PowerBookG4 with iPhoto 5.0.4 can't/won't open photos

Question

Ok, first of all I am extremely ignorant of OSX, and especially iPhoto. I used Classic until finally forced into X. I had been using OS 10.4.11 and have upgraded my old laptop as far as it will go (to 10.5.8) recently and that is what has caused this issue. I recently lost my HD on another computer, an iMac, so this is the only computer with those particular photos on it and I don't want to mess with something I know nothing about and end up losing the data.  I've had no problems with any other apps. I have not tried any updates or anything for fear of losing the photos.I know they are still on the computer as I have use Graphic Converter (yes, I still use it *L*) in slide show mode for all photos on my computer and they all show up there. I had some ideas but I am not comfortable doing any work arounds or moving anything without some input from someone that knows what they're doing.
I have heard that you should never mess with the iPhoto library, so I have done nothing with it to this point. I can launch iPhoto but as soon as the frame for the app opens, I get a message telling me I need the newest version of iPhoto to access my photos and then my only choice is to click quit. How far can I upgrade iPhoto on a PPC PowerBook G4 and where do I find the update?  I have run software updater and can't find any iPhoto updates that way. Any information would be greatly appreciated. My only viable option at this point is to take screen shots of each of them as Graphic  Converter shows them and start over but that seems to be a big excessive and I would like to think there is a much better and less time consuming fix. I have added my computer info for anyone that can have a look at it and let me know what would be my best option at this point. Thanks in advance for any help or ideas you have.
  Model Name: PowerBook G4 15"
  Model Identifier: PowerBook5,6
  Processor Name: PowerPC G4  (1.2)
  Processor Speed: 1.5 GHz
  Number Of CPUs: 1
  L2 Cache (per CPU): 512 KB
  Memory: 1.5 GB
  Bus Speed: 167 MHz
  Boot ROM Version: 4.9.1f1

Answer 1

I'm sorry if I didn't make myself clear. Does it explain it better if I ask "How can I access my iPhoto library without using the iPhoto app?" Whenever I try to open iPhoto, I get this:
This began when I updated my software to 10.5.8 I don't have a newer version that I am aware of. I can find no other version on my computer and to my knowledge I have made no changes to the library. I want the pictures that are IN  the iPhoto library that the GC slide show can find when it scans the hard drive for the slide show to be able to be seen in another way than in the GC slide show. I have no way to open the individual photo by clicking on it.
If I do a search for the photo by "name.jpg" it shows the path to it in a finder window. The named photo can be found in the iPhoto library folder named "data", in a folder named "year", in a folder named "month,day,year". It can also be found in iPhoto library folder named "Originals", in a folder named "year", in a folder named "month,day,year" as a jpg. document. If I try to drag and drop either from this window into Preview or Graphic Converter (for example), nothing happens and it has the 'circle/slash' (international symbol for no) over it. If I click on it, it just opens iPhoto and I get that message I posted above and have to quit. I understand that the photos won't be put into GC since it's not that type of app. I just need them to be stand alone photos that I can put in accessible folders so I can open them, print them, or move them to backup.  I don't know how to access the photos that iPhoto is keeping me from viewing. The photos are still on here, and can still be seen in the GC slideshow but I have no way of accessing them other than via that slideshow. If they didn't show up in the slide show, I'd not be able to see them as photos at all. As I said in my first post, I need to back up the most recent ones since my backup HD died last week, but iPhoto won't let me access them to do it.
I'm really sorry if this is not clear and I apologize for my ignorance. I am afraid of doing something that will lose the photos since I'm not proficient in moving iPhoto data and libraries around. I want to do this so I can back up these last 20 or so photos. Thanks for trying to understand. If "How do I fix my iPhoto library" is a better question, then I'll ask that. I just want access to the photos. The app is not important to me, only being able to see and access the photos.
Thanks again for your time.