Unable to use iphoto-it keeps searching for mvi. #'s

Question

every time i open iphoto, a box appears--  "mvi.(fill in a #) cannot be found.  insert disk..." 
then there are 3 options--"cancel", "find movie" or "ok" --all of which do not work.
when i hit "find movie", i must Force Quit iphoto cause the red/blue ball never stops twirling looking for the file.  i have my external hard drive attached as well.
when i hit either "cancel" or "ok", a new box with a new movie # appears.  a new box with new mvi. # will go thru approximately 25 mvi. numbers and then start over.  it's always the same mvi. #s.
i don't know or care about those mvi. files.  whatever they are, they are lost & i don't know why iphoto wants to find them so badly.
i would like to use iphoto again.
any suggestions are most welcome.

Answer 1

It keeps asking because they are recorded in the database and it can't find them. So they have been delete from outside iPhoto, and iPhoto doesn't know this.
Simple fix: put the files back where iPhoto expects them to be. Otherwise...
Try these in order - from best option on down...
1Download iPhoto Library Manager and use its rebuild function. (In Library Manager it's the FIle -> Rebuild command)
This will create an entirely new library. It will then copy (or try to) your photos and all the associated metadata and versions to this new Library, and arrange it as close as it can to what you had in the damaged Library. It does this based on information it finds in the iPhoto sharing mechanism - but that means that things not shared won't be there, so no slideshows, books or calendars, for instance - but it should get all your events, albums and keywords, faces and places 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. 
2. If this doesn't work then you'll need to create and populate a new library.
To create and populate a new *iPhoto 6* library:
Note this will give you a working library with the same Rolls and pictures as before, however, you will lose your albums, keywords, modified versions, books, calendars etc.
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 on your desktop and find the Originals folder. From the Originals folder drag the individual Roll 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.