Apple has released iPhoto 9.0.1, which “addresses issues that, in extremely rare cases, could result in data loss when upgrading a library from an earlier version of iPhoto.” Users should install this update before updating to iPhoto ’11.
This issue can result in a situation in which photo libraries are blank or missing after the update to iPhoto ’11, and all of the contained images are apparently deleted
“If iPhoto unexpectedly quits during the update process, first confirm that you have installed the iPhoto 9.0.1 software update before attempting to upgrade your library again […] If the software unexpectedly quits, iPhoto may on subsequent launches appear to stop responding during the upgrade process. Customers are advised to let the process continue until the upgrade progress bar is displayed.
“If you have force quit iPhoto ’11 during a library upgrade, you should not attempt to open iPhoto ’11 or upgrade the library again without first installing the iPhoto 9.0.1 Update. Important: Attempting an update after a force quit may cause data loss.”
Obsessed with tech since the early arrival of A/UX on Apple, Sudz (SK) is responsible for the original editorial direction of AppleToolBox. He is based out of Los Angeles, CA.
Sudz specializes in covering all things macOS, having reviewed dozens of OS X and macOS developments over the years.
In a former life, Sudz worked helping Fortune 100 companies with their technology and business transformation aspirations.
this fix the problem
Right-click (or control-click) on “iPhoto Library” in your ~/Pictures folder. Inside there is a folder called Database; open that. Then you need to edit the file called “DataModelVersion.plist”. To edit it you will need something like Property List Editor (which comes with the free Developer package from Apple), or you can use the freeware Pref Setter. There is also a way to edit it from the Terminal, but I’ll leave that for the geekier types to figure out. If you have one of those apps installed, you can just double-click the plist file to open it. In my case the child entry “IsPhotoLibrary” was present, but was strangely unchecked (i.e., False/No). You need to check it, or change its setting to True. If it’s not there, you need to add a child entry, named “isIPhotoLibrary” of the type “Boolean” and set it to True/Yes (checked).
I “upgraded” to iPhoto 9.0. Then to 9.0.1. I launched iPhoto; it runs some task in background; doesn’t give me a progress bar or any indication of how long what it is doing will take. To travel with my laptop I sleep the machine so that I don’t quit from iPhoto’s task. The activity monitor says iPhoto has logged 112hrs 12 mins at last count! I do have a large photo library but this is ridiculous! I “niced” the task down to 20 and most of the day and night it consumes 49% of my CPU – I have a dual core Mac Book Pro. Sooner or later I will have to kill the task if only to do system upgrades! Ugh!
this fix the problem
Right-click (or control-click) on “iPhoto Library” in your ~/Pictures folder. Inside there is a folder called Database; open that. Then you need to edit the file called “DataModelVersion.plist”. To edit it you will need something like Property List Editor (which comes with the free Developer package from Apple), or you can use the freeware Pref Setter. There is also a way to edit it from the Terminal, but I’ll leave that for the geekier types to figure out. If you have one of those apps installed, you can just double-click the plist file to open it. In my case the child entry “IsPhotoLibrary” was present, but was strangely unchecked (i.e., False/No). You need to check it, or change its setting to True. If it’s not there, you need to add a child entry, named “isIPhotoLibrary” of the type “Boolean” and set it to True/Yes (checked).
I “upgraded” to iPhoto 9.0. Then to 9.0.1. I launched iPhoto; it runs some task in background; doesn’t give me a progress bar or any indication of how long what it is doing will take. To travel with my laptop I sleep the machine so that I don’t quit from iPhoto’s task. The activity monitor says iPhoto has logged 112hrs 12 mins at last count! I do have a large photo library but this is ridiculous! I “niced” the task down to 20 and most of the day and night it consumes 49% of my CPU – I have a dual core Mac Book Pro. Sooner or later I will have to kill the task if only to do system upgrades! Ugh!
Great – so what about those of us that installed -BEFORE this update was pushed out?