I have spent weeks recording my LP collection into Audacity and lost all the recordings over the weekend due to a massive crash on the system which wiped out back ups as well. I have recovered the files using some expensive software but have the following problems:-
when I try to open the .aup file for the LP error messages come up and the data files do not load at all
I have tried ‘importing raw data’ but there are hundreds of data files for each LP and I cannot load them up as a complete batch because they are divided usually into at least 3 or 4 folders. Even if I could select them all at once they need to be loaded up in a specific order to ensure that the recording plays in the correct manner and so left and right channels are sorted out.
I know that the data for each LP is there as when a single data file is imported and played you hear a 15 - 20 second portion of the recording.
For future reference (not for you current immediate predicament - but if you do get your files back ok, or re-record, then follow this advice,)
Do not rely on Audacity projects for long-term backups. They have an internal format that is primarily designed for processing speed - so the projects are designed to be used in the production process and when the project is complete you Export to WAVs or compressed formats like MP3 or AAC - ideally both.
What I do for transcribing my LPs is
I record and edit the LP (I do one side at a time to make a smaller working set).
Then I export a set of 16-bit PCM WAV files, one per song.
These are then backed up to two external 1TB USB disks (quite cheap these days) for archival and retention. When not in use they live unplugged in a cupboard away from the PCs - if I was being really obsessive I would maintain offsite backups too.
I then import the WAVs into iTunes and use iTunes to convert to AAC
I never even bother to Save an Audacity project in this process.