I imported photos from an old iPhoto (2001) to photo library and can now see them as thumbnails but not when I click on them. The screen is black cannot see or print either. Is there any way to salvage those old photos? I now use iLife09. OS 10.6

Question

I imported photos from an old iPhoto (2001) to photo library and can now see them only as thumbnails but not when I click on them. The screen is black cannot see or print either. Is there any way to salvage those old photos? I now use iLife09. OS 10.6

Answer 1

Did you import the old iPhoto library into the new one? That's not what you want to do because you will import all of the original, modified and thumbnail files as if they were original files. Lots of duplicates and useless small photos.
Do you have a backup copy of the library that you imported into to?  If you do then bring it in and then use  iPhoto Library Manager to merge the two libraries into a new, 3rd library.
If you don't then you'll have to try to fix the current one and then cull out the duplicates and small useless photos as follows:  make a temporary, duplicate copy of your library and apply the three fixes in order as necessary.
Fix #1
1 - delete the iPhoto preference file, com.apple.iPhoto.plist, that resides in your HD/User/Home()/ Library/Preferences folder.
2 - delete iPhoto's cache file, Cache.db, that is located in your HD/User/Home()/Library /Caches/com.apple.iPhoto folder. 
3 - launch iPhoto and try again.
NOTE: If you're moved your library from its default location in your Home/Pictures folder you will have to point iPhoto to its new location when you next open iPhoto by holding down the Option key when launching iPhoto.  You'll also have to reset the iPhoto's various preferences.
Fix #2
Launch iPhoto with the Command+Option keys held down and rebuild the library.
Select the options identified in the screenshot. 
Fix #3
Using iPhoto Library Manager  to Rebuild Your iPhoto Library
Download iPhoto Library Manager and launch.
Click on the Add Library button, navigate to your Home/Pictures folder and select your iPhoto Library folder.
Now that the library is listed in the left hand pane of iPLM, click on your library and go to the File ➙ Rebuild Library menu option
In the next  window name the new library and select the location you want it to be placed.
Click on the Create button.
Note: This creates a new library based on the LIbraryData.xml file in the library and will recover Events, Albums, keywords, titles and comments but not books, calendars or slideshows. The original library will be left untouched for further attempts at fixing the problem or in case the rebuilt library is not satisfactory.
If this doesn't fix the problem you'll have to start over from scratch and create a new library from the files inside the Originals folder of your current library.  But first you should cull out the small photos that would be the thumbnails from the 2001 library.
Move the Originals folder to the Desktop, open and do a search for Kind=photo, File size is less than 10 KB.  That should find all of the thumbnail files which you can then drag to the Trash.  You might have to make that less than 50 KB. Then Import the remaining photos into a new iPhoto library.
OT