IPhoto '11 - steps after FileSalvage?

Question

Using my old '07 iMac, I was keeping my iPhoto library on a 1 TB external HD because it too big for my iMac.  I also had it saved to another HD.  I wasn't backing up my external HD with Time Machine (mistake #1).  Bought a '12 iMac and decided to update the library on the second HD because it had not been updated in about a year.  Made a mistake and deleted the old library and the new library - basically, I thought that seeing the thumbnail images in iPhoto meant I saw that the originals were still there, so I deleted (mistake #2).
I immediately bought and downloaded FileSalvage, and ran "undelete" on both external hard drives.  Now I have 2 folders - undeleted files from each external hard drive.  The pictures have been recoverd from both, but it also undeleted every single jpeg, tiff, etc. file found on both external hard drives.
Questions -
I want to import them into iPhoto '11 on my new iMac.  When I start up iPhoto and select import into iPhoto, do the original files move into the iPhoto library or do they stay in the undelete folder?  I want to import into iPhoto and then delete the 2 undeleted folders when finished, if possible.
I had 17,000 pictures.  Now there are like 95,000 files in one undeleted folder's jpeg folder alone.  I'm assuming they are thumbnails from photos and videos, deleted jpegs from various programs, etc.  Is there an efficent way to import the original pictures only?  Do I need to view every single jpeg to determine if it's an original or thumbnail, or can I set iPhoto to import only over a certain file size?  I'd like to just import the originals, and I assume iPhoto would rebuild the thumbnails.
I'm assuming when I import from both folders into iPhoto, there will be a lot of duplicates.  FileSalvage saved each jpeg by number (0001.jpeg, etc.).  I don't see any picture data in the "show info" folder, and the creation date is today instead of the picture date.  Is there a way to remove the duplicates?  I have Duplicate Annihilator, but I think that program removes duplicates by picture data (date, time, camera, etc.), which doesn't appear in the show info.
Did I lose all the exif, date taken, etc. data when I imported, and is this recoverable in iPhoto?
Going forward, I'll be keeping the library on the iMac HD so Time Machine can recover it, I'm keeping a duplicate on another HD, and I'm looking into cloud storage.
Thanks!

Answer 1

I'm confused, because LarryHN said that the exif data is in the jpeg file, but you're saying I can't recover it.  Does that mean that iPhoto would have recovered it if it could, but FileSalvage somehow didn't recover it, so iPhoto looked for it but couldn't find anything to attach to the photo?
Yes you are confused
The EXIF date is part of the original JPEG created by your camera
No - the EXIF data is part of the original photo and was placed there by your camera
It is not severate data and can not be recovered seperate from the JPG - if FIle Salvage recovered an original JPEG as created by your camera then teh EXIF data is part of the file exactly as I said several times
There is no "recovering EXIF data" and no "iPhoto attaching it to photos" - it is a part of the p[hoto and is [placed there by the camera
Would rebuilding the library after importing help?
No - rebuilding only repairs links in intact libraries that have lost links due to errors - it does not relink photos that have changed name or location - it does not create anything - it does not attach anything
I still have these thumbnails in iPhoto where I get the black triangle when I click on them.  I tried rebuilding the thumbnails in iPhoto but I still get those exclamation points.
You should not be importing anythin into a corrupt library - you have to start over with the recovered photos and import them into an freash, clean, new iPhoto library - yours is trashed and can not be used
Right now I'm not sure what's an actual picture in my iPhoto library and what is a thumbnail with no attached picture
The photos that come up with the ! are the ones with missing originals
.  I must have an old file in iPhoto that contains thumbnails to pictures that don't exist or aren't linked?
Do you? Only you know what you have - if you depress the option key and launch iPhoto what do you see in the select library window?
While this thread rambles around and it difficult to follow, I believe that you have failed to create a new library and start importing recovered photos into it - that is what has to happen
LN