Hi All

I have salvaged files from old AVID disks (circa 2001 on MC 10). I am trying to recuperate an edit list or an actual timeline. I even have files from a ZIP drive.

All I have are exec files that my current MC will not recognize. At the time I may have edited on win NT. I am now OS High Sierra. 

Is there a way to recuperate anything?

Thanks for your input.

UPDATE: I just checked on a pc and I confirm that the files are window files : Is there a way to salvage these files and convert them to mac os files?

Exec files are the actual application or the installers.

You should still ave Avid bins. .avb files. Thats what you need.

Thanks for your reply.

The files I see with mac os use the "exec" icon. Under Windows there are no extensions. I took a poor screen shot to show what I have using windows. Please note that I am using bootcamp to look at the files under window (with no MC to interpret the info).

Cheers

Marco A:

Under Windows there are no extensions.

 

Sure there are.  Open any folder, go to the "view" tab and make sure the "File name extensions" box is checked.

Hi

So I am back on my project: I've checked again and there are no extensions showing even with all the right boxes checked.

The files were salvaged from daisy chained avid disks (9gb X4) ;-)

Any other ideas? 

Need to see a directory listing of the files.

What format are the drives? PC or Mac?

They are PC.

Windows NT if I rmember correctly. The files I can see were on the ZIP drive bkp.

In the BKP

There is a folder with 4 folders CHRIS (the editor at the time), RUSHES (in french), STATISTICS (?), & TRASH

At the root of the folder with the other 4, there files which look like this:

__

___03_07 ok

_EX MONTAGES

_MONTAGE 2A

and so on...

Yup thats a project. I've opened some of the bins on my PC system and can see sequences and rushes.

Early Mac systems had no extension so its harder to wiork out whats what.

On a PC you can create a fresh Project and then use file open bin to access the bins directly. My PC defaults to looking for files with a .avb extension but you can choose to see all files and then select files and see if they are bins.

I'd normally these to be projects but they seem to be missing the actual project file and project settings file (not needed really)

So easier to make fresh projects and then copy valid bins in as you discover them.

The folder PIRRONE is just a user settings folder so forget that.

Inside ALURICAN 03_07 folder is a chris folder which again is user settings so forget that.

The statistics folders forget as well as they are no use.

The trash folder does hold bins that the editor has deleted but not emptied the trash (so maybe useful)

The RUSHES folder is full of Avid bins and they open

the cante jondo 17_05 folder looks like it may be a duplicate of some or all of the bins.

Sooo...

Here's my problem: I'm on mac os for my new editing setup.

You can actually see OMFs?

The project was done over a period of 3 yrs so there various versions of the film but the latest edit is "montage 03_07"

As I am starting the project from scratch with newly digitized material I would love to be all to get the edit lists back (at least).

Do you have suggestions in my case?

Ok it took a bit of digging because that was the seqence name and not the bin name but I found the bin with that (and otehr sequences)

_EX MONTAGES was the bin that held the sequence. 

That sequence opens and is 2 mins 25 seconds long.

Its all offline because there is no media on my system.

So on your Mac system make a new project thats 25fps SD I presume ;-)

copy the _EX MONTAGES file to your new project and add .avb to the end of it.

It should then appear in your project.

The
 next challenge will be re ingesting the content to allow it to link. The current sequence looks like all the content was captured from Tape. VHS and DAT show up which is a worry!

OK. Thanks.

The project should be 90mn... If I remember correctly "ex montages" were outs from the final edit.

Yes there was a lot VHS source but as TV exerpts from numatic tape...

The re digitzed material is from 16mm and DVCAM so a bit better (In HD).

Are you saying that I can read cross format my windwos file in my Mac OS AVID MC? I'll trial and error all of my files...

Yes Avid bins are cross platform.

You may have to do a bit or trail and error to get the sequence to link to your redigitised content. The old sequence will be looking for tapes that may not corepond to your new ingest.

So it could get complicated.

Yes... this project is complicated.

The time codes for the source material should correspond so it should be a matter of finding the new location of the right images and sound. Time consuming.

So now that I know that I can add .avb to files to test them : Is there are a way to visually differenciate a file from a bin?

Not easily but if you open the file with a text editor bins normally have this sort of stuff at the start:

 DomainOBJD AObjDoc 2001/03/22 16:20:09   €   €MMMM¶ßÖ¹
J#ATobATve MediaComposer¨ 2.10