Thank you for being a valued part of the CNET community. As of December 1, 2020, the forums are in read-only format. In early 2021, CNET Forums will no longer be available. We are grateful for the participation and advice you have provided to one another over the years.

Thanks,

CNET Support

Resolved Question

iPhoto 6 to iPhoto 11 jump.

Jun 24, 2012 11:15PM PDT

I upgraded my MacBook 2,1, 2GB RAM running Tiger to Snow Leopard, after saving my stuff including photos on an External HD.
Now I can not open my iPhoto 6 photos (as these were on Tiger) to the new environment. In the first place I did not know that Snow Leopard did not have iPhoto in the package.
I have found my old saved iPhoto file in the Time Machine , I moved the folder to my Hard Disc, then opened it . The iPhoto opened but no photos.
How can I restore my photos which I saved in Tiger using iPhoto 6?
Be grateful for help. I have been on a steep learning curve since the change. I would like to have my photos back.
I managed to get my Music back from the iTunes as the iTunes enabled me to retrieve it from their records of purchase, but I am stuck for the photos.

Discussion is locked

shafiqkhan31 has chosen the best answer to their question. View answer

Best Answer

- Collapse -
Was there any form of error/warning message when
Jun 25, 2012 10:33AM PDT

you opened the iPhoto Library in Snow Leopard.

You should have got a warning stating that this version of iPhoto was too old for Snow Leopard.

Either way, try the reinstall as suggested by brace yourself to be ready to purchase a new version of iPhoto

P

- Collapse -
iPhoto 6 to iPhoto 11 jump.
Jun 25, 2012 11:39PM PDT

Hello friends,

I would like to say, in iPhoto '11, select the option to "Repair the iPhoto Library Database" to check the iPhoto Library database for inconsistencies and repair them, if necessary. IPhoto '11 also includes the option to "Rebuild the iPhoto Library Database from automatic backup," which performs the same functions as it does in iPhoto '09, but should only be attempted if the "Repair the iPhoto Library Database" option does not help.

Best regards
Steven

- Collapse -
No warnings.
Jun 26, 2012 1:26AM PDT

I still have not got my photos. I will be very happy buying iPhoto 11, but how do I get the photos? I high lighted the iPhoto in the Time Machine and then pasted the iPhoto in the Hard Drive, thereby transferring iPhoto as it was in the external drive, but no photos. This file was only 529.6 MB, I had some 900 photos which I thought I backed up before indulging in upgrading.
Please advise ,how can I get my photos back in the Snow Leopard.
Thank you for your interest.

- Collapse -
Highlighting, copying and pasting is not
Jun 26, 2012 3:01AM PDT

the way to move stuff from your Time Machine backup to your internal drive.

Time Machine creates a sequential backup after it takes the original, first, FULL backup.

To ensure that you have everything you need to use the Restore function of Time Machine to place iPhoto back to where it was and in the same state as it was at the time of the last backup.

Do that and get back with us. Stop the drag and drop stuff.

While we are here, can you confirm that you did actually do a Time Machine backup and not a drag and drop to the external drive.

P

- Collapse -
the saga started with upgrade notion.
Jun 27, 2012 12:28AM PDT

As I stated in my original message for help. I backed up my photos on my MiniStation (Buffalo) External hard drive before upgrade. I did not know a thing about the Time Machine.However, I checked my photos were there on my External Drive before upgrade as I checked the success of my back up in the Tiger.

After upgrade to Snow Leopard I was faced with the Time Machine. I tried to open my External Drive but the Time Machine intervened. When I clicked the message came up that I can not open photos as they are in Time Machine. Whatever happened and how it happened ,it happened without me purposefully doing it. Then I did not see any escape and I got into Time Machine in order to retrieve the photos.

The Time Machine has been backing up since but there is no trace of the photos. My knowledge of te Time Machine is Zilch. I am doing whatever I am advised ,even that pretty badly.

Shafiq

- Collapse -
That's a bit of a story change and may explain why you have
Jun 27, 2012 11:57AM PDT

no pictures.
Your MiniStation external hard drive was probably formatted as FAT32. It was formatted like that when you took it out of the box and plugged it in.
It worked because just about any computer can read and write to a drive formatted in that way.

You copied your pictures from the internal drive onto the external and, for some reason, appear to have deleted them from your internal drive.

Then you upgraded to Snow Leopard and rebooted with the external still connected. As soon as Leopard saw the external it asked if you wanted to use it as the Time Machine backup drive. You answered "Yes"
Time Machine then formatted your external drive as Mac OS X Extended(Journaled) and proceeded on with life as a Time Machine drive.
The format from FAT to Mac deleted everything that was on the drive, photos and all.

You never did have a Time Machine backup prior to the upgrade so you could not have found the old iPhoto Library in Time Machine. Any Time Machine backup taken after the upgrade would have included any photo's that were on the internal drive, assuming that iPhoto Library actually had any photo's in it. From what you are telling us, it would appear that there were no photo's in the library before the upgrade took place.

Sorry to say this, but I think your photo's have gone but, you "may" have a very slim chance of recovery using an Undelete program.

P

- Collapse -
Thank you.
Jun 28, 2012 3:08AM PDT

I am grateful to all of you who helped.
It appears that I shall have to pay a visit to the Apple store to see if I can find a solution.
Thank you.
I shall report on the result of my visit.

- Collapse -
Answer
Use Tiger Disk
Jun 25, 2012 12:10AM PDT

If you still have your Tiger disk try reinstalling iPhoto from there to Leopard.

- Collapse -
Yes
Jun 25, 2012 4:36AM PDT

I can give it a go!Thank you.
shafiq

- Collapse -
I tried.
Jun 26, 2012 1:18AM PDT

I tried the Tiger Disc and extracted Iphoto but there were no photos.
I opened the external drive had iPhotos but no photos.
Shafiq