Time Machine Hasnt backed up any pictures downloaded from camera directly

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Level 1

8 points

Time Machine Hasnt backed up any pictures downloaded from camera directly

My hard drive failed just before Christmas. I got this replaced and then backed up (from external hard drive) using Time Machine to effectively have my Mac as it was when Iast had a successful back up.

Once complete, I checked iPhoto and to my horror, lots of event windows are blank/grey. when you click on them , it opens ui s more blank windows, each represneting a placeholder for each individual picture. When I click on the picture, I get the dreaded exclamation mark.

Can't find pictures anywhere in Time MAchine, it just seems that these weren't backed up.

The iphone pictures have backed up as have all the older pictures taken on my canon and downloaded to my laptop and copied across to iMac.

What doesn't seem to have copies is all the pictures taken on my camera and downloaded directly to the iMac since I bought it.

Basically, all the pictures of my Daughter form the age of 18 months to 3 years old.

I am upset and my wife is devastated. We are desperate to get these back.

Only hope I have is some form of recovery from the failed drive.

Are there any options out there...please help somebody.

Thanks

iMac, Time Machine on External Hard Drive

Posted on Jan 23, 2012 8:37 AM

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Answer 1

Old Toad

Level 10

207,367 points

Jan 23, 2012 2:46 PM in response to Funsterr

Possible fixes for the black screen problem are as follows:

Make a temporary, backup copy (if you don't already have a backup copy) of the library and apply the two fixes below in order as needed:

Fix #1

Launch iPhoto with the Command+Option keys held down and rebuild the library.

Select the options identified in the screenshot.

Fix #2

Using iPhoto Library Manager to Rebuild Your iPhoto Library

Download iPhoto Library Manager and launch.

Click on the Add Library button, navigate to your Home/Pictures folder and select your iPhoto Library folder.

Now that the library is listed in the left hand pane of iPLM, click on your library and go to the File ➙ Rebuild Library menu option

In the next window name the new library and select the location you want it to be placed.

Click on the Create button.

Note: This creates a new library based on the LIbraryData.xml file in the library and will recover Events, Albums, keywords, titles and comments but not books, calendars or slideshows. The original library will be left untouched for further attempts at fixing the problem or in case the rebuilt library is not satisfactory.

OT

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Answer 2

Funsterr Author

Level 1

8 points

Jan 23, 2012 4:26 PM in response to Old Toad

Thanks OT, will try.

Was on phone with apple support for 90 mins adn they seemed pretty sure that my pictures arent there. We restored the iphoto library form a time machine back up in October and the latest file was May 11 and this was just an iphone picture. They said this menat that ots unlikely the pictures are there.

when i scroll the grey windowns quickly, i can fleetingly see the thumbnails but they disappear when I hover over them.

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Answer 3

Old Toad

Level 10

207,367 points

Jan 23, 2012 5:14 PM in response to Funsterr

If the above fails a sure fire way to get all existing original files in your current library to be visible is to create a new library as follows:

Start over from scratch with new library

Start over with a new library and import the Originals (iPhoto 09 and earlier) or the Masters (iPhoto 11) folder from your original library as follows:

1. Move the existing library folder to the desktop.

2. Open the library package like this.

Click to view full size

3. Launch iPhoto and, when asked, select the option to create a new library.

4. Drag the Originals (iPhoto 09 and earlier) or the Masters (iPhoto 11) folder from the iPhoto Library on the desktop into the open iPhoto window.

Click to view full size

This will create a new library with the same Events as the original library but will not keep the metadata, albums, books slideshows and other projects.

Your current library will not be affected and you will see all of the photos that were in the Originals or Masters folder of your old library.

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Answer 4

Funsterr Author

Level 1

8 points

Jan 25, 2012 4:28 PM in response to Old Toad

Thank OT, unfortunately no joy. The photos just arent on the Mac, only the file details and assuming the thumbnails are there somewhere.

Discosvered that all the mssing files were downloaded from 2 cameras on 09/10/11 , 8 week before the mac faile completely.I do recalll that the Firefox etc used to crash a few times etc and am told that it may have been symptomatic of a hard drive not working properly..

My friend has tried to do a hard drive extraction but is struggling with the 2011 partition (unfortunately I downloaded a whole year of photos)

Bizarrely, I downloaded the entired video collection(into iMovie rather than iPhoto) from the portable video camea the day after and they are all in my time machine restore.

Looks like the pictures fialed to saved down and therefore were nto backed up...smething st have saved down as otheriwse thay are totally gone which is hard to udnerstand/accept.

Is it worth paying a specialist to look at the failed hard drive?

Thanks

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Answer 5

Old Toad

Level 10

207,367 points

Jan 26, 2012 10:12 AM in response to Funsterr

Is it worth paying a specialist to look at the failed hard drive?

Only you can determine if it's worth the cost.

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