Corrupted Aperture Library: need Help!

I am running Aperture 3.1.3 and mylibrary seems to be stuck in version 3.1.2 and won't open.
When I try to open Aperture I get the error:
"Warning:
There was an error opening the databasefor the library “[my library]”."
It goes straight to this warning when I open my Aperture library no matter what I do. I have tried theCommand-Option thing when I open it with no effect.
I followed some advice I found on a photography forum where I rename/move my Aperture Library. I was able to open Aperture when a new library was created, and then I use File-"Switch to library" to open my old library, holding down the Option-Command keys while opening it. ALL I get is a progress box that says “Upgrading Library: scanning library”. Its got the moving barber-pole thing going on and it seems to stay static like this indefinitely, I left it on overnight last night with no apparant progress being made. I just checked and the same thing happens if I do not hold down Option-Command while opening.
I tried almost everything on this page and none of it has worked. The only thing I did not try is restoring Aperture from a disk, I will be trying that shortly. My disk drive won't seem to accept any DVD's (working on that now), so I will try restoring Aperture once I get that problem worked out. I will also try fiddling with the Tech Tools that came on my AppleCare DVD.
Can anyone tell me what I should do now?

I am aware how Export Versions works, even if I choose "JPEG - Original Size" It would still limit it to an image that was 1200 pixels tall, even when drawing from a 12 MP RAW file. Something is wrong ith the export presets.
Now when I try to open Aperture with the original Application Support/Aperture folder back in my library. So I put the dummy/replacement library back and then held the option key down while opening Aperture and got my library to load again.
I have just a few dozen older photos that are not managed files within my Aperture Library and none of them are the ones that ended up in the Application Support folder. I'm not convinced these images that are in my Applications Support/Aperture folder belong in my library. It seems they may be duplicates or images that I had "trashed".
But I am not sure if it is safe to just go in there and clean house. Should I remove all the image files from the Application Support folder, or should I put the new/dummy Application Support/Aperture folder back in my library, and copy over what look like valuable files from the old one (which is now on my desktop) into the new one?

Similar Messages

Big Problem With Corrupted Image Library - Need Help Please

I recently updated my Aperture 2 (2.1) with the latest update. Upon doing so, most images in my library now show up in the 'ole maroon box with the message "Unsupported Image Format." This only began after the update. I've spent hours reading threads on here, but no real solution can be found. I've spent a few hours on the phone with Apple Support and in my local store at the Genius Bar. What they're telling me is that my library file has become corrupted. That my preview/thumbnails have become "diconnected" from the actual full size image file. I've tried holding down option + command while starting Aperture in order to "rebuild" it. That's made matters worse in that most, but not all, of my previews/thumbnails now are not showing up. When I go into my home folder and right click on the aperture library icon and keep burrowing in until I get to each image folder, everything seems to be there: the original RAW file, the preview file, the thumbnail file, the edits/changes files. I can even drag the original RAW file out and re-import it and then its fine. But I can't seem to also drag out the edits/retouching/changes. So even if I take each of my 1,300 images out one by one and reimport them, I still lose some 300+ hours of retouching. I can't even bare the thought of this. Does anyone know what the heck is really going on and whether there is some kind of fix for this? I'm just trying to get my library back to where it was before all the trouble started. Unfortunately, I do not have a back up from before I updated the software. Oh, we also tried removing Aperture and reinstalling to go back to 2.0, but the same problem is still there. Lastly, I cannot export any "versions" or "masters" in order to print, upload or email the images. So I'm really stuck here.

Welcome to club. This just happened to me also in a very similar fashion: Upgrade - upgrade works for awhile - and then the maroon screen and unsupported file message.
At least you are still somewhat functional. Very quickly the problem spread to my non Aperture JPEGS (I use Canon software to download from two Canon Cameras and then import into Aperture). At first all was ok with these files despite the issue with Aperture. Then they are started having the same problem once I shutdown the computer and restarted. This quickly spread to killing Aperture where it would not start at all. Then I lost Microsoft Entourage due to a corrupted data base. Rebuilding this data base via Disk Utility Verify and Repair Permissions made Entourage workable (but I lost my data and setup - it created a new instance.
Two calls to Apple made everything worse as every time we went back into Disk Utility, we would only fix problems to have them re-appear when the laptop was restarted.
Went to Genius Bar (twice). They archived and did a reinstall. They had to do this twice. Everything now works except for Aperture which will not launch at all.
Genius Bar told me to use Time Machine to reload Aperture. Three tries using three different backups have now resulted in nothing. I am about to try a clean install using my Aperture Disk. I will report back on this.
One thing I noticed before all this started - I had done a bunch of usual weekly software updates about two weeks ago. I was going on a trip so I let everything run (no issues). Time Machine did all the usual things including giving me the really useful message that my BackUp Disk was now full (meaning it is wiping old versions out). However, I then went to shutdown the machine and FileVault whirled for over 30 minutes before it allowed the machine to shutdown. Usually this is under 3-5 minutes if that long. FileVault has yet to make a re-appearance on any shutdown I have had in past two weeks regardless of changes on HD. Therefore I am wondering if there is a connection here.
I use a MacBook Pro with upgraded memory and HD.

IPhoto on my MacBookPro does not open - shows a box "Aperture library needs to be upgraded". I do not have Aperture installed and I am not interested to do so.

On my MacBookPro - After updating iPhoto 11 to version 9.3.1, it does not open and shows a box "Aperture library needs to be upgraded" with choices to update or Quit. If I quit it closes iPhoto - if I try to update it goes to the App Store and requires a purchase of Aperture - I do not want to purchase Aperture.

If you tried the First Aid Tools without success, make a backup of the iPhoto Library and rebuild with iPhoto Library Manager as described by Terence Devlin:
uprgraded to yosemite all good but iphoto crashes every time I attempt to upgrade the photo library
Download iPhoto Library Manager and 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.
Download iPhoto Library Manager here: http://www.fatcatsoftware.com/iplm/

Itunes corrupts aperture library

Since upgrading to iTunes 12.1 when i try to sync any device with photos the aperture photo library becomes corrupted ad requires me to rebuild the database. Any thoughts or suggestions?

"+I've heard that Itunes creates some problems when not run on a Mac OS+"
You may have 'heard' this, but there is absolutely no truth to this rumor.
I've run iTunes on a WinXP platform for 4+ years from v4.x to v8.x with absolutely no issues. Certainly none of the problems you are experiencing. I have a dual Library: Lossy music on my internal HD; Lossless music on an ExHD. Never lost a music file or corrupted a Library file.
There is obviously something going on with your setup that manifests itself as corrupted iTunes database files &/or music files. I would strongly suggest you look at your complete PC system. It may be a virus or malware. It could be an interaction with another program. It could be a security program that may scan your files whilst iTunes accesses them, potentially corrupting them. Many possibilities - but I highly doubt that iTunes is the culprit. Could even be a bad read/write head on the HD. Files (music or otherwise) just do not go to 0kb for no reason, and I have not seen any evidence that iTunes can even cause this.
First thing to do is restore your Library (both music files and Library Database) from your backup files. As long as you backed up the files, you can recover in the short term while you investigate the actual cause of the problem.
If you do not have a complete backup, then you need to recreate your Library from the original sources. Once done, see how to Completely Backup iTunes.
As for the cause, you may need more help than we can provide via these Discussions. We will need more info on what exactly happened, when. What programs you have running, as well as a host of other info. It may be better to take the PC to a qualified tech for examination.
Best of Luck

Aperture novice needs help

I just installed Aperture on my Macbook Air, and spent quite a bit of time editing, deleting, and re-dating photos. Now I want to move the entire library, just as it is, to my existing iMac. How do I do that?
Also, after I do that, I'll want to make sure iPhoto on both computers are exactly the same as well. Is that an issue?

How large is your Aperture Library?
Basically you simply need to copy the Aperture Library.aplibrary package in your Pictures folder to your iMac.
If the library is still small, you could try to copy it using your network - Air Drop - or move it temporarily to your Public folder to copy it.
But if it has already many GB copy it to a portable external drive (formatted Mac OS X Extended) and then copy it from that drive to your iMac.

When I try to open my aperture library, I get the message "There was an error opening the database for the library "/Users/alyssabouma/Pictures/Aperture Library.aplibrary". help!

When I try to open my Aperture Library, I get this message: "There was an error opening the database for the library “/Users/alyssabouma/Pictures/Aperture Library.aplibrary”.
I have already uninstalled and reinstalled the library....Help!!

lyssalou,
what is your Aperture version and what is your MacOS X version?
What happened, before this problem occurred? Did you import images, install software, move the Aperture library?
I have already uninstalled and reinstalled the library....Help!!
What do you mean by reinstalling the library? Did you reinstall Aperture?
You might start the trouble shooting with using the Aperture Library First Aid Tools - repairing the permissions, repairing the library, and rebuilding, if necessary, see:
Aperture 3 User Manual: Repairing and Rebuilding Your Aperture Library
Before rebuilding the library, make a backup of the Aperture Library, if you do not have one.
Regards
Léonie

Corrupted Aperture Library - Any way to recover original RAW files?

Hi all - as a user since the initial release of Aperture, I'm afraid I've run into my first show-stopper of a problem with Aperture 2.01. At some point (and I can't seem to see where) about 15 projects in my library have become corrupted, where I have only blank grey thumbnails for each image. Clicking on any image gives me a lighter grey image in the viewer window.
Even worse - if I select an image and try the view Master command (M), I get a lovely "Invalid Image Format" in red. I understood that the RAW files were stored inside of the aperture library file and was fairly confident that even in the worst-case I would just lose my meta data and edits.
I've exported out the projects that were still intact into seperate project files which I'll re-import after a fresh install of aperture (once I get past my emergency status)
Seems I was wrong. Restoring from my last few Vault backups (up to a month ago) has not resolved anything (or the corruption occurred far earlier).
Any assistance in recovery strategies is greatly appreciated. Otherwise I'll end up walking away from a good set of 10,000+ shots. (my current library is around 55k images)
Is there someone I can contact at Apple Support directly for assistance?!?
Thanks in advance,
Ted

Thank you kindly for the suggestions - the Show Packages option did not show any of the affected projects (in fact even the folders were missing).
Sadly also my vault copies where also missing. It would seem that somewhere along the line the files themselves were deleted from the drive without updating the Aperture library.
It looks like I'll have to suck it up this time - as I haven't been able to identify any recoverable archives - all my vaults see to be empty or suffering the same missing images syndrome. I've found a few very old copies of a portion of past shoots, but the bulk are gone. Needless to say I'm not very happy atm.
Me thinks I'll have to be more diligent about burning and DVD of each shoot immediately after I import them into Aperture going forward.
My next question is how can I guarantee a fresh re-install of Aperture? Is simply deleting icon from my Applications folder sufficient?
Thanks again for your suggestions!

Aperture library needs too much space?

Hi, tried to import my iPhoto library with 63 GB into Aperture. Aperture says it will need 313 GB. Is that normal?
Is there a difference between just opening my iPhoto library with Aperture or importing it?
Thanks for answers, greetings from Munich

Hi bernd,
I assume you have you upgraded to iPhoto 9.3 and Aperture 3.3?
Aperture says it will need 313 GB. Is that normal?
Unfortunately it has happened, but it is not normal There probably is something wrong with your libraries.
Is there a difference between just opening my iPhoto library with Aperture or importing it?
Yes, there is. when you are browsing an iPhoto Library from Aperture, the Aperture will not convert the library. But when you import it, then Aperture needs additional space to rebuild the iPhoto items as Aperture items, but not 5 times the size of the original library.
I would turn off anything that need additional space, like faces, previews, when importing. Also I would suggest to rebuild both libraries before uniting them with the Library First Aid tools.
Lauch Aperture with the ⌥⌘-keys hold down and rebuild the Aperture Library, and do the same with the iPhoto Library. (I assume your iPhoto Library already has been converted to 9.3 format?).
Back up both libraries, before you try the import.
Regards
Léonie

11,000 referenced photos = 13 GB Aperture library! Help!

I'm coming from Lightroom 2 where I have 11,000 images in my library and the size of the preview file is about 5 gigs. I decided to import all the images as referenced files to Aperture 3 to test it out. However, the size of the Aperture library file is 13 gigs, i.e. more than twice that of LR.
I know there have been a lot of posts about memory leaks, but I just felt I had to share my experience. So far I'm really liking A3 but my iMac is really low on space as it is, so I can't afford 13 gigs just for the library.

Thanks Ian, I wasn't aware of the option to turn off previews. I have turned off all preview options in the prefs and selected all images in my library and chosen Delete Previews. I let the operation complete and quit Aperture. My library only decreased to 11.1 gigs.
Is there any other pref I can turn off to decrease the library size? Thanks!

"Aperture Library Needs to be Upgraded" after iPhoto 9.3 upgrade

This issue began when iPhoto crashed during a low battery scenario while using latest version of iPhoto before 9.3 upgrade. I could not open iPhoto unless I bought and installed Aperture. I have never owned or installed Aperture.
I am running lion OS
iPhoto became corrupted when battery on mac book pro was nearing 20%
in the middle of the corruption problem, I upgraded to iPhoto 9.3 using Software Update on 6/18/2012 (hoping it would reinstall the needed files)
then iPhoto library wouldn't open because it was expecting . (probably because aperture and iPhoto can now view each others' libraries).
For a while after the initial crash, starting iPhoto would crash entire machine
I reset permissions
ran a tool called Yasu clears a bunch of cashes
started in *safe mode*
tried to rebuild iPhoto library with option/command keys - it never allowed that step
spoke to Tier 2 Apple application support on the phone
he helped me create a new iPhoto library by opening iPhoto using *option* key
imported all 20k photos but lost all albums and descriptions because the mappings to the original files are stored in a single file that does not get updated when you re-import photos. hence, there was no way to update the new album locations
he also told me I could not use my Time Machine backup because that iPhoto library was a different version than current, 9.3 iPhoto library (thankfully, he was guessing wrong)
he warned that even if I installed Aperture it might not solve my problem
visited Genius Bar at Fashion Valley storehe told me there was starting to be some chatter on the discussion boards about similar problems but I should probably wait for an apple update to the problem that must surely be coming soon
The Fix:
I restored iPhoto from last good time machine iPhoto backup
It was dated: sunday June 10, 2012
The Good:
Many photos and folders in iPhoto restored!
Many iPhoto albums recovered!
except...
The Bad:
Time Machine only restored from last *full* time machine backup
*full* those are backups that occur in time machine when the iPhoto app is *closed*
restored items only include items before February 2012 when presumably iPhoto was closed during the backup
imported photos and albums look good, except the last import was 2/2012

UPDATE
i restored a later version of my iphoto (6/18) that included ALL of my photos. that backup was manually made using time machine - AFTER the problems began, so i knew it was risky. however, i wanted to use it because it contained ALL of my photos and albums.
this did not work well.
all of the photo *events* imported (with some small problems).
NONE of *albums* imported.
the thumbnails were all grayed out or black.
i was able to access the "photo library first aid" screen by holding down *option/command* keys to start the first aid process. before i restored from time machine, i was not able to get my corrupt library to get to this step, so this was a pretty big success.
using the available options brought back the thumbnails, but not albums.
using the last ditch "rebuild database" option began to update facebook albums that i had posted using iphoto!
what a pain and embarassment.
i went back to the 6/10 TM backup
this was because one of the upsides to this whole ordeal was that all of my photos were intact in Finder. some photos before 6/10 were in Finder but not in iphoto and none after 6/10 were displaying in iphoto, but i had a base to work with.
the folders in finder resided in the iphoto library area and in the iphoto file structure (Masters/Year/Month/Day/Event).
after the initial restore a few days ago, i used iphoto's "import" feature to pull in those photos and it placed them into an event folder for the DAY i imported them... not picking up the day they were originally taken or where they resided in the iphoto file structure (i was bummed).
after restoring the 6/10 backup, the state was as it was in my initial post.
i used "Repair Database" (again holding down *option/command*) from the Photo Library First Aid screen and iphoto pulled in all the photos - by their correct date - from the file structure in finder. i was able to restore all of the photos and all the albums related to those photos!
woo hoo!
i had to also use the "Repair Thumbnails" to get the thumbnails from those recently imported photos to appear corrrectly in iphoto (small price to pay).
there may be some albums missing, but this is far and away better than what was originally restored.
my next step is to restore photos from TM that were created "after" 6/10. they reside in the file structure and my guess is that i will be able to "repair database" to get them added to iphoto.
Message was edited by: splive

Time Machine corrupted iPhoto library? Help!

Hi,
I need some advice. It appears that I have lost thousands of photos. I know that's not true cos I have a Time Machine backup, but I want to run my situation past you before trying to recover my library. You see, I had a Time Machine backup error. Actually, scratch that, I had a problem with iPhoto not showing some particular photos. They showed up as just a dotted outline, yet when I chose 'show original file' or clicked to edit the photo, it appeared. So, the photos were there, but the thumbnails had a problem.
After some time spent searching for a fix, I started iPhoto with the command and option keys pressed and chose all options to rebuild iPhoto. This looked like it was gonna take some time (I have over 4500 photos) so I left it alone and went to bed. In the morning, iPhoto appeared to be fixed but Time Machine had reported an error while backing up. I clicked ok, did a new backup by clicking 'backup now' which worked fine and carried on as usual.
I've used iPhoto some more today and then, this evening, another TM backup failed. I tried again, and it failed again. I searched the internet to figure out why and discovered how to view the log file. This reported this: Jun 19 21:22:59 lee-webbs-intel-imac /System/Library/CoreServices/backupd[10907]: Error: (-8062) SrcErr:NO Copying /Users/leewebb/Pictures/iPhoto Library/Library6.iPhoto to /Volumes/Time Machine Backup/Backups.backupdb/Lee Webb’s intel iMac/2010-06-19-210546.inProgress/5A645817-7095-47FC-A658-A447B5A5814C/mac hd/Users/leewebb/Pictures/iPhoto Library
Jun 19 21:23:46 lee-webbs-intel-imac /System/Library/CoreServices/backupd[10907]: Copied 1656 files (294.5 MB) from volume mac hd.
Jun 19 21:23:46 lee-webbs-intel-imac /System/Library/CoreServices/backupd[10907]: Copy stage failed with error:11
Jun 19 21:24:17 lee-webbs-intel-imac /System/Library/CoreServices/backupd[10907]: Backup failed with error: 11
So, something seems to be wrong with the iPhoto library. I reckon that the rebuild process was somehow interrupted/corrupted by a TM backup. Following some instructions I found in C3 here: http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=2057525 I ran a verify on my TM backup drive. This returned with OK. I then excluded my iPhoto library from my backup and ran the backup again. It worked fine, which would confirm that the iPhoto library is indeed the problem. Good. Ok. So, that's where I am now. Except it isn't. When I now start up iPhoto, my library has shrunk down to 748 photos! Eeek! What's happened, and what can I do about it? In iPhoto, those 748 photos add up to 1.4gb yet the iPhoto library file is still 12.87gb.
Please can you help me.
I just want to make sure I do the right thing instead of panicking. I've switched off my TM backup for now.
Many thanks,
Lee

Hi,
I need some advice. It appears that I have lost thousands of photos. I know that's not true cos I have a Time Machine backup, but I want to run my situation past you before trying to recover my library. You see, I had a Time Machine backup error. Actually, scratch that, I had a problem with iPhoto not showing some particular photos. They showed up as just a dotted outline, yet when I chose 'show original file' or clicked to edit the photo, it appeared. So, the photos were there, but the thumbnails had a problem.
After some time spent searching for a fix, I started iPhoto with the command and option keys pressed and chose all options to rebuild iPhoto. This looked like it was gonna take some time (I have over 4500 photos) so I left it alone and went to bed. In the morning, iPhoto appeared to be fixed but Time Machine had reported an error while backing up. I clicked ok, did a new backup by clicking 'backup now' which worked fine and carried on as usual.
I've used iPhoto some more today and then, this evening, another TM backup failed. I tried again, and it failed again. I searched the internet to figure out why and discovered how to view the log file. This reported this: Jun 19 21:22:59 lee-webbs-intel-imac /System/Library/CoreServices/backupd[10907]: Error: (-8062) SrcErr:NO Copying /Users/leewebb/Pictures/iPhoto Library/Library6.iPhoto to /Volumes/Time Machine Backup/Backups.backupdb/Lee Webb’s intel iMac/2010-06-19-210546.inProgress/5A645817-7095-47FC-A658-A447B5A5814C/mac hd/Users/leewebb/Pictures/iPhoto Library
Jun 19 21:23:46 lee-webbs-intel-imac /System/Library/CoreServices/backupd[10907]: Copied 1656 files (294.5 MB) from volume mac hd.
Jun 19 21:23:46 lee-webbs-intel-imac /System/Library/CoreServices/backupd[10907]: Copy stage failed with error:11
Jun 19 21:24:17 lee-webbs-intel-imac /System/Library/CoreServices/backupd[10907]: Backup failed with error: 11
So, something seems to be wrong with the iPhoto library. I reckon that the rebuild process was somehow interrupted/corrupted by a TM backup. Following some instructions I found in C3 here: http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=2057525 I ran a verify on my TM backup drive. This returned with OK. I then excluded my iPhoto library from my backup and ran the backup again. It worked fine, which would confirm that the iPhoto library is indeed the problem. Good. Ok. So, that's where I am now. Except it isn't. When I now start up iPhoto, my library has shrunk down to 748 photos! Eeek! What's happened, and what can I do about it? In iPhoto, those 748 photos add up to 1.4gb yet the iPhoto library file is still 12.87gb.
Please can you help me.
I just want to make sure I do the right thing instead of panicking. I've switched off my TM backup for now.
Many thanks,
Lee

Aperture Workflow - need help creating workflow for photo management

Hi -
I currently shoot with a Canon SD890 (point & shoot) and a Nikon D300 (SLR). My photography is either personal photography or street photography. I may use some of my photography for a web project but that should not be considered right now. I shoot jpegs with the SD890 and RAW with the D300. I need to create a workflow that will allow me to manage all of my photos as well as the RAW vs JPEG aspect. Here are a few initial questions:
1) Should I separate the RAW and JPEGs in Aperture (two libraries)? One library for finished photos and one for negatives?
2) What folder structure should I use? Since I am not a professional photographer, I won't be shooting projects. I think something date or event driven would be best (preferably both).
I am interested to hear how others do this...especially if you use both point & shoot and SLR cameras.
Thanks for your help!

jnap818 wrote:
1) Should I separate the RAW and JPEGs in Aperture (two libraries)? One library for finished photos and one for negatives? I am interested to hear how others do this...especially if you use both point & shoot and SLR cameras.
No, use a single Library. Aperture will have no problems with the various formats or with various different cameras.
2) What folder structure should I use? Since I am not a professional photographer, I won't be shooting projects. I think something date or event driven would be best (preferably both).
Actually those date or event driven batches of images are very logically "Projects" in Aperture. Simply name each group of images as you import into AP as a new Project.
IMO it is not good to import camera-to-Aperture (or direct to any app other than the Finder). Best is to use a card reader and use the Finder to copy images from the camera card to a folder on the computer hard drive.
Below is my Referenced-Masters workflow:
• Remove the CF card from the camera and insert it into a CF card reader. Faster readers and cards are preferable.
• Finder-copy images from CF to a labeled folder on the intended permanent Masters location hard drive. I label that folder with the Project name suffixed with _masters, that way I can always find the Masters if Aperture forgets where they are.
• Eject CF.
• Burn backup copies of the original images to DVDs or to hard drives (optional backup step).
• Eject backup DVDs/hard drives (optional backup step).
• From within Aperture, import images from the hard drive folder into Aperture selecting "Store files in their current location."
• Review pix for completeness (e.g. a 500-pic shoot has 500 valid images showing).
• Reformat CF in camera, and archive DVDs of originals off site.
Note that the "eject" steps above are important in order to avoid mistakenly working on removable media.
I strongly recommend that every Aperture user spend $35 and work through the tutorial CD Apple Pro Training Series: Aperture 2 (Apple Pro Training Series) by Ben Long, Richard Harrington, and Orlando Luna (Paperback - May 8, 2008), Amazon.com. Note that the value is in working the tutorial, not in using the book as a manual.
Good luck!
-Allen Wicks

Want to use Mac's for public access in public library -- NEED HELP please.

We have a grant to replace all of the computers in our small town public library. I would like to be able to consider Macintosh computers (would Love to, actually) but have not been able to find any information about how to do that.
Biggest issue is "access management". We have a system for PCs that logs on a patron by using their library card number and a PIN. That system then allots them an hour or two to use the computer, times them, warns them when time is running out and so on, and it also manages printer access and charges a few cents per page to print.
We need that for Macs. The software maker gets all attitude about "we have 2000 libraries with PC's and Zero with Macs." ARGH!
Help help help.
Also... please point me to anyone at Apple that knows what a public library is and would like to help us overcome this attitude problem.
We have a grant and can buy the computers. We just need some help to get it done.
Thanks!

This article:
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=304035
And the fact there is Smart Card access in:
http://www.apple.com/macosx/features/300.html#security
Suggest you may be able to do this with the operating system itself. Apple Support has specialists you can request to speak to about how to setup such systems when you call them:
http://www.apple.com/contact/phone_contacts.html
I've never setup such a system, but given that other features I've been able to ask about and get specialists to help me, suggest that's probably the most logical course to go.
Message was edited by: a brody

Corrupted iTunes Library Issue - Help!

So I'm running an Intel-based version 10.6. Today I downloaded an Apple Update trying to fix a keyboard issue, and when i restarted found that my iTunes library is gone, save for maybe 400 apparently random songs. I have not lost any of the music itself, just the library. I can't seem to recover it - there's no evidence of the past library and restarting didn't magically bring it back.
Is there some step I'm missing to restore the previous iTunes library, or do I now have to manually go through and re-add everything? It's all scattered about different places, is the problem, and its about 22,000 songs. I have a 120G iPod synced to it, is there a way to sync just the library from the iPod to the iTunes?
My other idea is, since I'm almost out of space on the 120G iPod anyway, and since I have another way to charge it, maybe just backing all my music up onto a hard drive, deleting it all from the computer, buying a second iPod, and starting new and just not re-sync the old one ever (only charge it). Thoughts?
Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!
PS - I don't want to erase all the music and re-add everything to iTunes from the iPod, because the last time I had to do so I lost some stuff.

The central file to everything is the library.itl file in your Music > iTunes folder. Start iTunes with the option key held down and guide it to that file. If you're lucky then it will be the one you need. If not then it is hard to determine where the file might be. Normally an update should not affect something like the iTunes library but if your file directory was having issues (did you verify with Disk Utility first?) then who knows? This is why one backs up before installing system software updates.
If you have a backup then let us know. You may be able to rescue a copy of the iTunes Library.itl from that and replace the bad copy in your iTunes folder.
Since your media are scattered about it may be a painstaking task adding them all again but it may come down to that. Again, back up...

For some reason all my songs are not associated with the actual song in my library, need help please

All of sudden songs in my library on my macbook are not associated with the actual song. However, everything in the icloud on my iphone 4gs is working perfectly. Any help appreciated

Hi charlieboychico,
If you are seeing exclamation points listed next to songs in iTunes (indicating that iTunes was not able to locate the original file), you may find the following article useful:
iTunes: Finding lost media and downloads
http://support.apple.com/kb/ts1408
Regards,
- Brenden

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