Orchid. AKA Help My Computer Is Making Me Cry. A L

I've spent all night doing computer stuff.

I have a MacBook. With lots and lots of photos on it. I used iPhoto to deal with these. I have since surmised that iPhoto s the devil incarnate.

Not only does it not allow you easy access to your individual image files (they've packaged it all in a 'neat' little folder, making backups and selective deletions close to impossible), they've also created folders (once you get into the pernickety little folder) dated with the number first! Great, just what I need Apple, perfect. 30 Sep right next to 30 August. Wouldn't putting the month first have been a little, I don't know, bloody sensible?!? Gah!

To add to my hell, I've now backed up to two different external drives. But Lightroom wont let me access my images for processing from either one. Nope, the images need to be on my computer's internal hard drive instead. Thanks for that. Why?

Also, take an NEF from iPhoto and it imports with no processing presets. Try opening Lightroom and selecting a copy of the same NEF file transferred to my desktop from the camera, and it adds all kinds of processing I definitely don't want, like changing the temperature and automatically tweaking contrast and brightness. I don't want that!

So, instead of fully fixing my MacBook and returning it to swishy fast computer goodness again, I took the only option left available to me. I deleted yet more music stuff. Great.

Anyone got any tips for me?

(apologies for the tone...I've literally spent the last 7 hours on this with no joy)