The old "the original item can't be found" error message

hi guys, so i just upgraded from the old iphoto to the new ilife version 7.02 ( i installed the latest upgrade before I started it up)... and with most of my library everything works fine, but when i try to open up one of the latest photos i get the following message: "The photo “IMG_0677.JPG” could not be opened, because the original item cannot be found"... now, what i usually do is use a card reader to drag photos to my desktop, edit them, then drag the keepers into iphoto... i then throw away all the other photo copies, leaving just the iphoto ones... anyone else ever experience this problem?

chalkyp:
Check the Advanced section of iPhoto's preferences to make sure it's configured like this:
If the box to have photos copied to the library upon import is not checked they you are in the alias mode and the source files, those that you deemed as keepers and imported were not imported but just had alias files pointing to their location at the to time of import. If you've deleted them after the import, they are gone.
Do you Twango?
TIP: For insurance against the iPhoto database corruption that many users have experienced I recommend making a backup copy of the Library6.iPhoto database file and keep it current. If problems crop up where iPhoto suddenly can't see any photos or thinks there are no photos in the library, replacing the working Library6.iPhoto file with the backup will often get the library back. By keeping it current I mean backup after each import and/or any serious editing or work on books, slideshows, calendars, cards, etc. That insures that if a problem pops up and you do need to replace the database file, you'll retain all those efforts. It doesn't take long to make the backup and it's good insurance.
I've written an Automator workflow application (requires Tiger), iPhoto dB File Backup, that will copy the selected Library6.iPhoto file from your iPhoto Library folder to the Pictures folder, replacing any previous version of it. It's compatible with iPhoto 08 libraries. You can download it at Toad's Cellar. Be sure to read the Read Me pdf file.

Similar Messages

Please help! The alias can't be opened because the original item can't be found. Portable Hard Drive, Macbook, OS 10.7

Hi folks,
Desperate for some help!
I have a very cluttered, slow Macbook Pro running 10.7.5. Bought a 2TB WD My Passport for Mac (2TB) with the intention of transferring my many, many files and folders over to it, to increase my memory and boost the performance of my Macbook. (Also handy to have files on the go).sktop
I transferred everything (all files off desktop, documents, photos etc) using drag and drop.
Then I trashed all the files, but did NOT empty Trash because I wanted to check the process had worked
Now, when I plug in my hard drive, and open it up, all my files and folders are there, but with little arrows on the bottom left of the file/folder. When I go to open any one of them, I get this message:
"The alias “X” can’t be opened because the original item can’t be found."
I don't know what to do. Is this because of the way I dragged and dropped the files? I'm guessing so. Or is it because I still have the items in my Trash? (I'm obviously petrified of emptying the Trash now though) Is it because of my OS?
Apologies, I'm a novice to this (hence why my 4 year old mbp is running so slowly; it's got 4 year's worth of work on it, and now I obviously don't even know how to transfer files properly to an external HD) but I'd really be ever so grateful for your help. I just want to successfully back up my files to this HD so my mpb runs faster. I'm now terrified I've corrupted my files. I don't even understand what an Alias is.
Would love to hear from you! I'm totally new to these forums so hope I've posted right! Thanks!

sibby22 wrote:
...Now, when I plug in my hard drive, and open it up, all my files and folders are there, but with little arrows on the bottom left of the file/folder. When I go to open any one of them, I get this message:
"The alias “X” can’t be opened because the original item can’t be found."
It sounds like what got created on your external is a collection of aliases which point to the original files and folders but aren't actually copies of the files and folders themselves. The original items have been moved to the trash so even if they could be found, they couldn't be opened. As a test, pick a file (not a folder) on the external that should be large and see what size it actually is (Get Info). Aliases are smaller so you can tell the difference apart from that little arrow (the Get Info box will also identify the file as an alias). Dragging the files to the external should have automatically created copies rather than aliases unless you held down the Command and Option keys while dragging.
In any case, you were wise not to empty the trash; to be safe get those important files back out of the Trash so you can start over. But this time, try moving a few at a time and let us know what happens.

I recently tried to burn some photos to a disc. It did not work, but then I ended up with a .fpbf folder on my desktop. Can't trash it, and when trying to burn again, I get this "... can't be burned because the original items can't be found". Help???

I recently tried to burn some photos on a CD. For some reason, It did not work. Now I have a .fpbf folder on my desktop. I can't seem to get rid of it. I tried dragging it to the trash, but then I get a box asking my to type my password it, so Finder can make the changes. Doing so, does nothing at all. And when I try to burn another CD from the same .fpbf file, I get a the following message: "There are 35 items that can’t be burned because the original items can’t be found. Skip the items and continue burning?". When I skip and continue burning, nothing shows up on the CD. In the meantime, the .fpbf folder is still in my desktop. I tried changing the aliases on each pic, but it still doesn't work. Any ideas of how I can remove this folder from my desktop?
Thank you.

Beavis2084,
Thank you for your detailed explanation but something is seriously wrong with my computer. Although the method you have described is very similar to the one I tried in step 2 from my second post, I have since "done things" which may have complicated matters—or suggests that my computer has a more serious problem.
Here's what I did:
1). Installed Onyx and discovered that I had a .plist file (com.apple.iphotomosaic.plist) that was causing a Syntax error: "Conversion of data failed. The file is not UTF-8, or in the encoding specified in XML header, if XML." After doing some research online, I was given the understanding that downloading the iLife update 9.0.3 (I installed the more recent version, 9.0.4) would solve this problem because it would also fix some system issues. So, I downloaded it...and when it didn't solve the problem, I decided to just deleted that .plist file.
2). I read your knew post and decided to follow your directions, even though I realized they were basically the same steps I followed in the 2nd method I mentioned earlier. I say "basically" because, for some reason, after inserting a blank disc, my computer does not open the disc in the Finder. Instead, it places the blank disc's image on the Desktop, even though the Finder's Preferences and the System's Preferences are set to have it open in the Finder—nothing should be on my Desktop! (Note: When transferring the items (all folders) I want to burn to the blank disc, I did not use the Option-Click-Drag method as before, I used the Click-Drag method, which created the curved arrow in the lower left corner of each item.)
Now, for the result of "method 2," the method we basically have in common, the computer goes through the burn stage but, in the verify stage, tells me that it is unable to verify the disk, suggests that my DVD may be unreliable and that I should try another disc, and then tells me about some "fork" (?) error (-43).
I don't know what to do anymore...

I can't connect to the drive on my airport time machine and am receiving the message: "AirPort Time Capsule" can't be opened because the original item can't be found.

Time capsule has been working perfectly for months.
Suddenly I can't connect to the drive on my airport time capsule and am receiving the message: “AirPort Time Capsule” can’t be opened because the original item can’t be found.
Time machine appears to be still backing up (last backup within the last hour), but drive is not visible and I have files stored on it.
I have tried rebooting everything in order as suggested for other issues, anyone got any ideas how to see the drive again??

What OS are you running??
It is very typical Yosemite issue.
1. In airport utility does the TC show up.. if so click it.. and see the summary page which will include its IP address. That is what you are after.
From my screenshot you can see the TC address is 192.168.2.57
It might well show up briefly after a reboot or in ipad / iphone version utility. Yosemite is hopeless. The airport utility hardly works.
2. In Finder use Go, Connect to server.
Type in SMB://192.168.2.57 (replace with IP you discover).
If it is possible it will request a password.. type that in and DO NOT FORGET.. to store it in your keychain.
This will work until the TC changes IP which won't happen if it is main router.. but will happen if it is bridged.. so you need to tell me the whole network setup.
Mavericks is nearly as bad and the above instructions should be universal except I would use AFP instead of SMB. Apparently Yosemite is now totally Windows oriented.

Time Capsule / Leopard 10.5.8 / Time Machine / Disk can't be opened because the original item can't be found / OSStatus error -6602

Hi,
I'm facing a big issue with Time Machine on my Mac Book running Leopard 10.5.8 (build 9L31a) and my Time Capsule (firmware 7.6.1 (76100.4)).
I have searched a lot (during 3 days !!) to find a solution but no luck !
I have the same syntoms as described by LUNY in this thread: https://discussions.apple.com/message/9364556#9364556
To quickly summarize:
My MacBook was configured to use my Time Capsule as backup disk. Everything went fine during 2 years and then one day I suddently got problems with time machine !
Time Machine was unable to access my Time Capsule. Moreover it was drastically slowing down my MacBook !
So:
1. I stopped Time Machine and tried to change the backup disk: every time I chose my Time Capsule Disk, I got a OSStatus error -6602
2. Then, I tried to access my Time Capsule from the Finder -> slow and then got this message 'Disk can't be opened because the original item can't be found'
3. I searched in the logs for the specific reason and I found:
   - system.log (/var/log) :
      myMacBook kernel[0]: disk0s2: I/O error.
      myMacBook /System/Library/CoreServices/Finder.app/Contents/MacOS/Finder[198]: NetworkNode::handleMountCallBack returned -6602 (the same error)
      myMacBook ReportCrash[358]: Saved crashreport to /Library/Logs/CrashReporter/kextload_2012-12-30-112946_myMacBook.crash using uid: 0 gid: 0, euid: 0 egid: 0
   - In CrashReporter (/Library/Logs/CrashReporter/): i see the problem coming from kextload with this exception:
       Exception Type: EXC_BAD_ACCESS (SIGBUS)
       Exception Codes: 0x000000000000000a, 0x000000000122d000
4. I tried to mount the time capsule disk with Terminal (AFP protocol):
   > mount -t afp afp://admin:[email protected]/Data /Volumes/termAFPData/
   result -> mount_afp: AFPMountURL returned error 19, errno is 19
These errors (6602 and 19) are neither documented anywhere nor associated to a clear description of the problem. The only thing I have found is that errno 19 is an IO error -> http://www.opensource.apple.com/source/CarbonHeaders/CarbonHeaders-18.1/MacError s.h
On the other hand, and this is the really weird part of the issue, my time capsule disk works well when I mount it with SMB protocol !!! (Or when I access it with a Windows XP machine).
So, the workaround is: mount -t smbfs //admin:[email protected]/Data /Volumes/termSMBData/
Or, in Finder -> Connect to server and there use the URL: smb://xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx/Data
Not sure what is going on ... but I pretty sure that's a bug and not a hardware problem.
Is there someone who has already found a solution for this kind of behaviour ?
It would avoid me a lot of headaches and improve the support for this kind of problem.
Thanks !!!
Greetz
A Belgian boy

JoBidun wrote:
Thanks a lot for this really quick reply.
When you say: "I would though go back to 7.5.2 firmware." Do you mean a reset to factory default ?
Greetz
NO, your time capsule is running 7.6.1 but it is built with AFP following increased security for LION.. that is not required or available in Leopard.. so there is no point.. it is also not as stable on the older hardware.. at least in my experience.. I have repaired about 200 of the suckers so I do see a few.
When you select firmware update in the airport utility.. hold the option key.. all valid firmware versions for your TC then show up.. not only upgrades.. select 7.5.2 and upgrade to that.
Do a factory reset when you do it is a good idea though.. start off again.
And do reset of TM.. A4 in pondini.
See if it helps.
Oh, the TC will continually complain about needing a firmware update.. turn off automatic checking of updates.. it will still annoy you for fun every few weeks but that is better than daily.

The alias "Lacie2" can't be opened because the original item can't be found

A very strange problem just developed. I have a Time Capsule with two external drives attached to it (they are actually two drives in a single enclosure) via USB. When I navigate to the drives, an alias is placed on the desktop. When I click on the alias, I get the message, "The alias “Lacie2” can’t be opened because the original item can’t be found." (I get the same message for the other drive, "Lacie1"). Now, here's the kicker: when I navigate through to the drives in a Finder window, everything is fine! I can access the drives and all contents. I do NOT get this same problem when I navigate to the Time Capsule itself, i.e., the alias placed on my desktop to the TC works fine when clicked. One more bit of information, the enclosure containing the two apparently misbehaving drives accidentally came unplugged a few days ago, so the drives spun down without being unmounted, etc. However, I don't use the drives every day, so I am not even sure they were mounted at the time. Also, I can't be certain this current problem started IMMEDIATELY thereafter, again because I don't access the drives every day and just can't remember.
I have opened "Volumes" and cleaned out all the ghost/phantom drives in there, and it did not help (none of the ghosts referenced either of these drives). In case it makes a difference, I am booting the 64-bit kernel. Any ideas?

I checked /Volumes again, but no ghost drives. When I select one of the aliases on the desktop and enter command+i, here is what the "server" field says in the popup:
afp://Time Capsule Kay.afpovertcp.tcp.local/Lacie2
When I open a finder window and navigate to the drive, here is the path to one of the folders there:
afp://Time Capsule Kay.afpovertcp.tcp.local/Lacie2/Steve
I don't know if this makes any difference, but when I mount that same drive on my G4 running OS X 10.4, the path is different:
afp://Time-Capsule-Kay.local./Lacie2
The G4 has always been plugged into the TC that the drives in question are also plugged into. Until recently, the MacBook Pro that is giving me the problems connected to my network via AirPort. It is now connected via Ethernet, plugged into an AirPort Extreme which the TC feeds off of via Ethernet as well. Perhaps that's why the paths are different.

The alias can't be opened because the original item can't be found - After USB Flash Drive transfer

I've seen a couple of threads about this message, but none dealing with my simple issue:
I get this message: "The alias can't be opened because the original item can't be found" -- AFTER TRANSFERRING THE FILE IN QUESTION VIA FLASH DRIVE.
I thought, maybe the "original item" hadn't been completely copied from the drive, so I tried opening the file again this time with the drive still plugged into the laptop--but again, the message came up and I couldn't open it.
What's the deal?
The files I'm transferring:
a 1.2GB MKV file of a movie I downloaded, which I had no trouble viewing on my desktop
a 105MB application
(btw, the application is called "VLC", which is a file playing app that works on my desktop, and I want it on my laptop so that I can play movie files like .mkv, which is the other file I'm transferring...but that doesn't make any difference, I think. No, I can't just download the movie and the app right onto the laptop...I don't have wifi right now...='[...)

I had been dragging straight from the desktop into the USB window. Eventually, I opened up finder and went to Desktop there, and when I dragged the files from there into the USB window, it worked. Now it took a while to move the files into the USB, which was a sign that they were actually being moved.

Everytime I try to export my slideshow I get the "The operation can't be completed because the item can't be found." message. How do I fix?

Trying to export a pretty basic slideshow to our desktop/iTunes and I keep getting the "The operation can’t be completed because the item can’t be found." message when I try to export. What am I doing wrong?

What is your iPhoto version?
Your slideshow may contain a photo or a video where the original file cannot be found. Try to find the offending item.
You could duplicate the slideshow (select it in the source list, ctrl-click, and the select "Duplicate").
Then remove half of the photos from the copy and try to export this partial slideshow. if it works, you will know, the problematic photo or video is in the other half.
Keep duplicating the slideshow, removing photos from the copy and testing with smaller sets of photos, until you know exactly, which photo it is.
Then select this photo and use the command "File > Reveal Original" to see, if the original file is still there.
Check the revealed original, if Preview can display it. If the file is o.k., copy it and remport it. Add the new imported photo or video to your slideshow.
If the original file should really be missing, restore it from your backup.

When I tap the "download for Android" on my Android phone, I receive a "requested item could not be found" error message.

I am attempting to install Firefox mobile on my Android phone. When I tap "download for Android" on my current browser, I receive a "requested item could not be found" error message.

Firefox will not appear in the Market for most phones with incompatible hardware. You can check if your phone is supported here:
https://wiki.mozilla.org/Mobile/Platforms/Android
On some supported devices, a bug prevents Firefox from appearing in the Market. This may be related to the recent Market update. You can go to Settings/Applications and uninstall the Market update, then find and install Firefox.
Or, if you have a supported phone, you can download the app directly from here:
http://ftp.mozilla.org/pub/mozilla.org/mobile/releases/4.0b3/android-r7/multi/
(Note: To download the app directly for an AT&T phone, you will have to search for instructions on "sideloading" the APK file, since AT&T disables the option to install from non-Market sources.)

"The alias can't be opened because the original item can't be found"

Hello,
I use many alias folders to take advantage of copy.com applications feature which allows you to have aliases in the "Copy" folder (i.e. Dropbox doesn't) and sync them with the cloud. It's an easy backup solution.
My problem is that very often most of these aliases stop working. Double clicking pops out the message "The alias can't be opened because the original item cant' be found" even if the original file/files have never been moved neither renamend.
Googling and searching in the forum suggested to check and fix premissions with disk utility. I did it but nothing was solved. I use to do this every week since I noticed that Disk Utility always find something corrupted.
What can I do?
I have a mbp mid 2009 with ML 10.8.5.
I don't know if the hdd is going to fail (since utility disk always find something wrong), is there someway to test it?
Thanks for your help,
Andrea

As an experiment, pick some sample Aliases that seem to constantly break, and replace them with symbolic links (a Unix feature).
Either do this via an Applications -> Utilities -> Terminal session
ln -s "drag_and_drop_file_or_folder_from_finder_here" "drag_and_drop_destination_folder_here"
Or get a GUI utility to make symlinks
<https://www.macupdate.com/find/mac/symlink>
Now see if the symlinks work and do not get corrupted.
If Symlinks work long term, then replace the rest of the Aliases you are using for copy.com with symlinks.
Message was edited by: BobHarris

My MacBook cannot resolve the alias when attempting to connect to LAN wired devices (WD Live Media Centre), and says operation can't be comp-leted because the original item can't be found.???

I have 2 WD Live Media Centre devices hard-wired on my LAN. My MacBook can find these devices on the network, but when it tries to access the USB drive which is attached to the media centres, a message says the Mac it "resolving the alias to USB drive", but then says operation can't be completed because the roiginal item (USB Drive) can't be found. My PC, which is also hard-wired on the network, has no problem accessing these USB drives. Is there some adjustment I need to make?

Well, try this (I was able to fix my with these steps):
Go Utilities > Disk Utility
Select your Startup Disk, e.g. Macintosh HD
Then, under the First Aid Tab, click Verify Disk Permissions.
If there are errors, then click repair Disk Permissions.
After it is done, restart the computer and see if your problem is resolved.
I hope this help.
Zeke
www.ZekeYuen.com/blog/

Mozilla was crashing every few seconds and I couldn't install the update. I removed the old to install the new and now I can't install - getting error messages that close themselves.

When I try to install I receive this message:
"Firefox has stopped working
A problem caused the program to stop working correctly. Windows will clsoe the program and notify you if a solution is available."
This happens when I select RUN to install Firefox 9.0.1
I removed the old version because it was crashing everytime I tried to use it and it wouldn't let me update with the new.
I HATE IE, and need my Firefox back --- I am dead in the water for work without it.

Do a clean (re)install and delete the Firefox program folder (C:\Program Files\Mozilla Firefox\).
Download a fresh Firefox copy and save the file to the desktop.
*Firefox 9.0.x: http://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/all.html
Uninstall your current Firefox version, if possible.
*Do NOT remove personal data when you uninstall the current version or you lose your bookmarks and other data in the profile folder.
Remove the Firefox program folder before installing that newly downloaded copy of the Firefox installer.
*It is important to delete the Firefox program folder to remove all the files and make sure that there are no problems with files that were leftover after uninstalling.
*http://kb.mozillazine.org/Uninstalling_Firefox
Your bookmarks and other profile data are stored elsewhere in the Firefox Profile Folder and won't be affected by a reinstall, but make sure that you do not select to remove personal data if you uninstall Firefox.
*http://kb.mozillazine.org/Profile_folder_-_Firefox
*http://kb.mozillazine.org/Profile_backup
*http://kb.mozillazine.org/Standard_diagnostic_-_Firefox#Clean_reinstall

Had to reinstall OS, firefox and all after a crash, the old links in firefox, can these be found anywhere?

Had to reinstall OS after XP crash, upgraded to windows 7. Question is are my old links in firefox anywhere to be found? need them for my studies.

You may get better response if you post this in the iTunes community forum
https://discussions.apple.com/community/itunes
Have a nice day!

The alias cannot be opened because the original item can't be found

I just reset my MacBook's hard drive so I could clean my computer of Server.app. I erased all my HD's data.
I backed up my important files onto a DVD-RW. So I put my pictures and music into a .zip file. What my problem is, is when I open the zip, it makes a folder on my desktop. When I open the folder I get this message:
I can't get the original file since it is permanently erased from my HD. What should I do?
Please reply ASAP.

FYI - I had upgraded to 10.4 from a CD, and when I upgraded that to 10.4.11, I was able to connect to my local servers again!

The original item can't be found

One of the macs in the office has started having problems connecting to an apple Xserve. A workaround for the other mac pros is within the finder to scroll down to the shared devices and select the server. On this one particular mac when I try and connect it says the 'item cannot be found'. I can't find a solution to why this one mac has problems when it did use to work. I have to connect using SMB but this then creates other problems in that folders and files are not visible.
Can anyone help?
Thanks

chalkyp:
Check the Advanced section of iPhoto's preferences to make sure it's configured like this:
If the box to have photos copied to the library upon import is not checked they you are in the alias mode and the source files, those that you deemed as keepers and imported were not imported but just had alias files pointing to their location at the to time of import. If you've deleted them after the import, they are gone.
Do you Twango?
TIP: For insurance against the iPhoto database corruption that many users have experienced I recommend making a backup copy of the Library6.iPhoto database file and keep it current. If problems crop up where iPhoto suddenly can't see any photos or thinks there are no photos in the library, replacing the working Library6.iPhoto file with the backup will often get the library back. By keeping it current I mean backup after each import and/or any serious editing or work on books, slideshows, calendars, cards, etc. That insures that if a problem pops up and you do need to replace the database file, you'll retain all those efforts. It doesn't take long to make the backup and it's good insurance.
I've written an Automator workflow application (requires Tiger), iPhoto dB File Backup, that will copy the selected Library6.iPhoto file from your iPhoto Library folder to the Pictures folder, replacing any previous version of it. It's compatible with iPhoto 08 libraries. You can download it at Toad's Cellar. Be sure to read the Read Me pdf file.

The old "the original item can't be found" error message

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