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TICKET ARCHIVE -> iPhoto crashing

proussak - Oct 15, 2006 - 10:47 am

Since I installed the recent QuickTime and iTunes updates, my iPhoto has been crashing frequently. The timing may be a coincidence, of course, but I've seen references elsewhere on the Web to similar problems after the update.

Specifically, iPhoto now crashes when I try to import files that have been edited in PS Elements 3 and saved as jpg or psd files. It also crashes if I try to use the iPhoto internal editor on certain files, some of which have been edited in PSE and some haven't. And I've tried separating my main iPhoto library and exporting and importing some photos into new libraries - some files import OK, others cause it to crash, seemingly at random.

I've tried rebuilding the iPhoto library, I've tried deleting the iPhoto plist file. I've seen suggestions to use the Archive and Install route for this problem but wanted your advice before trying something so extreme.

Thanks

proussak - Oct 16, 2006 - 9:02 am

FWIW, I forgot to mention a couple of things:
1. The files that cause iPhoto to crash when I try to import them open up fine in Preview - I don't know if this is relevant to whether the files themselves are corrupted?
2. I've also run Disk Utility and TechTools to see if there's anything wrong with my overall system and they came back clean.

Thanks

LovesMacs - Oct 17, 2006 - 7:37 am

Hello Peter,

Try the following and see if you have better luck with iPhoto.

1) trashing the preference file
2) rebuilding the library by holding the option key during launch
3) reinstalling osx 10.4.6 and 10.4.7 with combo updates, followed by repairing disk permissions
4) trashed iphoto.app and reinstalled from iLife '06 DVD
5) delete all references to iPhoto on my mac in the following locations:

Hard Drive>Applications
Hard Drive>Library>Caches
Hard Drive>Library>Receipts

Home>Library>iApps
Home>Library>Preferences (com.apple.iPhoto.plist)

At least Disk Utility and TechTool gave your drive a clean bill of health. Try my suggestions... if you still have problems, post back.

Carolyn :-)

proussak - Oct 17, 2006 - 12:12 pm

Appreciate the suggestions. Just a couple of (probably silly) questions before I try them:

1. I'm not sure what you mean in step 3 - "reinstalling osx 10.4.6 and .7 with combo updates". Do I do that from Apple's website? And what do you mean by "combo updates"?

2. In step 4, when you say trash iphoto.app, do you mean delete it from the Applications folder? If I then reinstall from the iLife DVD and then delete again from Applications per your step 5, isn't this the same step - i.e. won't I have to reinstall again? Sorry if I'm missing something here..

Thanks

LovesMacs - Oct 17, 2006 - 1:53 pm

HI Peter...

I didn't mean to confuse you! When I say reinstall 10.4.x, as these are standard iPhoto troubleshooting tips. If you still can't get iPhoto to work properly, I would make sure the drive is in good condition. Take your system CD or DVD that came with your Mac and run Disk Utility to Repair Permissions AND Verify that the disk has no errors. To do this, insert your system CD or DVD and boot your Mac, at the same time holding down the C key. When you see the Apple log on the screen you can let go of the C key. Now, an Installer screen will appear. Don't do that, instead look up in the Menu where it says Utilities and click Disk Utility. Repair Permissions, Verify the disk has no errors. If everything is ok on the hard disk, then go back up to the Menu, click Utilities>Startup Disk. A pane will appear, click your MacintoshHD 10.4.x and that will Restart your Mac from it's internal drive. Try iPhoto and see what happens. Just do what you normally do. Don't worry about the combo updates. That is only if you have completely Erased the drive and reinstallted Tiger from scratch. Do this even though you've tried before with DU and TechTool... sometimes errors on drives don't show up the first time around and it won't hurt to try.

If the above doesn't do the job, I would completely Erase the disk and reinstall Tiger. At that point, is when you will need all your system updates again. After reinstalling Tiger, make sure you have an internet connection, then click the Apple logo top left of your screen, then click Software Updates. It will scan the drive for updates that are required.

I just looked at the Help menu on iPhoto. One thing they make clear is to always Import photos from iPhoto, especially if they are from software such as PElements. If you have ever just dragged and dropped photos with a format (psd) that iPhoto doesn't recognize, that will corrupt your entire iPhoto Library. Always make sure you just Import from the File Menu in iPhoto. Doing it that way ensures that iPhoto won't Import and formats it can't read.

Regards,
Carolyn :-)

proussak - Oct 18, 2006 - 9:17 am

Carolyn - thanks, I've been trying your suggestions, including running DU from the system CD and completely deleting/reinstalling iPhoto. No luck! Still crashes if I try to import any jpg file that has been edited in Elements.

You suggest completely erasing the disk and reinstalling. As I mentioned in my original post, apparently there are users experiencing the exact same issue after updates to QT and iTunes - see http://www.macfixit.com/article.php?...60927091403902 - and they suggest Archive and Install may help. Do you think a complete erase/reinstall is better? Either one sounds rather scary, to tell the truth!

I note your comment re dragging and dropping psd files, and I may have done that in the past, that is true. However, I only started having difficulties after the QT/iTunes upgrade. And as regards iPhoto, even if you go through the File-Import to Library route, iPhoto completes the import and doesn't give any kind of indication that it doesn't like psd files. And now I have completely new iPhoto libraries, that I have never tried to import any psd files into, and they still crash if I try to import an Elements-edited jpeg file.

So I'm stuck! What do you think?

proussak - Oct 18, 2006 - 9:49 am

So now I've even more evidence that this is an Apple/QT7.1.3 issue - see http://discussions.apple.com/thread....61189&tstart=0. Sorry I didn't find this before taking up your time! I think I'm going to go into an Apple store tomorrow and have the Genius Bar guys figure this out for me. I'll let you know how it turns out, in case anyone posts a similar question in the future. But thanks again for your help.

proussak - Oct 19, 2006 - 2:06 pm

As indicated in one of the posts in the discussions thread I referenced yesterday this appears to be an issue of how QuickTime 7.1.3 relates to the color profile embedded into jpg files edited in Elements. Existing files can be fixed by running the Embed Chosen Profile script and choosing sRGB. And for new files, it seems that changing Color Settings in Elements to Limited Color Management, which is the sRGB profile, and checking the "Embed Color Profile" box when saving, does the trick. I have some experimenting to do to figure out how this works on psd files.

Hopefully Apple will recognize this problem and fix it in the next version of QT.

Thanks for your help.