IPhoto lost the "pictures" folder link

Question

Now it just spins forever warning updating images. It never does though.
My only choice was reimport my entire Pictures library. I did this and was shocked to find all my folder catalogs was replaced by new folders. I can't tell 2002 Easter images from 2006 Christmas images. In addition to reimporting all my images as one new group, it seems to have made a duplicate file for each in a very low rez thumbnail type version as well.
Luckily, I backed up files and still have the original Pictures folder.
My question is still won't automatically reconnect to it. How do I relink it withouth reimproting everything as if it were new?

Answer 1

I'm trying to help you, but I'm afraid I don't understand your description of what you've done or what happens when you do it. For example, you said
When opening iPhotos, it just spins forever saying "loading photos..." Holding down option or option-command gives the same results.
That doesn't make sense to me. Holding down Option *while launching iPhoto* should bring up a dialog box asking you to Find or Create a library. It won't even try to load the photos, so the results should be quite different. Press and hold the Option key, then click iPhoto in your dock or double-click iPhoto in your Applications folder. Keep holding the Option key until you get the dialog. Are you getting this dialog at all? If so, can you navigate to the location of your iPhoto Library folder ?
If you hold down Option and Command *while launching iPhoto* it will go briefly to the "loading photos" stage, but shouldn't hang there if you *keep holding the keys down*. Instead, you should get a dialog box with 4 options and a button that says "Rebuild". Are you saying this box never came up, or that you initiated the rebuild but it was unsuccessful?
The only option it will allow is to reimport each as a brand new photo database.
Reimport what as a new photo database? Do you mean you are able to create a new library ? Are your existing library and your backup libraries gray and you can't select them when you try to navigate to them (with the Option-launch method)? If so, then your database is corrupt and the only recourse is to create a new library and import your photos into it. That is, if you wish to use iPhoto.
To end this misery for once and for all, is there a way to actually get my images from the hidden places?
Your photos are not hidden, unless you have moved, overwritten, or deleted them. They should be inside your iPhoto Library folder, in various subfolders numbered by year, month, and date. For a diagram and explanation of the library structure, click here. Thanks to lori_diloretto for this helpful illustration.
The diagram applies only if you are using iPhoto 5. You are, right? As you posted your question in the iPhoto 5 forum. Other versions are very different.
If you'd like further assistance please answer some of my questions and give me a little more to go on. Otherwise, I can't begin to guess what has happened or how you can fix it.
Regards.