iPhoto keeps crashing, it starts balling for a few minutes and then it crashes.

As a test launch iPhoto with the Option key held down and create a new, test library. Import some photos and test to see if the same problem persists. Does it?

If it doesn't apply the two fixes below in order as needed:

Fix #1

Launch iPhoto with the Command+Option keys held down and rebuild the library.

Since only one option can be run at a time start with

Option #3, followed by #4 and then #1 as needed.

Fix #2

Using iPhoto Library Manager to Rebuild Your iPhoto Library

1 - download iPhoto Library Manager and launch.

2 - click on the Add Library button, navigate to your Home/Pictures folder and select your iPhoto Library folder.

3 - Now that the library is listed in the left hand pane of iPLM, click on your library and go to the File ➙ Rebuild Library menu option.

4 - In the next window name the new library and select the location you want it to be placed.

5 - Click on the Create button.

Note: This creates a new library based on the LIbraryData.xml file in the library and will recover Events, Albums, keywords, titles and comments. However, books, calendars, cards and slideshows will be lost. The original library will be left untouched for further attempts at fixing the problem or in case the rebuilt library is not satisfactory.

OT

Thanks OT! I treid this, but iPhoto is terribly slow and goes in and out of not responding (per the Finder). Every other application on my Mac is fine. I have performed all the steps above, but I can't even navigate through iPhoto as it takes so long to respond (talking up to a minute).

How much free space do you have on your boot drive?

Hi OT!

I am having the same issues again. I downloaded the iPhoto library manager and went through all the steps, finally, rebuiliding the library. That seemed to work. Today, July 13, 2013, I am having the same issues. I have gone therough the steps as mentioned above and I am now rebuilding the library. I have about 18k of photos. The disk, per Disk Utility, seems okay. All other apps work fine.

Here is some more info that might help:

I am not sharing photos.

I have a 1tb internal drive with 500gb available.

All versions of OS and apps are current.

My iMac was manufactured mid-2011.

Is this a known bug with Apple?

Even though the disk utility tells me my disk is okay, should I consider replacing it?

Thanks for all your input and help.

In response to your specific questions: No and No.

Create a new account (systempreferences -> accounts or Users & Groups on 10.7 and 10.8), make a new Library in that account, import some shots and see if the problem is repeated there. If it is, then a re-install of the app might be indicated. If it's not, then it's likely the app is okay and the problem is something in the main account.

It iPhoto works as it should in another user account then it could be a bad preference file, iPhoto's or some other that it uses, that is causing the problem. If you other attempts fail post back and I'll lay out a workflow to check the preference files in your Home/Library/Preferences folder.

I did rebuild the library yesterday and that did not help. It seemed to make it worse because iPhoto was crashing after running for awhile.

I created a new account under 10.8 and upladed 3000 photos into iPhoto. It seems to be behaving. I have launched it and shut it down multiple times, created albums, scrolled through photos, enlarged them, etc. I did not have any slowness, or just stopping as I did under the original account.

Run the following test on your original account:

Trouble Shooting Preferences

NOTE: In Lion and Mountain Lion the Library folder is now invisible. To make it permanently visible enter the following in the Terminal application window: chflags nohidden ~/Library and hit the Enter button - 10.7: Un-hide the User Library folder.

1 - close all applications.

2 - open your Home/Library folder and Option-drag (copy) the Preferences folder to the Desktop.

3 - select the contents of your Home/Library/Preferences folder and drag them into the Trash bin in the Dock. You will be asked to provide your Admin password.

4 - reboot. Be sure to know your account's username and password as you will be asked to log in with it.

5 - run the application again and determine if the problem(s) is fixed.

6 - If the problem is fixed:

A - open the working Home/Library/Preferences folder.

B - Open the Preferences folder on the Desktop, select all of the contents and drag them into the working Home/Library/Preferences folder.

C - When the Copy window pops up check the "Apply to All" check box and then click on the Don't Replace or Skip button.

D - reboot.

7 - If the problem is NOT fixed, drag the contents of the Preference folder on the Desktop into the Home/Library/Preference folder and replace the entire contents that were created by clicking on Replace.

8 - reboot and you're back as square one.

Note: keep the Preference folder on the desktop until you're sure all registration info for your apps are working. If not you can copy the required files from the desktop pref folder to the working one.

Okay. Thanks! I will try this later this week or over the weekend when I have more time. I really aprreciate your help with this.

I followed the steps, and I am still having the same problems. The internal disk is doing a lot of churning, meaning, it is performaing a lot of activities, nothing to make me think it is bad. Yet, iPhoto still does not repsond or take forever to respond to a request.

Thanks for your help. Where do I go from here?

What model Mac are you running? Does Disk utility give a clean bill of health to the disk, i.e. Smart Status?

My model is a iMac 12,2, built in late 2011, 3.1ghz, Intel I5, 8gb RAM. Disk Utility verifies okay. Clicked the Info button Thisis what I got:

Name : Macintosh HD

Type : Partition

Disk Identifier : disk0s2

Mount Point : /

System Name : OS X

System Version : 10.8.4

System Build : 12E55

System Copyright : 1983-2013 Apple Inc.

File System : Mac OS Extended (Journaled)

Connection Bus : SATA

Device Tree : IODeviceTree:/PCI0@0/SATA@1F,2/PRT0@0/PMP@0

Writable : Yes

Universal Unique Identifier : AB9E1FE8-8672-3C54-AB42-0FE5DD53B084

Capacity : 999.35 GB (999,345,127,424 Bytes)

Free Space : 451.65 GB (451,651,571,712 Bytes)

Used : 547.69 GB (547,693,617,152 Bytes)

Number of Files : 1,407,214

Number of Folders : 332,366

Owners Enabled : Yes

Can Turn Owners Off : Yes

Can Repair Permissions : Yes

Can Be Verified : Yes

Can Be Repaired : Yes

Can Be Formatted : Yes

Bootable : Yes

Supports Journaling : Yes

Journaled : Yes

Disk Number : 0

Partition Number : 2

I didnn't see Smart Status anywhere.

Click on the drive identifier in the left hand pane of DU and look at the bottom;

SMART Status is Verified.

Hi OT!

Any suggestions? I am at a loss here. Take your time. I won't be able to address this until later this week, but I have all my photos on this iMac and would hate to not be able to salvage them.

Thanks in advance for all your help!