"Pictures" and other files won't open

[Rogbahia]

When I tried to download a "Backup of iPhoto" from external HD (some photos disappeared), the "pictures" file in "users" and the download won't open. I just keep getting the message from "Terminal": Last login: Fri Mar 6 14:25:01 on ttys001
Rogers-MacBook-Pro:~ rogerhale$
Thanks in advance for a head's up.

 

[cradom]

Please read this, come back here and try again...

http://www.mac-forums.com/forums/news-community-announcements/313284-writing-quality-post.html

 

[Rogbahia]

"Pictures" file in users won't open

Thank you for replying, Cradom. Mac Forums is for people who don't know their way around computing very well, nor the correct terminology, so my apologies if I wasn't clear with explaining the problem.

The problem arose when I saw that a number of photos had disappeared from iPhoto on my MacBook Pro with OS X 10.9 Yosemite installed.
When I download a blue file named, "Backup of iPhoto," from external HD the "Pictures" file in "users" and the download won't open when I click on it.

On my main HD File, I go to "users" and there is a file with my name and the icon of a house. One of the files in this grouping of files is "Pictures". I am not sure when the change to not being able to open this file, but certainly after downloading the "iPhoto" backup I just keep getting the message from "Terminal": Last login: Fri Mar 6 14:25:01 on ttys001

This also happens when I click on the backup itself, which I downloaded again and kept separate from the "Pictures" file under the same 'House' icon.

I hope this clarifies my predicament. I used the suggestion of putting in a much detail as possible, although I am basically saying the same thing. Regards, Roger.

 

[cradom]

SO, you're saying you cant open the Pictures folder after you copied a file from an external drive?
Does it still have the "Pictures" icon? Do a "Get Info" on it and see what the permissions are. You should have read-write on it.
Have no idea what Terminal has to do with this?

 

[Rogbahia]

Pictures won't open

Thanks for reply. Yes, to your question. Both are "Read and Write" and both "Pictures" and " iPhoto Backup" activate the "Terminal" Message box entitled "iPhotobackup - bash - 80 X 24" with the message, "Last login: Sat Mar 7 18:19:17 on ttys000
Rogers-MacBook-Proictures rogerhale$"
That's all I get and am wondering if I replace the "Pictures" file from an older date on the external HD, that will help. Although the iPhoto backup from an earlier date also repeats the same problem.

 

[cradom]

Pictures is a folder, not a file, and if you "replace" it you will lose everything in it.
What happens when you double-click the folder? You should be getting a window showing the folder's contents.

 

[Rogbahia]

Thanks for the warning. You have an interesting quote on your page, which sort of set the scene when asking me to re explain my problem. A couple of times you have come back and asked or repeated something already answered; such as now: "What happens when you double click on the file?"
Well Chandon, that's where we started: when I double click on boy files mentioned, the Terminal is activated and the given message comes up.
You have said, you don't know what the Termainal has to do with it, so I guess we've hit a wall.
Thanks anyway for taking the trouble. Now I have to figure out who can help me with this. With other problems a couple of people were kind enough to kick in with suggestions, which is not the case here. Best, Roger

 

[Rogbahia]

Your name was misspelt by the automatic spelling checker and I didn't see it. Apologies.

 

[IWT]

Hi Rogbahia

For my sake, and in the hope it will help me and our colleagues understand things better, can you take time out to sort out a few points that have me baffled?

May I take you back to how things were before this all happened?

You had a lot of photos. OK. Where were they kept initially? iPhoto I presume? On your Mac HD? Then you created a backup of these on an EHD, yes? How did you do that exactly? And what did you do with the photos which were originally on the Mac's HD? Generally "Backup" means making a copy of something (photos in your case) whilst retaining the original.

Now we fast forward a bit. You "downloaded" a Backup of iPhoto from the EHD. I don't quite understand "download" in this context. Are you just saying that you tried to get into your Backup folder which you previously created on the EHD? We're not talking any third party downloaded software are we?

If these questions seem somewhat tiresome, it's only because we don't really know what you did, in what order you did things and so on. Be patient with us and we'll do our utmost to help.

Ian

 

[cradom]

At this point I'm figuring:
Create a new user and see if the problem persists. If not, migrate to the new user account and delete the old one.
If that doesn't work we're looking at a reinstall of the system. Got a good backup?
And thanks for jumping in Ian. Really wasn't understanding all that was going on. "blue file"?

Edit: thinking about it, it sounds like he tried to replace Pictures folder with one from a Time Machine backup and Finder threw a fit.
Don't think you can do that.

 

[Rogbahia]

This is a reply to IWT - Ian

Thanks for joining the thread.



You had a lot of photos. OK. Where were they kept initially? iPhoto I presume? YES
On your Mac HD? YES
Then you created a backup of these on an EHD, yes? YES
How did you do that exactly? With TM in System Preferences
And what did you do with the photos which were originally on the Mac's HD? NOTHING. I copied the iPhoto backup to another folder in my name "little House" icon. (Don't know what it's called!
Generally "Backup" means making a copy of something (photos in your case) whilst retaining the original. YES, so I did.
Now we fast forward a bit. You "downloaded" a Backup of iPhoto from the EHD. I don't quite understand "download" in this context. COPIED is probably better. I just slid the file from the EHD to the folder mentioned.
Are you just saying that you tried to get into your Backup folder which you previously created on the EHD? We're not talking any third party downloaded software are we? YES to the first (that gave the "Terminal" message) and NO to the second.

I did manage to get into the files eventually by right clicking and going to "Show package contents"! BUT my basic problem stays the same: I am missing a lot of photos from the iPhoto on my Mac HD and since the EHD has deleted files before 2013, they are not even there. So I've searched for results from people with the same problem, but have not found the answer.

Hope this helps. Roger.

 

[Rogbahia]

Pictures file won't open

This is a reply to Cradom:

Thanks for your patience. Let's see what Ian comes up with. It could get very complicated for a 'pencil generation guy'. That's why I go to you guys for help, which pretty much always works out. Roger.

 

[IWT]

Well Roger, it's kind of you to place such confidence in my diagnostic skills! I don't know if I'll deliver to your satisfaction.

Anyway; this is what I think happened:

you had photos in iPhoto. You used Time Machine (TM) to create a BU on to your EHD, keeping the original photos where they started, in iPhoto. Then you "slid" (dragged) the TM copy back into your Home Folder on your Mac.

This brings us to Craig's suggestion of a "conflict" in Finder when it sees your original photos in iPhoto, and a duplicate, created by TM, now in your Home Folder. That might generate a Terminal message....(I'm pretty clueless about Terminal because it's too scary for words to the inexperienced-me!)

Since we last communicated, you've found some, but not all, of your photos.

Craig—any thoughts on my view of things and, more importantly for Roger, how he can reverse the process or otherwise get his lost photos back?

Roger, thank you for your cooperation and detailed description of what you did.. We've come a long way from your initial post!

Craig....ideas?

Ian

 

[cradom]

Try this: Open Time Machine and restore the Pictures folder. After deleting whatever you dragged over from the external.
Go back a day or two and restore.
And I still haven't figured out how it's generating a Terminal message, and I pretty much know Terminal.

 

[Rod]

Try this: Open Time Machine and restore the Pictures folder. After deleting whatever you dragged over from the external.
Go back a day or two and restore.
And I still haven't figured out how it's generating a Terminal message, and I pretty much know Terminal.

Wow, this really requires some careful reading. Well done sorting the bones out of this one. I hope this is not a stupid question but Rogbahia did you copy the whole Pictures Folder initially. Or did you try to move the TM copy of the Pictures Folder back to your Home Folder that's certainly going to cause some conflicts.
Time machine backups are not just copies of the files they represent. You cannot access the TM backups except through the TM interface ie Enter Time Machine command in the TM Menu.
They cannot be opened or dragged to another location or erased any other way.
My advice is to delete the file from your Home Folder (if you can), if you used the drag an drop method it will only be a copy anyway but unplug the EHD first, after that Enter Time Machine from the TM menu, select photos and roll back to before the original missing photos went missing.
In future if you want a backup of iPhoto the method is to Copy (Right Click) or drag the iPhoto Library in the Pictures folder onto an EHD, you will also have to rename it e.g. iPhoto Library 2 or "copy." BUT do not put it on the same EHD you are using for TM. TM may overwrite it when the disk gets full.

 

[Rogbahia]

Pictures file won't open

This reply is for Ian - IWT:

Thanks for that. I guess we are waiting for Craig to think about the problem.

Where we are now is that:
1. I ditched the file from the EHD, so there is o conflict.
2. To be clear about TM, I am using a non-Apple EHD and backing up by way of the TM icon in System Preferences. This does not open the TM format in my Mac, but the files are all saved.
3. It's not optimal, but I discovered I can bypass the "Terminal" thingy by right clicking to "Show package contents"
As mentioned yesterday, The initial problem - confused by the unresolved change to "Terminal messages", instead of files opening normally - of losing pictures from iPhoto. Looking at other posts to the problem, this is a bug of iPhoto, and is really serious since the photos are pre 2013 and the EHD deleted backups prior to this date, to create space.
Sounds like "gone is gone"!

So, no solution to the "Pictures file won't open as before -only right clicking, and no way to get old photos back.
Thanks for the participation. Mac Forums works really well and the help is much appreciated.

 

[Rogbahia]

pictures file won't open

This reply is for Rod:

Thanks for joining the thread. I just posted a reply to Ian cover what you asked and suggested.
And your give a conclusion as to where we are :
1. No solution as to why the files suddenly wouldn't open and the interference of the "Terminal" messages. I am using the right clicking option to show "Show package contents".
2. No solution to photos lost from iPhoto bug experienced by others, if there is no backup for the dates of the loss.

Best, Roger.