eva4prez
Level 1 (0 points)

Q: Problems with backed up photos from Mav to Yosemite

I have thousands of photos backed up on an external hard drive from when my computer was running on the Mav OS, but now that I'm trying to access them from Yosemite, which uses a different photo program altogether, it says the version of iPhoto I have is not compatible with Yosemite.  It prompts me to update, and then the app store says the item I'm looking for is not available--at all. 

 

How can I gain access to my photos?

MacBook Air (13-inch Mid 2013), OS X Yosemite (10.10.3)

Posted on May 27, 2015 4:10 PM

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eva4prez

Q: Problems with backed up photos from Mav to Yosemite

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  • Helpful answers

  • by Niel,

    Niel Niel May 27, 2015 4:12 PM in response to eva4prez
    Level 10 (313,156 points)
    Mac OS X
    May 27, 2015 4:12 PM in response to eva4prez

    To open your library in iPhoto, click here and try following the instructions.

    To open your library in Photos, launch it with the Option key held down, click on Other Library if needed, and choose that one.


    (127970)

  • by eva4prez,

    eva4prez eva4prez May 27, 2015 4:30 PM in response to Niel
    Level 1 (0 points)
    May 27, 2015 4:30 PM in response to Niel

    I'm able to get as far as choosing Other Library, and then it starts to import the photos, then stops to say:  Screen Shot 2015-05-27 at 4.29.11 PM.png

     

    If I go to Learn more, that's where I get a little lost as to what my next steps are.  It says to open the Terminal app.  I don't even know what that is. 

  • by eva4prez,

    eva4prez eva4prez May 28, 2015 11:08 AM in response to Niel
    Level 1 (0 points)
    May 28, 2015 11:08 AM in response to Niel

    I've gotten to the Terminal app, and I'm trying to follow the second set of instructions on this help page:

     

    If Photos can’t copy or create a library - Apple Support

     

    But I don't know what my username is.  The only thing I can find is my own name listed everywhere, but it doesn't recognize that.  Suggestions?  How can I find the name of my user account?

  • by Eric Root,

    Eric Root Eric Root May 28, 2015 11:47 AM in response to eva4prez
    Level 9 (71,931 points)
    iTunes
    May 28, 2015 11:47 AM in response to eva4prez

    System Preferences/Users & Groups and select your account. The name of the account is your user name.

  • by eva4prez,

    eva4prez eva4prez May 28, 2015 12:06 PM in response to Eric Root
    Level 1 (0 points)
    May 28, 2015 12:06 PM in response to Eric Root

    This is what I see.  When I replace your_username with Eva Santeford, it doesn't recognize it.  I've tried it with the space, without a space, and with an underscore instead of a space.  All say illegal username.

     

    Screen Shot 2015-05-28 at 11.57.25 AM.png

     

    Then I opened it further and saw it had just my first name:

     

    Screen Shot 2015-05-28 at 12.05.15 PM.png

     

    And got this:

     

    Screen Shot 2015-05-28 at 12.04.38 PM.png

  • by eva4prez,

    eva4prez eva4prez May 29, 2015 2:45 PM in response to Eric Root
    Level 1 (0 points)
    May 29, 2015 2:45 PM in response to Eric Root

    Bump?  I need to access these photos for a Father's Day gift, which I need to order by today. 

  • by eva4prez,

    eva4prez eva4prez May 29, 2015 11:18 PM in response to eva4prez
    Level 1 (0 points)
    May 29, 2015 11:18 PM in response to eva4prez

    I'm starting to get really upset.  I'm completely unable to access thousands of photos now.  Please, someone help me!

     

    I was able to successfully process the commands in terminal, and nothing changed.  I fully quit Photos and restarted it as stated in the instructions.  No change.

  • by AdrianHunter,

    AdrianHunter AdrianHunter May 30, 2015 2:37 AM in response to eva4prez
    Level 2 (285 points)
    May 30, 2015 2:37 AM in response to eva4prez

    You can get to your pictures but that is not a solution to the migrating problem. Anyway: In your user home folder there is a folder named Pictures. In there you can find the iPhoto Library:

     

    • Open /Pictures/ and locate the “iPhoto Library” file
    • Right-Click and select “Show Package Contents”
    • Navigate to “Masters” or “Originals” to find your original iPhoto pictures

     

    They are ordered by year and date. (Do not change the iPhoto Library file! You can copy files to a different folder but you should not cut files from there or mess with the folders.)

     

    To solve your problem, there should be a Photos Library file in that same folder, you can try and delete that. Then after reboot when opening Photos it will try to create a new Library file. (NOT the original iPhoto Library file, leave that one alone!)

  • by eva4prez,

    eva4prez eva4prez May 31, 2015 2:14 PM in response to AdrianHunter
    Level 1 (0 points)
    May 31, 2015 2:14 PM in response to AdrianHunter

    The path takes me to so many splintered folders that it would take me days to go through the photos.  Each folder is broken up into several folders, then folders within those, and so on...

     

    And I tried the suggestion to delete the Photos Library file.  No dice.