Hi,

I've always had this box asking me if I want to browse for each media file PowerDirector can't find on loading a project. You can simply navigate to each media file's new location on selecting Browse.

PowerDirector project files are xml files. This means they are plain text tagged files which can be viewed and edited even manually. I don't mean to recommend editing them but if you manage to view a pds file, you should see that the media files' locations are stored using absolute paths. This means that if you move the entire structure of folders that hold both the pds and the media files, you still need to let PowerDirector know of the media files' new locations.

It may be a bit tedious if there are a lot of media files in a project to browse for them all one by one, but once you've done so, you project will contain all your work...

This is when the Pack Project is handy.

If you Pack your project, you can move that Packed folder to anywhere.

Carl312: Windows 10 64-bit 8 GB RAM,AMD Phenom II X4 965 3.4 GHz,ATI Radeon HD 5770 1GB,240GB SSD,two 1TB HDs.

This makes no sence to me. How do I get my video files back?

Makes no sense to me. I need to know how to retreive the files and open them in PD-10 so I can continue to work on them.

Quote: This makes no sence to me. How do I get my video files back?

Quote: Makes no sense to me. I need to know how to retreive the files and open them in PD-10 so I can continue to work on them.

.

Try moving your video files back to the original file location or try what bolda has suggested "I've always had this box asking me if I want to browse for each media file PowerDirector " And browse for each file and load.

Remember it is good editing practiice to keep all media files (photo video music in ONE folder on your C drive, so when PD goes looking to assemble the files in your timeline it doesn't has to 'look' too far or worse still, gets 'confused' because it can't find them.

Use Pack Project files as well as suggested by Carl

All the best Happing editing

Best Regards

Neil
CubbyHouseFilms
My Youtube Channel
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I think Musicmanern is unclear on the basics of PDS files.
We'll fix that.
Musicmanern, when you save a project, you create a PDS file.
A PDS file might be..."Birthday Party", or "Bill's Skeet shooting", or even "My Italian Cruise", whatever you name it.
Well, that PDS file is actually a roadmap/set of instructions telling PowerDirector where to find your audio/video/sound items you have in your project. It tells PowerDirector where to place them in your timeline, what FX, everything in your project.
When you close a project, and then move your files around to other places in your computer, then re-open that project, PowerDirector looks where it was previously, but if you moved files to anywhere else on your computer, it can't find them.
Never move files around mid-project unless you want PD to look for them later. But, Pack Project Materials gets around that by gathering all your project goodies, copy them, and make your entire timeline nice into a folder. That folder is a self-contained project in it's own right, and can be moved anywhere you wish, even to other drives. A word of caution, ONLY the items in the timeline will be copied to the new folder. Items in your project library, but NOT in the timeline yet, will NOT be copied to it.
You can copy un-used items to that new folder if you wish to keep all items together.
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musicmanern
Error when trying to load project after it was moved to another drive.
When I try to open a project that I moved to a back-up drive, I get an error message that It won't open.

Only one case not to recover the files from your project, it was deleted and has no where to find again.
PD10 shows the file name to search for and only give the path of the folder with the files if you do not remember, use the search windows.

Okay, more foolproof:



Your projects are in dps files. When opening a project via the File menu or using the key shortcut, CTRL-O, the following file browse popup dialog filters the files displayed to dps only. In other words, you only see dps files with your projects to select from.

On selecting your desired project (dps file) in the above procedure, PowerDirector loads the media files for the project. Paths to them are saved in the pds file. If a media file is not found, you get the following error box:



If you know, you've just moved the media file, choose Browse. (Don't select Ignore or Ignore All.) You need to locate the file whose name is shown in the error box, "camcorder_43.avi" in my example, each time this error box pops up...

Quote: Okay, more foolproof:



Your projects are in pds files. When opening a project via the File menu or using the key shortcut, CTRL-O, the following file browse popup dialog filters the files displayed to dps only. In other words, you only see dps files with your projects to select from.

On selecting your desired project (pds file) in the above procedure, PowerDirector loads the media files for the project. Paths to them are saved in the pds file. If a media file is not found, you get the following error box:



If you know, you've just moved the media file, choose Browse. (Don't select Ignore or Ignore All.) You need to locate the file whose name is shown in the error box, "camcorder_43.avi" in my example, each time this error box pops up...

It's a "PDS" file, let's not get confusing. HP Envy Phoenix/4thGen i7-4770(4@3.4GHz~turbo>3.9)
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Sorry! I've fixed the file extension above. Typing faster than thinking...

Hi - the same thing happened to me - I made a 6 min video from a bunch of clips, I then moved the clips, and have tried importing them into power director, but it won't associate the clips i have imported with the work I originally did.
Each clip in the workspace is just black.

Any suggestions?

Cheers

Quote: Any suggestions?Cheers

I suggest you remember this thread.
As I suspect you already re-saved your black-file project, that project file is now useless.
If you can remember where your project multi-media material was BEFORE you moved them, put them back there.
Next, go into your auto-save folder, possibly like this...except for the Andy???

C:\Users\ANDY???\AppData\Roaming\CyberLink\PowerDirector\10.0\AutoSave\

and see if you can find the ghost project file that self-generated (hopefully). HP Envy Phoenix/4thGen i7-4770(4@3.4GHz~turbo>3.9)
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This is a reprint from my post in another similar thread....

The only problem with autosave or manual save... it only saves your project properties. NOT your actual pictures,audio, or video files. The items in your library are only thumbnails to links to the files. If you save and then delete or move your pictures, audio file, or video file, PD can no longer find them because they are not where they were they last time PD saw them..

Rule of thumb is save OFTEN, I have mine set to every 2 minutes and have had it that way for years...

NEVER delete any of your project materials, audio, video, pictures until you have made a GOOD rendered copy. Either saved to file, burned to DVD, or both. Because PD does not actually save them anywhere. The only exception is packing your project.

You did not say if it tried to load your project but got the dreaded cannot find file error. As in cannot find your "stuff". Your options would be ignore or browse. If you only moved your files, use the browse to go find them if you know where they are. If you deleted them... they are gone PD does not have then stashed anywhere... Unless you pack your project...

The way I do projects... EVERYTHING goes into ONE folder with sub folders..... that way I know where it is. I also pack my project which puts everything used to far, only items that had been placed in the timeline. Items still in the library do not get packed, only what you have actually used so far. You can make your saved folder to one of your choice, you can put your packed project in the folder of your choice. I also pack my project each day when I am done with it for the day... I have projects that take up to 3 months to produce... Sometimes I will "pack" every hour or so when I have 1 1/2 hours of project on the timeline... Both will save your bacon more times than you can think of. Even once after you lost a months of work is worth it.... I have lost a months worth of work before... it will never happen again... Pack is in the export button under file...

DREADED cant find file notice...








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I've got a similar problem to what is being discussed

My source videos for a project I'm making are in an external drive. I have not disconnected that drive at any point. However, I have gotten messages saying, "Some of the media files are on a removable device that was removed. Cyberlink powerdirector will remove these media files from the timeline and the media library." I then find all the video clips missing from my timelline and all the source videos gone from my library.

The first few times I was able to close the file and then come back to find the videos restored. But twice I have had it all wiped out and could not retrieve it. I am now going to move the source videos to the main drive (having moved some stuff out to make room). I hope that will avoid future mishaps
.
But can anyone explain or suggest where I might find the PDS file if that will restore the video to my lilbrary and timeline? AFter the first complete loss I rendered a final copy of the 85% done project, but I assume working from that will degrade my final product significantly.

Thanks,
Jon Sundell

The only time PD would normally remove all the missing content is if you saved the project after getting the message that media clips were missing but didn't restore them.

You can easily reopen any recent project from the File | Recent Files > command.

If you did unintentionally save the project without restoring the media clips, check to see if the autosave feature was enabled. If so, check in the folder pointed to by the Browse button and see if you can locate an earlier version. It will likely have a noticeably larger size than versions without many timeline clips:



Note that PD may be set to delete all temporary files after 30 days, so hopefully the last working copy was autosaved within the past month.