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Library opens… but NO files or projects appear – WITH SOLUTION!!!
Hey all…
I don’t remember seeing this in any earlier posts (apologies if it’s been covered already), but I thought I’d share a good news story with a damaged, non-functioning library.
After a couple weird hangs/beach balls, when I opened a pretty big project I was working on (40 minute RT/780GB library/58MB project file), it would open, and if the project didn’t hang or crash again, NOTHING would appear inside any of the windows except one very short timeline. But, even there, all the clips were reported as missing. No matter how many times I’d open it.
I then moved on to deleting pref and window layouts folder, since it seemed to keep getting stuck there. No luck after several tries.
After changing my pants and taking a deep breath, I decided to poke around in the library (thru “Show Package Contents”). And without wanting to TRULY mess anything up, I decided to first just compare the contents of the broken library to another library that I knew worked.
Rather quickly, I discovered a file in the broken library that did not appear in the other working one – “CurrentVersion.fcpevent-journal”. This file was also dated/timed about a minute before “CurrentVersion.fcpevent” file above it, but from the day before (the time of what must have been the damaging hang/crash).
After quickly guessing that this was a “temporary” file that the library probably messed up during a hang/crash, I dragged it out of the library and to the desktop, closed the package contents and hoped for the best.
I then double clicked the “broken” library and, viola, IT WORKED – like nothing had ever gone wrong. I’m guessing FCPX couldn’t clean up this file during one of the hang/crashes and seemed like it didn’t know which of the files to work with, so it just kind of threw its hands in the air at start.
This worked in my case and I assume there are other things that could go wrong these libraries, so it might not fix all broken libraries. But, knowing you’ve got to be REAL careful in there, I thought I’d throw it out there as something to check if you have the same thing happen to you.
Thanks to all who’ve helped me with their years of posts!!!
All the best,
Mike Fitz
p.s. – also it was a good reminder to have a CURRENT backup in case of disaster!
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14 Replies
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I’ve read at least one other post describing the same experience .
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I didn’t want to be redundant in my posting, I was simply trying to help others who, like me, had not seen a previous description. So again, as I mentioned at the top of my post, my apologies.
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is all edits of the session before the crash lost? wondering when auto-save actually takes place. also wonder whether a safe boot and repair permissions would do the same fix. worked for me after getting an empty library panic – my panic not OS X.
Mac Pro, macbook pro, Imacs (i7); Canon 5D Mark III/70D, Panasonic AG-HPX170/AG-HPX250P, Canon HV40, Sony Z7U/VX2000/PD170; FCP 6 certified; FCP X write professionally for a variety of media; teach video production in L.A.
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Hey Craig…
Unsure about the autosave (I think it’s every 15 minutes). In my case, I hadn’t made any edits in more than an hour, so it was as I left it.
re: the permissions thing… I actually had to remove the temp file from the library. It was not a permissions issue in my case.
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Not redundant at all. Just backing up that it has worked before, so it is appearing to be a legit issue and solution. Good to hear it works.
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I think I read auto save is every 20, but only if a change has occurred.
Did you try your auto save files?
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Hey Bret..
If you’re asking me, no. I keep forgetting that FCPX even does more than 1 backup file now. Thanks for the reminder!
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X does NOT works like classic programs when it comes to “saving” so I think it’s misleading to talk about it that way.
As I understand it, it doesn’t really “refresh write” a big honking file every 15, or 20 or whatever minutes as you work like programs did in the old days.
Instead, since it works totally via metadata instructions, it works more like all modern Apple text generating programs in that it CONTINUOUSLY writes your operating instructions into the active file. Which means everything you do is essentially “saved” the instant you do it.
This is consistent with my experience that when X does crash, and you re-launch it – nearly always you’re EXACTLY where you were at the moment of the crash. I’ve literally never lost more than one keystroke or single write operation that might have been occurring directly at the moment of the crash.
Now since X is also a huge database, it’s quite possible for the program to develop “launch hangups” like the OP describes, if a crash happens while pointers are being written to digital assets or render files or other “lookup resources” that the program needs.
But I think it’s important not to think that X “saves it’s work” the way traditional programs do.
Just like you don’t have to “save” your work in Pages or Number or any other modern Apple program – but instead work in an continuously auto-saving steam – where “saving” something is simply taking a “current state snapshot” – while the program continues to constantly update it’s metadata storage stream.
FWIW.
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We’re talking about auto saves. Not the regular library. It saves a copy of the library to the auto save folder every 15-20 min, but only if changes have been made. The auto saves differ in that all media is aliases. Very small files. The moment you restore or double click on one of these files, it will begin consolidating the media, unless the media was external already.
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Oops,
Sorry.That’s what I get for popping off without reading carefully.
We’ve had out of town family in for springtime in Arizona for a week and I’m trying to slog through 20 plus post NAB info videos for another website in my “spare time.” The family is off to the Grand Canyon tomorrow – and I’m hoping they don’t freeze. It’s pretty with snow, but they have a fantasy (being young and invincible) that they can hike to the bottom, camp there overnight, and hike up the next day. Which is certainly “possible” – but not exactly a stroll in the park. (particularly the “hike back up” part!) Ah youth!
I’ll try to pay more attention!
Back to work.
Know someone who teaches video editing in elementary school, high school or college? Tell them to check out http://www.StartEditingNow.com – video editing curriculum complete with licensed practice content.
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