NEW PROBLEM -- Project File won't open hrs+ hrs of work!!!

[coreldb]

Hi! I am using Video Studio X4. After spending many, many hours putting together the beginning of my project, I went to open it this morning & it will not open! Nor will the back up of this file I put on a flash drive before closing the program and shutting down my computer last night. A previous version WILL open, but I made lots of changes & additions to that file over 3 days -- many hours invested, so I really would like to open the new file!

I have already done a "clean"un-install and re-installed my program from my VS program DVD [as per some kind of Corel chat person] -- AND I have installed Service Packs 1 and 2, according to his instructions. [And, before contacting this tech support person, I had un-installed and re-installed the program, with SP1 as well as re-installing part of my photo library of 800 pics & video clips I am using...]

[For those of you who were trying to help me with my previous issue of missing instant project templates, the re-install solved that problem! The templates seem to be all there at first glance.]

SO -- what do I do??? I got an error message saying:

The program has encountered an unspecified error and has stopped functioning. Please contact Corel Technical Support and send the dump file for analysis. And then a file name/link is listed... This message pops up when the file is loaded at 98% (every time I have tried -- it hangs at the same place)

HELP!!!!! Is there any hope of being able to open this file? It is still shown on my computer as well as on the flash drive where it was copied. Not sure if this is part of the problem, but after I closed it, I changed the last digit in the file name (from 8.10 to 8.13 -- the date is in the file name)...

I have used Video Studio for several years -- this is the 3rd or 4th version of the program I have purchased. Because I have so much money and time invested in it, I have stuck with it, but there MUST be a better program out there! It seems every large project I do, the program gets glitchy about something & crashes & I think I have lost hundreds of hours of work... so far, after more hours, I have usually managed to re-cover the project (one time, even after buying a new version of the program.) Can't believe how much trouble this program causes me!!!

YOU ARE ALL GREAT -- I'M COUNTING ON YOU -- HELP!!!!!!!!!!! ANY IDEAS HOW TO GET MY PROJECT TO OPEN??? While I'm waiting for your suggestions, I'm off to re-build my photo library.....

THANKS! db

[lata]

Hi

I have sent you an e-mail so you can send a VSP project file.

I suspect a corrupt file being used in the project.
Your clips/files are saved on the hard drive in a folder somewhere.
If you re-name that folder Video Studio will try to open the project but will be unable to find the files, and unable to read them, you should get request to re-link., say no, does the project open.
If yes, start relinking, if it is a corrupt file then when you re-link you should get the error.

Thats my thoughts anyway.

[Ken Berry]

Have you also tried renaming the file back to the original 8.10? If not, then I would copy the file 8.13 to another folder, just to keep it safe, then in the original folder, rename it.

[coreldb]

Ken -- I have tried what you've suggested several times -- the project still will not open. Consistently, it opens until 98%, then I get the error message that the program has stopped working & suggesting I send the DMP file to tech support (although each time I look for that file, I can't seem to find it)...

Trevor tried to open it also, but wasn't able to. My project was created in VS X4, but I'm thinking next to try downloading the VS X5 trial & see if I can open it there. [Last year when I hit a roadblock not being able to render a nearly one hour project, I was able to do a work-around by downloading VS X4 to render the project I created in X3.] Any other suggestions are appreciated!!!

[lata]

Hi DB

Thanks for the sample, as you mentioned I was unable to open the project file.
Both X4 and X5 failed with a crash

Trying to add the project to the library also caused a crash. ( program has encountered an unspecified error and has stopped functioning)
It crashed the program.

Using X3 the project just did not open, but no crashes?

Using X5
When the progress bar reached98% the process freezes, and the error message shows, for some reason i dragged the error window across the screen, don't know why, but when it floated over the timeline the clips showed. (like scrubbing the timeline)
Try it
One of the clips clearly shows as requiring a re-link- showing in Black and White trapped between two transitions, blinds and crossfade.

The re-link would indicate that the clip has been changed, removed/deleted. DB Can you identify this clip?

However i would not have thought that a simple re-link would cause a crash.

Ken if you would like to try the file i can send it on.

DB, have you moved any files, maybe cleaned up the HD, can you view your ReCycle bin for any files you think may be associated with the project, including any VSP types.

Do you use nesting as part of your editing process?

[coreldb]

Trevor -- I was not able to re-create the situation as you did -- getting the clips to show when dragging the error message over the timeline.

I am wondering -- is there a way to open my project say in a text program (or any other way), then try to delete various parts to see if I can find the offending section? Before the problem began, ONE of the last things I did was edit a video clip into I think 4 sections. I had also separated audio from a different video clip (and placed this audio without the video)... not sure if those actions could have caused problems (although I have done this kind of thing in other projects without problems). Difficult to remember at this point, what all I did before the problem opening the project. Thanks again.

[lata]

Hi DB

As mentioned earlier I am able to scrub the timelines using the error message window, (drag the window over the timelines-dont ask?) this seems to paint the timelines.
By setting the timeline Zoom I was able to display about 6 minutes of this project, I can also show all but the clips are much closer together. The full project seems to be about 12.5 minutes long.

Still no wiser as to why it fails to open?

click image for larger view