FCPX hangs on boot, desperate

[Loren Risker]

This does sound a little scary, but this is what I would try.

Keep your external drive hooked up.

Copy/rename/trash your preferences to restore everything to default (I just add a date to the end of it, then remove the date when I want to restore).

Move all FCPX event folders and project folders to a temporary place so that FCPX loads up nothing when you launch it.

Launch FCPX and make sure it loads.

Close FCPX, move your feature project folder into the Final Cut Projects folder.

Launch FCPX, and see if it recognizes your project.

Close FCPX and move your feature event folder in the Final Cut Events folder.

I’m guessing at this point it hangs, but if you’ve made it this far then we can be pretty sure the problem is in your event folder.

If that’s the case, you may be able to restore by using a saved event project. If you try this out and get to this point post back here and let us know the result.

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OutOfFocus.TV – Music videos, docs, entertainment.

[Jack Niedenthal]

Hi Loren,
I am a few stages ahead of what you suggested.

I know it is an event issue and not a project because when I removed the event from the FCPX folder FCPX opened fine.

I discovered a few jpg files that were corrupt by using digital rebellion’s management software. I trashed the corrupt files and I trashed the preferences and rebooted.

I was then able to open FCPX, all other events work fine (I have 6 other small events). When I go to open the event that was corrupt, even though the corrupt files are gone, it just hangs with a beachball with a “loading” window that says “Loading MyFilm event.” I let it run at one point for 4 hours, it never loaded. I was using all compound clps and have never even loaded them up in a project window, in fact, that was the next step. This project event is over 700GB.

This is a over a year’s worth of work and I can’t open it. You probably know how I feel…

Jack Niedenthal
Microwave Films of the Marshall Islands
http://www.microwavefilms.org
iMac i7 using Lion 10.7.x, HPX 170 using only one 64GB card
I live on an island in the middle of the Pacific, YOU are my only resource.

[Jack Niedenthal]

I should add that nothing appears to be going on in the background as the meter is at 100% as it attempts to load the event.

Jack Niedenthal
Microwave Films of the Marshall Islands
http://www.microwavefilms.org
iMac i7 using Lion 10.7.x, HPX 170 using only one 64GB card
I live on an island in the middle of the Pacific, YOU are my only resource.

[Loren Risker]

I think this might be fixable.

Since it sounds like your project file is ok, you can see your timeline, right? Just everything’s missing?

If so you should be able to create a new event, reimport your media, then modify event references.

I would also try making a copy of the problem event folder as a backup. Then taking one of the copies and moving it back into your FCP Events folder. Then remove everything except for the currentproject.fcpevent file. Maybe then you can reimport.

If not, then the event file itself must be what’s corrupt, in which case creating a new event and modifying event references is the only way I can think of to go.

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OutOfFocus.TV – Music videos, docs, entertainment.

[Jack Niedenthal]

I am sorry to ask this, Loren, but can you explain how to “modify event references”?

Jack Niedenthal
Microwave Films of the Marshall Islands
http://www.microwavefilms.org
iMac i7 using Lion 10.7.x, HPX 170 using only one 64GB card
I live on an island in the middle of the Pacific, YOU are my only resource.

[Loren Risker]

No problem!

Let me see if I can get this right. Find a missing clip in your timeline.

Make a new event.

Find the clip in finder, import it to your new event.

Now FCPX knows about it.

Select the missing clip again and go to the inspector.

Click the little gear in the lower right.

Select “Show file status”

Select Modify Event References. At that point something should come up and you’ll see the new event you just created. You ave to either select it or drag it up to the top of the list.

You’ll probably have to play around with it to get it, but that’s the basic idea.

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OutOfFocus.TV – Music videos, docs, entertainment.

[Jack Niedenthal]

I am not so sure this will help me because none of my clips are on a timeline. I have done my entire movie with a series of compound clips. I was just about to move them to a project timeline when this disaster occurred.

in other words, in my event, I have “scene 1-5”, “scene 1-12”, etc in the same list as all of the clips that I had imported from my camera. Not sure if this is making any sense.

I think what you are telling me to do is:

1) create a new event.

2) import all the media, which I assume is still fine, into this new event.

My question is, what happens to all of the editing I have done over the past 2 months? Should I import the rendered folders from old event also?

Sorry if my questions seem a bit elementary.

Jack Niedenthal
Microwave Films of the Marshall Islands
http://www.microwavefilms.org
iMac i7 using Lion 10.7.x, HPX 170 using only one 64GB card
I live on an island in the middle of the Pacific, YOU are my only resource.

[Loren Risker]

Now I see, I didn’t catch that before.

Then you’re only hope is to recover the event project file.

Do you have any event files in the backups or Old versions folders?

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OutOfFocus.TV – Music videos, docs, entertainment.

[Andreas Kiel]

Hi Jack,

Try this:

Make a backup first.

Open without the offending event.
Probably your project is still there.
Export the project as XML.
Import the XML into FCPX — this will create a new event and you can reconnect the files. Bad thing is that all metadata you might have assigned to media are gone, same with many custom settings for templates and effects in the project. But you should have at least your “basic” project back to start over.

-Andreas

Spherico
https://www.spherico.com/filmtools

[Jack Niedenthal]

I just had a marvelous experience. Out of the blue I get an email from “Noah from Apple” asking if he might help resolve my issues. I almost peed myself. I have been working with Apple computers since 1984, have had participated in many Apple discussion forums over the years, but no one from Apple ever contacted me out of the blue–on a forum that is not even Apple sponsored– and asked if he could “help.” Man.

Anyway, it turns out that he believed the issue was with the events folder getting too bloated as I was working on 75 scenes for a full length feature and had them all as compound clips. I was starting to consolidate by combining a series of clips, for example, combining the compound clip for scenes 1-8 with scenes 9-14 so I could watch them play through. At any rate, this got way to bloated for FCPX to deal with.

First, Noah had me send them the Activity Monitor files for FCPX to see why it hangs when the program opens. Then I sent them the system profile from my computer and a snapshot of some of the FCPX files from my hard drive. Then I had to upload the currentversion.fcpevent file. They are still working on that and will let me know if it can be fixed.

Next, he had me take out the corrupted/bloated currentversion.fcpevent file, gave it a new name and had me put it outside the event folder as “original_currentversion,fcpevent”, then we put in a one week old version, renaming it currentversion.fcpevent. It opened! I am back from the ledge of a tall building! My wife is no longer afraid to leave the knives around!

And… I am buying my firstborn male child a plane ticket so he can go live with Noah, as promised.

And thank you, thank you, thank you CREATIVE COW and the fine people on this website!!!!!!!!!

Jack Niedenthal
Microwave Films of the Marshall Islands
http://www.microwavefilms.org
iMac i7 using Lion 10.7.x, HPX 170 using only one 64GB card
I live on an island in the middle of the Pacific, YOU are my only resource.