iPhoto crashes on opening preferences

phil.c wrote:

...

Low and behold when I came back an hour later, iPhoto was acting normally and I could move through the different items of Preference menu.

I tried it again on my computer and on another computer with the same problem and timed it to more or less 25 minutes before being able to use the preference menu...

So apparently with a lot of patience it works (luckily you normally don't need to change the preferences of iPhoto very often!

I tried the same experiment, and ... after looking at the spinning beach ball for 27 minutes, Preferences worked normally. When I quit iPhoto and open it again the same thing happens. iPhoto shows the beach ball for about 25 to 27 minutes, after which Preferences work fine again.

Sounds like it is searching for something. Check all of the iPHoto preferece panes and turn off any sharing, location lookup, or anything that might require getting online. Reboot and see if that might help.

I don't have any sharing or lookups set, just double checked....and still getting the spinning wheel.

Here's the error report. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Date/Time: 2012-09-01 11:17:08 -0700

OS Version: 10.6.8 (Build 10K549)

Architecture: x86_64

Report Version: 7

Command: iPhoto

Path: /Applications/iPhoto.app/Contents/MacOS/iPhoto

Version: 8.1.2 (8.1.2)

Build Version: 8

Project Name: iPhotoProject

Source Version: 4240000

Parent: launchd [170]

PID: 25526

Event: hang

Duration: 5.42s (sampling started after 2 seconds)

Steps: 14 (100ms sampling interval)

Pageins: 0

Pageouts: 0

Process: iPhoto [25526]

Path: /Applications/iPhoto.app/Contents/MacOS/iPhoto

UID: 501

Thread 4a26f DispatchQueue 100

User stack:

13 ??? (in iPhoto + 8562) [0x3172]

13 ??? (in iPhoto + 1194880) [0x124b80]

13 NSApplicationMain + 574 (in AppKit) [0x944e5289]

13 -[NSApplication run] + 821 (in AppKit) [0x944ed1f3]

13 -[NSApplication nextEventMatchingMask:untilDate:inMode:dequeue:] + 156 (in AppKit) [0x9452add6]

13 _DPSNextEvent + 2304 (in AppKit) [0x9452bb46]

13 _NSHandleCarbonMenuEvent + 285 (in AppKit) [0x94556f96]

13 _HandleMenuSelection + 53 (in HIToolbox) [0x94f8f6d9]

13 _HandleMenuSelection2 + 465 (in HIToolbox) [0x94f8f8bb]

13 MenuSelectCore(MenuData*, Point, double, unsigned long, OpaqueMenuRef**, unsigned short*) + 454 (in HIToolbox) [0x94f90160]

13 FinishMenuSelection(SelectionData*, MenuResult*, MenuResult*) + 152 (in HIToolbox) [0x94fc0a5d]

13 SendMenuItemSelectedEvent + 121 (in HIToolbox) [0x94fc0b47]

13 SendMenuCommandWithContextAndModifiers + 66 (in HIToolbox) [0x94fc0b90]

13 SendHICommandEvent(unsigned long, HICommand const*, unsigned long, unsigned long, unsigned char, void const*, OpaqueEventTargetRef*, OpaqueEventTargetRef*, OpaqueEventRef**) + 448 (in HIToolbox) [0x94f9be87]

13 SendEventToEventTarget + 52 (in HIToolbox) [0x94f6f7f3]

13 SendEventToEventTargetInternal(OpaqueEventRef*, OpaqueEventTargetRef*, HandlerCallRec*) + 411 (in HIToolbox) [0x94f4cef6]

13 DispatchEventToHandlers(EventTargetRec*, OpaqueEventRef*, HandlerCallRec*) + 1567 (in HIToolbox) [0x94f4dc2f]

13 NSSLMMenuEventHandler + 404 (in AppKit) [0x9455da55]

13 -[NSCarbonMenuImpl _carbonCommandProcessEvent:handlerCallRef:] + 336 (in AppKit) [0x94569313]

13 -[NSMenuItem _internalPerformActionThroughMenuIfPossible] + 97 (in AppKit) [0x945693cf]

13 -[NSMenu _internalPerformActionForItemAtIndex:] + 50 (in AppKit) [0x94569469]

13 -[NSMenu performActionForItemAtIndex:] + 65 (in AppKit) [0x945694b6]

13 -[NSCarbonMenuImpl performActionWithHighlightingForItemAtIndex:] + 174 (in AppKit) [0x945695ca]

13 -[NSMenuItem _corePerformAction] + 435 (in AppKit) [0x945698d9]

13 -[NSApplication sendAction:to:from:] + 112 (in AppKit) [0x94569a26]

13 ??? (in iPhoto + 2047595) [0x1f4e6b]

13 -[NSApplication runModalForWindow:] + 273 (in AppKit) [0x947a3945]

13 -[NSApplication _realDoModalLoop:peek:] + 720 (in AppKit) [0x947a41c9]

13 -[NSApplication nextEventMatchingMask:untilDate:inMode:dequeue:] + 156 (in AppKit) [0x9452add6]

13 _DPSNextEvent + 847 (in AppKit) [0x9452b595]

13 BlockUntilNextEventMatchingListInMode + 81 (in HIToolbox) [0x94f7aa3e]

13 ReceiveNextEventCommon + 158 (in HIToolbox) [0x94f7aaf5]

13 RunCurrentEventLoopInMode + 392 (in HIToolbox) [0x94f7ae04]

13 CFRunLoopRunInMode + 97 (in CoreFoundation) [0x995f21f1]

13 CFRunLoopRunSpecific + 452 (in CoreFoundation) [0x995f23c4]

13 __CFRunLoopRun + 1071 (in CoreFoundation) [0x995f2eef]

13 __CFRunLoopDoSources0 + 1563 (in CoreFoundation) [0x995f542b]

13 __NSThreadPerformPerform + 506 (in Foundation) [0x912dc671]

13 -[NSInvocation invoke] + 136 (in CoreFoundation) [0x9962fe18]

13 __invoking___ + 29 (in CoreFoundation) [0x9962fead]

13 ??? (in iPhoto + 2056369) [0x1f70b1]

13 _removeUserName + 103856 (in MobileMePublisher) [0x174a12ef]

13 _removeUserName + 106484 (in MobileMePublisher) [0x174a1d33]

13 -[MM_MMMemberAccount validateCredentials] + 64 (in MobileMe) [0xca63af]

13 -[MM_MMMemberAccount _queryAccountForKey:synchronousFlag:delegate:] + 1941 (in MobileMe) [0xca8593]

13 -[MM_MMTransaction _dispatch] + 146 (in MobileMe) [0xc87e95]

13 -[MM_DAVRequest dispatch] + 161 (in MobileMe) [0xcd14f6]

13 -[MM_AYOperation runOperationWithTimeOut:] + 331 (in MobileMe) [0xcd597d]

13 CFRunLoopRunInMode + 97 (in CoreFoundation) [0x995f21f1]

13 CFRunLoopRunSpecific + 452 (in CoreFoundation) [0x995f23c4]

13 __CFRunLoopRun + 2079 (in CoreFoundation) [0x995f32df]

13 mach_msg_trap + 10 (in libSystem.B.dylib) [0x96f9bafa]

Kernel stack:

13 ipc_mqueue_receive_continue + 0 [0x210d84]

Thread 4a278 DispatchQueue 1634545000

User stack:

13 start_wqthread + 30 (in libSystem.B.dylib) [0x96fc15c6]

13 _pthread_wqthread + 390 (in libSystem.B.dylib) [0x96fc1781]

13 _dispatch_worker_thread2 + 240 (in libSystem.B.dylib) [0x96fc1cfe]

13 _dispatch_queue_invoke + 163 (in libSystem.B.dylib) [0x96fc1f59]

13 kevent + 10 (in libSystem.B.dylib) [0x96fc2382]

Kernel stack:

13 kevent + 97 [0x47a699]

The reprot mentions MobileMe several times. Try this: launch iPhoto with the Option key held down and create a new, test library. Import some photos and check to see if the same problem persists.

If the problem does not appear in the new library you can use the paid version of iPhoto Library Manager to merge your current library into the new one. This will give you all of your Events, albums, keywords and other metadata in the new library.

Wow, never realized those reports can be so helpful! I went into System Preferences and to Mobile Me and THAT was hanging. So I logged out and guess what? I can now access preferences no problem.

Will have to play around to see what the problem was as I would like to use my mobile me, but at least now I know where the problem lies.

Thank you for your help, Hopefully I can figure out the rest from here.

Will have to play around to see what the problem was as I would like to use my mobile me

MobileMe has been discontinued and has been off line for some time now. If you're referring to your email account you should post in the iCloud forum so learn what you'll need to do to get the email address that you have to work (if you can at this time).

BINGO!

On two of my computers where I had this problem with iPhoto Preferences hanging and crashing the program, I was still logged in to MobileMe, even though this service has long been discontinued. I had never bothered to "Sign Out" after switching to iCloud. Obviously I saw the spinning gear without end, because the service no longer exists. All I had to do was "Sign Out", and everything is fine now. iPhoto no longer hangs (crashes) when accessing Preferences!

Unfortunately on my wife's iMac, the problem still persisted, because I could open the MobileMe Preference pane in System Preferences, so I could not sign her out of MobileMe. All I had to do was restart the computer, after which I was able to open the MobileMe Preference pane and sign her out from MobileMe also.

I think Apple should put this in their Knowwledge Base, because I am almost certain that many people who previously had MobileMe, never bothered to sign out from the service once it was discontinued, and have the same issue as the people who have reported this in this forum thread.

****! I now have a new issue.

Now iPhoto hangs (crashes) when I am trying to remove the MobileMe albums I still have in iPhoto and never bothered to remove.

How do I remove/delete my MobileMe albums.

I had the same Preferences issue and did the same things with preferences and the like. Then got to the end and YEP my MobileMe was turned on. I turned it off and BINGO everything works again. Thank you everyone.

I have the same problem, but I have no idea how to sign out of MobileMe, as it no longer appears anywhere obvious in Mountain Lion.

How do you sign out/turn off MobileMe in Mountain Lion?

I could remove the MobileMe albums with the same trick (patience, a lot of patience).

It worked as follows, click on a MobileMe album -> spinning weel for 25 minutes -> error message -> click OK -> right click on MobileMe album to delete -> spinning weel for 25 minutes -> error message -> choose delete album option -> bingo your MobileMe album is gone

Of course that is about 1h per album if you published many albums, it might take a while... (luckily I had only 2).

For richardcfrost, I guess this should also work if you did not sign out of MobileMe... at least it worth trying!

I found out, that there is a much easier way to remove the MobileMe albums. Disconnect the Ethernet cable to the computer and/or turn off WiFi, so iPhoto won't look for a MobileMe login.

Then just right click the MobileMe albums one by one and delete them. No waiting required.

In the iPhoto preferences remove all references to MM

LN

LarryHN - there are no references to MM in iPhoto preferences. Must be built in somewhere.

BUT

Abrasha has the solution, why did none of us think of it. Just disconnect from the Internet when iPhoto preferences puts up the spinning discs.

I am glad I came late to this thread and was able to go straight to the solution! Apple should definitely have had a notice about that as part of the transition from MM to iCloud.

After I got the preferences issue straightened out, I ecountered the same delete album problem and solved it by waiting 25 min for each one; too late to try your own solution. But done is done.

This forum has helped me a bunch over the years.