Let's see if this is the right place for answers to this video problem.  In 2010 I imported about 160 family slides that we captured with my camcorder.  The transfer was a major undertaking using a camera/slide adapter from our video club.  After making the movie on the timeline with chapters, titles, etc, I could not get the chapters to work.  So I neglected it for 3 years.   It was made with either Studio 12 or 14.

In the meantime I have a new computer and new Studio version, 16.  We saved the old stuff in a separate part of my hard drive labeled Old PC.  I can see several files there, but can't open any of them.  Some are .avi, INDEX, SCN, and VFO files, plus a lot of others, including sub files.  I don't really understand all the different file extensions and segments.  Is there a way these can be opened?  

I have a little more experience with menus now.  So my dream solution would be to open the project in the timeline with all 160 slides, re-edit with a menu that works, and then burn to disc.

Thanks, 

You are looking for a project with the suffix .stx, and need to use the S16 File menu option Import Previous Studio Projects.

It's unlikely that the program will find the AVI files first time, but it will ask you where they are (I assume these are the files with the captured slides?). In the Find Media dialogue point to where they exist.

I'm not saying this will work first time, because there may be issues with the folder structure, but it's a good place to start. 

Hi Margaret

The important files are the original video, which look as though they are avi files, and the project stx file and folder with the same name as the stx file. Do not try to open or fiddle with that folder. You should be able to play the avi files but the rest look like files that were used by S12 or 14.

Copy any required files or folders to convenient locations for working with. For instance, arrange to your liking within your new 'My Videos' folder. If there is a watchfolder applied to 'My Videos' then they will be automatically imported. Create an 'Old Projects' folfer in 'My Documents' and coy all your old projects into that.

When ready, use the 'File' drop down menu in S16 and select 'Import previous Piinacle Studio projects' to import a project.

I don't see an .stx file.  There is one with an icon that looks like 2 film frames.  It's called BAXTER SLIDES VIDEO1 - 22 files, 12 folders, 143 KB size.  I don't see a file extension.  I was able to open a very short video of the process of my setting up the slide process with the camera.  I think it was going to be a "how-to."  I'll try some of the other suggestions.  And my guess is that I made each of the slides 5 seconds long on the video.  

I may still have them all on tape, but would be nice to start with a nearly-done project.  

That sounds like the project folder, but the STX file will actually contain the editing instructions. Do a global search for *.stx. If you can't find it, then you never saved it to the bit of the hard disc you have made a copy of.

Apparently I don't have it saved, although that's hard to believe.  I know I had a menu with 2 discs and a bunch of chapters, but it wouldn't play as a DVD.  Oh, well.  Start from scratch.  Thanks, anyway, both of you.

Do you have any stx file anywhere. If you do, rename it with exactly the same name as the project folder and use that.

I would have thought that you would have backed up all your 'My Documents' from the old computer. By default your projects would have been there in a Pinnacle folder.

David Hunt:

Do you have any stx file anywhere. If you do, rename it with exactly the same name as the project folder and use that.

I would have thought that you would have backed up all your 'My Documents' from the old computer. By default your projects would have been there in a Pinnacle folder.

The same name as what project folder?  What is the connection?  Give me an example.  I'll check further.  Yes, I do have backups.  However, my video stuff is on an external drive - the raw video and finished movies.  And projects as I'm working on them.  Not sure if I back up those since I export all finished movies to tape, so not too worried about losing a finished movie.  Thanks for the suggestions.  I'll do more checking tomorrow.

There is one with an icon that looks like 2 film frames.  It's called BAXTER SLIDES VIDEO1 - 22 files, 12 folders

That's Studio Grey Film Strip Project Folder, which can only be Opened into the Timeline via it's associated STX File of Zero Bytes..

If it's associated STX File that Opens the Project into the Timeline is missing, a new one can be easily created. However you need the Studio Version the Project was created in still Installed to do that. If you haven't, then you're out of luck I'm afraid. 

However;

143 KB size

I don't like the look of that. IMO, you should have several MBs.

 

My S15 has not been used much recently. Not since you last had a problem with it in fact. The projects are in My Documents/ Pinnacle Studio/ My Projects as can be seen in the screen shot.

For each project there is an stx file and a corresponding folder with the same name. The folder contains all the information about where files are and what editing has been done (but do not open this folder). The stx file is the 'key' to opening the project contained in the folder.

Let us suppose you have the MARGARET folder but have lost margaret.stx. You could use My Movie.stx and rename it as margaret.stx and that would then open the MARGARET project folder. I am not sure why the folder names are in capitals and the stx names are in lower case. I would say rename exactly as per the folder name.

Some interesting developments -

Last night I found 2 copies of Baxter Slides Disc 1, along with 2 pages of notes like I always keep when working on a video project.  They were on my desk at the bottom of my Inbox, waiting 3 years for me to find a solution to the menu not working.  Also, it's about 1200 slides, not 60!  Wouldn't fit on 1 disc the way I chose to do it - menu, divided by years and/or subject, a little music, and all.  So at least we have 600+ slides now captured from the disc into Studio 16. 

I also found a partially-edited 8-min. movie in Studio that I had taken of the process I used in capturing the slides in camera using the adapter, and it showed me putting them in the laptop!  So Now I'm searching my laptop, looking for the second half of the 1200 slides.  Not finding anything, although there is proof that the slides were there at one time because I can see it on the video.  I think my plan was to show the whole process to our Video Club, along with a few of the slides.

The one with KB, not MB, referred to 2 posts above, turned out to be just 1 slide.  Must have been from experimenting 3 yrs. ago.

It was probably at that time, 3 yrs. ago, that I realized my laptop isn't powerful enough to do much video, even though it has Studio 14 Ultimate loaded on it.  

I need to read through the last 2 posts again, sitting at my desktop computer, and try to work on your suggestions.  

David Hunt:

Let us suppose you have the MARGARET folder but have lost margaret.stx. You could use My Movie.stx and rename it as margaret.stx and that would then open the MARGARET project folder. I am not sure why the folder names are in capitals and the stx names are in lower case. I would say rename exactly as per the folder name.

Here's a screen shot of files related to the slides.  I just don't think the slides for Disc 2 are there.  I can open the 681 slides for Disc 1.  Do you see something I should try?  If not, we are ready to use the video camera and attachment and start the process again with the last 600+ slides.

I don't know what BAXTER SLIDES VIDEO1 contains, maybe that is what you are refering to when you can open the slides for Disc 1.

The index and scn files for Baxtor slides do not have the associated video file. The same applies for Caroline1. However, 'slides' is complete and you could look at the video clip (63 MB) to see what it contains. It is dated about a week after Baxtor slides.

BTW I hope your kitchen is organised better than your computer

Yes, my kitchen is better organized than my computer.  Since starting with Studio 8 I have had trouble with understanding file types and where they are put.  They wind up in places I never intentionally tell them to go.  And I'm usually afraid to delete any because I don't know if they are necessary.  Like deleting photos from a video I made months or years ago, and then wind up with the blue exclamation mark when going to work with it again.  And then when Windows 7 came on the scene, with its libraries of documents and videos, and then C: or G: where I try to store my stuff, I just don't understand if my files are duplicated or not, don't seem to be.  So my files are a mess.  I've also found that if I try to straighten out my files, then video can't find them.  Videos often get buried within other video projects.  I love making videos as a hobby, but I sure have a hard time with the technical aspects.  A tutorial on working with Studio files would be wonderful.  The user manuals haven't been much help.

Hey, Happy New Year!