Can't Open Truncated .cwp file

[Frank Pastore]

Hello,

I was saving a project of mine the other day while it was about to crash and as a result the file got truncated and I now get that error message "Could not open this project because the file has been truncated." From what I've seen on the internet it seems like coin clip whether or not these files can be recovered. I checked for previous versions of the file but I never enabled autosave or extra versions so out of luck there. I also checked my backup external hard drive and found that I didn't save a backup in there. What else can I or any of you guys do to see if this file is recoverable? 

Thanks.

[OutrageProductions]

Without at least one autosave version available, you are probably out of luck. I've only had that happen a few times in 30 years, and never got the files back from the original. 

[Byron Dickens]

Unfortunately, you have now discovered why you should save immediately after any substantive change you make and/ or after any 3-5 minor ones.

I really hope you hadn't been working for hours without saving.

If you have any audio, you might be able to salvage something by going into the project audio folder and dragging the files into a new project.

Edited December 28, 2023 by Byron Dickens

[John Vere]

NI 

Edited December 30, 2023 by John Vere

[orcmid]

5 hours ago, Frank Pastore said:

Hello,

I was saving a project of mine the other day while it was about to crash and as a result the file got truncated and I now get that error message "Could not open this project because the file has been truncated."

the `.cwp` is a binary format that is evidently not MIDI or RIFF or any of the obvious structured forms that are around.  Depending on how much of the file survives truncation, it might be possible to recover some of it.  The problem is having a hex/binary editor and also know how to decode the format.   

Unfortunately, there was never provision of enough information about the format to know how to do that.

See http://forum.cakewalk.com/Is-there-a-reference-for-the-CWP-file-format-m1805578.aspx

 

[mettelus]

@azslow3 would be your best bet to see what is recoverable from the file itself, since he has written some tools to convert cwp files in the past.

Just a quick side note on the "was about to crash" comment... if you know it is going to crash, it is sometimes best to just let it. The exception handlers can sometimes catch the file and crash dump as the application goes down and ask if you want to recover that file on the next app start. When you insert another operation into that cycle you can interrupt the exception sequence.

Another side note with other things that can cause the crash... the number of undo steps you have specified in "Edit->History..." should have a reasonable number (I use 10) at the bottom. Unfortunately, you have to make an edit first to access the "History..." but that is simple enough. Undos consume RAM, so no need to have the default value there (I "think" it was either 100 or even 250, which is way too high). Additionally... another reason to save often (besides just to protect your file) is that it clears some of the RAM when doing so and has been noted fairly frequently as a tip to keep long sessions running smoothly.

[John Vere]

NI 
 

 

Edited December 30, 2023 by John Vere