Iphoto library rebuild

Question

Hi All.
Have had to resort to posting on here for assistance with an issue on my mid 2010 macbook pro, purchased January 2011. Never had any issues with it until now. I recently updated software and now can't access iphoto. I am not sure what the update was and whether this is related or not.
On trying to open iphoto, the message is that the library needs to be upgraded to work with this version of iphoto and my iphoto library will not be readable by previous version of iphoto after the upgrade process. The only options were quit or upgrade so on clicking 'upgrade' the message becomes "iphoto is unable to open this library...it has issues that require rebuilding to correct." Options are quit or rebuild so on clicking 'rebuild', message becomes "iphoto library is missing required database files and must be rebuilt before it can be opened". On clicking the further 'rebuild' option, the message becomes "iphoto will open as soon as the library is available. However having left it running overnight, it still appeared to be trying to rebuild with no discernable progress made. As a result, i have cancelled the rebuild after 12 hours.
Having looked at a few postings on here with apparently similar issues, i have tried the CMD/ALT option when opening iphoto and selecting various options available. Option 1 - repair iphoto database seems to produce the same effect as above, ie says it is rebuilding though no progress can be seen, though there is a secondary 'rebuilding library : examining library' box which never makes any progress. The 2nd option - rebuild iphoto library database from automatic backup, doesnt work and results in the message  'your photo library is damaged or unreadable and cannot be opened. Please restore from a backup. I do have a backup on a separate hard drive.
I have the following questions and would be grateful for any assistance that can be given. I am by no means a computer expert but figure with a bit of pointing in the right direction, i should be able to sort out basic issues.
1 - I am not sure how to restore from a backup so assistance would be appreciated.
2 - Is the problem with iphoto itself or, as has been suggested in some postings, the library? What is the difference?
3 - Do i need to delete the version of iphoto i have and replace either from the discs or with a downloaded version? if so, what version do i use? My mac uses osx 10.6.8.
4 - Are my photos still on the macbook somewhere and assuming i can get a working version of iphoto again, how do i access them? Or, do i have to use the backedup photos on the separate drive?
Many thanks
Mike

Answer 1

Here is what I suggest you do.
(a) Download iPhoto Library Manager. I think it costs $20 or $30 but it is worth it.
(b) Make a copy of your iPhoto Library from your backup that presumably is in better shape than the one you have been working from. I don't know what format your backupo is. If you can simply copy the iPhoto Library file (it's actually a type of folder but looks like a file) over from the backup, do that, and work with that copy, leaving the backup copy alone, untouched (in case something goes wrong). If you used Time Machine, run Time Machine and go back in time to before you started trying to update the iPhoto Library file and copy that earlier backed up copy over to work with. If you instead wish to work with your current version of the iPhoto Library, which I don't recommend but which might be ok, you can do that.
(c) Run iPhoto Library Manager. Choose Add Library and navigate to and select the copy of your iPhoto Library backup from above (or your current copy of the iPhoto Library if that is the approach you are taking).
(d) Once you have that iPhoto Library selected in iPhoto Library Manager, under the File Menu select Rebuild Library ...
(e) It will save this rebuilt library as a separate file, not modifying the file you are rebuilding. This is a big plus.
(f) As the rebuild proceeds, it will show you each photo as it processes it, so you can gauge the progress precisely.
(g) When done, the rebuilt iPhoto Library (new) file should work properly with iPhoto.
My daughter's 22,000 iPhoto Library was rebuilt this way and it took ~ 4 hours. But it worked. Hers stopped working when her computer froze while working in iPhoto.
This iPhoto Library Manager program is more successful in rebuilding these photo databases than is iPhoto itself.
Answers to your questions:
(1) Depends on your backup. I gave some hints above for Time Machine.
(2) The iPhoto Library is a database of all the photos. I suspect from what you describe that it is the iPhoto Library itself that has become corrupted. This is the most common problem. The database is complex and is prone to this sort of thing.
(3) You should use the most recent version of iPhoto. Click ONCE on the iPhoto application in your Applications folder and in the File Menu select Get Info. It should be version 9.3 or later. You can update it through Software Update or through the App Store if necessary.
(4) Even though your iPhoto Library file/database appears to be corrupted, the photos are all still there. Just the pointers have been corrupted so iPhoto cannot access them in an orderly way. You can see the original photos by going to the iPhoto Library, RIGHT-CLICKING on it, selecting Show Package Contents, and looking in the folder there called Masters (or Originals). If you really had to, you could copy those originals out into a big new folder and re-import them all into a new iPhoto Library, but I doubt that will be necessary. By the way, do not change or modify anything that is inside this iPhoto Library file/folder, but you can look in there to see that your original photos are still present.