Retreiving photos from AppleTV?

[Padraic]

I had a hard drive crash that contained my iPhoto library and I didn't have backups. I'm talking close to 6000 pictures over a 14 year time span or so... I've learned my lesson...

I'd resigned myself to spending close to a grand to send the drive to a data recovery outfit, and then I realized that all the photos are sitting on the h/d of my AppleTV.

So, my question is this, how do I get them off and back to my iMac? Is it possibly without taking apart the AppleTV or hacking it?

I appreciate any info anyone can come up with. It would really get me out of the doghouse with the wife.

Thanks!

Patrick

 

[Padraic]

Update: I got 'em!!!

I used the instructions here: http://www.wiki.atv4windows.com/index.php?title=Main_Page to create a patchstick and was able to SSH into it. I'm currently pulling off 9.79GB of pictures. Of course I've lost all my events and tags (I think), so I'll have to spend some time redoing all that, but in the end it's better than spending ~$1k to get them back.

As a side note, why are the instructions for creating a patchstick so much easier for windows? On the AwkwardTV site here: http://wiki.awkwardtv.org/wiki/Take2patch I have to follow another link, and use those instructions along with my OSX disk and in conjunction with another set of instructions. I thought it was supposed to be easier on Mac (most things are). I'm not afraid of the terminal, I have a linux server in my garage and before I bought my iMac used Slackware linux as my desktop OS. But when I see a one page instruction set for windows, and a jumbled mess for another system it makes me wonder. Just my .02 cents.

Patrick

 

[Alrescha]

As a side note, why are the instructions for creating a patchstick so much easier for windows?

umnn... because someone created a full disk image of the USB drive for Windows? (perhaps because building it from scratch on Windows would be near-impossible for most people instead of that simple script they posted for Leopard?). Just my two cents...

A.

 

[Padraic]

(perhaps because building it from scratch on Windows would be near-impossible for most people instead of that simple script they posted for Leopard?).

Simple script plus the need for a Tiger install disc.

Creation of a Patchstick is possible on Leopard if you have access to your old Mac OS X Intel install disc, i.e. the one that got bundled with you pre-Leopard Intel Mac or whatever. If you've thrown it away or bought your mac post-Leopard there are several ways you can get a hold of it, out of which the least immoral one is to just borrow it from a friend.

 

[ab2650]

Update: I got 'em!!!

I used the instructions here: http://www.wiki.atv4windows.com/index.php?title=Main_Page to create a patchstick and was able to SSH into it. I'm currently pulling off 9.79GB of pictures. Of course I've lost all my events and tags (I think), so I'll have to spend some time redoing all that, but in the end it's better than spending ~$1k to get them back.

Patrick,
Would you mind telling me the location of the photos? I've been poking around the contents of my ATV for a while now and can't find any images...

Nevermind: I found the files at /mnt/Media/Photos/

 

[pinto69]

Update to this Thread???

Padraic,

Is there any update to this thread since 2008? I'm in the same situation you were in, and I need to get the pictures off of my Apple TV and onto my new computer (Windows). Any advice? I'm not a computer genius, so keep it simple, if there is any. Thanks...