Unrecognized file in iPhoto

hello.
i've been using iPhoto for a couple of months now. i really enjoy the way it organizes my pictures on a by-date-basis. however, i encountered this problem only now.
i was looking at some pictures that are one month old, and i wanted to duplicate them so as i may be able to edit them without losing the original pics. however, i realize that the pictures aren't duplicating. so, i double-clicked on one pic and iPhoto showed the sign. the thumbnails are still ok, but i get that sign when i try to enlarge the pics for editing. i looked at the folder using the finder and i saw that the original pics are still where they are. i tried to re-import the pics by dragging them to iPhoto but i got this message:
"The following files could not be imported (they may be an unrecognized file type of the files may not contain valid data.)"
by the way, i am using iPhoto 6.0.6.
if someone could help me with this. thanks.
gary

gary
The ! or ? turns up when iPhoto loses the connection between the thumbnail in the iPhoto Window and the file it represents.
The most common cause of this is User Activity in the iPhoto Library Folder. Have you altered, moved or renamed anything in the iPhoto Library Folder?
If you haven't, then try rebuilding the database. Hold down the apple and option (or alt) keys and launch iPhoto. Use the resulting dialogue to rebuild.
You cannot import files that are in the iPhoto Library Folder = this is a sensible precaution against accidental duplication.
Also, iPhoto always works on a copy of the Original Pic. In the Photos menu you see the command 'Revert to Original', this allows you to do just that.
Regards
TD

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