finding photos after hard drive change on imac - iphoto problems

I have an iMac, and the recalled hard drive was replaced last week.

i used to Time Machine backup to a Time Capsule, before taking it in.

Got it back, when it turned it on, Airport Utility opened up telling me all I had on the time capsule, installed everything that came up, took 5 days connected by usb.

It appears all my music, desktop, programs were loaded. But I am having problems with Iphoto, a popup box saying "What photo library do you want iphoto to use" I have no idea where to take it, it gives me options of opening other library or create a new one.

I searched my mac for photos and they are not found on computer. I backed all my photos up on another external drive, so i didn't lose my photos. I'm just wondering why time machine isn't putting iphoto back the way it was when it was backed up.

Any suggestions. I don't want to create a new file or direct it to a library, as i am not sure which one to direct it to. I have no idea where it was directed to, initially. I don't recall ever doing this when i got the computer.

Help!

The iPhoto application does not store photos separately but instead they are grouped into a special file called the "iPhoto Library". Have you attempted to open the iPhoto Library to see if your photos were there?

the only files i find regarding iphoto are "iphoto library recovered photos" and "iphoto slideshows" and there are only a few photos in there. I had 40,000 photos in my iphotos before this.

I tried to get into the Time Capsule and slide them in, like i can from other external drives. but can't locate the time capsule files. When i go into Time Machine, there are no prior backups.

The Time Machine backup is stored on the Time Capsule as a "sparse bundle". In order to read or mount the sparse bundle image, double click on it and then open it with Time Machine as per normal.

These are the Apple instructions:

If your backups are in a sparse bundle, double-click the sparse bundle to mount it, then select the Time Machine Backups (or Backup of <computer name>) partition that will appear, indented, below the sparse bundle.

When iPhoto launches on a new machine it creates a library called iPhoto Library in your Pictures folder. This is done automatically, which is why you have no recollection of doing it.

If you've used migration assitant to move all you data back your iPhoto Library will be in your Pictures folder.
If iPhoto was run prior to you running migration assitant you may now have two iPhoto Libraries (one empty, one from you rbackup). Checking their size (right-click - Get Info) should give a clue as to which is your genuine one but you can also hold option on starting iPhoto to force it into asking you to choose a library. You can select and browse any iPhoto library and see if it contains your photos etc. It'll do no harm.

If you genuinely don't have your iPhoto library on your Mac you can open Time Machine, navigate to the Pictures folder and drag the backed-up iPhoto Library across to your Macs Pictures folder