Lost data file but still have recorded tracks

Audacity Help Forum Windows
1

I am using XP and 2.0x I think. Where can I verify the version of Audacity I’m using?

I renamed a saved aup file after working on it over some days. When I returned, the tracks were all there, but nothing in the yellow folder/raw data.

The Warning Message for the missing audio block files came up with the three choices, the first two as possible routes to recovering the data, but but none of them led anywhere fruitful.
So I went on the forum and found this information: “missing audio data block files”, then open Help > Show Log… . The log will say which exact files are missing and where Audacity expects them to be. You can then search your computer for them and put them back in the exact subfolder stated in the log."
However, I didn’t see or couldn’t read in the log where Audacity expects them to be.

I tried to upload file, but was not successful. It tried to load my whole audacity file.
Which file should I send? The existing wave file or the log? How do I go about that?
Perhaps you can send me a link?

With appreciation for your help,
Maridel

2

I renamed a saved aup file

That was a bad idea. The only safe way to do that is open the show and save it as a new name in Audacity.

Can you change the name back? It has to match the name on the _DATA folder and they both have to match the name burned into the AUP file.

Open your AUP file in any text editor and read the first few lines. It should say “projname=” in there somewhere.

1581×651 75.1 KB



Koz

3

As it says in the pink panel at the top of the page, you can check the Audacity version at Help > About Audacity… .

Where and how did you do that? If you rename by doing copy and paste of both AUP and _data folder inside the same folder, then open the copy of the AUP, you can end up losing all the data.

Attach the log from Help > Show Log… . There should be a button or a menu to save the log.

Also attach the AUP file.

Please see here for how to attach files: https://forum.audacityteam.org/t/how-to-attach-files-to-forum-posts/24026/1

Then just quit Audacity, without saving changes if it asks that. If you save the project with audio data missing you can’t get that data back.


Gale

4

Also, please be careful with Windows XP. Microsoft are no longer officially supporting it, so it will be unpatched or not fully patched against any new security vulnerabilities that appear.

Ensure you have a good third-party anti-virus application. Be aware though that this will not give you complete protection against a previously unknown attack.

For some extra protection you can install http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/security/jj653751 .

If it is not practicable for you to update to the much more secure Windows 7 or Windows 8, you can consider installing a Linux operating system instead. Most versions are free and all are very secure.



Gale

5

Thanks for your detailed reply, Gale. :slight_smile:
I changed the name in Audacity, did not cut and paste.
I don’t know how to find “any text editor” to see the name of the file.
How do I do that?
Maridel

6

Right click on the file > Open With > Notepad, TextEdit, Even Word for Windows would do it, but you have to be careful not to save the work when you’re done. Just close.

Koz

7

So did you do File > Save Project As… ? If so you have two projects, the one with the original name, and the one with the name you chose in Save Project As.

If that is what you did, does only one project have missing block files, or both?

Please attach the AUP file or files and the Audacity log if you still need help.


Gale

8

Hi Gale,

No, I didn’t do “Save As” unfortunately.
I opened the files, did right click and selected “Rename,” which it allowed me to do, but when I returned, I had the problem.
I was able to attach the aup file, but don’t know how to access the log from here. How do I do that?

Thanks for your assistance, much appreciated.
Maridel
Uranus, Aquarius,11th House Lesson 2015.aup (145 KB)

9

As I said, Help > Show Log… (top right of the Audacity menus). There is a button to save the log at the bottom of the log window, or if you have still have the outdated 2.0.3 version of Audacity, click “Log” near the top, then “Save…”.

Have you looked to see if there is a _data folder that has the same name as the original name of the AUP file? That is one likely place the missing AU files might be.


Gale

10

I do have the 2.0.3 version but didn’t know it was outdated.
The only place I can find the Log file is under Help at the bottom of the list, but as soon as I click on it, the rest of the program becomes unclickable making it impossible to save.
I don’t see any other Log button “near the top.”
I do now have the Log file in the tray at the bottom of my screen, but still don’t know how to access it to upload.

Yes, I have a _data file by the original name, but there is also an aup file by that name and it isn’t the updated one. Contains the original version rather than the one I had been working on over several days.

I apologize for making this process difficult, but truly do not see how to send that log file to you.

Thank you.
Maridel

11

The current version is 2.0.6. You can always get the latest release from Audacity ® | Download for Windows.

If you are not already doing so, you may subscribe at the bottom of http://audacityteam.org to receive an e-mail when we release new versions of Audacity. To subscribe, enter your e-mail address and click “Add”.

The log file has to be saved using the “Log” menu in the Audacity Log window.

sshot-13.png

Please see here for how to attach files: https://forum.audacityteam.org/t/how-to-attach-files-to-forum-posts/24026/1 If you saved the log file but don’t know what folder it is in, search your computer for the name that you gave to the file.

If you don’t know what you called the file, search for recently created files.

No, that is a _data folder.

That AUP file may not be updated, but the data you want could be in that project’s _data folder (for whatever reason).

Please either look in the Audacity Log for the names of the files that are missing and search your computer for those files, or attach the saved log file if you are unsure.


Gale

12

Gale,

Thanks for your patience.
The Audacity Log in question is attached.
What threw me off is that the Log “button” didn’t look like a button to me. Just a title.
Always good to learn more.
Maridel
Audacity Log for Uranus, Aquarius, 11th House Lesson 2015.txt (259 KB)

13

Quit Audacity (don’t save changes if it asks) then search your computer for some of the files starting at time 09:33:36 near the top of the log file. For example, search for:

e0003aa2
e00034b3
e0001942

When you find the files, put them in the exact subfolder Audacity says in the log.

For example, when you find “e0003aa2”, right-click over it and choose “Copy”. Refer to the log and you’ll see its location should have been:

'Uranus, Aquarius,11th House Lesson 2015_datae00d03e0003aa2.au'

So double-click the folder “Uranus, Aquarius,11th House Lesson 2015_data”, then in that folder, double-click the “e00” folder, then in that folder, double-click the “d03” folder. Now that you are in the “d03” folder, right-click over empty space in the folder, and choose “Paste”.

Repeat for all the other files. Note that the fifth character in the file name of each AU file tells you which “d” folder it belongs in. So “e0003aa2.au” belongs in the “d03” folder. Sorting the files by name may help, then you can multiple-select the files that need to be copied to each subfolder.


Gale

14

Hello again, Gale.

Thanks for your instructions for regaining the data for my project.
I have been sick the last two weeks which is why I haven’t responded to you–nor been able to tackle the task.
I am wondering if there is a way to pay to have this done i.e., having someone access my computer via Team Viewer and do the data transfer.
Are you available for that or know someone else reliable who would be?
I have done a similar process in the past, but am still not feeling up to par and am behind in my work.
If this is not an option, I will need to ask you more questions before proceeding.
Thanks again,
Maridel

15

As a general Forum policy we don’t remote into people’s computers to offer support, but I can do that as a private paid for arrangement. You can Private Message me (PM symbol under my name) if you would like to discuss it - but be warned I am busy with the next Audacity release for the next few days so it may be quicker to ask your questions here instead (which anyone here will probably be able to answer).

Gale

16

Gale,

I wanted to search the computer to see if the files were, in fact, available before proceeding.
Below are the numbers I found at the top of the log file.
They do not match the “starting at time 09:33:36 near the top of the log file.” that you suggested I search for.
Please advise.
Thanks, Maridel

20:40:37: Audacity 2.0.3
20:40:37: Warning: Critical Nyquist files could not be found. Nyquist effects will not work.
[...]
20:40:39: Trying to load FFmpeg libraries...
20:40:39: Trying to load FFmpeg libraries from system paths. File name is 'avformat-52.dll'.
20:40:39: Looking up PATH environment variable...
20:40:39: PATH = 'C:WINDOWSsystem32;C:WINDOWS;C:WINDOWSSystem32Wbem;C:Program FilesQuickTimeQTSystem'
20:40:39: Checking that '' is in PATH...
20:40:39: FFmpeg directory is in PATH.
20:40:39: Checking for monolithic avformat from 'avformat-52.dll'.
20:40:39: Error: Failed to load shared library 'avformat-52.dll' (error 126: the specified module could not be found.)
20:40:39: Loading avutil from 'avutil-50.dll'.
20:40:39: Error: Failed to load shared library 'avutil-50.dll' (error 126: the specified module could not be found.)
20:40:39: Loading avcodec from 'avcodec-52.dll'.
20:40:39: Error: Failed to load shared library 'avcodec-52.dll' (error 126: the specified module could not be found.)
20:40:39: Loading avformat from 'avformat-52.dll'.
20:40:39: Error: Failed to load shared library 'avformat-52.dll' (error 126: the specified module could not be found.)
20:40:39: Error: Failed to load FFmpeg libraries.
20:40:39: Error: Failed to find compatible FFmpeg libraries.
20:41:02: Error: can't open file 'C:Program FilesAudacityUranus, Aquarius,11th House Lesson 2015_datae00d03e0003aa2.au' (error 2: the system cannot find the file specified.)
20:41:02: Error: can't open file 'C:Program FilesAudacityUranus, Aquarius,11th House Lesson 2015_datae00d03e00034b3.au' (error 2: the system cannot find the file specified.)
20:41:02: Error: can't open file 'C:Program FilesAudacityUranus, Aquarius,11th House Lesson 2015_datae00d01e0001942.au' (error 2: the system cannot find the file specified.)
20:41:02: Error: can't open file 'C:Program FilesAudacityUranus, Aquarius,11th House Lesson 2015_datae00d01e0001a57.au' (error 2: the system cannot find the file specified.)
20:41:03: Warning: Missing data block file: 'C:Program FilesAudacityUranus, Aquarius,11th House Lesson 2015_datae00d00e0000529.au'
20:41:03: Warning: Missing data block file: 'C:Program FilesAudacityUranus, Aquarius,11th House Lesson 2015_datae00d01e000139b.au'
20:41:03: Warning: Missing data block file: 'C:Program FilesAudacityUranus, Aquarius,11th House Lesson 2015_datae00d00e00000f5.au'
20:41:03: Warning: Missing data block file: 'C:Program FilesAudacityUranus, Aquarius,11th House Lesson 2015_datae00d01e00010a8.au'
20:41:03: Warning: Missing data block file: 'C:Program FilesAudacityUranus, Aquarius,11th House Lesson 2015_datae00d04e00041f7.au'
20:41:03: Warning: Missing data block file: 'C:Program FilesAudacityUranus, Aquarius,11th House Lesson 2015_datae00d03e000384b.au'
20:41:03: Warning: Missing data block file: 'C:Program FilesAudacityUranus, Aquarius,11th House Lesson 2015_datae00d01e00017be.au'
20:41:03: Warning: Missing data block file: 'C:Program FilesAudacityUranus, Aquarius,11th House Lesson 2015_datae00d00e0000739.au'
20:41:03: Warning: Missing data block file: 'C:Program FilesAudacityUranus, Aquarius,11th House Lesson 2015_datae00d01e0001b07.au'
20:41:03: Warning: Missing data block file: 'C:Program FilesAudacityUranus, Aquarius,11th House Lesson 2015_datae00d04e0004595.au'
17

The missing files are the same as I said you should look for in my previous post.

The times are different because you have restarted Audacity so it writes a new log.

Really I would install 2.0.6. Your 2.0.3 installation is corrupted:

20:40:37: Warning: Critical Nyquist files could not be found. Nyquist effects will not work.

Gale

18

Ok, I’ll update using the link you sent me earlier and then search for the time you gave me originally.
Thanks, Gale.

19

Gale or whoever is available for this question…

I am having trouble figuring out how to search for a specific time stamp on my computer.
I am using my Search function, but even with advanced settings, I see no way to enter a specific time.
Any help with this is appreciated,
Maridel

20

Search for the file name, not the date modified (though it’s easy enough to search for date modified): How To Search for Files and Folders in Windows XP.


Gale