iPhoto library - missing books

Question

iPhoto library - missing books

I have a big iPhoto library, about 30.000 photos

I have created several books (which I printed with apple).

Now I can't open the books any more, it is there, but when I click on the book name, it doesn't do anything, still shows the photos from an event I was seeing.

If I go to my albuns or smart albuns, it shows the photos there. But not on my books.

I already did the option + command to rebuilt the library, thumbnails, index, etc... checked all the boxes

What should I do?

thanks

lucia

iPhoto '11, Mac OS X (10.6.8)

Posted on Oct 15, 2011 8:18 AM

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Answer 1

Yer_Man

Level 10

162,396 points

Oct 15, 2011 8:32 AM in response to luciafromlabelle

Restore from your back up.

Regards

TD

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Answer 2

Oct 15, 2011 9:39 AM in response to Yer_Man

Thanks for your reply, however, doesn't work:

1. my iPhoto library is in a external HD, therefore it is not on my time machine backup.

2. I do have a backup, but this one is missing 4 of my books, because I was travelling when I did that.

I would love to find a way to recover my latest books!!

regards

lucia

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Answer 3

Yer_Man

Level 10

162,396 points

Oct 15, 2011 9:55 AM in response to luciafromlabelle

There's no way to recover teh books without a back up, I'm afraid.

And, btw, you can back up material on external disks with Time Machine, and there are many many other back up utilities vailable.

Regards

TD

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Answer 4

Old Toad

Level 10

207,709 points

Oct 15, 2011 11:44 AM in response to luciafromlabelle

Time Machine will backup external hard drives unless you exclude them from the backup.

Lion's Den, Toad Hall and Toad's Cellar are all external HDs. So check your TM file to see if your EHD is listed.

OT

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Answer 5

Oct 15, 2011 1:00 PM in response to Old Toad

Hi Old Toad

Thanks for your reply, my problem is that I use a MacAir, which has a small HD, than I have my iPhoto library on an EHD, and I do my time machine in another EHD.

I am trying (even went to apple genius bar) to ask how to add on the Time Machine, my EHD-iPhoto, they didn't know... Do you know how to do it?

Any chance I am going to be able to recover my BOOKs?

Also, another question. My iPhoto library is about 100gb, is that ok? Should I try to split my library? How should I do that?

Thanks a lot for your help!

lucia

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Answer 6

Oct 15, 2011 1:25 PM in response to luciafromlabelle

Hi Old Toad again!

I Ready this post from you:

"Since the xml files are hosed try the following: open the iPhoto package and move the two Albumdata.xml files to the Desktop. Launch iPhoto which will rebuild the xml files. This may or may not recover the keepsakes, i.e. books, calendars, etc.

I know the horse is out of the barn but for future books you might consider what's described in Old Toad's Tutorial #9a - Archiving an iPhoto 7(08)/8(09) Book for Editing and/or Ordering at a Later Date. "

2 questions:

1. should I try to do the first step? Just to clarify: All the events, photos, albuns & smart albuns are there. Only the books, when I click on them, it doesn's show anything, keeps showing what I have selected before.

2. I ready your # 9a Tutorial. It has to be done 1 book at the time? I have about 30 books, how should I do it?

Thanks

Lucia

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Answer 7

Old Toad

Level 10

207,709 points

Oct 15, 2011 6:49 PM in response to luciafromlabelle

If you remove and try to regenerate the xml file you will loose all keepsakes, i.e. books, calendars, etc. Those xml files are what iPhoto Library Manager uses to rebuild libraries which can't recover books.

#2 - if all your books are in one library you can follow 9a for each of them. Duplicate the library, delete all phoitos except those in the book your want to isolate and then burn the small book library to disk using the Finder.

I create a new library for each book. In my main library I group the photos I want to use into an album and copy that album to my book album with iPhoto Library Manager.

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Answer 8

Oct 16, 2011 9:06 AM in response to Old Toad

I'm trying to duplicate the iPhoto library, copyng the file from the EHD to a new EHD, 1t, however it crashes, giving the msg the file already exists.

The file is pretty big 110gb, it copies up to 72gb and stops

Thanks for your help

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Answer 9

May 22, 2012 6:02 AM in response to Old Toad

Hi Old Toad

I'm trying to access you

Old Toad's Tutorial #9a - Archiving an iPhoto 7(08)/8(09) Book for Editing and/or Ordering at a Later Date. " but it's giving me an error. Could you please send me the link again, or your website where I can acess it?

best regards,

Lucia

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Answer 10

Old Toad

Level 10

207,709 points

May 22, 2012 10:28 AM in response to luciafromlabelle

Sorry about that. The tutorials have been moved to http://oldtoadstutorials.net.

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Answer 11

May 26, 2012 7:08 AM in response to Old Toad

Hi

in this tutorial you mentioned about --> iPhoto Library Manager, can you explain this better? Is it an application? Where can I get it?

thanks a lot

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Answer 12

Yer_Man

Level 10

162,396 points

May 26, 2012 7:36 AM in response to luciafromlabelle

Follow this link

iPhoto Library Manager

There's full documentation on the website and in the application's Help

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Answer 13

Nov 25, 2012 12:28 PM in response to Old Toad

Hi Old Toad, it's me agains.

I followed the tutorial

#9a - Archiving an iPhoto 7(08)/8(09) Book for Editing and/or Ordering at a Later Date

However the size of the new libraries I created, only with the book photos, are still the same size (GB) as my main/complete library. Even deleting all the other events/photos/albuns, keeping only the photos for that 1 book.

What should I do? My main/complete library has about 300GB.

best regards,

lucia

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Answer 14

Old Toad

Level 10

207,709 points

Nov 25, 2012 1:20 PM in response to luciafromlabelle

You did empty the iPhoto trash bin, right? Try rebooting and then check the size of the library in the Finder.

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Answer 15

Nov 26, 2012 2:55 AM in response to Old Toad

I did all this, and didn't work. I still have the new iPhoto libraries, showing only the photos I used on the book, however, the size of the library is still very large. I did go to the photo and ask to reveal on finder, than It shows all hidden folders, and I can see all the photos I deleted there still.

sincerely,

lucia

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