After hours of importing my iPhoto library from a time mashing back up on an external hard drive into a fresh never before used iPhoto finishing import is taking forever.
MacBook, OS X Mountain Lion (10.8.5)
It won't let me click on Stop Import. If I click on Events, or photos there are no photos.
After hours of importing my iPhoto library from a time mashing back up
What exactly did you do? A Time Machine backup of an iPhoto Library needs to be restored using Time Machine, not imported into iPhoto. Restore the backup using the "starwars" screen in Time Machine. Once the library has been restored, open it in iPhoto, by double clicking the restored library (if it is an iPhoto '11 library). What version of iPhoto created that library?
iPhoto finishing import is taking forever.
Force quit iPhoto from the -menu "Force Quit" panel.
I am starting with a fresh and clean hard drive. I did not want to do a complete restore of everything that is on the time machine back-up. A fellow at TEKSERVE in NYC told me to plug in the hard drive that had the iPhoto back up, then open iPhoto on my MacBook, choose file, and then import to library, then click on the time machine backup that I want to import. I did this. It started importing. I saw the photos zoom by as the imported, though it took hours. And now it is stuck on Finishing Import( for an hour). It won't let me click on Stop Import. I don't want to leave the hard drive plugged in any longer as it's getting hot. Should I force quit iPhoto?
I forced quit and then reopened the iPhoto. It said that there we 23,000 photos not imported and would I like to. I said yes. I now have the spinning rainbow wheel and a half open iPhoto.
A fellow at TEKSERVE in NYC told me to plug in the hard drive that had the iPhoto back up, then open iPhoto on my MacBook, choose file, and then import to library,
When you do it this way, you will not restore the iPhoto library as library, but only import the photos as a mess of thumbnails, edited versions and original files. It will be pretty unusuable.
. And now it is stuck on Finishing Import( for an hour). It won't let me click on Stop Import. I don't want to leave the hard drive plugged in any longer as it's getting hot. Should I force quit iPhoto?
Force-quit and start over by restoring the iPhoto library. You do not need to restore the system completely. Just select your "Pictures" folder in the Finder, before you enter Time Machines starwars display. Then restore only the iPhoto Library.
This all makes good sense. I can't get to the point where I can do what you suggest. I force quit iPhoto, and then shutting down the computer. I then powered back up, opened iPhoto to see if anything was there; it's the spinning rainbow wheel of death with an open iPhoto in the background with no folders to click on and only a gray background. I think that I need this to stop before I can do what you suggest.
that is because
When you do it this way, you will not restore the iPhoto library as library, but only import the photos as a mess of thumbnails, edited versions and original files. It will be pretty unusuable.
You can not use TM backups directly - you can only restore them - you do not need to restore everything but you must restore the iPhoto library that you want
see http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1427?viewlocale=en_US&locale=en_US and http://pondini.org/TM/FAQ.html
LN
The good news is that the spinning rainbow wheel is now intermittent, the iPhoto is open -- It is a mess of thumb nails as you said it would be with more and more added in between the rainbow wheel. If it ever opens fully and get full control back, should I delete all photos and start from scratch in the way you suggested?
Of course it is
drag it to the trash and restore the iPhoto library using TimeMachine
You can not use TM backups directly - you can only restore them - you do not need to restore everything but you must restore the iPhoto library that you want
see http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1427?viewlocale=en_US&locale=en_US andhttp://pondini.org/TM/FAQ.html
LN
Thank you! I am now emptying the trash - 25,000 photos. I have created a new empty iPhoto library. Tomorrow I will restore using TimeMachine in the way you suggested. Thank you for the articles too. Thank you for your time.
No need to create a new iPhtoo library - simply restore the old one - it is complete and a new libraruy is of no use at all
LN
Are you saying that I should put the new empty library in the trash too? Or can I just leave well enough alone and restore the old one from TimeMachine?
Restoring from TimeMachine will create a library. If you want to keep an empty library, rename it.
Restoring the library as library, without importing, is actually easy.
iPhoto forever on finishing import
