Restoring the iPhoto library

As I described at the last MacStac meeting of October 20, my friend June had the iPhoto icon but when she tried to launch the application, the blank iPhoto field came up but the process ball just kept spinning trying to load the photos.  Several suggestions were made at the meeting and one was to trash the com.apple.iPhoto.plist from the Library/Preferences file then relaunch iPhoto.  This I did but it did not solve the problem.  I don't know if it played a part in the final solution.

I then received the following suggestion from Tom Blake at BU.  To go into the Pictures file and rename the iPhoto Library.  Our email correspondence follows.

On 10/21/05 7:34 PM, Joan Mueller wrote:

I have iPhoto on June's computer.  I followed your instructions and renamed the library.  Then iPhoto opened and asked if I wanted a new library.  I said yes so I now have two libraries.  Since the problem must have resided in the original, now renamed library, how do I get her collection of photos into the new library? 

On Oct 21, 2005, at 8:28 PM, Tom Blake wrote:

Great!

Which version of iPhoto is she using?

<http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=107947>

On 10/22/05 4:24 PM, Joan Mueller wrote:

She has emailed me that she is using iPhoto 4.03--sounds like she followed my instructions correctly.  I went to the web page and have printed it out.  This is what I plan to do:

1.  First get rid of the word "suspected" that I put into the name of the iPhoto library, 

2.  Eliminate the new iPhoto library.

3.  Copy the old library and put it on the desk top as a backup.

4.  Then proceed by opening iPhoto while holding down the shift and option keys until I am prompted to rebuild the library.

5.  Then click yes.  And select  "Rebuild the iPhoto Library database.

And it should work?

On 10/23/05 6:18 PM, Tom Blake wrote

Well, we need to change the order somewhat (reverse the order of steps 1 & 2.) Aside from that, it looks good!

BTW: to make your backup, hold down the Option key, while dragging the library onto the desktop. (This will copy it, rather than moving it. You should notice that the "fly" gains a little "plus sign" while you do this.)

            --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

This was the process that worked.  Hope it helps anyone else having the problem.

Joan