhoto.

Opps, wrong version. When you launch iPhoto with the Option key held down you will get three options.

Select the Choose Library option. Navigate to the external HD and select the library there. Once you do iPhoto will open that library every time you launch iPhoto unless youj go thru the same process to select a different library.

Thanks. I realized that also. No big deal.

Do you have some info please on my original message with the 3 questions?

As I said:

That disk is not formatted Mac OS Extended (Journaled) and it needs to be,

So, no misunderstaning there.

Are you sure you're opening the correct library?

Sorry, it was an misunderstanding on my part. Here is my original message that should explain things better:

I am wondering if someone can assist me with my iPhoto and saving onto my external hard drive, WD My Book.

1) I dragged my entire iPhoto into my external hard drive, My Book. It looks like it copied over successfully. But I do not understand why this is happening... I wanted to test it out so I made a change in the iPhoto on the Mac hard drive then closed it down. I then opened up iPhoto through My Book and the change was also there. I don't totally understand the process but I thought that I would have to update My Book with the latest version of my iPhoto library by dragging it over to save any new photos/changes. But it seemed to have done it already. Did I do something wrong? Why was the change there also?

2) After I dragged a copy of iPhoto to My Book I wanted to check the size of iPhoto. I clicked on My Book and selected iPhoto. I then clicked on More Info. It said: 451.2 MB on disk. I then closed that down and opened Finder to select iPhoto there and clicked on More Info. It said: 178.6 MB on disk. Why does it give different sizes when I just copied it over and did not do anything to it within those moments?

3) I read that for my My Book to work properly as an external memory storage, it has to be set as Mac OS Extended (Journaled). I wanted to make sure it was so I went into Applications, opened Utilities, clicked on Disk Utility where it showed me the information. On the left it showed four lines: 1) 74.5 GB ST380011A; 2) Macintosh HD; 3) 465.8 GB WD (for My Book); and 4) "My Book". I clicked on the fourth line, "My Book" and in the first tab "First Aid" it said at the bottom, "MS-DOS File System (FAT 32)". (I read somewhere that it should have this option.) So then I changed tabs at the top and opened "RAID". There it did say "MAC OS Extended (Journaled)". I am confused as to why the two different descriptions? Why did it say FAT 32 in one screen and in the other Journaled?

TY

Some clarifications:

I dragged my entire iPhoto into my external hard drive, My Book.

iPhoto what? There are two parts to an iPhoto installation. The Application lives in the Applications folder and should never be moved. The Library is in the Pictures Folder by default. Which are you moving?

I ask this as you continually refer to 'opening iPhoto', 'moving iPhoto' etc, but never to a Library.

Yes, your understanding is correct. There is no automatic connection between the Libraries on the internal and the external, so if you make a change on the internal, it will not also be present on the extenal (unless you've deliberately set up a back up script, and you haven't).

I then opened up iPhoto through My Book and the change was also there.

Key question: Assuming you move the library (and not the app) how exactly did you open iPhoto "through My Book"?

Your drive is formatted FAT32. It's a Drive and not a Raid. If you wanted to make a Raid (and you don't) it would be formatted as indicated. You need to reformat the drive.

Regards

TD

It seems that my technical verbage is not accurate. Regarding how iPhoto works and its libraries always confused me a bit but now I am tackling this again to make sure I am on understand it and want to make sure I am backing this up correctly.

I just purchased iPhoto Library Manager last evening and was working on it when I had a moment.

iPhoto what? There are two parts to an iPhoto installation. The Application lives in the Applications folder and should never be moved. The Library is in the Pictures Folder by default. Which are you moving?

I ask this as you continually refer to 'opening iPhoto', 'moving iPhoto' etc, but never to a Library.

Yes, your understanding is correct. There is no automatic connection between the Libraries on the internal and the external, so if you make a change on the internal, it will not also be present on the extenal (unless you've deliberately set up a back up script, and you haven't).

I copied the iPhoto icon from the appications folder to the My Book icon. Since that was wrong, that explains the fact that any change I did in iPhoto also appeared in My Book instantly. But it didn't save an original copy.

I am not used to describing it as a library. I hardly use iPhoto for more than I just download photos and go.

I had only one library but now I have two (after I created it last night with iPhoto Library Manager). So apparently I need to drag the library over to My Book from the Pictures folder. After I do this, will it also be in my Pictures folder still?

On your last paragraph above, I guess I am confused about the automatic connection between the two libraries. To understand correctly, after I copy the library over, are you saying that the change I make internally to the library will not be present to the external memory IMy Book) unless I copy it over with the new changes every so often?

Key question: Assuming you move the library (and not the app) how exactly did you open iPhoto "through My Book"?

Your drive is formatted FAT32. It's a Drive and not a Raid. If you wanted to make a Raid (and you don't) it would be formatted as indicated. You need to reformat the drive.

I went into Finder, click on the My Book icon, click on the iPhoto icon (not the library). I thought the iPhoto icon was the library because I only had one library at the time.

How do I change the formating then? I see how it is formated under the "First Aid" tab but I don't see a place that will change it.

Thank you.