iPhoto 11 Majorly Corrupt???

1. What format is the external disk?

2. Seems like your thumbnails are lost or broken, yes? any other issues?

3. The data folder does not contain your photos. Stay out of the Library:

Don't change anything in the iPhoto Library Folder via the Finder or any other application. iPhoto depends on the structure as well as the contents of this folder. Moving things, renaming things, deleting them or otherwise making changes will prevent iPhoto from working and could even cause you to damage or lose your photos.

The Data folder contains thumbnails only.

I'm not sure where you saw this "tutorial" but it is inaccurate.

Back Up and try rebuild the library: hold down the command and option (or alt) keys while launching iPhoto. Use the resulting dialogue to rebuild. Include the option to rebuild the thumbnails. It can take 3 or 4 goes for this to work

Regards

TD

Terence, can you please help me? I am having major problems with iPhoto. Every thumbnail is a picture of a cat sitting by a chair - it's not even my photo! I still have names of events, but not the correct thumbnails.

I want to reset iPhoto like you've recommended, however it is impossible to conduct a back up of my photos (we've tried several different ways). Do you know if my photos will be in jeopardy if I rebuild the library?

Also, during this "issue" - the system seems to get delayed with a "reindexing photos" or some kind of thing ... each time I enter iPhoto and also leave the system. I'm so frustrated, I don't know what to do!

And I don't want to lose my pictures. Can you please help??

How did you move from iPhoto to Lightroom?

And the information in the link is shameful.

You must always have an up-to-date back up. End of story.

How are you trying to back up? How does it fail?

I tried to export the photos to an external hard drive. I let the operation run for 8 hours but nothing seemed to happen; I believe the system was just hung up. I tried a second time with a different approach; same result.

I'm saying a prayer right now that I don't lose all of my photos! I went ahead and started rebuilding the thumbnails in hopes that it works.

Any idea how and why this may have happened? I'm ready to bring the machine back to Apple for help -- seems that I'm having all kinds of trouble with iPhoto and backing up ...

I appreciate any advice you can offer.

happysnapper77 wrote:

http://www.ehow.com/how_6952423_restore-iphoto-files.html

The incorrect file weblink.

This article is totally inaccurate and anyone following it will destroy their iPhoto library and lose their photos -

LN

Most Simple Back Up

Drag the iPhoto Library from your Pictures Folder to another Disk. This will make a copy on that disk.

Slightly more complex:

Use an app that will do incremental back ups. This is a very good way to work. The first time you run the back up the app will make a complete copy of the Library. Thereafter it will update the back up with the changes you have made. That makes subsequent back ups much faster. Many of these apps also have scheduling capabilities: So set it up and it will do the back up automatically. Examples of such apps: Chronosync or DejaVu . But are many others. Search on MacUpdate

I moved my folders by selecting them and dropping them onto the lightroom icon then adding them to lightroom 4.

If you're migrating to LR4, you'll need to export your photos from iPhoto to the Finder and then add them to LR.

Apps like iPhoto2Disk or PhotoShare will help you export to a Folder tree matching your Events.

Regards

TD