Protect folders and iPhoto libraries

I will leave my iMac at an Apple service provider for a repair. When doing so I would like to protect a couple of folders that I don't want anyone to access, for example:
-iPhoto library
-My user folder
-Dropbox folder
etc.
What is the easisest way to do this. Should I create a new user that the service guy can use with restricted access to these folders?

Back up all data on the internal drive(s) before you hand over your computer to anyone. If privacy is a concern, erase the data partition(s) with the option to write zeros* (do this only if you have at least two complete, independent backups, and you know how to restore to bare metal from any of them.) Don’t erase the recovery partition, if present.
*An SSD doesn't need to be zeroed.

Similar Messages

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    That may not be the best approach (see below).
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    Create the folders you want on it.
    Open a second Finder window and drag what you want from one to the other.
    If you only copy the stuff listed, you'll lose your AddressBook, Mail, Calendars, preferences, and probably all sorts of other things.
    A better option might be to back up your entire system, either with Time Machine or one of the "cloning" apps.  Then you can restore selectively from TM, or copy selectively from the clone.

  • How do I share my itunes and iphoto libraries with other users (accounts) ?

    Hi !
    I am trying to share my itunes and iphoto libraries with other users on my powerbook, but I seem to have problems with it.
    What is the best way to do it?
    Place an alias in my "shared" folder and access this with the applications from the different accounts ? This seems to workt for the itunes library, at least... Or do I have to mess with the righs managent ?
    I dont want screw up my nice mac...
    Thanx for the help in advance.
    Herman
    PB G4   Mac OS X (10.4.6)  

    Hi... and thanx for your help...
    I did not think that I would have to mess with my firewall, as long as I am talking of useres on the same computer, but I guess I was wrong.
    Your advice helps very much, but only as long as I am still logged in with my user name. I does not work when only my kids are logged in. There has to be a way to use these libraries without the need to log in the user that has created those folders...
    Hmmm
    Thanx for your help
    Herman
    PB G4   Mac OS X (10.4.6)  

  • Any way to restore iTunes and iPhoto libraries from failed Time Machine backup?

    Is there a way to restore iTunes and iPhoto libraries from an unmountable Time Machine backup?
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    The iMac had been fine to that day (OS upgrades and all since 2010) so I was assuming something misfired when I declined the Time Machine update. I tried the PRAM and SMC resets mentioned in the forums but no dice. I then went into Disk Utility to try repairs and there were errors on the hard drive that could not be fixed. My next step was to erase the drive and restore from my Time Machine backup. Before doing that I checked Disk Utility and to my horror,  it told me that my Time Machine backups were unmountable so of course my first thought was that all my files were gone.
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    FWIW, I'm in the process of buying an external hard drive as a secondary backup to the TC as my confidence is a little shaken on the product line - the first time I ever actually need a backup and the backup is unmountable. My whole point of spending a little more and buying into the Apple ecosystem for a backup solution was to streamline the backup process and avoid these types of issues.

    Thank you for the reply. I tried the Disk Utility to repair my TC's Time Machine backup disk with no luck, it stopped with the message:
    Disk utility stopped repairing "iMac"
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    It took a night but I was able to copy all the TC Time Machine files to the external hard drive as a backup to a backup just in case. I'm still pretty bummed the TC's backup didn't allow for Disk Utility's restore functionality. Fortunately, the iPhoto library backup I dragged to the iMac from the Time Capsule backup worked without a hitch. On the downside, the "iTunes Library.itl" backup I dragged over is locked so now I'm checking out the forums for any ways to fix that. I temporarily created a new iTunes library with all my apps and music but plan on reverting to the old iTunes library if possible so I can start syncing my iOS devices again.

  • After moving my iTunes and iPhoto libraries to an external hard drive and deleting the originals i found i still had no space on my mac.help

    i moved my itunes and iphoto libraries to an external hard drive to free up space on my mac.
    after i had moved them and checked they could be found i trashed the originals and checked again that the could be found on the external hdd.
    all seemed to be ok.
    when i checked the disc utility it did not show i has made any more free space than i had before.
    any help please as i am loving tje mac but i am still quite new to it.

    Did you empty Trash?

  • My Itunes and Iphotos Libraries Didn/t make it over..

    I have a G4 10.5 and tried Migration from my old G4 10.3.9 no good didn't see target disk even though support states it will work as far back as 8. something.....
    So on advice i downloaded Carbon Copy Cloner and dropped it all onto my Lacacie 320G Ext hard drive and then attached to my new Imac and migrated everything including Photoshop DPP etc no problems..
    What i didn't get was my Itunes and Iphoto libraries and i have large ones...I have tried dropping jpegs onto my EXT hard drive but i keep getting errors and the old Mac struggles with the volume. I havn't tried my music yet....Does any one have a fix for this please....
    Apple care couldn't help me and what's really annoying is the shop i bought from told me migration would work and now they say "gee thats strange sorry "

    If you look in the pictures folder on your clone (users ==> "your user name" ==>Pictures and copy the iPhoto library to the pictures folder on your new G4 then launch iPhoto you should have you complete library there (upgraded as necessary) under Leopard - note you do NOT import it you copy it to the pictures folder on the G$ from the clone)
    Also for more detailed questions you might try the iPhoto forum - http://discussions.apple.com/forum.jspa?forumID=1192 - that is where the iPhoto gurus ahng out
    LN
    Message was edited by: LarryHN

  • It appears my kid has erased my entire iTunes and iPhoto libraries.  Anyone know how to get them back?

    My kid has erased my entire iTunes and iPhoto libraries.  Does anyone know how to get them back?

    WIthout a backup of your data previously, they are all gone.
    The only option you have now is data recovery.
    You need to purchase, download, install and use a data recovery app like this.
    http://www.prosofteng.com/products/data_rescue.php
    You need to completely stop using your computer ASAP, at this point and just run the data recovery app and let it do its thing.
    Every moment that you keep regularly using your computer risks rewriting new data in the locations where your deleted data may still reside.
    A very expensive and time consuming lesson to be learned here.
    Purchase and connect up a large capacity external hard drive (a drive larger than your Mac's internal hard drive) preferably a hard drive that uses FireWire 400/800 connection and use a data cloning app like CarbonCopyCloner or SuperDuper to make yourself a exact, bootable copy of your Mac's internal drive to the new external hard drive.
    This will be your data backup drive.

  • HT201340 moving aperture and iphoto libraries

    My aperture and iphoto libraries have consumed my little MacBook. What is the best method for moving all libraries to a different harddrive?

    Make sure the drive is formatted Mac OS Extended (Journaled)
    1. Quit iPhoto and/or Aperture
    2. Copy the iPhoto Library / Aperture Library from your Pictures Folder to the External Disk.
    3. Hold down the option (or alt) key while launching iPhoto. From the resulting menu select 'Choose Library' and navigate to the new location. From that point on this will be the default location of your library. Repeat form Aperture.
    4. Test the libraries and when you're sure all is well, trash the ones on your internal HD to free up space.
    Regards
    TD

  • Can Time Machine back up both an iTune and iPhoto Libraries saved on a NAS disk?

    Can Time Machine back up both an iTune and iPhoto Libraries saved on a NAS disk, as well as the host drive on a Mac Mini?
    I would like to know if Time Machine could back up these Libraries from a NAS and the host/main drive of a Mac Mini onto an 3rd external drive attached by Firewire?
    Thanks

    Archtech wrote:
    Can Time Machine back up both an iTune and iPhoto Libraries saved on a NAS disk, as well as the host drive on a Mac Mini?
    no.
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    however, ChronoSync may be able to do what you want.

  • I cannot retrieve iTunes and iPhoto libraries from Time Machine after re-installing OS X

    I havd just re-installed OS X on my Mac, and I cannot retrieve iTunes and iPhoto libraries from Time Machine.

    Please confirm that you are running Leopard 10.5.8 on a PPC iMac.

  • Sync two iPhones with two different iTunes and iPhoto libraries script

    I'm sure this is answered elsewhere, but I was not able to find a solution to this easily. My wife "L" and I, "J" have iPhones, also different tastes in music, and wanted a way to not have all of our own pictures filling up our default iPhoto library. So we first set up two different iTunes and iPhoto libraries. Two diffrent contact libraries would be nice, but contact groups worked okay for this. But then everytime we would sync, it meant opening both iTunes and iPhoto while holding the option key then selecting which library depending on which phone was going to be pluged in. Believe me, you only need to have "Automatically sync" turned on and plug in the wrong iPhone before all sorts of problems arise!
    Let me state, I am not fluent with AppleScript, but rather I found bits and pieces close to what I wanted here and there on the www and kept playing until it worked. This works flawlessly everytime on our MacBook, and, unless your initials are J & L and there are only two of you, you will have to change some letters here and there throughout the script to make it work for your situation. Think of this as a rough draft and start to play. I'm sure there is a simpler way to write this script, so to all the real authors, please re-write!
    So we have two libraries for iTunes and iPhoto. One set of libraries named J's iTunes library and J's iPhoto library, and another two named L's iTunes library and L's iPhoto library. I wanted to create one app that would close the current libraries, and open the correct ones (or return to our default libraries) depending on what iPhone was to be synced. Using AppleScript Editor and saving the script as an application, this is what I came up with:
    display dialog "Do you want to continue to set iTunes and iPhoto libraries?" buttons {"Cancel", "Continue"} default button "Continue"
    tell application "iPhoto" to quit
    tell application "iTunes" to quit
    set Y to the button returned of (display dialog "Which libraries do you want to use?" buttons {"L's", "Reset to Defaults", "J's"} default button "Reset to Defaults")
    if Y = "Reset to Defaults" then set Y to "i"
    if Y = "L's" then set Y to "l"
    if Y = "J's" then set Y to "j"
    tell application "System Events"
      key down option
      delay 1
              tell application "iPhoto"
      activate
      delay 3
                        tell application "System Events"
      key up option
                        end tell
              end tell
    end tell
    tell application "System Events"
      keystroke Y
              tell application "System Events"
      key code 36
              end tell
    end tell
    delay 2
    tell application "System Events"
      key down option
              tell application "iTunes"
      activate
                        tell application "System Events"
      key up option
      keystroke return
                        end tell
              end tell
    end tell
    tell application "System Events"
      keystroke Y
    end tell
    tell application "System Events"
      key code 36
    end tell
    if Y = "i" then tell application "iTunes" to quit
    if Y = "i" then tell application "iPhoto" to quit

    Hi, thanks for your answer.
    Unfortunately this does not work because iTunes still keeps one account with the store active regardless which library I open. So when I switch the account in the store it will be switched for both libraries. That means that I can not separate the iPhone applications and all the other specific sync parameters.
    I thought about using my wife's account on the Mac and pointing iTunes to the new library - the problem here is that then the iPhoto library is not accessible any more......
    I can't really believe that there is no solution from Apple - I mean there must be more couples and families out there with 2 and more iPhones syncing with one iTunes / iPhoto etc libraries.
    Any other ideas? Thanks in advance!

  • How to import Aperture and iPhoto libraries into LR Master database

    I have a lot of photos in files and events in iPoto and Aperture. Would like to conso;idate all my photos inLightroom Master Photo file with those files and events as folders.
    Could I have instructions on this from someone who has done the same
    Many thanks
    Ivan Ungar

    John,
    While I am very new on LR and your referenvesare to older versions of the
    softwares
    Running LR 5.2, Aperture 3.4.1 and iPhoto 11.
    I could not find any reference as to the step by step import/export
    procedure with the most important proviso for me.
    There is aprox. 24000 photos in Events/Folders and I need to keep these
    intact while importing it into LR.
    Could you help please
    Best rgds
    Ivan
    Ivan Ungar
    Phone: (612) 8354 0618
    Mobile: (+61) 417 687 906
    E-mail: [email protected]

  • Hello, I reformatted my mac to factory settings. Since then I cannot reconnect to my itunes and iphoto libraries stored on an external hard drive. Any suggestions?

    I am using an old Imac G5 2.16 GHz intel core 2 duo.
    Its 8 years old. I had my iphoto and itunes libraries on an external hard drive. Li
    The mac was running slow so I backed up important stuff and then did a factory reset.
    Then I did upgrades to snow leopard.
    Its now running 10.6.8. Like I was before.
    Now that it is all reformatted, I cannot get it to reconnect to my iphoto or itunes libraries.
    Any help would be appreciated.
    Thanks

    Hi Terence,
    I tried the option key thing when starting both.
    For itunes when I select the folder on the external drive it says 'could not locate library file' or something like that.
    For iphoto the iphoto library file is there but it is not one I can select (it is greyed out).
    Sorry, not sure which versions they are. Am currently re-importing my itunes library so can't check.
    iPhoto is not opening today. Yesterday it would.
    Both versions would be updated as far as they could go on snow leopard.

  • Unify aperture and iphoto libraries: the book (tricky) issue

    I had been in the process of migrating from iPhoto to Aperture for a while now.
    I imported iPhoto library in Aperture few monthes ago and am now using only Aperture.
    Everything is fine for two things:
    - I could not import the books (format is not compatible), so i had to keep the iPhoto library
    - I didn't want to duplicate the orignals , so they are still in iPhoto library
    With Aperture 3.3, the library could be unified with iPhoto
    I would like to move all originals to Aperture library and still be able to open from iPhoto (so far, easy) but also keep the iPhoto books (which as far as i know are still incompatible with aperture books formats)
    In other words, i want one aperture library, including masters, and I want to be able to open it from iPhoto, and still keep the old books (that were built from the initial iPhoto library) in iPhoto
    Any clue ?

    Hi Leonie,
    You're really full of resources (not sure if this french expression translates well in english, but you get the idea) !
    I finally found a way, not the most elegant one, but it's working:
    0. Open each book in iPhoto. Delete in the book non-used photos of the book (in project list, choose book, then choose photos in the toolbar in the bottom, display non placed photos, delete). Now books projects only contain photos actually used in the book. (this step may not be necessary, but it speeds the process)     
    0. bis: Backup your Aperture library. don't forget to stop also any automatic backup process (like time machine)
    1. Open the iPhoto library with Aperture (remember i had already migrated to Aperture 3,3 & iPhoto 9, which makes the libraries compatibles)
    2. Export each of your books as a phototheque (right click on the book in the inspector navigator/ choose export impression project as a phototheque). Give specific name, for example "project x"
    3. Open first created book phototheque in aperture
    4. Tag photos of the phototheque with a specific keyword, for example "book x"
    5. Close phototheque for "book x" and resume on step 3 for other phototheques
    6. Open default aperture Library
    7. Import first phototheque, merge with Aperture Library
    8. Normally you get duplicates, especially if you have added metadata or edited the photos in aperture since you created the books in iPhoto. At least that's what happened to me
    9. You can now grab the recent metadata on the one that was already in Aperture and apply it to the imported one. To do that, create a smart album with the keyword "project x"; then move all new imported events from iPhoto to the event where they belong in aperture. Then in the smart album, for a specific picture when you choose "display in the project" (i have defined a shortcut) you are in the event where the duplicate photo also sits. Choose cmd shift C on the photo with metadata, cmd shift V on the photo with the tag  "project x" to transfer the metadata. You can delete the first one, except if you had edited the original differently in the book and in aperture and want to keep both. You still have to re-enter the faces on the imported one
    10. You can erase the tag "project x"
    11. Go back to step 7 for other books
    12. Check you can see your books in iphoto when opening aperture library with iphoto. You can now consolidate the aperture library and migrate all referenced iPhoto pics inside the aperture library
    13. you can erase iPhoto Library and other books phototheques created in step 2
    You now have one unified library, that you can use in aperture and iPhoto, with your old iPhoto books in it.
    (you also have lost a few hours...)

  • What is the best way to consolidate Aperture and iPhoto libraries onto an external drive? I am just starting out and not used to Aperture filing system.

    I would like to use the drive as storage/aperture backup rather than use it to back up my whole Macbook.  Would like to keep the majority of the photo files on the ext. drive and be able to add files there directly.  BUT, when workng in aperture would like to be able to select some from the ext. drive and work them on the laptop directly without having to have the ext drive attached. 
    So do i, have the aperture library path mapped to the ext drive, and then import the iphoto library? and then how do i add additional from the camera?  Or, do i move everything together (imported iphotos and new from camera) in Aperture on the Macbook first, and then transfer that library to the ext drive? 
    For the life of me I can't figure out how to do this in a way that seems logical.  Vaults?  Masters on ext drive, versions on the macbook? Consolidating libraries? The endless possible answers are baffling me.
    Thanks for any help!

    Kirby Krieger wrote:
    Hi Shane.  Not much in the way of thoughts - - but fwiw:
    How is the drive attached?
    Can you open large files on the drive with other programs?
    Are you running any drive compression or acceleration programs (some drives arrive with these installed)?
    Can you reformat the drive and try again?
    Hi Kirby,
    I attached the UltraMax Plus with a USB cable. The UltraMax powers the cable so power is not an issue. I can open other files. Also, there is 500GB of files on the drive so I cannot re-format it. Although, I noted I could import the entire Aperture Library. However, I do not want to create a duplicate on my machine because that would be defeating the purpose of the external drive.
    Thanks,
    Shane

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