Trouble viewing some photos & acesss to library.... help??

Question

When I open up I photo I can no longer find or see the library icons on the screen so I can find photos.   The only way I've been able to do it is to create a new message in Mail and "Browse Photos".   Then I see everything and can browse the events but what ever event I leave iphoto in, that's what shows up when I re-open it and I have no way to leave that event and find another without going back to mail.   I can't see or open the library or any of the folders that I've save in iPhoto.   Any ideas?
Also in some events the thumbnails look great but when I click on them to view the photo, I get a gray screen with a washed out "i" in it.  Don't know what thats about. The picture will show up when I re-size the window??  Again, any ideas?
Thanks

Answer 1

Move the cursor to the extreme left of the iPhoto Window until it becomes a '+'
Then click and drag right.
The ! turns up when iPhoto loses the connection between the thumbnail in the iPhoto Window and the file it represents.
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 <a href="http://www.fatcatsoftware.com/iplm/"><b><u>iPhoto Library Manager</b></u></a> 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 *iPhoto 08* 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.