Audacity Forum

I'm wayyyyy stupid when it comes to sound recording and I need help...

In 2003 I recorded my elderly grandparents on a digital recorder. Within 4 months both were dead, he at 99 and she at 94.

I downloaded the recording onto my computer using Audacity. Everything was cool and I tried to clean it up and so on...

At some point (I think) I downloaded a new version of Audacity and now the file won't open...I have it saved and in backup form, but whever I try to open it, it says either:

"can't open file >>>filename>>> b06903.auf ( error 2: the system cannot find the file specified)"
OR
"converted 1.0 project file to new format. Old file has been saved as >>>filename>>>.bak (backup file)"
Then when you say OK, it gives you the previous can't open file error...

The digital recorder lost battery power and lost the recording, so now I don't have it...

Somebody tell me how to open the original Audacity file or is it lost forever?

Thanks alot!

I don't suppose you ever exported a WAV file of the project at any stage? If so you should be able to open that.

Audacity projects can be problem children at times - very brittle and easy to break if you are not careful , which is why posters on this forum often recommend exporting as WAV at various stages of the project (particularly after initial project capture).

If you don't have a WAV file - then this project may be very difficult to resurrect. Error/crash recovery is notoriously poor on 1.2.x (many have tried, few have succeeded alas).

What I would try in you situation is to install the latest beta version of the software 1.3.6 and try to open the project in 1.3. Note that you can have both 1.2 and 1.3 installed on your machine, but you cannot have both running at the same time. Also note that once you have opened the project in 1.3 and then saved it you can never open it again in 1.2, only in 1.3.

You can download 1.3 from here: http://audacityteam.org/

So if 1.3 does allow you to open the project - the first thing that you IMMEDIATELY do - is to export it as a WAV file - AND make a backup copy of the WAV file on a separate disc (this is very precious data that you have).

BUT before you embark on my suggestions above, I suggest you wait a litlle while to see if any of the other forum pixies have alternative suggestions - and then we can discuss the best approach for you in this thread.

UPDATE: I was puzzling over your reference to .auf files as I have only seeen .aup files, and a folder which contains a lit of little .au files - and then I stumbled across this thread http://audacityteam.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=13&t=7680 which seems to shed some light on your problem. It may be that you have external files on which this project depends (possibly the digital recorder had those files) - and this may mean that your project is incomplete.

There is a dangerous default set in Audacity which catches a lot of people out - in Edit>Preferences>File Formats you will see at the top "When importing uncompressed files into audacity" - I'm betting you have the default setting selected "Read directly from the original file (faster)" rather than "Make a copy of the file before editing (safer)". The speed advantage that you get is absolutely not worth the risk unless you absolutely understand what you are doing in the way of file management. If you have it set this way, as soon as you move or delete the source file, your digital recorder for instance, then the project collapses.

Good luck,

WC