Weird problem, can't find a folder outside of Audacity...

[WHEATIES]

Hi, i'm new. Anyways, I have an akward problem at the moment... Okay, let's start from the begining. I downloaded and installed audacity, made some recordings through a different program and wanted to edit them using my newly downloaded audacity. I done my editing, and made a folder inside the audacity program files folder, and exported all of my files I had edited as .wav files into this folder. Well, I eventually wanted to access those files outside of audacity (like, from the start menu). I looked, but there was no such folder. It wasn't there. I went into audacity and looked in the same place using file>open, and it was there. I tried dragging the folder onto my desktop and trying to create shortcuts, but it won't do anything. Actually, an adendum: I just now checked, and I can open this folder in my other audio editor that I had mentioned (it is just called "free audio editor", by the way) So now i'm really lost. Can anyone please tell me what the heck is going on and what I can do to just get into my folder? >.> Thanks a bunch.

[waxcylinder]

... made a folder inside the audacity program files folder, and exported all of my files I had edited as .wav files into this folder...

This is probably almost THE worst place to create your output folder - for a start Audacity likes to be tidy and clean up its folders on exit (so this is maybe why you can't find the WAV files again).

Instead, try creating your output folder in your My Documents folder somewhere. I have a folder which I labelled Audacity in my My Documents and in that folder I create separate sub-folders for each separate project.

WC

[WHEATIES]

wait, so then if it cleans up all the time, then that means it puts the folder back in when I open audacity, right? otherwise, how else would it be there when it is open? Then, that would raise the question, where does the folder go when it is tidied up? >.> Uuugh... Does this mean I can't get my stuff back and all the work was a waste? Or... wait. Can't I just open each file and export it as a .wav file somewhere else? Imma try that. I'll post my results later, as audacity hates me and might not work properly. :D

(5 SECONDS LATER...)

Well, that worked rather well. ^_^ Thankyou very much for the help. Although, I must admit, it sucks that apperently my changes that I had made were deleted or never saved in the first place due to the tidying up. >.> I have to do EVERYTHING over again. Oh, well. Shows me to check things first before I go crazy with a new program. Thanks! :D

[waxcylinder]

Glad you got it working.

Actually it's just as much a Windows issue as it is an Audacity one. The reason that Windows provides the My Documents folder it you are intended to place all your documents within that structure - and Auudacity Projects and Exported music filkes (WAVs MP3s etc.) are documents every bit as much as Word documements and Excel spreadsheets. The O/S developers are trying to steer you away from storing data in places that are for the use of the O/S and program software (where dangerous things can happen to your data!).

So the advice I gave you does not just apply to Audacity but to all programs that you run that create and store data - it's just basic good data management.

BTW you really do want Audacity to be cleaning up after itself on exit - otherwise you would soon run out of disk space, filled up with undeleted temporay Audacity project files

WC