PLEASE HELP ME!!! My iphoto is not working and it has my life's worth of photos on it. ive tried rebuilding it. still not working. when i open it, it just has that rotating circle symbol to wait :(

What version of iPhoto? Assuming 09 or later...

Option 1

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. Choose to Repair Database. If that doesn't help, then try again, this time using Rebuild Database.

If that fails:

Option 2

Download iPhoto Library Manager and use its rebuild function. (In Library Manager it's the FIle -> Rebuild command)

This will create an entirely new library. It will then copy (or try to) your photos and all the associated metadata and versions to this new Library, and arrange it as close as it can to what you had in the damaged Library. It does this based on information it finds in the iPhoto sharing mechanism - but that means that things not shared won't be there, so no slideshows, books or calendars, for instance - but it should get all your events, albums and keywords, faces and places back.

Because this process creates an entirely new library and leaves your old one untouched, it is non-destructive, and if you're not happy with the results you can simply return to your old one.

Regards

TD

Which version of iPhoto are you using?

Check this discussion thread out and try the suggestion by Terence Devlin:

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/3662621

There are other suggestions in this discussion:

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/4008995

Good luck.

it has my life's worth of photos on it.

You do have a backup strategy enabled for your Mac, right? Remeber, there are only two types of computers: those that have crashed and those what will eventually. Unless you have a backup strategy you will lose your photos and other data at some time.

Consider an external HD and Time Machine which makes the process seamless and very easy.

OT