# Corrupted iPhoto Library



## nfred (Oct 29, 2009)

I have 
Model Name: iMac 10.5.8
Processor Name: Intel Core 2 Duo
Processor Speed: 2.66 GHz

I have a corrupted iPhoto Library file. When I try to open iPhoto it crashes. If I move the Library and start a new one, it works. In another account it will open and bring up photos from Nov. 2008 and before.

The problem began when I downloaded iMac upgrades in August. I have photos from June 2009 to now as I bought a new camera and the photos downloaded right into Pictures, not iPhoto. But I have lost all pictures from Dec. 2008 to the end of May 2009. Is there anyway to open a file and pull individual pictures out. There used to be a program in the old Mac days that would let you dig into files and take some out. (It had a Jack-in-the-Box for an icon). Are there any programs that would let me open the Library and take pics out?


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## Yankee Rose (Jul 14, 1999)

What is your current version of iPhoto?


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## nfred (Oct 29, 2009)

iPhoto '08 7.1.5
The actual date of corruption was Sept. 14, 09 when I installed updates from Apple.

The Library Manager says the album data file for this library is malformed.
XML parser error:
Encountered unexpected character V on line 7249
Old-style plist parser error:
Malformed data byte group at line 1; invalid hex


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## nfred (Oct 29, 2009)

I dragged the file to the desktop. I was able to right click the file and pull out my pictures. Then trash the file. The problem has been solved.


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## Yankee Rose (Jul 14, 1999)

sweety666 - I'm a tad confused. What instructions/whose are you referring to?

If at the moment your iPhoto appears to be accessible/working, then I recommend your backing up your library.

*Three options for backing up your iPhoto Library:*

1. Burn the iPhoto Library folder in the Finder to a CD or DVD

This method will give you a burned iPhoto Library folder that can be copied back to your computer to replace a damaged library. You can also use this method to backup an old library when you want to create a new Library to use as your current library.

Insert a blank CD into your internal or external CD-RW drive and copy the iPhoto library to the CD icon on your desktop. When you drag the CD icon to the Trash/Eject button in the Dock, you are given the option to burn the CD. Click Burn and the CD is created. To burn a DVD backup of your digital images, use a DVD and a SuperDrive-equipped Mac.

2. Copy the ENTIRE iPhoto Library to an external drive formated for a Mac. Do not use this as your only back up as the external can also go bad.

3. Copy the ENTIRE iPhoto Library to your iPod in disk mode.

Hope that helps!


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## nfred (Oct 29, 2009)

I got the answer from Apple Discussions and thought if anyone else had this problem, it would help them. I created a new iPhoto Library by dragging the old one to the desktop and then right clicking to get the photo files to show up. I pulled them out individually onto the desktop and threw the old iPhoto Library file away. This let me store the photos on a CD. At least I have them now.


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