PE2 ''project appears to be damaged''

Over the course of the past month, I occasionally get a message ''The project appears to be damaged, it cannot be opened'' about halfway through the project loading. I then go back to the prior day's version (I save each successive day's version as a different file) and redo a day's worth of edits and then move on. Is there any way to open and use a project which gives this error message, or have I lost that version?
PE2 ''project appears to be damaged''
What are the source files you are working with and how did they get into your computer?



Are your project and media files on your C drive or on an external drive?



What version of the software are you using and have you modified the workspace in any way (i.e., undocking the panels, particularly the timeline) and moving them to other positions on your screen?
PE2 ''project appears to be damaged''
What are the source files you are working with and how did they get into your computer?

Pictures, AV, songs and narrative. Pix and Video are home movies/oix. Songs are itunes or ripped from CD. Narrative is my recorded voice.



Are your project and media files on your C drive or on an external drive?

External, linked in through a USB



What version of the software are you using and have you modified the workspace in any way (i.e., undocking the panels, particularly the timeline) and moving them to other positions on your screen?

PE 2.0 (do you need some point version too?). I have not unlocked any panels or modified the work space. I merely expand and contract the work spaces when using them.



My procedure is that I have been creating this 15 minute montage for about 2 months now, adding a bit each day. Each day I ''save as'' a new file so if there is a glitch, I have only lost a day's work. This problem happened about a month ago, and about 2 weeks ago, and this week, on different saved versions. Each time, I went back to the day before's version and just moved on from there. My first step after each failure was to recreate what I had done the day before -- so the same audio/video/AV are on the revised version as were on the corrupted version. The program works fine and loads fine for each day's new files after that (and I occasionally burn the work -- and am successful -- so I have a copy in case the whole thing blows up). But then the same (or is it new?)error happens a few days/weeks later.



At this point, I am fine tuning, and not making significant daily changes; but it would be nice not to have to repeat steps, if there is a way to cure or avoid the issue.

Are you making a backup copy, too, and does the backup also behave the same way?

First, check to see if your external drive is formatted as NTFS. Most come from the factory FAT32, which has a file size limit that will choke most video work.



Second, optimize all your photo sizes to no larger than 1000x750 pixels, per the FAQs at the top of this forum. Oversized photos are the chief reason this program chokes.

http://www.adobeforums.com/webx/.3bb8822c



Finally, I still have no idea what kind of camcorder your video came from or how you got it into your computer, but there might be liabilities there too.



Even still, the first two issues I noted should take care of about 95% of these types of problems.

I do not make a backup of each day's file, but already thought to do so from now on.



The video is mainly older VHS video converted through a digital camcorder. Don't know the exact specs of the cameras offhand.



Based on past instructions from you, the hard drive is formatted NTFS and most of the pix are small (in the 300kb range, as opposed to 1 .5 meg before conversion).



In addition to avoiding the problem, my real question is, is there a way to resuscitate a file that won't load, or is it lost and I have to go back to the day before?

I do not make a backup of each day's file, but already thought to do so from now on.



The video is mainly older VHS video converted through a digital camcorder. Don't know the exact specs of the cameras offhand.



Based on past instructions from you, the hard drive is formatted NTFS and most of the pix are small (in the 300kb range, as opposed to 1 .5 meg before conversion).



In addition to avoiding the problem, my real question is, is there a way to resuscitate a file that won't load, or is it lost and I have to go back to the day before?

Ned,



In P-Pro, one can Import a Project into another Project. This often straightens out some minor glitches. Do not recall if PE will do this, but would be worth a look. Since PE uses Get Media, rather than Import, there might be limitations.



It is usually worth a look in the Project's AutoSave folder. There should be up to 5 AutoSave files in it. Go to Detail View, and choose the last one created. Note: Adobe programs will overwrite existing AutoSave files, using the same file name. Hence, #5 might not be the newest, depending on how long you've worked on the Project.



Last, there is a progam, XML Wrench, that can test XML files, which the Project file is. It can spot a lot of little problems, and help you fix them. It has a ''test'' mode and an ''edit'' mode. Often, the corruption is just a minor glitch in the header info.



Good luck,



Hunt

The project from the corrupted date was in Auto Save, I got it, saved it under a new name, and it works fine. Thanks.

Ned,



''... and it works fine,'' are great words to hear!



Since you have already encountered a problem (these things seem to always happen, after they have happened the first time), I would recommend initiating one of two Save schemes:



1.) Open your re-named Project, and as you edit (maybe end of day, or after an intricate editing session) do Save_AS and increment your Project name, i.e. [Project Name]_01, 02, etc. What Save_As does is Saves a copy of your Project file to a new name, AND keeps this version in your editing window, i.e. you are working in a Project with the new name. Your old Project is no longer Open, and being edited. All changes from this point forward will be in the newly named Save_As Project, not your original Project. It will reamain exactly as you left it, when you did the Save_As.



2.) Save_As_a_Copy. This is similar, but with important differences. When you do this, I'd do the same incrementing of the filename. Now for the differences: you will be Saving your Project, as it exists at that moment with a new filename, [Filename] Copy_01, 02, etc. You can alter the filenaming convention, but I would recommend keeping the default word ''Copy'' in it. When Saved, you will STILL be working in your original Project and NOT in your Save_As_a_Copy. It will be locked in time to the point that you did the Save_As_a_Copy. Important distinctions.



I'd do one, or both, of these techniques, while you edit. I'd create folders especially for the Save output of each method, to keep things straight. The Project files are quite small, compared to the media used, so having incremented versions on your system will not take up THAT much space, and can really come in handy, if something goes pear-shaped. When you are finished, you can safely delete all of these Save_As/Save_As_a_Copy files. You will also have your AutoSave files as a third layer of defense. Just remember that these get overwritten in time. It's possible, when experiencing problems, to end up with corrupted AutoSaves, though not that likely. There is nothing wrong with making copies of these files, every now and then in another folder. This would be done via Windows Explorer.



Good luck,



Hunt