Lost all photos after a software update

Question

I really hope someone can help here as I'm pretty desperate!
My iMac, running OS 10.4.11 recently offered a software upgrade on-line to iPhoto, to iPhoto 8 (7.14)
I accepted and when I tried to launch it next it said it couldn't show any photos and quoted that it needed to update the thumbnails. I accepted that it should do so. Nothing seemed to happen and no pictures showed after the supposed re-build stopped.
On quitting and re-launching I found to my horror that it had lost all photos, events, folders etc. meaning I'd lost over 400 pictures of our 3 year olds.
I searched for advice and have tried some remedies to library failures posted here but to no avail. All I could do was copy in pictures from my hard disc back-up folder and my iDisk but these stop at July 2008. I'm gutted, my wife will kill me so what on earth can I do?
Plus, to Apple - thanks! How the **** can this happen?

Answer 1

There's no reason to panic. Simply you have a damaged database file.
Try these in order - from best option on down...
1. Do you have an up-to-date back up? If so, try copy the library6.iphoto file from the back up to the iPhoto Library (Right Click -> Show Package Contents) allowing it to overwrite the damaged file.
2. Download iPhoto Library Manager and use its rebuild function. This will create a new library based on data in the albumdata.xml file. Not everything will be brought over - no slideshows, books or calendars, for instance - but it should get all your albums and keywords 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.
3. If neither of these work then you'll need to create and populate a new library.
To create and populate a new library:
Note this will give you a working library with the same Events and pictures as before, however, you will lose your albums, keywords, modified versions, books, calendars etc.
In the iPhoto Preferences -> Events Uncheck the box at 'Imported Items from the Finder'
Move the iPhoto Library to the desktop
Launch iPhoto. It will ask if you wish to create a new Library. Say Yes.
Go into the iPhoto Library (Right Click -> Show Package Contents) on your desktop and find the Originals folder. From the Originals folder drag the individual Event Folders to the iPhoto Window and it will recreate them in the new library.
When you're sure all is well you can delete the iPhoto Library on your desktop.
In the future, in addition to your usual back up routine, you might like to make a copy of the library6.iPhoto file whenever you have made changes to the library as protection against database corruption.
Regards
TD