Think I've screwed up big time

[Bulls Hit]

So I just upgraded from 98 to XP.
Had all my Cakewalk projects & everything on my d: partition, installed xp on the C: partition.
Reinstalled GT Pro on C:, set the data directory to the Cakewalk Projects folder d:, but GT can't find anything in there.

If I browse it, there are no WRK files, just heaps of files named .WA~ WTF???

When I run Audio Finder, it finds all these .WA~ files, but no projects.

Has the Cakewalk install trashed my projects?

Is there any way back from this or am I screwed?

 

[Qwerty]

Howdy,

Can you confirm -

1. What Cakewalk/Sonar version?
2. What are the average file sizes of the .WA~ files?
3. Do a file search for *.WRK, *.BUN or *.CWP and *.CWB

Let us know what you have got and where it is located on the hard drive.

The good news is that your methodology sounds fine, everything should be there and all you probably need to do is "point" Cakewalk back to your data files.

Take your search results and make sure your project and folder options reflect the actual file locations.

Don't delete anything.

Q.

 

[AlChuck]

First, the Cakewalk Audio Finder tool only finds audio files, not projects, to my knowledge. So using it to find projects is useless.

Next, what version of GT Pro do you have? Your mention of the WRK extension for project files indicates to me it's an older version.

Cakewalk used to name the audio data files with the WA~ extension to obscure that they were actually just WAV files so folks wouldn't be tempted to fiddle with them if they found them and thereby foul up their project files (which contain no audio themselves, just pointers to the audio chunks kept in the audio data folder).

This audio data directory was not the same as the directory where you would keep project files.

What you are seeing are data files that your projects pointed to. I suspect your WRK files were on the C drive and you blew them away when you installed XP. I hope I'm wrong...

 

[moskus]

What you are seeing are data files that your projects pointed to. I suspect your WRK files were on the C drive and you blew them away when you installed XP. I hope I'm wrong...

I hope you're wrong too, but this is what I put my money on.

If that's the case, then it's possible to reconstruct the project. But it requires a lot of time. Do GT Pro give "proper" filename yet, or are they cryptic as they used to be with Sonar?

 

[Bulls Hit]

Yeh unfortunately there are no *.WRK, *.BUN or *.CWP and *.CWB files left on my machine.

I've got the current version of GT Pro 2.01. I suspect you're right AlChuck and I have blown away some vital Project data from the C drive.

The filenames are cryptic with no indication of the original project.

I guess I should have created .BUNs before I did the install.

I think all I can do now is maybe sort those WR~ files by date and import them one by one into new projects and try & stitch things back together, unless you know of some cunning alternative moskus?

 

[moskus]

I think all I can do now is maybe sort those WR~ files by date and import them one by one into new projects and try & stitch things back together, unless you know of some cunning alternative moskus?

Sadly, I don't know of any alternatives. Except to record the projects again...

 

[James Argo]

I don't know, but did you switch to NTFS while upgrading to XP ? I think Win98 use FAT32.... is there any chance it's "hidden" and XP didn't see it because it was saved in FAT32 previously? I'm not sure, either...

 

[Bulls Hit]

No I stayed with FAT32.

I should have checked things more carefully.

I guess I'm just pissed off that GT Pro will set up a folder called Cakewalk Projects, and give you an option to move that folder to your preferred drive or partition, but won't actually store any 'project' - related info in there. Instead it stores that stuff somewhere else....grizzle, bitch moan

 

[moskus]

No I stayed with FAT32.

WinXP can read both FAT32 and NTFS at the same time. My C drive is NTFS and D and E is FAT32...

 

[mishappen]

I had a friend of mine using cwpa9. He told it to save his .wrk files on his d: drive but forgot to specify saving .wav's to the same place.



He lost everything.

I like the "use per project audio folders" option in Sonar.
And proceed with caution!

dana

 

[moskus]

I like the "use per project audio folders" option in Sonar.

Yes! Folder-Per-Project makes backing up easier, and you don't need to save the projects as bundles. You just burn the folder, and splitting up the project is easier too, no need to split a file.

In my experience bundles are easier to "make corrupt" (however you do that) than a standard project file.

 

[mishappen]

That is excellent info (backing up the folder)

Right now I back up to dvd+rw, my e: drive and a drive on the network.

I don't want to take any chances.

I also wash my hands between postings.

dana

 

[moskus]

I also wash my hands between postings.

I have no time for that...

I'm lousy at backing up. Right now I have 25 GB of audio that needs to be backed up, but I don't want to burn 50 CDs. So I wait 'till DVD-burners in Norway drop in price (which can take a while). Just hope my HD doesen't crash...

 

[Bulls Hit]

I'm lousy at backing up. Right now I have 25 GB of audio that needs to be backed up, but I don't want to burn 50 CDs. So I wait 'till DVD-burners in Norway drop in price (which can take a while). Just hope my HD doesen't crash...

Sounds like you need a 2nd hard drive. 80GB disks are cheap as chips now, and a lot faster than burning CDs. Why take the risk?

 

[mishappen]

Moskus, I hope you make time for your music.

 

[moskus]

Sounds like you need a 2nd hard drive. 80GB disks are cheap as chips now, and a lot faster than burning CDs. Why take the risk?

Yeah, I know. I'll have to get rid of my harddrive though. It's just so noisy. I can't record in the "mixing room".

But a 120 GB HD would be good.





I have time for making music... I hope!