clever people - how do I move all of my iPhoto library from macbook to eMac?

[ErnestTheBavarian]

I am dog tired and totally thick anyway.

Our laptop is so full now I can't even download the most recent pictures off my camera. Up till now they're all on the lap top. We also have a (grossly underused) eMac .

How do I get all from laptop to the eMac, is it fail safe? Is there anyway I can do it and check it's all on big comp before they get deleted just to be sure? Is it easy enough for dollard like me, or do I wait 3 years for dh to get round to it?

oh, and we seem to have a me user area, dh user area - shared (but dunno if photo library automatically 'shared' iyswim. how do I be sure I get it all?

Ta v. much lovely people

no idea but do happen to know a "Mac Genius" (cringe at name) so if no replies from MNers Ill get in touch with him after he finishes work..

I now know what an e-mac is. bless wikipedia. Cant you set up photobox or other photosharing site / burn cds?

thanks Lmccrean. BTW I made a mistake, it's an iMac not an eMac. Def don't just want photos on cds. Preferably not just on computer either, but do want them off Macbook and on to iMac.

What is photobox? we're talking a lot of photos here - 9 years worth. would be interested in this as well as transfer, ta

photobox is a photosharing site- assuming you have net access on your laptop, and pref in some sort of order, its ideal.

www.photobox.com - You can upload pics and they store them on your personal page (can makes multiple albums), then share the albums with family in other countries easily. You can also order photos/photogifts from them.

Have a nosey and see what you think.

Assuming laptop has cd-burner and iMac has cd drive then just burn them onto discs, pop into iMac and then copy them onto the iMac. (drag and drop with pc, dont know about macs)

If you sort the pics as you go, then itll be easy to see what you have (when it comes to ones on yours and dhs own profile things on laptop)

I keep meaning to sort out my pics on my computer too, but never get around to it til Im in a panic to get new ones online to make photogifts!

ta again.

On the 1 hand, it's a good idea, and will make me sort through pics. otoh, it'll take forever, as have 9 years of pics, and currently can't download pics off camera, so need it done asap.

There must be a way of just connecting with USB and it magically jumping from laptop to iMac. Hmm, but how?

If I do go the cd route, then presumably, all the pics then go onto the iMac in the order they're burnt & uploaded (which would be a good and a bad thing?)

Have you not got a USB stick? Much less faff than burning a CD.

However, I would have imagined that with a USB cable transfer would be easy, unless one of the computers were really old. When I got my flash new iMac, I had the option of transferring everything from my old iMac to the new one via USB cable. Unfortunately it didn't work as the older iMac's OS was far too old.

Are your Macs around the same age?

Failing that, you can get a supplementary HD, link it to your computer and transfer over really easily.

BTW, I would arrange for some backup(says she, who still has to get around to it herself), as if either of those computers crash you'll lose the lot. Maybe burning a CD wouldn't be a bad idea.

have got stick, but we're talking a LOT of photos here - enough to fill up the memory of the alptop, so would take forever.

You must be able to do with USB cabel, but I just don't know how to - that's my question - how do I do it??
If I stick a cable into both comps to connect it, it's not gonna magically know what I want it to do and I'm too thick to work it out and don't wanna risk loosing anything.

We do have an extrernal HD - our eMac died and we did losea ll our baby photos - I cried! So go t he HD - just the laptop is backed up, bvut I don't know how to get the photos, just the photos and all of the photos. COuld/would like to learn but technologically lazy & always left dh to do everything tech, but he's just so busy now

If both machines have a firewire port (which i think they do), you can connect them together with a firewire cable. once you have connected them together, you can start the macbook in "firewire target disk mode" and copy the files off directly to the iMac. This is a special Mac function (that i wish all machines had!).this will explain the steps you need to do

Ah, MrCSWS got there before me. Yes, the Firewire thing, but be warned it won't work if your other computer's OS is 9.1 or older. Otherwise, it's pure magic, you never get anything like this with a crappy PC.

For the HD, with ours there's an import function and you can choose what to import. In our case (IIRC, will have to go and have a look it's been so long) we copied the whole of iPhoto over.

mrsc - perfect, thank you, might just risk it - ooh dh will be impressed. actually, he probably won't notice, but I will be impressed. (whispers, am mega thick/cautious - is laptop the host and iMac the target then in this icase)

in fact it doesn't matter, but i would make the iMac the Host and the macbook the target

it says I have to switch off the target, but not the host and knowing me, I'll switch off the wrong one..

I'm coming across as really dense, aren't i?

turn off laptop (that will be the target). Leave on the iMac. just read through the intructions carefully and you will be fine

OK, Thanks MrC - sorry I called you mrs before, oops.

I have backed it all up and will give it a whirl today or tomorrow.