Barry -
Exactly the same thing happened over here, this very day - and yet - I've been running the 2726 patch since it was released, without incident. Very odd.

I'm with you - roll back to 2227c and hope for a bit more stability.

It keeps you on your toes, this thing!

Tony Tread gently and you'll hear the daisies grow...

Here's a funny thing - OK - maybe not so hilarious - odd really.
I just uninstalled (complete and absolute) PD7, then reinstalled from the disc I purchased. I know the disc version is 7.0.0.1714.

I sat patiently, watching the installation progress bar (as we've all done many times with PD7). It finished and I opened up PD7.

Straight away (as it does), up popped a lovely little message telling me how clever I was to be sporting the latest version & that no updates were necessary. Quite chuffed I was!

Next step: File>Help>About PowerDirector. It confirmed that it was the 1714 version.

Funny i'n it.

Tony Tread gently and you'll hear the daisies grow...

Maybe the recent Windows update fricked something up. HP Envy Phoenix/4thGen i7-4770(4@3.4GHz~turbo>3.9)
Nvidia GTX 960(4GB)/16GB DDR3/
Canon Vixia HV30/HF-M40/HF-M41/HF-G20/Olympus E-PL5.
Tape capture using 6 VCR, TBC-1000, Elite BVP4+, Sony D8 camcorder with TBC.
https://www.facebook.com/BarryAFTT

Hi Barry,

Following our video conference last night, the answer might be in the following :

Step 1
Read this.


If I understand you correctly you have all your media files and your .pds files recovered on your E: drive.

If so, you have to understand the following :-

PD uses a hard reference in the .pds file, rather than a relative reference. So once the project is underway, if you move or rename a used asset - in effect this is your case- PD cannot find it again. Therefore you get a project with fades and effects, titles etc but no media, just black spaces.

Example:
Standard .pds file first few lines
PROJECT VERSION="0601" PROJECT_TYPE="0"><INFORMATION PROJECT="" AUTHOR="win user" DESCRIPTION="" CREATEDATE="2009/ 4/13 20:25:17" CLASS="" COMPANY="Company" KEYWORD="" ASPECTRATIO="TRUE" CLVSMODE="2" AUTHORINGDATA="" PACKPROJECT="FALSE"/><LIBRARY><VIDEOSLOT><VIDEOOBJECT ID="0" SRC="D:\Documents and Settings\win user\My Documents\My Videos\Shallowdale relaxation\Shallowdale Beck_0096.MP4" NAME="Shallowdale Beck_0096.MP4" MUTE="FALSE"

Note the variables
PACKPROJECT="FALSE"
SRC="D:\Documents and Settings\win user\My Documents\My Videos\Shallowdale relaxation\Shallowdale Beck_0096.MP4"

(ASPECTRATIO="TRUE" - this sets the 16:9 flag by the way. Thank you Dafydd )

If you have 'packed' a project all the assets are allocated the same 'address' as the .pds file.

Example
This is the same project 'packed'

<PROJECT VERSION="0601" PROJECT_TYPE="0"><INFORMATION PROJECT="" AUTHOR="win user" DESCRIPTION="" CREATEDATE="2009/ 4/13 20:34:56" CLASS="" COMPANY="Company" KEYWORD="" ASPECTRATIO="TRUE" CLVSMODE="2" AUTHORINGDATA="" PACKPROJECT="TRUE"/><LIBRARY><VIDEOSLOT><VIDEOOBJECT ID="0" SRC="Shallowdale Beck_0096.MP4" NAME="Shallowdale Beck_0096.MP4" MUTE="FALSE"

Same variables
PACKPROJECT="TRUE"
SRC="Shallowdale Beck_0096.MP4"

So far so good.

If you have packed projects you have no major problems.

If you have saved projects, you now have .pds files that reference assets in the old way but the assets are somewhere else.

You have 3 choices :
Re-edit the projects you need from scratch - in effect start again
Edit the .pds file to look at the 'new' file locations
Rebuild the original file locations so the .pds file can locate the assets.

None of these are ideal. Which one you choose depends on several things.

If you had a 'common' approach to PD projects, with all project assets in a single place then rebuild the location structure.

If you have assets scattered over many locations, life's a bitch and then you die.

Or you can look at each .pds file, note each asset location and replace the asset in that location.
eg
D:\Documents and Settings\win user\My Documents\My Videos\Shallowdale relaxation\Shallowdale Beck_0096.MP4

or you can edit each .pds file to give the new (or chosen location) for each asset
eg substitute D:\Documents and settings\ with say E:\my recovered files\

E:\my recovered files\win user\My Documents\My Videos\Shallowdale relaxation\Shallowdale Beck_0096.MP4

Either of these last methods are really, really tedious.

Your situation is difficult and is the reason for using the pack function and/or having a project file structure with all assets 'under one roof' so to speak - you have a better chance of rebuilding things.

Step 2
Read it again

Step 3
If it's still not clear - switch the light on.

Cheers
Adrian


Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated. (see below)
Confucius
AMD Phenom IIX6 1055T, win10, 5 internal drives, 7 usb drives, struggling power supply.

Could you clarify the paragraph following "Hi Barry"?

HP Envy Phoenix/4thGen i7-4770(4@3.4GHz~turbo>3.9)
Nvidia GTX 960(4GB)/16GB DDR3/
Canon Vixia HV30/HF-M40/HF-M41/HF-G20/Olympus E-PL5.
Tape capture using 6 VCR, TBC-1000, Elite BVP4+, Sony D8 camcorder with TBC.
https://www.facebook.com/BarryAFTT

Barry wrote:

Could you clarify the paragraph following "Hi Barry"?

Mr Chairman,
I move that the above quote be be placed in nomination for... Post Of The Year. Click here PDtoots for a collection of PowerDirector Tutorials and Tips