[PlacidTubs]

Me and a friend were recently experimenting with swapping software over a wireless netwrok and seeing if it would install ok as we are pretty new to the mac world. I had iPhoto 4, and he had 5, and we swapped them over and tried to install each others (after deleting our own ones first. we are no pirates). I ran iPhoto 5 and it worked fine. However, when we swapped back, after I deleted iPhoto 5 and tried to run 4, it said it could not run because my photo library had updated to the new version. This is strange because he had no problem running them both.

Is there anyway to rectify this? I am now left with no copy of iPhoto that works. I would just buy iLife 05 and stick with iPhoto 5 but I'm a poor student and can't afford it, especially as I don't really need the extra features. I use iPhoto the most out of my iLife apps and am a bit lost without it. can anyone help?

[cpac]

Once the library has been updated, I don't think you can down-grade it. (Which makes me wonder whether your friend maybe didn't have a library before he switched to 4).

In general, newer versions of programs can open the files/libraries/etc. created by older versions, but old versions cannot open newer versions (without time travel, the coders would not know what the new formats would look like).

Your best option (since I'm guessing you don't have a back-up) is to move the iPhoto library somewhere else, and re-import all your photos into iPhoto 4. You'll lose whatever editing of them you've done, as well as your keywords/comments/albums etc., but you'll get the pictures themselves back that way.

[PlacidTubs]

dammit thats a pain in the ass. thanks anyway.

[PurpleGiant]

Yeah, upgrading and downgrading software like iPhoto isn't a good idea at all. In your shoes, I would just suck it up and pay the money for iLife '05 anyway.

There is a warning when you upgrade to any new version of iPhoto that says "iPhoto requires that it update your photo lilbrary. This will make your Library unreadable in previous versions of iPhoto. are you sure you wish to continue?" (or words to that effect).

Did that warning not ring a few bells for you?