How to prevent iPhoto from getting corrupted?

iPhoto is built around an SQL database. This db is liable to damage if it's interrupted while writing to the db. What can cause this? A crash or force quit are the most likely. Other possibiities: if the db is sitting on an inappropriately formatted disk, if the disk it's on is damaged and so on.

As you've had to rebuild/restore twice in a short space of time (by comparison, I've been using iPhoto since v1 and I've never had to) I would suspect that the fix isn't fixing and the damage is also present in the back up.

In your case I would make a new database and here's how to do it with the minimum interruption:

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.

I am surprised that Terrence did not mention this, and I don't know if this is the problem, so forgive me for shouting, but MOST IMPORTANTLY, DON"T MUCK AROUND IN THE iPHOTO LIBRARY FILE!

Make all changes from the iPhoto application.

Thank you, I feel better now.

Well said Keith and thanks. That's been such an obvious thing to avoid for us we often forget to mention it when responding. Another item is a reboot. Don't know how many times a reboot has fixed a user's problem but I often forget to mention that. Can't see the forest for the trees.

OT

Well all I can say is 'D'oh!'

Hi Terence -

I've seen your posts on a few threads about backing up iPhoto and rebuilding the library due to the triangle / exclamation point problem. I cannot solve this problem despite repeated attempts and I fear that more and more photo files are being corrupted and lost.

First of all, can this be possible?

Secondly, I have backed up the library at least once and I've had to upgrade to a new version of iPhoto. I have backups on an external G drive mini and all the same photos are missing. Am I simply backing up a corrupt library? How can the broken link to the original files actually be repaired?

Can you provide any more assistance?

Thanks.

I was able to rebuild/repair or restore from Time Machine backup, but again, my concern is without knowing the root cause, I could be losing data and not realizing it, or even propagating errors in the Library.

MOST IMPORTANTLY, DON"T MUCK AROUND IN THE iPHOTO LIBRARY FILE!

If you are sharing your iPhoto library between two user accounts and did not take precautions that the second user has no write access or if you are trying to sync your library in a Dropbox folder or on another kind of network storage it can get corrupted over and over again. In that case, restore your iPhoto library to your Pictures folder or a directly connected external drive and stop sharing it this way.

Would I need to upgrade to Aperture or some other program to do this safely? Or would it be better to move the videos in a completely separate application?

In iPhoto you can only trim the videos (double click the video and use the "Action" menu).

Aperture will allow you to set an external video editor, so you could use Quicktime Player or Quicktime 7 to edit the video.

But it might be simpler to manage and edit your videos in iMovie and use the Media Browser, if you need to use a video in other applications.

Conor222

Make a new thread for your issue. It'll get lost on this one. Give a full description of the issue - including the version of iPhoto, the OS and anything else you think might help someone understand the issue.