Paul Kingsley
Level 2 (205 points)

Q: another "aperture cannot access this library" issue

I was working in Aperture 3.2.3 on an external library using mac osx 10.6.8.  I have been using aperture 3 for a few weeks after updating from aperture 2. Everything was working well.  Suddenly, part of the Aperture window briefly flashed partly black, then recovered, but I could not select anything on my computer (thought the mouse still tracked). I could not get to the dock., or force quit using key commands.  Thus I was forced to hold the power button to restart my Mac.  Everything seems to be fine, except for Aperture which says Aperture cannot access this library. To use this library, make sure its file permissions are set correctly.  I held down the option command key combination upon starting and was presented with the option of repairing permission, repairing the database, etc.  I chose repair permissions, this did not solve the problem.  I chose repair the database (22,000 photos), this did not solve the problem.  I used the get info command on the aperture library, and saw the library was locked.  I unlocked the library and cannot change permissions, because all of the choices are grayed out.  The choices do say I have read/write access.  So I do not know how to get to my library.  Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Paul

Mac mini, Mac OS X (10.6.8)

Posted on May 19, 2012 6:58 AM

by Paul Kingsley,Solvedanswer
Paul Kingsley Paul Kingsley
Level 2 (205 points)
A:

I was able to solve my problem with information I had not seen before, but was in this knowledge base article from Apple: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT2945

This article includes instructions for deleting the preferences file which is a plist file

"Delete the user preferences

You can resolve many issues by restoring Aperture back to its original settings. This will not impact your image files or your library. To reset your Aperture user preference settings to their original state, do the following:

 

In the Finder, go to

~/Library/Preferences

. Note: The tilde (~) represents your Home folder.

Remove the "com.apple.Aperture.plist" file from the Preferences folder."

 

This actually did not work the first time I did it, I was able to see my library but all of the thumbnails were gone.  I quit and restarted the program, and was once again unable to acces the library.  So I once again removed the plist file, and restarted aperture again.  I did not see the thumbnails and figured I would come back after a while and rebuild the database if I could log back in.  After a few hours I came back to the computer (after someone else in my family had logged me off) and was able to open my library in aperture and the thumbnails were now present.  So I am up and running.  Hopefully this was an infrequent glitch.  I did have a nearly up to date backup vault that I did not have to resort to using as a last ditch option.  Hope this info helps someone else who might run into this problem.

Posted on May 19, 2012 6:42 PM

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Paul Kingsley

Q: another "aperture cannot access this library" issue

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  • by Frank Caggiano,Helpful

    Frank Caggiano Frank Caggiano May 19, 2012 7:37 AM in response to Paul Kingsley
    Level 7 (25,796 points)
    May 19, 2012 7:37 AM in response to Paul Kingsley

    What is the format of the external disk?

     

    I used the get info command on the aperture library, and saw the library was locked.  I unlocked the library and cannot change permissions, because all of the choices are grayed out.

    There are two type of locks in an Info Window. The check box labeled Locked and the Lock icon at the bottom of the window. Which are you referring to?

     

    If you're having problems accessing the external disk then you need to figure out what is going on with it before worrying about Aperture.

  • by Paul Kingsley,

    Paul Kingsley Paul Kingsley May 19, 2012 7:52 AM in response to Frank Caggiano
    Level 2 (205 points)
    May 19, 2012 7:52 AM in response to Frank Caggiano

    Thanks Frank, for taking the time to reply. The disk is Mac OS X extended.  The library has been working fine from that disk for quite some time.

    the lock I am referring to is the bottom right hand lock icon that is amber colored. I click that and enter my administrator passcode.  the icon then switches to the unlocked version.  Bu all the choices (me, everyone, etc.) are grayed and un-editable.  Quite frustrating.

     

    Thanks for your attention, Paul

  • by Paul Kingsley,Solvedanswer

    Paul Kingsley Paul Kingsley May 19, 2012 6:42 PM in response to Paul Kingsley
    Level 2 (205 points)
    May 19, 2012 6:42 PM in response to Paul Kingsley

    I was able to solve my problem with information I had not seen before, but was in this knowledge base article from Apple: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT2945

    This article includes instructions for deleting the preferences file which is a plist file

    "Delete the user preferences

    You can resolve many issues by restoring Aperture back to its original settings. This will not impact your image files or your library. To reset your Aperture user preference settings to their original state, do the following:

     

    In the Finder, go to

    ~/Library/Preferences

    . Note: The tilde (~) represents your Home folder.

    Remove the "com.apple.Aperture.plist" file from the Preferences folder."

     

    This actually did not work the first time I did it, I was able to see my library but all of the thumbnails were gone.  I quit and restarted the program, and was once again unable to acces the library.  So I once again removed the plist file, and restarted aperture again.  I did not see the thumbnails and figured I would come back after a while and rebuild the database if I could log back in.  After a few hours I came back to the computer (after someone else in my family had logged me off) and was able to open my library in aperture and the thumbnails were now present.  So I am up and running.  Hopefully this was an infrequent glitch.  I did have a nearly up to date backup vault that I did not have to resort to using as a last ditch option.  Hope this info helps someone else who might run into this problem.

  • by plostyle,

    plostyle plostyle Sep 11, 2013 11:40 PM in response to Paul Kingsley
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Sep 11, 2013 11:40 PM in response to Paul Kingsley

    I got this issue when my computer crashed from video editing and I had Aperture open to an external hard drive. After a few tries I solved this issue by restarting the computer (did not work) and then logging myself out and back in again. After this I opened the aperture folder and everything worked fine.