iPhoto 9.6.1 is not displaying the photos in my iPhoto library.

Question

iPhoto 9.6.1 is not displaying the photos in my iPhoto library.

My computer: I'm running Yosemite 10.10.2 (14C1514) on an iMac (21.5 inch, Late 2009) with a 3.06 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor. Memory is indicated as: 4 GB 1067 MHz DDR3

The problem: Yesterday, I installed an update of iPhoto from the App Stere. My new version is 9.6.1. I opened iPhoto today, and it said that my iPhoto library needed to be updated and that permissions needed to be repaired. Then iPhoto opened to a start screen with a graphic that says "To get started with iPhoto, do any of the following: Connect a camera or memory card, drag photos into iPhoto, and choose File>Import to iPhoto library.

My photos are not showing up.

I went to File>Switch to Library... which brings up a dialogue: Which photo library do you want iPhoto to use? The default indicated is the location of my existing iPhoto library. Nevertheless, iPhoto isn't displaying any of my photos.

I should note that the hard drive on which I keep my iPhoto library is working really hard. So maybe the updating and permissions repair is still happening? A look at the hard drive's finder window indicates that it was last updated at 1:36 PM today. It's now 2:02. Can repairs and updating be still going on?

I'll wait it out, but in the meantime, if anyone can advise another course of action, I'd appreciate it.

Beedubya

iMac, OS X Yosemite (10.10.2)

Posted on Mar 24, 2015 11:10 AM

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Answer 1

Yer_Man

Level 10

162,308 points

Mar 24, 2015 11:25 AM in response to Beedubyayardee

What format is the external drive? How are you connected to it?

Do you have a back up?

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Answer 2

Mar 24, 2015 11:28 AM in response to Yer_Man

The Get Info for the hard drive has this next to FORMAT: Mac OS Extended (Journaled).

Yes. I have a backup.

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Answer 3

Mar 24, 2015 11:48 AM in response to Yer_Man

I am connected directly to the hard drive via a cable.

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Answer 4

Mar 24, 2015 12:20 PM in response to Yer_Man

In addition, when I do a search of JPEG images on the external hard drive, I can see all the pictures in the library. So the Library file doesn't seem to be messed up. All other files on the drive look good, too.

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Answer 5

Yer_Man

Level 10

162,308 points

Mar 24, 2015 12:40 PM in response to Beedubyayardee

Download iPhoto Library Managerand use its rebuild function. (In early versions of Library Manager it's the File -> Rebuild command. In later versions it's under the Library menu.)

This will create an entirely new library. It will then copy (or try to) your photos and all the associated metadata and versions to this new Library, and arrange it as close as it can to what you had in the damaged Library. It does this based on information it finds in the iPhoto sharing mechanism - but that means that things not shared won't be there, so no slideshows, books or calendars, for instance - but it should get all your events, albums and keywords, faces and places back.

Because this process creates an entirely new library and leaves your old one untouched, it is non-destructive, and if you're not happy with the results you can simply return to your old one.

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