Can't Open Project File

[steve]

I am using a 16GB USB drive for all my projects, as I use a couple of different computers - perhaps this is the problem. The projects range from 60MB to 900 MB, with about 1GB of free space.

I certainly would not recommend working that way - there are just too many things to go wrong.
As Koz says - drive letter allocation could be a big problem. Also, USB sticks are slow and not 100% reliable data storage (though usually fairly reliable). USB interfaces are not 100% reliable. Do you ALWAYS use "safely remove hardware"? If not, that can produce data loss and/or corruption (I would guess this last point is the most likely problem).

You can use USB sticks for moving projects around, but I would always copy the project to a new folder on the hard drive of the machine before working on it, and you have to be very careful that all data is actually within the project and not external to it (this is easier to set up in Audacity 1.3).

So what is the current state of play in terms of files, data, backups....

[tamrar]

This is my first atempt at using a forum, so I wasn't sure if I should add a "reply" or start a new post. Feel free to inform me of the preferred procedure for future reference.

I received the same error, but under more controlled circumstances so I am wondering if this would be considered a product bug. Here are my specifics (and if anyone can help me "save" my two projects, I'd appreciate hearing how):

Windows XP Professional Version 2002 SP3
P8400 laptop @ 2.26 GHz, 791 Mhz, 1.92 Gb RAM
149 GB drive, 125 GB free space
Audacity version 1.2.6 loaded from CD which came with ion turntable

Immediately after installing the software, I did the following:
Created a PROJECTS folder to store my projects in, inside the Audacity program folder.
Recorded and saved two projects (2 albums)
Began modifications to one of the projects (removing scratches and clicks.) Saved often. Did not make any changes to the second project.
Turned off PC.

The next time I turned on the PC - and every other time since - I received the "Can't import project file" error (even though I am using File > Open, through all of the possible ways to use this function.) Neither of the two projects will open. I tried renaming the backup files and using them. I moved the parent PROJECTS folder that all of the project files and their related data file folders and files were stored in, reinstalled the Audacity software, and moved my PROJECTS folder back inside the Audacity program folder again - same error message.

Is this a bug? Is there a resolution? Is this issue REALLY caused JUST by moving the files to a new location on the hard drive?

[steve]

Hi tamrar, yes it's generally better to start a new topic for a new question.

Audacity 1.2.6 is really old now, though it is still reasonably stable on Windows XP. It would be a good idea to update it soon, but perhaps wait until Audacity 1.3.11 is released (there is a small bug in 1.3.10 affecting some types of file export and it has been fixed in Audacity 1.3.11 which is due to be released soon).

It is a good idea to create a folder to store your projects in, but it should not be in the Audacity program folder. On Windows XP a good place to put it is in "My Documents".

Moving projects is not good as it can easily break them. Projects are made up of an "Audacity Project File" (filename.aup) and a whole lot of data files. If you have recorded everything in the project, then the data files will start of in the Audacity temporary directory, and then be copied to the project data folder (filename_data) when you save the project. If you "import" any files into a project, these files may or may not be copied into data folder depending on the settings in Audacity Preferences. This means that in some projects there can be files outside of the project that are required by the project and if you move the Audacity Project File, or the external file, then the link between the project and its data can be broken. This is explained here: http://wiki.audacityteam.org/index.php? ... ement_Tips

Audacity Projects need to be treated very carefully (especially in Audacity 1.2.x) and they are not suitable for long term storage. When you record something it is a good idea to "Export" the recording as a WAV file so that you have a reliable backup. As soon as you finish working on the project, Export your finished masterpiece as a WAV file.

WAV files make very good backups as they are high quality and robust.