HELP! Wife dropped Hard Drive with iPhoto library

So, yesterday I moved my wife's iPhoto library to her WD external HD so she could install Snow Leopard on her iMac. Today I get home and she meets me in the driveway telling me that her HD fell of her filing cabinet and the computer won't recognize it. I take a look at it and here's the message I get when I plug it into the computer:
<Red Stop Sign w/ "!" in the middle>
*The disk you inserted was not readable by this computer.*
(Initialize...) (Ignore) (Eject)
I am hesitant to click the (Initialize) button for fear of an accidental formatting which would subsequently erase our iPhoto library (ALL OF OUR PHOTOS -> 90GB of photos).
Because this is the ultimate board for great insight and info on all things mac and computers, I felt it would be most prudent to put this query to the monitors of these boards.
What do I do?
Thanks!
Message was edited by: Bramthorne

Initializing will erase the drive. However, the files may be recoverable afterwards with a recovery utility such as File Salvage. However, that will recover files, not the Library and you'll need to start over creating a whole new iPhoto Library after recovering. You will lose books, edited versions, slideshows keywords etc etc.
I would start by connecting the drive to other Macs or PCs and by try to use different cables and ports. This may be as simple as a dodgy connection from the fall. See if you can get anything to read the drive, then copy the data off it.
Regards
TD

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Is it possible to use multiple hard drives with iphoto?

I am pretty new to Mac's so bear with me, I used to use multiple hard drives on my pc with my photos seperated by catagory in different hard drives. Is it possible to run iphoto with multiple hard drives without the photos loading onto my Imac? If so, How do I set it up. I have tried importing to a external drive, but when I check the file path of the photos it shows my Imac hd in the address. I seriously dont know why I cant just add the external hard drive as a library and have Iphoto work, Help

There are instructions - and not the caveats - on how to do what you want below.
However, you'e not quite grasping iPhoto:
I used to use multiple hard drives on my pc with my photos seperated by catagory in different hard drives.
When you do this, you're using the Finder (or file manager) to categorise the photos. All well and good, but why? That's exactly iPhoto's job. iPhoto is a database designed to help you manage your pics - including categorising them.
Anyway:
*How to do it:*
Simply go to iPhoto Menu -> Preferences -> Advanced and uncheck 'Copy Files to the iPhoto Library on Import'.
*What Happens:*
Now iPhoto will not copy the files, but rather simply reference them on your HD. To do this it will create an alias in the Originals Folder that points to your file. It will still create a thumbnail and, if you modify the pics, a Modified version within the iPhoto Library Folder.
*Some things to consider:*
1. Importing and deleting pics are more complex procedures. You have to to put the files where they will be stored before importing them. When you delete them you'll need to remove the files from the HD yourself.
2. You cannot move or rename the files on your system or iPhoto will lose track of them on systems prior to 10.5 and iPhoto 08. Even with the later versions issues can still arise if you move the referenced files to new volumes or between volumes.
3. Most importantly, migrating to a new disk or computer can be much more complex.
4. *Because iPhoto has no tools for managing Referenced Files, if, for some reason, the path to the photos changes then you could find yourself resolving aliases for +each photo in the Library+ one by one.*
My own opinion:
I've yet to see a good reason to run iPhoto in referenced mode unless you're using two photo organisers
If disk space is an issue, you can run an entire iPhoto Library from an external disk:
1. Quit iPhoto
2. Copy the iPhoto Library from your Pictures Folder to the External Disk.
3. Hold down the option (or alt) key while launching iPhoto. From the resulting menu select 'Choose Library' and navigate to the new location. From that point on this will be the default location of your library.
4. Test the library and when you're sure all is well, trash the one on your internal HD to free up space.
If you're concerned about accessing the files, There are many, many ways to access your files in iPhoto:
*For Users of 10.5 and later*
You can use any Open / Attach / Browse dialogue. On the left there's a Media heading, your pics can be accessed there. Command-Click for selecting multiple pics.
Uploaded with plasq's Skitch!
You can access the Library from the New Message Window in Mail:
Uploaded with plasq's Skitch!
*For users of 10.4 and later* ...
Many internet sites such as Flickr and SmugMug have plug-ins for accessing the iPhoto Library. If the site you want to use doesn’t then some, one or any of these will also work:
To upload to a site that does not have an iPhoto Export Plug-in the recommended way is to Select the Pic in the iPhoto Window and go File -> Export and export the pic to the desktop, then upload from there. After the upload you can trash the pic on the desktop. It's only a copy and your original is safe in iPhoto.
This is also true for emailing with Web-based services. However, if you're using Gmail you can use iPhoto2GMail
If you use Apple's Mail, Entourage, AOL or Eudora you can email from within iPhoto.
If you use a Cocoa-based Browser such as Safari, you can drag the pics from the iPhoto Window to the Attach window in the browser.
*If you want to access the files with iPhoto not running*:
For users of 10.6 and later:
You can download a free Services component from MacOSXAutomation which will give you access to the iPhoto Library from your Services Menu. Using the Services Preference Pane you can even create a keyboard shortcut for it.
For Users of 10.4 and later:
Create a Media Browser using Automator (takes about 10 seconds) or use this free utility Karelia iMedia Browser
Other options include:
1. *Drag and Drop*: Drag a photo from the iPhoto Window to the desktop, there iPhoto will make a full-sized copy of the pic.
2. *File -> Export*: Select the files in the iPhoto Window and go File -> Export. The dialogue will give you various options, including altering the format, naming the files and changing the size. Again, producing a copy.
3. *Show File*: Right- (or Control-) Click on a pic and in the resulting dialogue choose 'Show File'. A Finder window will pop open with the file already selected.
If you really want to spread your photos across volumes like this, Aperture would be a better fit.
Regards
TD

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I was trying to move the photo's from hard drive a with aperture to hard drive b and start using iphoto but I have had no luck. In aperture when I select relocate masters a error comes up and say's: unavailable master images cannot be relocated. Either offline or not found. I originally had the masters on a external hard drive, when I got divorced my ex took the external drive for her mac. I am able to view the photos but I don't know how to move them. Thanks

I think you're missing the point - it's a question of where the images are, and it sounds a lot like the images are on the hard disk you used to own.
Managed = you keep the images in the Aperture library
Referenced = the images stay where they are on the hard disk and they're indexed in the library.

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I recently received a new hard drive after a crash. My photos were recovered and are in a Recovered Files folder on the new drive. How do I get the iPhoto Library folder (or the entire pictures folder) transfered to the iphoto application on the new hard drive?
BTW, I am not really sure that I have the full iphoto application on the new hard drive. I just drug iphoto 4.0.3 from the recovered files applications folder into the new applications folder. It won't stay in the dock but does open from the applications folder. It imported pictures from my camera and seems to be working fine.
Thanks for your help, this may be my first post but I do monitor the discussions regularly. Your advice is always helpful.

sixm,
OK I better understand your situation.
1- So you say that there was no iP with the new OS 10.4. Most coomputer with 10.4 have ip5. But anyway. You did right to copy the ip4 into the app folder.
2-Now if your "shortcut" in the dock does not work anymore, then trash it. Click and drag the icon from the dock onto the desktop. You should see a puff of smoke.
3- Try to relaunch iPhoto directly from the application folder by double clicking on it. If it works, then you can re-create the alias/shortcut in the dock by dragging the icon from the appplication folder, onto the dock. Maybe the previous icon in the dock became corrupted.
The most important library with 2500 pics (approx)
I hope I understood you right that you NOW have 2 libraries in the pictures folder. iphotolibrary AND iphotolibraryold.
BTW DO NOT venture inside the ipLibrary and move any items/photos around. Iphoto will be all confused and will stop working properly
4-So you are saying that ip, right now start the iphotolibrary (with 250 pics). add a number at the end ( iphotolibrary2) this way when you start iphoto, it will not be able to find the library with 250 pic, and you will get a dialog box saying so. One of the 3 button will be "Find" the library. So click "find" and navigate to the "iphotolibraryold" and this wil point iP4 to it (the old library)
5-Hope it opens properly (if the library is intact from the transfert from HD to HD)
If it does work properly, then you can add the other 250 pics to this library within the iP application... meaning on the iP4 Window.
5.1 you can add by copying "recently scanned file that was sitting on my old desktop"
or
2 step process. We are going to extract the 250 pics from the "iphotolibrary2".
5.2 Quit iphoto. Change the name of iphotolibraryold to iphotolibraryold3. This way iPhoto will not be able to find the old library. Launch iP, Click "find" like stated in #4 above, and now you will have iP running the iphotolibrary2 with250 pics.
5.3 create an empty folder on the desktop, and select all your pictures from iP window, and drag all the pics onto the empty folder on desktop.
5.4 quit iP4, and repeat similarly to step #4. Remove the "2" on iphotolibrary2, and when you launch iP4, again it will not be able to find it. Then point to iphotolibraryold wit the 2500 pics.
5.5 When ip is running, drag the Folder from the desktop on to iP window to copy all the 250 pics into this "old library" with 2500pics.
5.6 If all is well, (everything copied like you wanted it) at this point you can trash the folder on the desktop, AND the iphotolibrary2 from the pictures folder. Now before you empty the trash, make sure everything is working perfectly. Quit iP and re-launch to test everything, only the you can empty the trash.
Now you have a better understanding on how IP work. You can manage multiple libraries. I personally have 8 libraries. one for every 2 years of pictures. An I use an application called iPhoto buddy, that can switch from 1 library to another without having to go change the name of the library inside the pictures folder.
Hope this works. let me know how you did.
one more thing..
as you experienced it, with a drive crash, I would suggest that you purchase and external drive, and you can make a "clone" of you internal drive. This way if you should have any problem, you can easily copy from one drive to another. HD are so cheap these days, I purchased a 120GB for $130 -70 rebate= $60 at fry's. I have suffered a drive crash 3 yrs ago, and lost a lot of pictures, videos...... It cost me $800 to retreive info on a 250GB that cost $500 back then.
Backing up onto a CD od DVD will soon become restrictive..... as your libraries become bigger than 4GB ..... with 5 or 8megapixel cameras it is not hard to go above this size with 2500 pics...
my 2 cents
michel

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Attempting to open iPhoto after installing new iTunes.
The library is on another drive. I get the message:
"CAUTION
"The iPhoto library is on a locked volume.
Reopen iPhoto when you have read/write access, or reopen iPhoto
with the Option key held down to choose another library."
When I open the Info for that drive and unlock its little lock icon, that doesn't work. It stays locked and will not change. Collapsing the Info window and reopening it shows the locked status again.
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Go Figure.

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thanks!

markmal wrote:
OK, i've been having a lot of problems lately with backup software (superduper! and time machine in particular), as well as itunes, where the apps seem to be confused about which external hard drive is which. this has had messy and in some cases disasterous results. after digging around a bit, i've discovered that an external hd (western digital 2t) connected directly to my mac, as well as three other hds (all western digital 2t drives) connected through a hub (anker usb 3.0 powered hub), have identical uuids.
anyone know why this happens? and what i can do to correct it?
thanks!
As R C-R says I posted about this in the Level 6+ forum a few months ago.
I think all you can do for now is reformat prior to using them - I didn't notice until each one started being used as a Time Machine Backup when I'd only intended the first to be used for that.
You may wish to contact WD support - I nearly did at the time but didn't as you seemed to need to register to contact them and I was looking for a more straightforward contact method.
AC

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Hello Taxi Driver and welcome to Apple Discussion!
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I have just selected all my desktop icons and accidentally deleted them. This included my external hard drive with 22,000 photos in iPhoto. I cannot open iPhoto now. Can someone help please?

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Regards
TD

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HELP! Wife dropped Hard Drive with iPhoto library

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