Need to move photos to external hard drive but can't find them in library

Question

When we bought our Mac in 2005, we moved all of our photos from our PC onto the Mac, so I had pictures dating back to 2003. All of the photos we've taken since 2005 have been imported through iPhoto and show up in the library when we open iPhoto. However, through the library, I can't see any photos prior to 2005. I know they're on the system somewhere, because our screen saver is a slide show, and photos pre-2005 show up.
My question is twofold:
1) Where do I find those pre-2005 photos?
2) I am out of space on my hard drive and want to move the majority of our photos to the external hard drive, but would like to keep a year's worth of photos on the hard drive. How do I move most of them to the external drive but keep some on my hard drive?
Thanks for any help!

Answer 1

Were these pre 05 pictures imported to iPhoto too?
If so then your database may be damaged:
Try these in order - from best option on down...
1. Do you have an up-to-date back up? If so, try copy the library6.iphoto file from the back up to the iPhoto Library (Right Click -> Show Package Contents) allowing it to overwrite the damaged file.
2. Download iPhoto Library Manager and use its rebuild function. This will create a new library based on data in the albumdata.xml file. Not everything will be brought over - no slideshows, books or calendars, for instance - but it should get all your albums and keywords 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.
3. If neither of these work then you'll need to create and populate a new library.
To create and populate a new *iPhoto 08* library:
Note this will give you a working library with the same Events and pictures as before, however, you will lose your albums, keywords, modified versions, books, calendars etc.
In the iPhoto Preferences -> Events Uncheck the box at 'Imported Items from the Finder'
Move the iPhoto Library to the desktop
Launch iPhoto. It will ask if you wish to create a new Library. Say Yes.
Go into the iPhoto Library (Right Click -> Show Package Contents) on your desktop and find the Originals folder. From the Originals folder drag the individual Event Folders to the iPhoto Window and it will recreate them in the new library.
When you're sure all is well you can delete the iPhoto Library on your desktop.
In the future, in addition to your usual back up routine, you might like to make a copy of the library6.iPhoto file whenever you have made changes to the library as protection against database corruption.
2) I am out of space on my hard drive and want to move the majority of our photos to the external hard drive, but would like to keep a year's worth of photos on the hard drive. How do I move most of them to the external drive but keep some on my hard drive?
1. Quit iPhoto
2. Copy the iPhoto Library from your Pictures Folder to the External Disk. Make sure the disk is formatted Mac OS Extended (Journaled).
Now you have two full libraries.
3. On your internal, delete the pics you don't want from iPhoto there.
Now you have a full Library on the External and a smaller subset on the internal.
4. To choose between Libraries: Hold down the option (or alt) key key and launch iPhoto. From the resulting menu select 'Choose Library'
Managing Multiple Libraries - including moving pics/albums/rolls and metadata between them - is greatly facilitated by using iPhoto Library Manager
Regards
TD