Project not a valid VP file

soplox

I just spent 6 hours on my project and the app crashed and if I try to open it it says "The file provided is not a valid VideoPad project file" PLEASE HELP.

i tried reinstalling, it didn't work

borate

Be sure to Save Project AS routinely and give it a unique name or #, so as to not overwrite prior saves. Then you're protected. Don't use Save Project; that will overwrite.

Videopad creates back ups of the VPJ file that controls the project. Look in the folder where the source files reside.

Try a search of drive C:\. The file names will end with _backup.vpj.

soplox

I dont have any files that have _backup.vpj at the end. Is there any chance i can get my project back?

[deleted]

Did you save your project at any point using Save Project or Save Project As ?
Note that if you close VP following an editing session it asks if you want to save the project...Did you always answer Discard?
Have you done a search for .vpj? This will bring up any saves you may have made (But not the VP autosave.)

The autosave .vpj file, generated by the program in the backgrouns as you work (and normally seen in the user's AppData/Roaming/NCH Software/VideoPad folder is only there in the event of a crash or whilst you have the program open. Once you exit VP normally it is deleted. VP expects you to save your work as a specific named file before you exit.

If, as you say VP crashed then a copy of the autosaved project should still be present here....

C/Users/user name/AppData/Roaming/NCH Software/VideoPad/autosave.vpj

(Note: the normal Windows search for .vpj may not actually pick this file up :unsure🙂

Nat

soplox

Save project; i was just closing it by clicking the X in the top right corner, and I always selected to save the project on the pop up
1. No, i didn't
2. I had done research
  
  I still have my project on the desktop but it shows me thats there's nothing on it (0B).
  
  I have clicked on documents and there was "VideoPad Projects" folder but it was empty

borate

When you clicked the X, the Windows file manager (Windows Explorer) should have appeared requesting where to save.

Normally, the default is the folder that contains the source files. So the VPJ is likely not in the c:\user\documents\Videopad Projects folder, unless you directed that it be saved there.

But it should have been created. And opening that file should reload the project, provided that its files haven't been deleted. If they have been moved, it will prompt to Resolve.

Here, a Windows search from Explorer for .VPJ brings up a host of those files.

[deleted]

On the face of it, it seems you may have lost your work which is unfortunate. 🙁

With a big project or when you have put a lot of work in to one, we always suggest that you set up a destination folder with a recognizable name and location and then Save Project As FREQUENTLY, using a different name or sequential ID name each time and always save your work in it.

Can't tell why your app crashed, but as I said the autosaved .vpj should be present here..

C/Users/user name/AppData/Roaming/NCH Software/VideoPad/autosave.vpj

As an example...Here are the contents of that folder here with the autosaved vpj selected...........Note the pathway at the top...

As mentioned, this file is present and updated as you work but is deleted when you quit VP.(That's why you are given the chance to save when you close the app) It the event of a crash VP doesn't get the chance to delete it and once you re-run the app you are reminded that an autosaved project is available and do you want to load it.

It could be that in your case , as you were apparently in the process of exiting VP when the crash happened, that, as you don't seem to be able to find it in the folder shown above, the autosaved file had already been deleted when you clicked the X so causing the crash.

Nevertheless do a thorough search for .vpj you still may find it, but remember that (at least here) it doesn't find the autosave.vpj in the folder above for some reason.

Nat.

soplox

Thanks for the help, maybe i missed this auto save when i was searching for it somehow. I'll search for it even more maybe i'll find it, anyways thanks