iPhoto upgrade problems over time capsule

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iPhoto upgrade problems over time capsule

I keep my iPhoto library on my time capsule using it as a sort of file server to free up space on my iMac. This has worked fine for the last few months until this morning when iPhoto said that my library was not compatible and needed upgrading. When I selected to upgrade the process gets stuck "Examining photo library ..." and then after about an hour just exits the application. When I open it again it just does the same thing. Can anyone help?

iMac (21.5-inch, Late 2012)

Posted on Mar 2, 2015 4:46 AM

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Answer 1

Yer_Man

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Mar 2, 2015 5:54 AM in response to Micky Wall

iPhoto can't be used on a sort of file server. It needs the library to be on a directly connected disk formatted Mac OS Extended (Journaled), not a network location.

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Answer 2

Micky Wall Author

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Mar 2, 2015 7:53 AM in response to Yer_Man

Terence,

Thanks for your response. I set this up about 4 months ago now and it's been working fine until this morning. What's changed? It's an Apple AirPort Time Capsule so wouldn't it be formatted as Mac OS ?

It's a shame if it doesn't work as my photos take up a huge amount of space and was slowing my iMac down.

Cheers,

Mike

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Answer 3

léonie

Level 10

194,755 points

Mar 2, 2015 8:03 AM in response to Micky Wall

I set this up about 4 months ago now and it's been working fine until this morning. What's changed? It's an Apple AirPort Time Capsule so wouldn't it be formatted as Mac OS ?

Mike,

it is not only the formatting of the drive, also the remote access. An iPhoto Library on a network volume has never been supported, it can corrupt the library and cause data loss. Previous iPhoto versions did not check the drive with the library for compatibility, but the newer versions do.

You have been lucky, if it worked for you that long. It is a risky set-up.

Léonie

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Answer 4

Yer_Man

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Mar 2, 2015 8:34 AM in response to Micky Wall

What changed is your luck ran out...

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Answer 5

Micky Wall Author

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Mar 2, 2015 8:51 AM in response to Yer_Man

It would appear so although not sure how luck works with computers. I thought things either worked or the didn't! But then what would I know.

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Answer 6

léonie

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194,755 points

Mar 2, 2015 9:16 AM in response to Micky Wall

It would appear so although not sure how luck works with computers. I thought things either worked or the didn't! But then what would I know.

iPhoto works very well, as long as you use it how it is intended to be used, inside the specifications. There are two problems with iPhoto on a NAS or similar network storage:

A wrong filesystem: If the filesystem is not MacOS Extended (Journaled), some filenames may be ambiguous, when iPhoto is writing to the drive, and can cause collisions. Photos may be lost this way.
Sync conflicts: The internal databases in the iPhoto Library are not designed for network access. If database transactions get interrupted, it might result in an inconsistent iPhoto library, causing all kinds of trouble; lost photos, missing edits, etc.

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Answer 7

Micky Wall Author

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Mar 2, 2015 9:19 AM in response to léonie

Thanks both. Lesson learnt but hopefully not at too much cost!

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Answer 8

léonie

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Mar 2, 2015 9:26 AM in response to Micky Wall

You're welcome, Mike.

Use your Time Capsule for other documents, that are no databases. Perhaps you can free enough storage on the internal drive this way.

Apple will soon release the new Photos.app for Mac, which will allow you to keep the Photo library in iCloud and access the library over a network. You will be able to migrate your iPhoto Library to Photos. Have a look at the preview: Apple - OS X - Photos Preview

It already works for the iPhone and iPad, see: iCloud Photo Library beta FAQ

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