Using an external hard drive to back up iPhoto

Ok, but that´s just what I have..

Before I had it in NTFS -> error -36 showed up.

Now it´s in Mac OS Extended (Journaled) -> error -36 still shows up.

Apologies, I misread your post.

That -36 error can be caused by a single glitchy file or even a dodgy permissions on a single file.

One way around that is to back up the library to the external, and let the back up app handle these issues for you. Any back up app that stores the library in the same format - i.e not Time Machine - will do. Check out Chronosync, for example. The free trial should do the job.

http://www.econtechnologies.com/chronosync/overview.html

Ok, thanks a lot!

In another thread I found the tip to use iPhoto Library manager, so I´m trying that now since a few hours ago. Will that do the trick just like Chronosync or is Chronosync a better way to go?

It's a similar approach, but Chronosync will preserve any books, calendars or slideshows you have.

Ok, thanks!

I´ll see where iPhoto Library Manager takes me first and then give Chronosync a go if it needs to.

Hello very helpful people, I have a related question. Please bear with me since this is the first time I am using this community, and thank you in advance for any advice.

I had a MacBook running 10.5, and recently upgraded to a MacBook Air running Mavericks. I'd like to keep iphoto on an external drive, and following the tutorials around, I copied my iphoto library from my MacBook on to my extended journaled external hard drive, and tried to start up my iphoto on my new Air with it. Using the option key, I selected the iphoto library on my external drive, but nothing showed up. Seeing that there was a file now on my external drive that was called "recovered photos from iphoto library", I tried to import that, and although it did bring back my photos, it did not bring back any of the folders or events I had created.

Thinking that the file may have been damaged in the transfer, I retried the process, by first throwing away the iphoto library and "recovered..." folder from the EHD, emptying the trash on my MacBook, and copying the iphoto library again. This time, when I open iphoto with the option key down on my Air, still zero photos show up even though the correct library on the EHD is selected. No "recovered..." folder shows up this time.

Can anyone help me restore my iphoto with my events and albums onto my new MacBook Air? Thanks so much!

What version of iPhoto are on the two machines?

The Air has iphoto 9.5.1, and the MacBook has iphoto 08, version 7.1.5.

Copy the library from the MB to the EHD again and download and run the iPhoto library upgrader against itthen launch iPhoto on the MBA to finish the upgrade

LN

This solved it. I'm so happy. Thank you so much, Larry HN and Terence Devlin!

Great - you are welcome

LN

I have successfully transferred iPhoto to an EHD and works well with iPhoto now. Still haven't deleted from Mac. However i cant seem to sync with iPhone now. As in my Photo albums do not sync. In iTunes the Photo option was turned off and when i select sync i can select the EHD but cannot select the iPhoto database. iTunes says 0 photos. I cant select individual folders either.

Can you access the Library from other Apps - Word Processors? iMovie etc?

What format is the external drive?

Hi -

I am new to this thread, so apologize, but there seems to be guys on here better than my local "geniuses"

I bought and external hard drive today to back up my iPhotos since my startup disk was full, and then I went to install Time Capsule which, to my dismay, doesn't work with my router unless Time Capsule becomes my router. I don't want that, so was going to do a Time Machine backup on the same EHD as my iPhoto library.

I know this is a bad idea just in case something goes wrong with my EHD, but do I really need to purchase another EHD before I delete my iPhoto library to free space and perform all necessary updates to my computer?

Please let me know thoughts… Just trying to get my MacbookPro in check and get the "startup disk is full" notice off!

Thank you so much!

a time capsule can be used as an external hard drive - the iPhoto library must be on a hard wired drive (not a WiFi connected one) and as you note if your iPhoto library is on the same drive as your backup you have no backup - and sooner or later TimeMachine will fill the drive and iPhoto will not longer work at all

And if you are getting Start up drive full messages you are in range of losing data or even damaging your system -- you must have a minimum of 10GB available at all times - resolving this must be your highest priority

LN