iPhoto serious problem

[jcarter]

On my old 24 inch 10.5.8 Mac, my iPhoto is not working. It opens and then when you try to go to any other folder, it becomes totally unresponsive and I have to Force Quit.
Its version 8.1.2

I need to find the folder that they are all in, and drag them out to an external HD, and add them to my newer Mac, if that is how to save them. Ive tried restart and its still not working.

My pictures are by far the most important stuff.
I already have some backed up, but the ext. HD for this Mac got full last year. So I think I want to grab all my photos at once onto a new ext. HD.

So guess I better find out exactly what to do, and I know that you here will know.
I wont rush into anything.

I see this, but want to run it by you here first before I go ahead.
https://discussions.apple.com/thread/6361684?tstart=0

Thanks,
Jane

[Xairbusdriver]

That thread sounds like a plan. The most important of which is make a backup! I'm pretty sure you've already done that.

My second thought is that be sure you have not actually moved original items out of the iPhoto Library! That Library should never be manipulated/edited/changed/added to/etc. manually! Never! It is not just a collection of items. It is a database of items, all of which are inter-related. If you move/delete/etc. to anything in there, you will corrupt the database. This has supposedly been improved in later versions. Those who discovered it the hard way have generally never used iPhoto again.

[jcarter]

Long ago, somebody posted the location and name of the actual folder that all the photos were in.
They just copied them all into a folder on their desktop, and then dragged the entire thing into an ext HD.
THis saved the photos just like they would be on a camera card, and I would put them all onto a new HD.

Can this be done?  Im thinking this way, as iPhoto is going away.

Then I would go thru that process of fixing iPhoto here.

[Xairbusdriver]

iPhoto should be able to tell you where it put the "iPhoto Library", perhaps in it's preferences. If not a simple "Find" (even in Finder ) should be able to locate that folder. You can then drag the lot to where ever you like. But if you're going to dump iPhoto (like Apple plans on doing) all you really need is the folder inside that folder cleverly labeled "Originals".

My copy of "iPhoto Library" is in my Documents directory, that's probably the standard location. Inside that is an alias that actually points to another folder called "Masters" which, amazingly, is where the originals are actually located. Of course, in Apple's infinite wisdom, notwithstanding the alias to a folder in the same directory scheme, the real originals are inside folders, inside folders, inside folders, inside... until you finally get toe folders with almost random names. The names are not really 'random', they are mainly the yyyymmdd, a "-" and then a random number based on the relationship of the phase of Titan and the distance to Mars.

[jcarter]

I think that I will make a new back up of all of the originals, I might even have room on my Seagate, tho thats hooked up to my new Mac. Ill check it,,,,no room on that one, but its time to get a new one now.

Maybe I better do this right away.

[tacit]

QUOTE(jcarter @ Oct 19 2014, 08:34 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Long ago, somebody posted the location and name of the actual folder that all the photos were in.
They just copied them all into a folder on their desktop, and then dragged the entire thing into an ext HD.
THis saved the photos just like they would be on a camera card, and I would put them all onto a new HD.

Can this be done?  Im thinking this way, as iPhoto is going away.

Then I would go thru that process of fixing iPhoto here.

This ought to be obvious, bit it isn't: To make a copy of your photos, don't try to find where they are on the hard drive. Instead, just tret iPhoto like a Finder window. Select all the photos in iPhoto and just drag them to a folder on your external hard drive.

[jcarter]

I can only get one page, or one album, then the beach ball starts and I cannot see anything else.

Just tried it and its now working! Maybe it needed a good nights sleep?

But I will copy them all anyway. I will need them when I give my Mac to my husband, his is really really old, and I will put these old photos on a new 27 inch iMac.

Thank you!