[veryniceguy2002]

I am thinking to re-install my system from fresh (including re-format and re-partition my hard drive). Is there a method that I can move my iPhoto contents such that it will retain my albums and comments that I have when I start my iPhoto on a newly installed system?

[wataru]

Backup and then restore the ~/Photos/iPhoto Library folder.

[eeeaa]

Everything is retained if you back up the previously-mentioned folder and then restore it when you rebuild your Mac. It contains the folders with all the pictures, as well as your library file.

[skybolt]

Just to be clear -- are you saying use a backup program, like "backup" or some such and then use a restore command? Or could the same thing be accomplished by copying the iPhoto Library to another place (external HD, for example) and then just dragging that file back to the original location once the reformat was done? Just want to be totally clear about the "backup".

Thanks in advance!

[Mithras]

Just copying is fine.

[eeeaa]

Copying is fine, but you want to copy more than the Library file. You need the folder that encloses that file, as well as all the subfolders of that folder, in order to get your music backed up too.

[tomscott]

Originally Posted by dmetzcher

Copying is fine, but you want to copy more than the Library file. You need the folder that encloses that file, as well as all the subfolders of that folder, in order to get your music backed up too.

just to be clear on this as I have very few chances - my iBook started dying last night and only boots occasionally - one of those times I successfully booted I dragged my iPhoto and iTunes info (basically just copied and pasted everything that came up in the list at Finder - ie my music was organized by artist in the Finder and not by smart playlists - I assume that's part of something not immediately visible; same deal with photos - couldn't see any of my albums, seems to be organized differently in Finder list but I seem to recall something like: iPhoto Library being one of the files I dragged across)...onto an external hard drive. It took about an hour to do both but it seems to have worked.

so question is, when i get my iBook back from it's applecare visit, if the drive is new or wiped, can i assume I got all my music and photos safely stored on the hard drive?

if so, do I just drag everything back and open iTunes/iPhoto? How will they "find" my music and pictures?

thanks for any help...I posted elsewhere too that, I am so short of space that I'm thinking of keeping my music and photos on the external drive - am wondering if my iPod will work with them that way? And actually, this is likely a completely separate issue...whether the first time i sync my iPod with the repaired iBook, I'll lose everything stored on the iPod..?

thanks for your patience - I use my computer (what feels like 24/7) but actually know very little about it. Sorta like my car, I just want it to work magically when I put the key in.

diane

[eeeaa]

Originally Posted by dara1960

just to be clear on this as I have very few chances - my iBook started dying last night and only boots occasionally - one of those times I successfully booted I dragged my iPhoto and iTunes info (basically just copied and pasted everything that came up in the list at Finder - ie my music was organized by artist in the Finder and not by smart playlists - I assume that's part of something not immediately visible; same deal with photos - couldn't see any of my albums, seems to be organized differently in Finder list but I seem to recall something like: iPhoto Library being one of the files I dragged across)...onto an external hard drive. It took about an hour to do both but it seems to have worked.

so question is, when i get my iBook back from it's applecare visit, if the drive is new or wiped, can i assume I got all my music and photos safely stored on the hard drive?

if so, do I just drag everything back and open iTunes/iPhoto? How will they "find" my music and pictures?

thanks for any help...I posted elsewhere too that, I am so short of space that I'm thinking of keeping my music and photos on the external drive - am wondering if my iPod will work with them that way? And actually, this is likely a completely separate issue...whether the first time i sync my iPod with the repaired iBook, I'll lose everything stored on the iPod..?

thanks for your patience - I use my computer (what feels like 24/7) but actually know very little about it. Sorta like my car, I just want it to work magically when I put the key in.

diane

Regarding your first sync with the iPod, you will lose everything on it if you do not put the iTunes library and files back into iTunes. The iPod will sync with whatever is in iTunes. If you have nothing there, nothing will sync.

Regarding moving the iTunes and iPhoto libraries, I wrote a tip for each at my site. The links are below.

Moving the iPhoto Library
Moving the iTunes Library (Just wrote this one, so let me know if you have any issues with it at all.)

The iTunes tip above contains two methods. The second method is probably the one that you want.