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Final cut pro x doesn't load projects on external hard drive

I have installed Final Cut Pro x. I save all of my projects on my external hard drive, and suddenly it has stopped working.

I load FCP and it displays, in the project library all of my projects on my external hard drive, and then dissappears! 😕

I have lots of projects and am really annoyed that I can't use them any more. I would really appreciate all of your help 🙂


It starts loading, and displays this

User uploaded file

My external hard drive is called Ralph docs. It is still loading the window.

Then the external hard drive disappears from the project library...

Then it disappears from the event library. 😠


I tried going into the external hard drive directly and opening the project from there... Nothing happens. I can play it if I do that, but not edit it in the magnetic timeline.


😢


Please help me! I have even reinstalled FCP twice but nothing.

Final Cut Pro X, Mac OS X (10.7), External HD: Western Digital 1tb

Posted on Aug 22, 2011 6:57 AM

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Question marked as Best reply

Posted on Aug 22, 2011 1:38 PM

FCP X does seem to have a problem when too many Events and media is in the Library. I reccommend one of three things.


First, you can get "Event Manager X" to take some of them "offline" temporarily when you're not using them.

http://assistedediting.intelligentassistance.com/EventManagerX/


Or you can cretae Disk Images to put stuff in for specific clients or whatever, and only mount the .dmg when you need access to those Events and Projects.

http://www.kenstone.net/fcp_homepage/fcp_x_managing_disk_image_martin.html


Finally, I recommend you create folders in the Project Library, and start putting projects in them, and closing them. That way, the Project Library won't try loading data from all the projects at once. If it's not in a folder, or if the folder is open, FCP X will load up all the data for all the Projects it can see and can be overwhelmed pretty easily.

128 replies

Jul 5, 2013 12:26 PM in response to Ernie Stamper

Guys, this setup HAS worked for 5 months aside from intermittent interface/recognition/application problems.

If it were a hub/usb problem it NEVER would have worked.

I would appreciate someone with feedback who isn't solely out to prove USB doesn't work when in fact it has and does but without consistency.

If all you want to say is that it is the USB, thanks but I disagree. Did you LOOK at the screenshot where FCP 10 sees EVERYTHING?

Please, let's not waste any more of each other's time on that.

Jul 5, 2013 12:35 PM in response to lululola

You have not presented any info that is has worked exactly as currently configured -- what did I miss?


Let's examine some expert sources:


http://forums.creativecow.net/thread/200/887710


http://forums.creativecow.net/thread/8/1139827


http://forums.creativecow.net/thread/344/8061


The latter of these links references advice from an Apple Store.


See also:


http://blogs.saic.edu/fvnmatech/files/2012/09/FCPX_BASICS_091112.pdf


where on page one, it has a note: *USB 2.0 drives are not supported.


You can beat your head against this briick wall all you want, but . . . .


Ernie


Jul 5, 2013 1:18 PM in response to Ernie Stamper

To summarize: Every drive is separately recognized by FINAL CUT X whether connected by USB or HUB. Drive A works regardless of which drive is alongside it. Drives B (with the project/event files) and C don't; one knocks the other out during the setup process on FCP X - after first being recognized by it. Neither Drives A or C have any visible project/event folders. Drive C DID have project/event folders until I copied/moved them onto my hard drive yesterday when the conflict presented itself. PLUS: When I try to eject the drive not showing up in FCP X, I get the popup that says it cannot be ejected because it is being used by FINAL CUT PRO X. !!!


+ I just tested another DRIVE (D) (with project/event files) from another project I worked on the last few weeks - and it shows up fine in FCP X regardless of another drive.


ERGO, it is only a conflict with DRIVE (B) and DRIVE (C). Something in the files is posing a conflict!!


Does Apple say "USB drives are not supported" or just a blog? Whatever the case, the fact is that USB 2.0 WORKS with all my drives except one at the moment. If Apple officially doesn't support it then that' a whole other issue. If they "supported" it in FCP 7 but not in FCP 10, then they should at least make FCP7 available now -- or otherwise all my work is lost unless I upgrade?





Jul 5, 2013 2:34 PM in response to lululola

You should look in the manual for your beloved FCP7. Look in the section called Choosing a Hard Drive, followed by the section on Types of Hard Drives. You will not find a single mention of USB drives.


There are older white papers in more detail, but unfortunately finding anything on the Apple support pages is an excercise in futility.

Jul 23, 2013 5:49 PM in response to ilovemacs101

i read this here and that are nearly the same problems i have.

Just buy a new usb 3.0 Harddrive because Thunderbolt is too expensive and copy my folder FCPX Events and Projects to the root of it, than put the originals on the internal in a hidden folder.

The new harddriva was formatted with ExFat, because i don´t want to store the files double and work with PC too


so everything you advise before is not correct


i had a fw 800 drive mac os extende formated too before and it disappear after some secons at the loading from fcpx too


and now in my ExFat new harddrive i have the Final Cut Projects and the Final Cut Events Folder only - copied from the internal harddrive with the finder - thats why i put the original folders on the internal in a hidden folder to make no conflicts and NOW the wonder !!!!


FCPX show me the Project i copied to the external

but it DONT show me the events i copied ....


this is very awesome right ?


so if i open the project all the thumbnails go away because he don´t find the right event ... lol

Jul 23, 2013 6:16 PM in response to ilovemacs101

i understand that before - and if this is right it makes me very very angry again - i don´t wan´t to buy hdds on hdds only for save my files on mac os formatted and ntfs formatted - i and many other NEED a drive where i can change the type of computer - apple laughs about us all at this


this is a data structure i want ok ?

i oinly edit with fcpx on my mac

other things i do with my pc

and it is better because if i do any other things with my imac 2012 it slows down because it is not a heavy computer


so - if i want to archive a film project i need to put it all on ONE drive - not only the fcpx folders - also the documents, pictures and much more


and if Exfat is so bad with FCPX why is that nowhere on the apple site ????

and WHY did i see my PROJECT but the Events not ? I see the Harddrive under Events but nor the events

what is that creepy ?


and i told you before that i have the same problem with a firewire800 mac formatted harddrive it shows and than go away ...


that is today the same - thats why i bought a new one, and try to copy all my project files from the internal new to it because i need more space on the internal


and i think the biggest BUG is :

if i want to copy my files from external harddrive g to external hardrive h for a backup inside of fcpx as everyone say because of the ids - this is NO WAY if you internal harddrive have not eniough space - before i had a 1 TB internal harddrive but my project and event was 1,5 TB so i can´t copy it in fcpx only in the finder, because fcpx buffered the whole copy before on the internal drive - what a mess - the finder don´t do that

😟


you ask after screen shots - don´t know how to take them - my new drive only have the two folders i describe

Jul 24, 2013 3:26 AM in response to GlobalPlayer

You can probably *archive* your projects and events in an ExFat volume, but you can't edit from that drive.

(Or perhaps you can, if you use a disk image on it).

But if you are serious about your data, you can't expect to have just one drive, anyway.

ExFat is a good cross-platform option for data storage, but for FCP X it is not supported.

Final cut pro x doesn't load projects on external hard drive

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