iphoto lost "album data" in archive

Hi

I'm transferring 25GB of photos onto a hard drive (as well as the Time Machine back-up).

Having done this, then moving the iPhoto Library file to the Trash, I realise all my album data is gone - along with the ratings I had awarded my favourite pix.

Restoring the library from the Trash (using Import, rather than any 'restore' command, if that matters), does not replace the album information. Transferring the albumdata.xml file is not working for me (it seems to be corrupt, containing a file that looks like something from my son's computer game)

Welcome to the Mac Forums.

Did you follow the instructions for moving the iPhoto library to an external hard drive? See this LINK. Also, why did you move the Time Machine backup? Was it on your internal hard drive?

Sorry for all the questions, but we need to know exactly what happened before providing a solution.

Hi Chscag

Thanks for the link to the Basics4Mac site, which was very useful. Following the tips, I was able to open the saved external library that, happily, included all the metadata I thought I had lost. I've also bought the Library Manager software they recommend, to smooth the process in future.

Best wishes and Happy New Year.

Cillian de Buitlear
So, problem solved, it seems. But to answer your question, my Time Machine storage has always been on an external hard drive - I meant that I was making a full copy of the library as well as having it done in the Time Machine back-up process.

Thanks for your help.

OK, great. I see now what you were doing and glad to see you got your data back. Have fun and visit us often.