Problems with new Lacie firewire

Good evening all,

I'm positive I'm not the only one on the planet experiencing this phenomena.
I just got a new Lacie 250 Gig firewire drive, and plugged it in and started using it without formatting it.
For every file that I captured, there were 4 files in my Capture Scratch folder. (I'm working on a Mac G5)
The harddrive was automatically generating these files with names like "untitled-av-1" and "untitled-av-2".
I figured out which files were the real ones and deleted the extra ones. It let me reconnect the media and use it in FCP. But when I shut FCP down and restarted it, it came up with error messages of why it wouldn't read the files.
Basically I lost several hours of work today, and I'm left with the question: "Did this happen because I didn't format the drive?"
The harddrive came with a SilverLining software CD, but the PDF manuals weren't making much sense to me.
Anybody have a similiar issue with a new Lacie?

Thanks so much for your time,
-i

You did this to yourself. You assumed you knew how the program works, and did something that was VERY wrong:

"The harddrive was automatically generating these files with names like "untitled-av-1" and "untitled-av-2". I figured out which files were the real ones and deleted the extra ones."

Uh, those weren't "extra" files...those were parts of your media. FCP breaks big clips into multiple CONNECTED clips, to ensure speed. You threw out part of your media that is attached to the clips...thus causing your error.

While it is wise to format your drive to MAC OS EXTENDED, it is also wise NOT to mess with files that you have no idea about.

I am definitely learning all the time, Shane.
So tell me, why is it splitting the files into 4 pieces (instead of the usual one on my other hard drives)?

And how does one go about formatting the drive to MAC OS EXTENDED ?
Spell it out nice and simple for a dummy like me, will ya'?

Thanks,

-i

That never happened to my files all the way up to version 4.5...is this a new thing in 5? I capture a clip...it's one single clip.



When life gives you dilemmas...make dilemmanade.

were you using "capture now" - this sounds like a reasonably consistent symptom of such behavior...

as a side note...
RULE ONE: never, EVER run a new drive without reformatting it

Disk Utility...in your APPLICATIONS>UTILITIES folder.

FCP did this with FCP 3, FCP 4.5, and FCP 5. Mainly if you capture now.

>>So tell me, why is it splitting the files into 4 pieces (instead of the usual one on my other hard drives)<<

Either because the drive is not able to handle files over a set size, or because FCP has been told not to make files over a set size.

Before you go reformatting, check this - in FCP select File > Log and Capture > Capture Settings > Scratch Disks . make sure there isnt a tick in the box next to the words 'Limit capture/eport file segment size to'. If there is a tick, turn it off.

Formatting the drive as MAC OS Extended (Not journaled), if you need to, will ensure that you can deal with large files (ie over 2 gig)

Doing this will delete all the files on the drive, so backup those things that do work before doing it.

Like Shane says go to your main hard drive and go Applications > Utilities > Disk Utility.

With this open, select the lacie from the menu on the left, then click 'Erase'. Make sure you have the right drive selected. You are about to erase the whole thing.

Then select Mac Os Extended from the drop down menu and click Erase.

You drive is now reformatted as mac os extended and ready to work.

> So tell me, why is it splitting the files into 4 pieces (instead of the usual one
> on my other hard drives)?

Drives formatted in OS Standard and PC Interchange (ie. PC-formatted but being used for a Mac) have a 2GB upper limit. Larger clips have to be broken up into multiple dependent clips that can't open on their own. Look at each of the -av files. Do they read 1.99GB each?

Shane is right -- if they've already been created, you're stuck with them short of a complete reformat and recapture.

> I figured out which files were the real ones and deleted the extra ones

Very, very, VERY dangerous practice. As Shane mentioned, *all* of them were "real" files. FCP's file management tends to be simple enough, and you should *never* delete any FCP-generated files unless you're very experienced and can tell which file is which at a glance. If you didn't format the new drive as your first step, you're probably just starting out, so I suggest getting into this practice: When you delete anything, *don't* empty the Trash until you've checked your project file to make sure nothing is haywire.

And *always* reformat your drive to Mac OS Extended before you put *anything* on it. This includes FireWire drives, USB flash sticks, anything you stick into a Mac for storage purposes.

I've formatted the drive and it seems to be working perfectly (knock on wood).
Thanks for all your help, everybody!

You guys are life savers!

Interesting theories! Sorry I couldn't get here sooner to add my two bits.

I think Jude came the closest-- he was actually in the Scratch Disks pane! And yes, under the old 2GB file limit, you would get mor ethan one file, but not the mess described above.

The most common reason for the bifurcated files comes from a little tiny checkbox in your Scratch Disks pane right under the disk list window:

"Capture Audio and Video to separate files."

Make certain this item is *not* checked when capturing under FireWire prototcol, and you'll be fine. FireWire DV wants to be one file and likes to be one file. The format was devised that way.

This Gotcha gets older Avid users coming over to FCP all the time. When I see the oddball file names resulting from a capture of any kind, I know immediately what to look for. And now... so do you!

HTH

- Loren
Today's FCP 5 keytip:
Apply default Video Transition: Command-T.
Apply Default AUDIO Transition: Command-Option-T !

The FCP 5 KeyGuide?: your power placemat.
Now available at KeyGuide Central
www.neotrondesign.com

Uh huh. So why did the problem go away when he reformatted the drive?

All of the answers given were valid answers. They are all reasons that this can happen and to call them 'interesting theories' I feel is a bit condesending.

Hi Loren - regarding 'Capture Audio and Video to seperate files.' uncheck it -
would this apply to Uncompressed 8 bit? Thanks .. Phil

> under the old 2GB file limit, you would get more than one file, but not the
> mess described above.

I don't think that's true, Loren. The 2GB file limit will create an unlimited number of dependent files, depending on how long a piece of media he's trying to capture. Basically, the issue is identical with different causes. Whether the file-size limit is imposed by FCP or the drive format, it's bad news.

Drive misformatting is the #1 cause I've seen of this problem. You know, go to Best Buy, get the cheapest drive for budget purposes, not knowing that drives you buy in a non-Apple store is almost certainly going to be formatted for PCs.

<<<drives you buy in a non-Apple store is almost certainly going to be formatted for PCs.>>>

And further, formatted older PC or FAT. FAT has the 2G limit. If they came NTFS formatted, there would be no size limit, but nobody would be able to read them.

Koz

Phil writes-
[Hi Loren - regarding 'Capture Audio and Video to seperate files.' uncheck it -
would this apply to Uncompressed 8 bit? Thanks .. Ph]

That's what the checkbox is there for-- for capture cards that handle sending video and audio to separate files, even separate drives, to cut down on bandwidth. This was standard in Avid for many years. For instance, you'd use it with a non-SDI-embedded audio Kona card or other brand which required a separate pipe, like the Flying Cow Midiman, for audio ingest.

Look, guys, didn;t mean to be condescending; my confidence was high. I troubleshot that precise problem with three clients over the last two years. Everything's a theory until it isn't, eh? ;-)

- Loren
Today's FCP 5 keytip:
Apply default Video Transition: Command-T.
Apply Default AUDIO Transition: Command-Option-T !

The FCP 5 KeyGuide?: your power placemat.
Now available at KeyGuide Central
www.neotrondesign.com

There should be a GIANT sticker on every FireWire drive saying,
"If you are using a Mac, please reformat this drive to Mac OS Extended before use". Not all of us have "Mac for Dummies". :-)

Best,
Kevin Monahan
Author, "Motion Graphics and Effects in Final Cut Pro"
Last Chance to Sign Up for My FCP FX Seminar, coming to LA this Weekend!