Project doesn't open - no error message

[fingerbreaker]

I worked for a few hours on a project today, mainly adding clips to the main track intending to reorder and edit later. Unfortunately I did not remember to make any backups recently which I usually remember to do.

I didn't try to reopen the file after the last save on my pc but a few hours later tried to open it on my laptop. All of the project files (including the project itself) are on an external hard drive so I can work either on my pc or laptop. Usually this works fine. I only mention it in case it could be related to the problem. When I try to open the project on my laptop, VS crashes with no other activity (I select the file, nothing happens for a few seconds, no loading progress etc., then crash).

I went back to my pc and tried to open it there. In that case, VS does not crash, but the file does not open. There is no indication that it's doing anything, it just doesn't respond at all to the request to open the file. Other projects open normally.

On both the pc and laptop I'm running VS Ultimate 2020 23.3.0.646 (64-bit Ultimate) on Windows 10.

So, I guess I have two questions:

1. Any ideas on how to recover this file without having to revert to the last backup?
2. Any reason to think that my practice of living off an external drive to facilitate working from two different devices is somehow a root cause, or for other reasons a bad idea?

Thanks,
FB

[Ken Berry]

Can we assume you don't get any message about re-linking when you try to open in your laptop?

The only thing I can think of is what drive letter is assigned when connected to the laptop. Is it the same (e.g. D:\) as assigned by the main computer? And when you reconnect to the main computer and things don't work there either, is the drive letter the same as originally assigned?

Normally, I wouldn't have thought this mattered as -- again normally -- you should have gotten the relink message. And when you start the relink process you indicate the drive where the clips are stored. In that case, the external drive could be called something else but relinking should still work.

[tletter]

When I try to open the project on my laptop, VS crashes with no other activity (I select the file, nothing happens for a few seconds, no loading progress etc., then crash).

My experience is that sometimes VS saves a corrupted VSP that it subsequently can't open. Unless you have a recent backup then you'll probably have to recreate the corrupted VSP from scratch.

If the VSP isn't corrupt and the source files have moved then VS offers to relink missing files assuming that the 'Relink checking' option has been selected.

tletter
https://www.youtube.com/user/tletter

[lata]

Do you have any other versions of Video Studio installed on the desktop.
Have you used any Prodad or New Blue filters that may be installed on PC and not on Laptop.

[fingerbreaker]

Ken: no re-linking messages in either case. I have the drive letter set to the same for both (I figured that trick out a few months ago!). It isn't changing when I go back to the pc.

tletter: Happened to me a few times before and so I usually backup often but hadn't in this case. Usually when it has happened before it has had to do with using .mov files so I've been in the habit of converting those to .mp4 before inserting them into a project. But that wasn't the case this time, it was all .mp4's and jpg's from my phone.

lata: I have x9 installed on my pc but not laptop, however I don't ever use it. No on the prodad/New Blue or other filters question. Both programs have the same filters as installed - I haven't added anything to either.

I've already begun rebuilding from the last backup. Thanks for your input.

FB

[tletter]

I've already begun rebuilding from the last backup.

Too bad that VS has no VSP repair tool or doesn't at least perform an integrity check on the VSP before saving it.

tletter
https://www.youtube.com/user/tletter