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Rebuild, Import, or Merge iPhoto Library?

I had my iPhoto library housed on an external drive. It crashed and wouldn't mount after a while. So I purchased Disk Drill and recovered my files from it without much trouble.


Now I have my 30,000+ image library sitting on my Time Machine until I can rebuild it and then I planned to reformat my external and rehouse it there again (and back it up somewhere as well).


So the first time I messed up by trying to open then rebuild the library through iPhoto. It somehow deleted my photos entirely!


Then I found info that said to use the iPhoto library manager to rebuild it. So I did that. It's such a huge library that it takes a couple if days at minimum to rebuild. So I left it at 9,000 photos and left the house. When I returned my MacBook Pro had rebooted itself! Ugh! So I started the whole process again, clicked rebuild and chose a new library name for the rebuild.


Well overnight somehow the power cord came out and my laptop powered down...UGH! So I am trying to prevent having to start over. This time it imported 10,000 or so pics.


If I click to import the photos from the Master folder, it won't bring in the XML data will it? If I click rebuild, it will start over. I have never used merge and I don't want my photos to disappear like they did the first time. Then I'll be at square one again, recovering them from the external drive.


The library was too damaged and I'm thankful that Disk Drill was able to recover them. But I need to get them into iPhoto. What do you all suggest? I'm not touching it again without some helpful advice!


Thanks

MacBook Pro

Posted on May 13, 2013 9:53 AM

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Posted on May 13, 2013 12:37 PM

Do you actually have a working iPhoto Library? If not then make a new one and import the masters only.


It'll be as though you never used iPhoto before, but you'll have all your pics.

4 replies

May 13, 2013 1:11 PM in response to Yer_Man

The one that was in the middle of rebuilding opens up fine. It imported 10,000 or so photos before my laptop rebooted. So I should just open that one, import from the same "Masters" folder and choose to skip duplicates?


(I'm just hoping iPhoto doesn't erase them completely like it did the first time. Not sure why it did that. 😕)

Rebuild, Import, or Merge iPhoto Library?

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